Today we’d like to introduce you to Katrina DeWit.
Hi Katrina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in the winter of 2009 and struggled with an unwelcoming job market, balancing seven part-time jobs for the next two years to make ends meet. A friend introduced me to the real estate firm she was working at. I practically forced my way into accompanying her to work happy hours and holiday parties over several months. While I started as a full-time receptionist, I moved to the broker’s assistant position within months. Over nearly four years, I was invaluable in running the firm as he started focusing on other things but never saw any gratitude for that. It was passed over multiple times as male colleagues got promotions. I decided to take that role’s positive and negative experiences and start my own real estate business, focusing on unparalleled customer care, competence, and passion. I’ve been a Real Estate Advisor for eight years now within the Engel & Völkers Minneapolis shop and couldn’t be happier with what I’ve built to meet clients where they are and help them achieve their goals in a move.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This feels like a trick question; as a solo operator for the first five years, it was extremely challenging to both live in the details of providing the level of service I demand for my clients’ experience in making one of their most significant financial decisions and to think big picture as the salesperson and owner trying to project things months in advance. During that time, we also had COVID-19, which shut down the real estate market entirely for over a month, and I had my first child with little maternity leave when a business partner walked out on me a couple of weeks after my daughter was born. I made my first hire three years ago, and having an assistant has been a learning curve, but it is also gratifying to have someone as passionate about the people we work with as I am.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are committed to competence, passion, and exclusivity in treating and representing our diverse clientele. We give each of our clients a luxury-level experience regardless of whether they are buying their first home, designing their dream home, or something in between. I found my fifteen minutes of fame in an episode of House Hunters on HGTV; otherwise, I am very content sitting beside my clients navigating real estate decisions with them. Adept at highly complex problem solving, I often attract clients with situations that require creative thinking and deep levels of teamwork. Being an education-based Realtor, I ensure my clients are well informed of the situation and all possible solutions to make home purchase or sale decisions that best fit their needs and goals. I completed a certificate with Harvard Law in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution a year ago, and my most recent professional education as a Seniors Real Estate Specialist® focused on sharping my skills in helping older adults and their families with the transition from their family home to housing that better fits their current lifestyle.
How do you think about luck?
If luck is being in the right place at the right time, I think hard work has a lot to do with that to prepare you for that opportunity when it arises. I am constantly improving my skills and staying active within my community so that when luck finds me, I am ready.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://katrinadewit.evrealestate.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katrinadewit/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katrina.m.dewit
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-dewit/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWvzx1652Vj8_kRqwyoWbrA
Image Credits
Lily Plunkett
