K&K Luxury Real Estate mission statement: Making our community better by strengthening connections and creating positive impacts in people’s lives that flourish into the future and beyond.

 

This year we celebrate our 11^th year in business and are grateful for the opportunities we have to positively contribute to the lives of so many people, as their REALTOR and friend.

 

The last few years have taught us all a lesson in humility and determination. Through the pandemic and the many recent changes in the real estate industry, our team has learned to adapt. We quickly learned many new skills such as Zoom conferences, remote presentations of homes, and ways to keep our clients and friends up to date on all current events in the real estate community. We understand change is inevitable and the need to adapt and evolve is crucial to best serve our clients. We are incredibly proud of the work and dedication of our team.  We are gratified to be running a real estate business based on service, with a team committed to excellence no matter what challenges face us.

 

To deliver you the best results, our process and our team were not built in a day, but over time. We took the best of our practices and experiences, and refined our work to best support our clients. We want to share a little about us and how our backgrounds help bring you the best results.

 

Katie’s Story

Katie is about as close to a Napa native as you can get having lived here since she was 4 years old. Napa Valley is ever-evolving and reinventing itself.  The small-town feel of Napa when Katie moved here in the 1980’s is a far cry from the bustling energy of today’s Napa. But to her, it is still home and a place she feels deeply connected to.

 

Her parents, local business owners, instilled a strong work ethic. Education has always been a priority in her family, but practical experience was valued as well. She and her sisters each took turns helping out in their father’s dental office. It was here that she learned accountability, how to provide quality customer service, and to value the local community.

 

After graduating from high school, Katie enrolled at Sacramento State University to pursue one of her passions—dance. After 1 year at Sac State, Katie decided that she wanted to leave California and seek new experiences. Adventures took her to Denver where she worked on perusing a business degree, while working as a manager of a dental office. She has always felt connected to her family’s entrepreneurial history and had the drive to one day start a business of her own. Constantly trying to thinking of business ideas, she was continually drawn back to the real estate industry. Katie’s interest in the real estate started at a young age, in fact she purchased her first home at just 21 years old. Unfortunately, the experience with her real estate agent was frustrating. Katie ended up navigating through her first home purchase through much of her own research and efforts, rather than her Realtor’s. She felt let down, however it also gave her great insight into what makes a great real estate agent. This experience reinforced the lessons of her youth. Listening and communication is the key to success and knowing how to work as a team is paramount. It gave her insight in how to evaluate what is important to both the buyer and the seller.

 

With the arrival of Katie’s first child, the pull to be closer to family grew strong, and it wasn’t long before she moved back to Napa Valley. Motherhood is a nature impetus for one to evaluate their path in life. It was like that for Katie.  She wanted to be a role model for her child and future children. She wanted to have time for her family but also to be able to work in the local community.  Real estate was a natural choice. 

 

Katie’s family continued to grow as she was blessed with two more children. Her oldest is attending college in Utah studying criminology and psychology. Her second daughter is attending a local high school and is excited to be returning to competitive gymnastics for her 6^th competition season. Her youngest attends a local middle school and, like her older sister, is enjoying competitive gymnastics as well. She also has fun performing in a local theatre program when she has time. Katie enjoys taking time to appreciate all the natural beauty our area offers by hiking and bike riding. She and her family also love nothing better than a day at the beach, or a trip to the snow when time allows.

 

As you can see, family is very important to Katie, and she takes her career in real estate just as seriously.  Katie started her real estate career in the Napa Valley where she was raised. Serving the community where she grew up has continued to be a great blessing. She brings communication, customer service, and commitment to the plate for each and every one of her clients. Remembering her own experience buying a home, it is important to Katie that she listen and understand her client’s dreams, needs, and challenges.  She has built relationships with quality professional service providers and agents in the local area that in turn benefit her clients.  She and her family couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of this wonderful community. 

 

Kris’s story 

This career of being a real estate broker is a part of my DNA. In some fashion, I was destined to be involved in this wonderful industry. It really started with my father’s history and even before that with my grandfather’s life experiences.

 

Back in the 1930s and 40s, my grandfather Mun On Chun was heavily involved in the Chinese community in Hawaii. When World War II ended, the lending practices of banks were highly discriminatory for immigrants of Asian descent. It was nearly impossible for an Asian to purchase a house, much less provide the financing for one. So, my grandfather, along with other community leaders founded a company called Finance Factors as a solution for immigrant families to be able to finance and buy a home of their own. I am very proud of the impact my grandfather had on his community. He was a catalyst for so many families to be able to realize the American Dream.

 

My father carried on the family tradition of service and investing in real estate, and was a shining example of perseverance, sacrifice, and service to others. Unfortunately, my father passed away in January of 2019 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. His passing has had a deep impact on my family and the broader Hawaii community. He was not only instrumental in my own life, but all who knew him. With my father’s passing, I picked up the baton and have served as a board member of Finance Factors for the last 8 years. This experience keeps me at the leading edge of the mortgage industry and residential and commercial real estate trends.

 

It has been deeply rewarding to honor his memory as I pursue my own dreams. I have followed my father and grandfather into the real estate industry and found the work truly rewarding! Being able to hand someone the keys to their first home is a magical moment, and I love hearing the stories behind houses and clients alike.

 

Our family is doing so much better this year now that we are back to near “Normal?” Whatever normal is … right? Oliver and I have started going to comedy shows and recently saw Jack Whitehall and Ronnie Cheng. We went Hawaii for a family reunion, Alaska fishing, and this Fall we will go to Japan! Oliver is entering high school this year, and will have the opportunity to graduate High School with an Associates degree from Napa Valley College. 

As a member of the Napa Valley Country Club, I can often be found enjoying a round of golf. We also love to spend time with family and friends around the pool, playing pickleball or just hanging out.  In addition, our love of outdoor activities like hiking and fishing continues. Do you have a favorite local spot for any of these that you are willing to share? Let me know. We still love board games, video games, and movies. A recent addition to our game library is “ticket to ride.” This is a fun strategy family game for many players.

 

I continue to stay busy with numerous groups in Napa. For the past few years, I took over as the Director for Toys for Tots Napa Valley. What an amazing team of volunteers and community support. We were able to provide assistance to over 1,000 families totaling over 3,000 children. We look forward to expanding the program next year to make it bigger than ever with the help of many others. Also I am still working with the Napa Police Department Volunteers, Mentis - Teens Connect, and Napa Valley Vine Trail. I think it is possible to cram 26 hours into a day.

 

With our motto of “Leave this place nicer/better than we found it.”, we strive to make Napa better every day. Helping as many families reach their goals as we can.