KENT RODAHAVER

Having excelled for many years as a builder and developer, including owning his own development firm, Kent Rodahaver realized the enjoyment in buying and selling properties. His passion for residential real estate grew, and he ultimately decided to pursue his broker’s license. Eventually, Kent’s main focus shifted from real estate development to real estate sales, and he decided to open the first of two real estate brokerages. Now, with 12 years in the industry behind him, he has forged a strong reputation in the Greater Tampa Bay Area, as well as the Gainesville area, offering exceptional residential real estate services to clients throughout the West Coast and North Central Florida.

Conveniently located in St. Petersburg and Gainesville, Kent’s offices thrive on a supportive company culture. “We are relatively small compared to many of our competitors,” he says, “But our team is comprised of talented people who work hard and sincerely care about our clients.” As a result of their efforts, NextHome South Pointe has been voted ‘Best in the Bay’ for two consecutive years. They’ve also received the Diamond Pinnacle Office Award for their outstanding service.

At the heart of Kent’s practice is his commitment to authenticity and customer satisfaction. 90% of his business comes from repeat clients and referrals, which is a testament to his ability to make sure his clients are the main focus at all times. “If you avoid pretending to be something you’re not and present yourself as the authentic person you are, folks tend to gravitate towards you,” explains Kent. He’s an advocate of personal outreach, rather than automation, and frequently makes phone calls and texts to his past clients to let them know he is thinking of them. As an extra treat for his clients, Kent hosts numerous client appreciation events throughout the year.

When it comes to marketing his listings, Kent invests in the highest quality resources and talent to make the biggest impact. With a nationally recognized photographer/videographer, Kent creates exciting video content that brings a lot of people to his door. “We do these short videos that are less than a minute long where we highlight each listing,” he explains. “People absolutely love them because they are engaging and fun while also providing really useful information.” Additionally, every listing has its own dedicated website, which includes 3-D walkthroughs, detailed floor plans, and supplementary information about the property.

Last year, Kent personally completed 45 real estate transactions, totaling $26 million in sales. While he continues to balance both his production and managing his brokerages, he keeps an eye out for new ways to make the experience of working with his team even better. “We’re a customer-centric company with a passion for helping each other excel in real estate,” he says. “We want every interaction to be genuine and meaningful so that our clients know that their goals and interests are at the forefront of every single thing that we do.”

To learn more about Kent Rodahaver, call 727-301-7300, email Kent@NHSouthPointe.com or visit KentRodahaver.com

Kristi Lee Stewart

In her role as a Team Leader, Broker and Owner of Coastal Home Real Estate, Kristi Stewart wears many hats every day. But whether she’s training a new agent or closing a deal, her philosophy remains the same: “I work hard for everybody. I treat the janitor the same as the ceo. I pick up my phone, and I do my job right,” she says. Kristi took to real estate like a duck to water. After working in the industry for several years and obtaining her license in 2016, she sold over 75 homes in her first two years. But it was a deep desire to share her knowledge with others that led her to also obtain her Broker license.

Now she heads up a team with 15 agents at Coastal Home, a boutique brokerage agency that services southeast Florida. Coastal Home’s mission is to maintain a family-friendly environment and strong communication while providing the highest possible level of service to their clients. As the Team Leader, Kristi’s focus is on using her expertise in the real estate industry and knowledge of the Treasure Coast area to take her Realtor®s to the next level. “As a broker, I love training agents to be successful, and as a Realtor®, I love making dreams come true for my clients,” she says. Last year, the firm did $50 million in sales, of which Kristi personally closed almost $8 million. She’s proud of the fact that 100% of her personal sales came from repeat customers and referrals.

Coastal Home uses a number of high-tech tools to market their listings and maintain a strong social media presence. In addition to that, Kristi goes above and beyond in her efforts to delight her clients. “On the listing side, I overextend my service with professional photography, free listing inspections, videography, and deep cleaning. For the buyers, I’m very strong in my market knowledge. I pay attention to what they need, and I put together really aggressive offers,” she says. One marketing method that’s proven particularly effective for the firm is the use of a “Coming Soon” status that gives the agents 21 days to generate excitement via social media about an upcoming listing. “In my office, everyone empowers everyone else to help get the listings sold---often before they even hit the market,” she says.

An active member of the community, Kristi is deeply involved in a charity called #DoYouGiveARuck?. Headquartered in Vero Beach, Florida, the nonprofit organization is dedicated to making the lives of veterans better through fundraising and raising public awareness for veterans’ issues like homelessness and suicide risk. “We put together a huge event last July and raised a ton of money for them,” she says.

In her free time, Kristi enjoys being outdoors, fishing, and spending time with her animals on her mini-farm. But she won’t be slowing down any time soon. In the future, she plans to continue focusing on exceeding her clients’ expectations while also helping other real estate professionals master their skills. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to open up a real estate school and continue training agents. I’d love to have an additional branch and open up something down south—and maybe another office up north,” she says.