Meet Trailblazer Kassidy Benson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kassidy Benson.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kassidy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always been an entrepreneur, but after graduating from college, I didn’t have the money or experience to get anything off the ground. So, I did what all recent graduates with impending student loans are forced to do… got a job. I did marketing, but I knew I wanted to be my own boss. I thought I would start a social media and marketing company with the experience I’d gained working. There was this real estate brokerage who had the worst website and no social media, so I called the owner and to my surprise, she was willing to meet with me… as soon as she got back from Burning Man. The marketing pitch turned into a heartfelt conversation, lunch, tour of a listing, and she even gave me a ride home. She informed me up front, she was not interested in doing traditional marketing but she thought I would make a fine real estate agent. I had never even considered a career! The next day, I started my market research, calling every real estate agent I knew trying to determine if it would be a good career move for me. Ultimately, I decided it was a PERFECT match for my skill set! The biggest perk, I was able to set my own hours and responsible for building my own business but I had the structure of a brokerage and the established business model built-in.

Has it been a smooth road?
Of course, I encountered struggles! Changes out of my control took place within the companies where I hung my real estate license. As a real estate agent, you essentially operate your own business within a brokerage. I started with a brokerage called Dwell Denver where I received the finest training and mentorship. I was devastated when the owner announced her plans to dissolve the brand I loved to merge with a competitor. The news hit and bad time and I considered giving up, but instead, I approached Live Urban Denver.

Six months earlier, they turned me away because I had no experience, but now, I had a few closings under my belt and they were happy to have me. I gain valuable experience and loved the company culture, but after two years, the owners decided to sell out again. The owners had two exceptional women, Nicole managing agents, and Stacie leading the marketing side, who ran the company for them. Instead of selling the company internally, they made a decision to sell to two men who owned Your Castle. The company culture collapsed overnight and things got really ugly. In addition, Trump had recently taken office and I wanted to make a stand for women. When Stacie opened her own brokerage and Nicole took a leadership role, I knew I wanted to join these strong women in solidarity.

One of my daily affirmations is, “Everything that is happening now is happening for my ultimate good.” I worked at three different brokerages in my first fours years in real estate. That wasn’t my plan and it definitely caused turmoil in my business. However, it also gave me every tool I could ever need to ultimately open my own brokerage, Living Room Real Estate in January 2019. With each move, I learned about the systems, culture, and business models of success agents and real estate brokerages. The experience at other brokerages was instrumental in starting my own company.

We’d love to hear more about Living Room Real Estate.
I have expertise in a housing type called Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). An ADU is a secondary housing unit on a single-family residential lot. I think this is a progressive and innovative solution to our housing inventory storage. I have been featured in Denverite, 5280 magazines, and Realtor magazine for my expertise and advocacy and expertise on the subject.

However, that can be a little deceiving because most of my experience is working with investment-minded millennials buying in city-center neighborhoods. I help my clients understand how to make smart real estate investments, walk them through the benefits of building a real estate portfolio, and help them take advantage of the tax benefits of owning real estate. I represent buyers and sellers but have a higher proportion of buyers because I’m a huge advocate of keeping your real estate long term and renting properties as a source of income.

I also have experience in home remodel/renovation and property management. I completely remodeled my first home top-to-bottom in order to understand construction management, the anatomy of a house, and the cost involved in common home improvement projects. This adds so much value when working with my clients because I can ballpark estimates on the spot and have valuable connections to contractors. When I finished my basement, I created a Basement Remodel Guide that you can find on my website. I also have a rental property that I manage and I support my clients with the ongoing management of their rental properties and help them find tenants.

Lastly, I’m very involved in local Denver politics. Being informed on policy is critical to representing my clients well. The best way to describe this is through a few examples. Example one, the city of Denver has the initiative to improve the sidewalks; They are requiring homeowners to pick up the bill, so when purchasing a home you need to make sure the sidewalk is in good condition or the new homeowner could be on the hook for thousands of dollars. Example two: the city of Denver has rules on short term rentals (Airbnb) that if violated can lead to arrest, so I make sure my clients understand the regulations. Example three, every ten years the city does a big planning document and makes changes to the zoning code, I’m engaged in this process to looking for opportunities for my clients to make solid investments. I got my degree in political science and am passionate about this aspect of real estate.

As a managing broker, I also take on the duty of mentoring the agents on my team. When I launched my company I took on one associate real estate agent, Taylor Whitton. I send time supporting her, answering questions, and providing structure. She is a dream to work with and I love teaching such an eager learner. My vision is to create a tribe that thrives as a team. I hope to take on one new agent per year and make them into a superstar in the industry. Too many new agents don’t have proper training or supervision and lack the systems to properly serve their clients well during their first few deals. Considering real estate? I’m taking on one agent in 2020, email me!

We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
I feel so lucky to be a woman in 2019! People have worked so hard to make sure I had equal opportunity as a woman and it worked! I’m forever grateful for their efforts. Real Estate is an especially good career for women. Women drive 70-80% of all consumer purchasing, through a combination of their buying power and influence. The household has always been the domain of women, so it makes sense that they are typically the primary decision maker when purchasing a home. Even when serving men, I feel like they lean on me for a feminine perspective. The field of real estate is dominated by smart and successful women. The career also provides the flexible framework women need to be mothers and caretakers. The experience of having a family makes these women more valuable, they become experts in local schools systems and understand what families require in a home and neighborhood. I’m extremely grateful for Stacie Staub at West + Main Homes for her support of me personally, but also being a cheerleader for all women, mothers, and female real estate agents.

Pricing:

• Buyer Representation – FREE (paid by seller)
• Listing Representation – 4-6% of the sale price
• Assistance finding a rental – 1/2 first month’s rent
• Tenant placement for a landlord – one month’s rent

Contact Info:

• Address: 4045 Pecos St, #210
  Denver, CO 80211
• Website: https://livingroomdenver.com/about-us/
• Phone: 303-720-8491
• Email: Kassidy@LivingRoomDenver.com
• Instagram: @kassidybenson, @LivingRoomDEN
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kassidy.m.benson

Image Credit:
Samantha Hayley, Taylor Whitton, Jerad Larkin, pizza on bed @heftiba.co.uk, champagne – @nikarthur

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