FROM REAL ESTATE TO FAMILY: MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Before launching her real estate career, Katie Hayse built a 16-year career in banking, followed by 6 more years selling software to banks. During her 20+ years in the banking world, Katie earned a reputation as a strong leader, managing several retail branches before turning her focus to the software sales side of the business.

Katie achieved impressive success in banking, but she always had a strong desire to get her real estate license. She has been investing in real estate since 2003 and knew that one day, she’d make a great REALTOR®.

In 2017, “one day” finally arrived. Katie got her license and began her real estate sales career while con tinuing her role in software sales. Over the next three years, she worked both jobs simultaneously.

“And I don’t do things halfway, so it was like having two full-time jobs,” Katie explains with a laugh.

When COVID upended our world in 2020, Katie realized that she enjoyed being home more with her family. As she paused to reassess her career path, she decided to let go of her software sales role entirely and focus her energy on real estate.

“It took a leap of faith to get into real estate because there is no guaranteed paycheck. The banker in me did not want to let go, but I remember having a very clear thought that new doors can’t open until I shut the old ones. I realized I wanted to sell real estate full time, so I drew a line in the sand, took a leap of faith, and focused on one day at a time,” she continues.

Making A Difference

The skills Katie learned in banking have been invaluable to her success as an agent. She knows what questions to ask her clients to unearth their desires. She has experience navigating challenges and finding creative solutions. She

“I think real estate can change people’s financial future. Coming from a financial background, I’ve noticed that the real estate process is daunting and hard to understand for some people. I love that I can not only show pretty houses but guide clients on the financial side,” Katie explains.

Katie’s banking experience, coupled with her experience as an investor, has helped her achieve quick success. As an individual agent with Engel & Volkers, she closed 59 transactions for $34 million in 2021, followed by 24 transactions for $17.8 million in 2022.

Riding The Waves

The difference between Katie’s 2021 and 2022 sales statistics highlights a broader change in the real estate industry; 2022 was a down year, and 2023 is shaping up to be middling as well. Katie understands the market moves in waves, and she intends to flow and move with the changes.

“I spent 21 years in the corporate world where we did all this business planning. I understand the importance of that planning and goal-setting, but what I love about real estate is that I can use that process but also be flexible and go with the flow,” she says. “I know the real estate market changes, so I focus on the market currently and what I can do best today for my clients.”

A slower market has also allowed Katie to refocus on her investments. She has an array of real estate investments — short and long-term rentals, homes she’s flipped, and even complete renovations, like the 1945 beach house she recently gutted and turned into a high-end vacation rental.

“That experience allows me to offer advice to buyers looking to make similar investments in real estate. I know a lot about vacation homes, making them stand out, and taking them up to the next level to achieve the most revenue,” she says.

Family In Focus

Katie grew up in North Florida and currently resides in Nocatee with her family. She and her husband, Mike, have two kids, Mikayla (15) and Liam (11). On the weekends, Katie and Mike often travel from field to field, watching their daughter and son play soccer, basketball, and baseball.

For Katie, family is number one.

“When I’m working and going through my day, the main thought is, ‘What am I leaving behind for my kids?’

Whether that’s in terms of the world as a whole or what I’m teaching them and their financial future, that’s my driving force — my family. As a mom, my goal is raising good kids who are kind and make an impact on the world .”

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