Conversations with the Inspiring Kimberly Van Horn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Van Horn.

Kimberly, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started my career in Real Estate when my husband was active duty Army. We were stationed in Hawaii at the time and I learned how to swim in a very fast-paced, competitive market. A market where I was able to enhance my problem-solving skills and hone in on writing clean, strong offers for maximum gain. Throughout my Real Estate career, I’ve been able to attain success while learning new markets and continually implementing new systems into my business. When I began my career in Real Estate, I set out to represent my clients with high integrity and character, consistent and effective communication, tremendous market and industry knowledge and the ability to negotiate on their behalf. Currently, back in my home state of Colorado, I’ve had the greatest joy of being able to work alongside family and friends, enhancing their Real Estate experience and mitigating any problems along the way. I strive to provide my clients with the best customer service, along with a fun, smooth and learning-based process that they will remember for a long time, or at least until they are ready to make another move!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Balancing being a wife, military spouse and mother on top of moving my career has not been easy. From a career perspective, moving made me challenge myself personally to attain success in multiple markets. I’ve had to humble myself on multiple occasions and have sought out and surrounded myself with mentors inside, and out of, my industry who not only help me grow my business with education and knowledge but also challenge me on a personal level. Time management is key and something I had to learn the hard way, and I believe this is something that will continually need to be perfected in each new phase of life. I have a passion for what I do and genuinely enjoy serving others and every year I challenge myself to be better and do more than before but my husband and boys will always come first. My advice for other women: Be in control of your own schedule, know the appropriate times to say yes, and learn quickly how to say “no.”

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
As a Realtor, I serve both Buyers and Sellers – educating them on the process, their options, and representing them throughout the home buying and selling process. I represent my clients with high integrity and character, consistent and effective communication, tremendous market and industry knowledge and the ability to negotiate on their behalf. I’m dedicated to serving others. And using that passion that I have for others along with my competitive spirit, I’m able to help my clients stand out among the crowds and serve them to the best of my ability. Additional schooling and designations include: Military Relocation Professional and Accredited Buyers Representative.

Looking back on your childhood, what experiences do you feel played an important role in shaping the person you grew up to be?
One thing I’m grateful for is the fact that I don’t come from wealth or the mindset of “Keeping Up with the Joneses.” I remember witnessing the financial stress and burden that causes. Because of this, I believe a tenacious work ethic was instilled in me at an early age from watching the way both of my parents conduct themselves in a professional and personal level. I’m also driven by wealth and having the ability to attain financial freedom through having my money work for me! I have vivid memories growing up of feeling defeated on numerous occasions and my father stepping in with empowering stories of standing up for myself and learning how to confront individuals, who most of the times were considered of “authority” over me. I started working at an early age babysitting and quickly transitioned into retail while in middle school. Retail is nothing short of sales and competition, whether that be store or individual goals, I was obsessed and moved my way up quickly! I was also “lucky” enough to start college when the recession hit and continued working to help pay my way through college. Upon graduation, along with college debt in tow, I landed my first “big time” job making a comfortable middle-class salary but I wasn’t satisfied for a variety of reasons: the pay was “okay”, my management team wasn’t supportive and I worked with a lot of individuals who were just punching a time clock. I knew in order to pay off my debt and to start saving I would need a change – I’m also a control freak and a great leader so finding a profession where I didn’t have a salary cap and I could be my own boss was key! My husband played a huge role in helping me uncover my passion for real estate and attaining financial freedom through real estate acquisition.

Months after we got married, we started looking into our options of purchasing our first property and since then have been slowly working through building a portfolio of rental properties. For most people, owning a home is the single biggest investment they will ever make and the best part is that it’s an investment that can be leveraged in a variety of ways for personal gain, whether upgrading, downsizing or using capital to purchase additional income-producing properties. Being able to provide my family with a “comfortable” lifestyle through financial freedom has been one of the biggest motivators for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.movemilehigh.com
• Phone: 303-818-9360
• Email: kim@coloradohomerealty.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/kimberly_van_horn
• Facebook: Facebook.com/KimMileHighRealtor

Image Credit:
Jeff Edwards, Vision Photography, Orchestrated Light, Christopher Marquez, Virtunance

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