Kathleen Kellett-Ward believes energy is powerful. As an expert in the housing market of the scenic Shenandoah Valley, and leader of KK Homes, she exudes positivity, and aligns herself with others in the same vein.
“I teach the team not to spend their time on clients who show distrust towards us,” Kellett-Ward says. “If they feel a buyer or seller exudes any type of negativity, we need to release them from their agreement. We are not following our values as a team, nor are we doing what is best for the client, if we continue to work with them just for the commission we’ll make.
“The money comes when you do the right thing, for the right people,” adds Kellett-Ward. “We want to work with clients who appreciate our expertise—who trust us and want the experience that we provide.”
Kellett-Ward first got into the industry on the lending side—a background that gives her an edge in transactions—and today, KK Homes, affiliated with Long & Foster Real Estate, serves the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, including Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County. Kellett-Ward has been honored as a “Valley Favorite” by the community in The News Virginian for seven straight years, and, at Long & Foster, consistently earns high-producer rankings. In 2019, she received the Small Business Excellence Award from the local Chamber of Commerce, as well.
Suzanne De Vita: Kathleen, what brought you from lending into real estate?
Kathleen Kellett-Ward: I started in the mortgage business, and the top-selling team at the time recruited me as an agent in January 2006. I worked with the team for a year, and then went out on my own. I hired my first team member, an assistant, to help manage customer expectations and service. Because I’ve been in the mortgage and real estate industry for so long, with so many transactions under my belt, I’ve seen so many different circumstances and situations. I’m creative in navigating transactions, and have saved many deals that, when we are not involved, may have otherwise fallen apart.
SD: Who else is on your team today?
KKW: One of my agents is dual listings and buyers, and the other two are buyers only. We have office staff, as well (a marketing team and support staff, and most are licensed). We are very much like a family, and we help each other grow as people, both personally and professionally. We give a lot back to the community and to each other.
SD: How often do you get together, and what do you focus on?
KKW: We hold meetings every Tuesday and talk about situations that we run into, so we can learn from them. We also talk numbers—how many listings we have, how many contracts, etc.—and discuss goals for the week and year.
SD: Your goals include maintaining positive relationships…
KKW: Our goal is to keep things positive always, in all ways. We get off track because we are human, but we motivate each other to remember T. Harv Eker’s words: “Where attention goes, energy flows and results show.”
SD: That extends online, as well.
KKW: We have a website, personal pages and social media so people can see us, our personal messages, our family and how we give back to the community. On the team page, we focus on our inventory, properties that we’ve sold and blogs about the local community and buyers/sellers. We try to share information that people actually want to see and read and watch, and most of it we keep very personal, such as featuring clients who we sold homes to and their testimonials.
SD: With energy in mind, what are you envisioning for the team this year?
KKW: We have a volume goal, which is always more than what we did the year before. Mostly, though, it’s focusing on making sure that we work with people we enjoy working with and that enjoy working with us. We are looking out for their best interest; it’s not just about getting them to the finish line, but making sure they know we do this because we want to help people, and we truly care.Â
Suzanne De Vita is RISMedia’s senior online editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at sdevita@rismedia.com.
