FollowPeople in the Metro are on the move again. With new residents continuing to pour into the city, the housing market is heating up. While some of the enthusiasm has been tempered by somewhat onerous regulations and a still-balky employment outlook, the real estate industry is closing ground, if you will, on the glory days of the not-too-distant past.
For savvy realtors, the market is bustling with activity. Although Kelly Kingston Homes is a relative newcomer, having been in business for just under a year, the fledgling firm is quickly making a splash. Kelly Kingston Homes mainly focuses on residential real estate and the occasional investment property. The team closed on over 100 properties in its first ten months in business. Not a bad debut.
The secret to their early success is simple, if not a little innovative in terms of thinking. In terms of real estate, conventional wisdom states that the three most important factors in selling property are location, location and, yes, location. While that axiom still carries a lot of clout, Kelly Kingston Homes couples it with another practical philosophy. “We focus on pricing a property right and helping people sell their home as-is,” explains Carter Steph, Co-Managing Broker for Kelly Kingston Homes.
“Some realtors will ask you to spend thousands of dollars to update your home before listing,” Steph continues. Sellers have no guarantee on that renovation investment, and the chaos and added expense compounds the already stressful situation of moving. Steph reasons that a home in the right location and listed at the right price will sell in a reasonable amount of time.
If you are ambivalent about selling your house and moving along, Kelly Kingston Homes built another incentive into their business model—giving back to the community. Steph explains, “When forming the company, we wanted giving back to be a part of our company identity.” The company pledges ten percent of its net proceeds to nonprofit organizations. “As soon as we started making money, we wanted to give back,” says Steph.
The firm’s giving back program doesn’t have a formal application or selection process for recipient organizations. Instead, a few guiding principles help the team pick worthy charities. “We focus on local charities instead of national,” says Steph. “We also prefer to support companies that help work directly with individuals rather than [focusing on]broader issues.”
Family counseling service Calm Waters; the Positive Tomorrows school for homeless children; and the veterans’ assistance Warriors for Freedom Foundation are at the top of the early list. Different organizations will be awarded at the end of each fiscal quarter. “We’ll change it up,” says Steph. “There will be a different recipient every time.”
Regardless of the state of the economy, there are always people who need a hand from time to time. While charitable giving has rebounded from recent recession-induced lows, smaller organizations can always use a helping hand to cover their costs and expand programming. The team at Kelly Kingston Homes is committed to giving as many worthy organizations a boost as possible.
The company is exploring other options for directing proceeds to charity as well, so the giving back program will continue to evolve. One thing is certain: the company’s success will translate into community success. “We are committed to donating ten percent of our profits,” Steph states. “As we grow, that number is going to grow.”
If you want to feel better about moving, let Kelly Kingston Homes handle the details. You and a host of worthy local charities will be at least ten percent happier that you did.
Written by Sean Becker
