We were lucky to catch up with Karonna Hosey recently and have shared our conversation below.

Karonna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned while working at a prior job?

While working for one of the largest corporations in the world, I learned some very valuable lessons that I carry with me to this day. The company’s management philosophies were centered around 9 guiding principles. The company vision was very clear. Every decision was made based on how it aligned with the vision. One key component of the guiding principles is the “challenge process” where all employees, no matter their position, has the right to challenge anyone and anything. This brings balance and ensures that responsibility and benefits are more evenly distributed. I structure all my ventures the same way, implementing guiding principles based on my core values. My 5 Guiding Principles are: 1. Integrity – Do the right thing, because it’s the right thing. If it’s not right, don’t do it. If it’s not true, don’t say it. 2. Respect – Exhibit humility. Treat everyone with respect and fairness regardless of position or background. Value diversity and strive to create an inclusive environment. 3. Innovation – Acquire the best knowledge from any and all sources that will enable you to improve performance, productivity, safety, and efficiency. Proactively share knowledge. Provide and solicit challenge respectfully and consistently. 4. Compliance – Comply with all laws and regulations. Embrace the Stop, Think, & Ask method when decision making. “Is it legal?”, Is it ethical?”, “Does it align with our vision?” All three must be yes, every time. 5. Principled Entrepreneurship – Act from ownership. Attract, motivate, and empower people to become social change entrepreneurs dedicated to service and advancing a society of mutual benefit.21

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have been a Carpenter since the mid-1990’s. Transitioning into real estate sales felt natural for me. With my background in quality and compliance, and my keen eye for details, standing out as a Realtor was pretty easy from the start. I secured listings by utilizing my skillsets as a Carpenter and a fierce negotiator to help my clients update their homes in order to get a better sales price when selling a home. When working with buyers, I’d often perform minor repairs or updates after closing, helping to ease the minds of nervous buyers.

I’ve saved many buyers money by thoroughly inspecting homes during the showing and sometimes previewing before I would take the client. My preliminary inspection saved many buyers from paying a home inspector several hundreds of dollars for a house they wouldn’t end up buying. I truly love real estate, and I don’t ever push a sale just for money. I’m in this for the long haul and want repeat business and referrals, and I work hard for my clients to earn their trust.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had plans to marry a man who suddenly passed away three weeks after I got my real estate license. I lost everything, including my mind. I was so down, I stopped working. I ended up having to move back with my mother. When I awakened from the slumber of depression, I hit the real estate streets hard. I set goals, I put in the work, and built my business back up to the point I did not have to work another job. I set a schedule to post on social media, I networked with Lenders to get more leads, I reconditioned my brain by doing things I normally did not like doing such as going to the gym at 5am daily and talking to everyone I encountered. I began my quest for personal development by shifting my mindset through prayer and meditation. I spoke to a mortgage broker about my personal credit and followed a blueprint to put myself in position to purchase a home.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Within a year of a major pivot, I purchased a home. It turned out to be a total fixer. The Carpenter in me had unrealistic expectations of how much it would cost as well as how long it would take. I was alone in the journey of rehabilitating this house and eventually spent so much time working on the house that my business began to suffer. Being a commissioned professional has its challenges. One of my Lender buddies who I was helping to search for a house, shifted and decided to sell her home to an iBuyer because of the attractive cash offer. I spoke to a representative at that company and found an opportunity to shift the way I sell real estate by working for that company.

By not giving up or giving in to frustration, I was able to take on a whole different role in the industry. I learned a segment of real estate that I previously knew nothing about. The biggest benefit to this shift in my career is that this was a job where I got a regular pay check. I was then in a position to breathe while I mapped out my next move. While employed for this firm, I got licensed in multiple states to sell real estate as well as wrote a book. Writing the book was a total chess move to set me up for the rest of my life.

Being resilient in that season of my life makes me an even more valuable Realtor, as I have an even broader knowledge base.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.residuebook.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/mskaronnahosey
• Facebook: facebook.com/karonnahosey
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/karonnahosey
• Twitter: twitter.com/mskaronnahosey
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnO-reAKpJTSqcQVSKIiWwQ

Image Credits
Photographer – Chris Pollard