Sisters Hyleri Katzenberg and Raechel Kranz of Westport, CT, have just partnered to form the real estate team of K Squared with The Higgins Group, Christies Great Estates.
The pair -- 13 months apart -- grew up in Ohio as best friends. Their mother said they were like having twins "the hard way". In fact, they look so much alike that they are often mistaken for each other. They were college roommates at UCLA, maids of honor in each other's weddings and their children are best friends and grew up together attending Westport schools. Ironically, Raechel's daughter, Brooke (Staples '10), attends Michigan and Hyleri's daughter, Sami Jurofksy (Staples '11), is on the rowing team for Ohio state -- big rivalry!
Hyleri and Raechel began in real estate 30 years ago, when they got their sales licenses in Ohio, and sold for their mother's agency over summer vacations and school breaks. Their mother, Carole Turoff, who also ran a law practice, taught them the business with a "think-outside-the-box" philosophy. They made their first sale by getting a home off a busy street that had been on the market for a long time, zoned commercial, and they sold it to a garage door company for way over asking price. This created a buzz about the young girls and earned them listings from their friends parents. They paid their way through college from their earnings.
The girls have never been far apart. Katzenberg moved to Westport in 1999 and Kranz followed in 2000. Hyleri has been a successful agent in Fairfield County since she became a single mother in 2001. Again, thinking outside the box, she realized that since she was mingling in the newly single circles, everyone that gets divorced usually sells their home, and buys another one. That became her niche while she raised her girls. "Match.com and Jdate were great for my business," she remarked.
When Raechel's youngest approached his 9th birthday and was in school and activities all day, she decided it was time to reteam with her sister and best friend. Kranz, a former highly successful annuities broker, is so excited to be working with Hyleri again. "It is the perfect fit," she says.
The team brings their trademark approach to this challenging market, and what sets them apart from their competition is their attitude. They care much less about making sales than long-term customers and relationships. They want to educate their clients to make great, sound investments that will appreciate in time. "This is such a great and unprecedented time to be buying real estate, with both low prices and interest rates," said Hyleri. "It's such a great opportunity to buy wisely and make your money work for you, and to get to enjoy the use of your biggest investment every single day. You can't do that with stocks!"
Hyleri and Raechel want to be the ones who, down the road, sell the properties their clients have bought ... at a much higher price!
For more information about this dynamic duo, visit K Squared online: http://ksquaredct.com/home.asp