Q: Can you share with us what made you decide to have a career in Real Estate? 
KH: Before real estate, I worked as the Member Relations Director of a private golf club. I worked every holiday except for Christmas. I worked most weekends & well into the evenings. 

I was pregnant with my first child, and a friend of mine who was a Realtor, encouraged me to consider making a switch. “It’s great!,” she said, “Your schedule is so flexible, and you make your own hours!” With a family on the way – this was a welcomed thought.

Now, after 14 years, I wouldn’t call my schedule “flexible.” However, the first few years was the perfect marriage of spending time with my growing children and running my business. As the kids grew, so did my business. Looking back, there were noticeable jumps in my income when my oldest was in 1st grade and my youngest started going to kindergarten. There’s another substantial jump when my kids were both in school full time. When they got to be old enough to periodically get off the bus by themselves – my time shifted its balance a little more so into the real estate world. 

I’m back to working every holiday except for Christmas, most weekends & well into the evenings. However, the gradual transition from new agent to experienced agent coincided well with what I needed and wanted to for my family each step of the way. 

Q: How long have you been active in Real Estate?
KH: I’ve been a full-time Realtor for 14 years. I can easily recall how long I’ve been a Realtor because I started when my oldest son was born, and he just celebrated his 14th birthday. My husband, Mike, and I intended on real estate being something that we ventured into together. We sat through our classes on the weekends side by side – my Real Estate textbook perfectly set on top of my pregnant belly - and we took our Real Estate exams on the same day (I scored better… slightly, but better none-the-less). 

However, in 2007, the market wasn’t an easy one. The real estate work that we were fortunate to get was only enough to really keep me busy. Since my husband still had his full-time job, he focused on that, and I focused on real estate. 

After 13 years, the amount of business I earned was more than enough, and I didn’t want the workload to affect the service I provided my clients. When it was time to branch out into a team, my husband was the first person I approached with the offer. He’s now back by my side in real estate. Everything came full circle. Having my husband and our other teammate – Karen Clark – with me makes me feel invigorated all over again. 

Q: Obviously with Covid-19 there’s a lot of changes going on in the world … what changes have you seen that you feel will remain in Real Estate? Do you think there will be more changes?
KH: I never just made an appointment to show a home. Each showing request embodies a list of other minor details that go beyond just unlocking a door: requesting and reviewing the disclosures being a big one. However, I know that many Realtors rely on tangible information being splayed out on the kitchen counter – many copies of the disclosures and brochures and sign-in sheets for them and their buyers to review on the spot. 

When Covid hit, we were deterred from leaving items at the houses to be dispersed for fear that it may spread any illnesses. Now, when homes are shown, each agent HAS to do their research beforehand because the disclosures aren’t going to be waiting for them next to the fruit bowl. This spurs a society that is already-reliant on digital information to be even more-so. Clipboards for such information is of the past and email documents have become the norm. 

I find, however, that a digital document doesn’t seem to weigh as much as a piece of paper. I’ve experienced clients who freely click away on digital signatures yet hesitate just a few seconds longer, ask a few more questions, when they’re presented with pen and paper. I hope that agents offset this new norm with better communication so that clients understand what they’re signing. They need to take it just as seriously as if they were handling a piece of paper.

Q: How has technology changed the Real Estate industry over the years?
KH: At 3:00 in the morning, my husband would stumble into our guest room/my home office to find me draped over my keyboard prepping a customized “Market Update” for each of my sellers. Each week, without fail, I would tediously look up all the homes that have sold in their area and create charts of information for them to review. The wee hours of the morning – when the phone wasn’t ringing … when I could be alone uninterrupted … I’d research everything, copy the info into my own format, print it out, notice mistakes & have to correct and re-print, stuff envelopes & put it in the mail for each of my sellers to go out the next morning. 

It was tedious. It was time-consuming. It was something I absolutely dreaded. It was important, however. I did it because the information was valuable to my sellers. Now, 14 years later, I still do the market update but no longer at 3:00 am. Technology has provided me with the luxury of setting up automated reports that are sent via email. They are more accurate, provide more information and are more colorful than anything I offered in my early days. 

Q: What do you think are the ingredients that keep you as a top Realtor year after year?
KH: They say that “business isn’t personal.” I find that to be so very far from the truth. The sacrifices of any dedicated Realtor are apparent with each of the many, many small decisions they make on a daily basis. Each time the phone rings – especially in the evenings or weekends – it’s a small decision to press the green button or the red. Calls don’t come when you’re sitting at your desk in front of your computer waiting for the phone to ring. They come during baseball games, during dinner, while driving to meet other clients, while you’re nursing a migraine … a top Realtor makes sacrifices to press that green button. 

The nature of what we do is so very personal to our clients as well. I sat across from Mr. and Mrs. G in a kitchen that mirrored my grandmother’s. We moved the hand-sewn placemats to the side so I could set up my computer & the pile of documents that they agreed to sign. Due to their failing health, they’ve resigned to sell the home that they personally built over 60 years ago and move into an apartment. With a few flicks of a pen, they were agreeing to sell the setting in which 60 years of birthdays, holidays, births of kids & grandkids, homemade meals, family game nights, the setting which enveloped their entire family was going to go to the highest bidder. 

Tears were shed at that listing appointment … 

My career is trading time from my family to help others maneuver through this business. A Realtor may have hundreds of deals each year, but a good agent never forgets that it’s a unique experience for their client. The main ingredient of a top Realtor is remembering that business IS personal.


Q: If we interviewed all your past clients … what is one common word that comes up when they describe working with you?
KH: Communication. 

