Kate Smith scores big in real estate with Realtair

• Key figure: Kate Smith, Director & Principal at Kate Smith Property

• Challenge: Balancing a high-volume real estate business with single parenthood

• Solution: Leveraging Realtair for automation and efficiency in daily operations

• Key achievement: 340 property sales per year, with an average commission of $10,000-15,000 per sale

Kate Smith‘s journey from professional basketball to real estate powerhouse is nothing short of remarkable. As the Director and Principal of Kate Smith Property in South Australia, Kate has redefined success in the property market, closing an impressive 340 property sales annually. But how does she manage this high-volume business while raising two young children as a single mum?

The secret, Kate reveals, lies in embracing technology and automation, particularly through the use of Realtair’s comprehensive real estate platform.

1. From WNBA to real estate

Twenty-three years ago, Kate hung up her basketball shoes and stepped into the world of real estate. “I was playing WNBA and so I had just started in an administration role within the office. And so that allowed me to still train two to three times a day,” Kate recalls. “And then from there, I kind of lost the love for basketball and started the love for real estate.”

This passion has driven her to become one of the most successful agents in Australia, with an average commission of $10,000-15,000 per sale. Kate’s transition from professional sports to real estate wasn’t just a career change; it was a complete shift in lifestyle and mindset, one that would eventually lead her to embrace cutting-edge real estate technology like Realtair.

2. Automating success with Realtair

Kate Smith and her team conduct about 20 appraisals weekly, a feat made possible by leveraging Realtair’s suite of real estate technology. “We’re probably saving anywhere from 11 to 15 hours a week through the automation process,” Kate explains. This efficiency allows her team to focus on what truly matters – building relationships with clients.

Since adopting Realtair about 12 months ago, her team has:

1. Recorded around 700 entries, including property market updates, appraisals, and listing appointments
2. Utilised all aspects of Realtair’s platform, including digital proposals, electronic signatures, and managing auctions and online offers
3. Saved 11-15 hours a week through automating processes

The implementation of Realtair has been transformative for Kate’s business. “We use all parts of Realtair. It’s been an incredible addition to our suite of tools, particularly for us,” Kate explained.

A day in the life of a top agent

Kate’s typical day is a whirlwind of activity that starts early and often extends late into the evening. Her schedule includes:

1. Managing appraisals and listings through Realtair’s digital platform
2. Coordinating with her videographer for immediate content creation
3. Overseeing automated market updates to clients via Realtair
4. Balancing work responsibilities with parenting duties

“I actually find being a mum tougher than doing real estate,” Kate admits, highlighting the challenges of juggling a high-powered career with single parenthood. Her children, aged six and seven, are a constant source of joy and challenge. “They are very full of energy, so very demanding, especially being a single parent. You’ve got two children that are vying for your attention. And so, yeah, it’s pretty hectic, but it’s good. I love it.”

4. The auction advantage

As Kate’s business grew, she recognised the need for a more efficient and effective sales method. This led her to embrace auctions as her preferred approach, a strategy that aligns perfectly with Realtair’s capabilities.

Kate is a firm believer in the power of auctions, a process she manages efficiently using Realtair’s auction management tools. “I actually feel that, you know, a majority of the time, probably 95 or 99% of the time, auction will achieve the best result,” she states.

This strategy, supported by Realtair’s technology, has been key to her success, especially in the current market conditions. Kate’s team leverages Realtair’s platform to streamline the entire auction process, from registering bidders to recording bids and finalising sales.

“The interesting thing in our market, I’m not sure how everyone else is finding it, but I’ve had about three or four finance fall-throughs in the last two months, which in 20 years, you know, it was pretty rare,” Kate explains. “So that’s either more of a reason, I think, to push to auction at the moment.” By using Realtair’s auction tools, Kate’s team can provide real-time updates to all parties involved, increasing transparency and trust in the process. This approach not only helps achieve better results for sellers but also creates a more engaging and fair environment for buyers, further cementing Kate’s reputation as a top-performing agent in her market.

5. Embracing change and technology

Kate’s adoption of auctions and Realtair is just one example of how she’s consistently embraced change throughout her career. Over her two-decade journey in real estate, Kate has witnessed and adapted to significant changes in the industry, with technology playing an increasingly important role.

“The beautiful thing about Realtair is you can see when they’re reading it, when they’re opening it, when they’re sharing it. You can see if they’re opening it multiple times,” Kate shared, highlighting the platform’s ability to provide real-time insights into client engagement.

Kate’s embrace of technology extends to her marketing strategies, which are integrated with Realtair. She employs a full-time videographer, utilises drone footage, and sends automated quarterly market reports to clients through Realtair’s system.

6. Realtair as an equaliser

Kate has had to navigate unique challenges throughout her career. In the early days, she found it difficult to assert herself in a male-dominated industry. “When I was coming into the industry, to be a woman, to be assertive, and to be young, you had to be mindful of how that came across to the potential vendor as well. So you didn’t want to be too confident or too cocky,” Kate reflects.

However, with experience and the support of technology like Realtair, she’s been able to level the playing field and focus on providing exceptional service. The data-driven insights provided by Realtair have given Kate the confidence to assert her expertise and value to clients.

“When I’ve got to a point within my career where I became assertive and just started asking for the business, it makes a big difference learning how to close properly or being confident enough knowing that you are giving them a service,” Kate reflects. Realtair’s tools have given her the data and insights to back up this confidence.

Kate’s keys to success

Kate’s journey from WNBA player to top-performing real estate agent offers valuable insights for those looking to make their mark in the industry. Here are Kate’s key lessons, drawn from her experiences:

1. Embrace technology like Realtair to save time and improve efficiency
2. Maintain humility while striving for success
3. Focus on providing value to clients, using data-driven insights from platforms like Realtair
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for the business
5. Balance assertiveness with empathy, supported by technological tools

“In real estate, it’s up to you,” Kate emphasises. “The amazing thing about real estate is if you write it down and say, ‘This is what I want to achieve from it,’ no one can stop you.” With tools like Realtair, agents have more control over their success than ever before, allowing them to write their own success stories, just as Kate has done.