Exploring Life & Business with Payton Kelnhofer of PK Residential with EXP Realty

Today we’d like to introduce you to Payton Kelnhofer.

Hi Payton, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
Entering the real estate world was a pivot from my original plans—a “happy accident,” as Bob Ross would say. When looking into my career, the original plan was to open an interior design firm, which I quickly realized wasn’t my lane. As much as I put an emphasis and value on interior design and its impact on our lives, I didn’t truly want to hold the creative role and cater to my client’s design styles.

I probably shouldn’t say it was an “accident” getting into real estate. It was an intentional move. When I realized interior design was more something I appreciated than my career choice, I remember chatting with my dad in his garage on his 4-acre property and him saying, “With your personality, you should check out real estate.” He told me about my great-grandpa, a real estate agent and investor, and how fruitful it was for him. And that’s when it clicked! The best of both worlds!

Real estate blends home design, people, and all the good feels with a non-monotonous schedule. Plus, my competitive nature and hustle and marketing mentality tied in perfectly to the role. For a few days, I applied to online real estate job ads. I contacted two luxury, top-producing real estate agents I had an existing relationship with when I was a concierge at a high-rise condominium building. I asked them to meet for coffee to pick their brain and see if they needed someone in their business. Before I even asked, I was offered an assistant and transaction coordinator job and started the following Monday. I am where I am today with the mentorship and skills I learned from him and his business partner. (Shoutout to Don Weintraub and Julie Scozzafave!) Within two months, I was licensed, and with their generosity, soaking up their wisdom and expertise, I became a fully independent, producing agent within the calendar year and never looked back!

Now in year 7 in the business, I’m engaged to my wonderful fiance and business partner, Devon Chavis, and loving life with our two pups. We’re licensed in Arizona and Washington state with two investment properties, working in both states and helping people move within and to and from each being part of such monumental moments in people’s lives; this career is gratifying. The role is never taken lightly, and it’s an honor to be trusted by those who have worked with me and those who reach out with their questions and goals.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I didn’t have a work/life balance for the longest time. Starting a business is a challenging feat. Without a doubt, I was putting in 70-80 hour work weeks. I had to say “no” to many things because I had to show homes to buyers, hold open houses every weekend, or have a seller who wanted to be on the market in 7 days. I took calls at 10 p.m., 11 p.m., and midnight to make things happen for my clients, especially in highly competitive markets. Setting boundaries and sticking to them was difficult for me.

With a gratifying career comes big responsibility. Working with people’s largest assets and emotional assets as that, you’re constantly thinking and making moves with your client’s goals and ideals in mind. Knowing how I would want someone to care about me and my family’s money is how I move in my business, so it carries a lot of weight and occupies a lot of space in my mind. My clients never see the sleepless nights thinking about their homes and the obstacles we’re facing and going down every possible way to make something work for our next steps. They don’t see my stress or know of the fires I’m putting out, the brainstorming sessions with title, escrow, lenders, contractors, stagers, and vendors to come up with solutions and creativity to make a deal work, let alone the heated negotiations going on behind the scenes. A career in real estate is not for the weak. I’ve finally reached the point of setting boundaries and sticking to them, delegating efficiently, and having a much more serene demeanor behind the scenes that I wish I could put into words.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us more about your business.
Payton Kelnhofer is a real estate agent specializing in relocation to Arizona with residential resale and new construction in Arizona and Washington State.

My goal is to empower people to feel confident and educated in the world of real estate and what it can do for themselves and their families outside of just putting a roof over their heads. I am proud that people reach out to me left and right through DM’s on Instagram, texts, Facebook messages, and emails. People let me know their goals of buying soon, what they are working on to get there, that they are thinking about selling and moving out of state, they ask how much money they need to save, tell me they want an investment property, ask about the market, ask about what it’s like being a realtor. And how to get started in real estate. It’s everything I’ve been working to create; my mission of sharing I’m an open book and cultivating a digital “open door” for questions has been received. I’m most proud about that because without having a safe space of someone you feel comfortable reaching out to, some will go their whole lives without learning about an incredible opportunity to simplify their lives and improve their financial health. Offering myself and my contact as a resource, the more knowledge I can share, the more I’m doing good for the world. 90% of all millionaires become so through owning real estate. It’s a way to mindlessly invest in something tangible that we already need (a roof over our heads), which in turn creates a monthly payment that won’t ever go up and creates wealth through appreciation, and as personal income goes up, the housing payment stays the same. Then, you can leverage the equity and buy an investment property, move into a bigger home, or sell and take the money you put into the home over the years through your monthly payment, plus the gain in appreciation, and do with it as you wish! You can’t get any of your monthly rent money back renting! Every insight shared is a way of giving back and setting people up for success, and that alone is highly rewarding. I’m an open book; my phone number and DM’s are always available. Please share your questions and goals; I have your back!

We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success to me is having a great heart for yourself and others. Success is doing good and feeling proud of yourself and your contributions to the world. Success is being true to yourself and your morals.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/pkresidential
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/pkresidential
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pkresidential/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/pkresidential
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pkresidential
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@pkresidential
• Other: https://www.pkresidential.com/seller/valuation/