I feel that most of our issues - in our personal as well as professional lives – are a result of miscommunication or a complete lack of or miscommunication. Striving to be a good communicator – to THINK of what your client may not know & explain it to them in a way that they can relate & understand – is imperative. I spend a lot of time trying to fine-tune my communication in everything that I do, from making sure that the oh-so-confusing-seller-assist is understood to buyer feedback. Communication is my main focus & something that my clients surely appreciate.

Q: What's the greatest fear you've had to overcome to get where you are today? 
KH: “I’m afraid that someone will ask me a question in which I won’t know the answer.” I revealed my biggest fear to a friend of mine who had a lot of experience in real estate & business in general. “Then you tell them that you’ll get them the answer.”

It seemed simple enough but being fully aware that I didn’t know what I didn’t know was something I faced for many of my initial years as a Realtor. I’m fortunate now that I have enough experience that if a question stumps me … it’s likely not a rooky question! I wish I would have had that confidence from the beginning, but I’m glad I have it now! 

Q: What’s one lesson you’ve learned in your career that you can share with our audience?
KH: My home office boasts a small 8’’ x 10’’ white board. That board is peppered with quotes in all different colors. These are phrases, mantras really, that my team and I use to support one another. 

Among them include: 
“Real estate is a chess game – not checkers.”

“You can’t want it more than your clients.”
“Sometimes I win… sometimes I learn…”

One of my favorites, however, is “What a difference a day makes.” 

At night, all the negative thoughts come out to play. They spur on a parade of work issues that fester and keep you awake. That’s when I rely on the trusty: “What a difference a day makes.” Sometimes, a problem just needs 24 hours to no longer be a problem. Tempers cool. Problems are solved. Emails are responded to. A difficult day in real estate is usually met with a pretty decent day that follows. What a difference a day makes. 

Q: After high school, where did you feel your career path would take you? 
KH: I checked the box by “Marketing & Public Relations” in my college application to Penn State. I never wavered from the decision although I wasn’t quite sure exactly what I would be doing. The thought of working as a creative advertising associate was very appealing, but I ended up focusing more on writing, & geared up for the PR field. As a Realtor, I use those creative skills, writing skills & just communication in general with what I do on a daily basis. 

Come to think of it … I couldn’t think of a better degree for what I do!

Q: Can you tell us how you manage your work life balance?
KH: Have you ever seen a tight-rope walker that’s holding a long stick to help keep them balanced? Imagine that person with a cell phone squeezed between their shoulder and cheek. Add a baby on the other hip. Make sure that they’re wearing their Fitbit that’s constantly buzzing with incoming calls they can’t take. Add the sound of incessant “DINGing” with emails that are coming in. Now … put a basket of laundry on one side of the stick & a yoga ball on the other. There. Balanced. 

Honestly, I went through a period of about five years that I had no balance in my life. It was all work, all the time. My husband would literally bring me my dinner and set it beside my computer. My kids would make appointments with me to talk about their day. It was sad. I was sad.

I started seeing a therapist for stress management. It was at that time that I was venturing into the realm of starting a team with my husband – so I wanted to make sure that my mind and emotions were in the right place. 

I didn’t know that I was doing the work of four people, and I just thought that’s what needed to be done to be successful. However, I now have four people helping me with the workload that I used to tackle on my own (three full-time Realtors & a part-time assistant).

I had to drop by pride when I hired someone to help me clean my house. I had to drop my pride when calling to schedule my first therapy appointment. I had to drop my pride when I knew that it was all just too much & that getting help would open up my schedule to actually enjoy life. 

Eight Things About Katina Hunter

1. What’s your favorite thing to do in your free time?
Ah, the coveted free time! For the longest time, I did a lot of speech writing. I was a volunteer and am a member of Toastmasters International. I competed against 32,000 other speakers in 2016 and was ranked the top 10 in the world. I made the finals stage again in 2017. 

That passion has recently been replaced by painting. I’ve never been an artistic person (unless you like stick figures in which I’m exceptionally talented!) However, I recently discovered acrylic painting. My abstract works are shared with whomever likes them. I only ask for a donation (amount of their choosing) and I use the money to do random acts of kindness and good deeds. That’s a GREAT way to spend free time!

2. What’s your favorite app on your phone?

TikTok! Oh, my beloved TikTok! I scroll past the dance videos & oftentimes look up interesting and random topics – everything from crockpot recipes to real estate ideas to RV hacks! 


3. Best and worst flavor ice cream?
Best: Katy’s Korner Salty Dog (vanilla ice cream with thick caramel ribbons & chunks of chocolate-covered pretzels)


Worst: Wasabi. Yes. You read that right. Wasabi. I was in New York City and stopped in at a gourmet ice cream parlor. They had flavors that should never… NEVER … be made into what should be a delectable treat. Alas, I had a sample of the wasabi. Not good. 


4. If you unexpectedly won $10,000, what would you spend it on?
Man, I’m so boring. I’m a saver. So, into the bank it would go!


5. What’s your signature drink?
It went against everything in my body to try this whiskey. Give me frozen chocolate or fruity girly drinks all day long, but whiskey just isn’t my bag. However,… THIS whiskey was delicious. It was peanut butter flavored and goes perfectly in a frozen mudslide mix!

6. What would you sing at Karaoke night?
My typical go-tos include “Killing Me Softly” and “Cowboy Take Me Away”

7. What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play?
MONOPOLY!!!!! My family members have since stopped playing with me because I get too competitive (& they’re sick of losing!) However, we’re getting a foreign exchange student this year, and one of the “family rules” that I’m setting for him to live in our house is that he has to commit to three full games of Monopoly with me. 


8.What would your perfect Saturday be like? 
Me. My hammock. A book that I’ve already started reading and have determined is interesting enough to finish. A river. A breeze. No one else. No deadlines. No appointments. No timeframe. No schedule.