The first thing most people experience when meeting Kim Finley is her level of energy. What they discover as they get to know her better is her passion for helping people. It’s been what has made her successful as a real estate agent for several years, and it’s what will likely drive her to even bigger and better things as she just recently received her brokerage license and opened her own real estate agency.
Finley has been in real estate for eight years, starting with one brokerage firm, then transferring to another in 2020. A friend of hers, who is now retired but was previously Finley’s principal broker, approached her with the idea of going out on her own.
“She said, ‘I know how you like to be independent, and you don’t like anybody telling you what to do. Have you ever considered just going ahead and getting your broker’s license and being on your own?’ And I told her I hadn’t thought about it,” said Finley. “So, I sat with it for a while, thought about it, and decided that’s exactly what I needed to do.”
Three months later, KFinCo Realty opened in a nonprofit co-working space called Bloom, located at 739 High Street in Portsmouth. For now, the agency consists primarily of Finley, but she will potentially be taking on agents as she formalizes her plan and checks off all the tasks on her do-do list.
“I think I’ll be bringing on agents, but I’ll be honest and say I’m not ready yet,” said Finley. “I probably will in some small, selective way, but I’m not looking to be some giant brokerage. That’s not my goal.”
If she does bring on agents, it could be as soon as this summer, but Finley wants to make sure she’s doing it for all the right reasons.
“I really want to sit for a little bit and think hard about how to do it in a way that I feel is ethical and not exploitative of other people’s work and labor,” said Finley. “That’s very important to me. I can only go forward in helping other agents grow if I feel there is a give and take that is equal.”
In the meantime, Finley will continue to serve her current clients and is always looking to meet new people she can help with their home buying or selling needs. Even though her office is in Portsmouth, she serves most of Hampton Roads, including Newport News and Hampton.
“Hampton is my favorite,” said Finley. “I’ve been selling there for the last couple of years and I’m seeing more people look at Hampton more seriously, which I really like because I think there are some really great pockets there.”
For those outside of her service area, Finley does have a group of referral partners that she trusts to provide the same quality service and attention to detail that she provides. Finley is happy to help and is just a phone call (757-646-1521) or email ([email protected]) away.
“I have referral partners pretty much everywhere in Virginia and also in North Carolina,” said Finley. “I’ve been networking with realtors in other localities for eight years and I’ve got a really solid network of people. So, if you need assistance and I can’t help you, I can find someone who can.”
For additional information, interested parties can visit Finley’s website at kfincorealty.com. One look at the recent Google reviews will show how much her clients trust her to buy or sell their homes.
“I care a lot, which is probably not to my benefit, but I think it makes me better at what I do and how I perform,” said Finley. “But because of that, I have people who come back to me over and over. I have a client coming back to the area soon and this will be the fifth house they’ll buy with me. They’re military, so they moved in and out several times. But I held their kid when he was two weeks old and now he’s going into second grade. So, I feel very lucky that people put their faith in me. I just want to be comfortable, and I want my people to be comfortable.”
Q&A With Kim
Tell us about your business.
I own and operate a boutique independent real estate brokerage, and also function as a Residential Real Estate Agent.
What do you do?
All my firm value client service above all else and want to give each of our clients, whether they be buyers or sellers, a good experience of the process. Education of the consumer is a big part of what we do as well as problem solving 101; because real estate can be full of problems that need solutions.
How did you get started?
I was in marketing and advertising, both on the corporate and small biz side, and made the segue into real estate after servicing a lot of realtor clients for many years. A former customer brought me in and taught me the ropes, and this is definitely what I was meant to do.
What do people get by working with you?
Individual service—you will be working with ME directly. I also come with a great stable of Loan Officers, Title Closers, Inspectors, etc., that will help you prepare to buy or sell and help me get you to the closing table smoothly and on time. We are all on the same team, Team Client!
Why is helping animals important to you?
Ultimately, helping animals is helping people; we need them as much as they need us to thrive as well as survive. Many folks who might be suffering from illness, whether physical or mental, cannot advocate or help themselves, they are just unable. But they WILL always take care of their pet and work to keep them healthy. Pets give us love and warmth and devotion, and we need to pay that forward by caring for the animals that cross our path.