Karl Lueders never planned to go into real estate, but after his first exposure to the industry, he realized he had found his calling. “Nobody grows up with a toy cell phone and tiny ‘For Sale’ signs in their crib, but once you’re introduced to the life, you either know it’s for you or it’s not. I knew this is where I belong.” Karl worked in magazine publishing for 10 years prior to real estate, running sports magazines in Chicago and helping start a few business magazines for a Denver-based publisher. “After that run in publishing, I realized the peak I had ascended to wasn’t very high compared to other life goals I had. That required some major changes.”

 

Karl moved to Denver after a ski trip to Steamboat in 1999, when he came home to find Chicago had gotten more snow than Steamboat did. “That was the last winter I spent in the Midwest.” In the early 2000s, once he left publishing, Karl’s father encouraged him to help build a few spec homes with him and then suggested he get his license to sell those finished homes while helping other clients buy and sell. It was a natural fit, and Karl has been at it ever since. He’s been recognized with numerous DMAR Excellence awards, 5280 Five Star Real Estate Professionals, and was named top agent and Rookie of the Year.

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Karl is passionate about communicating the intricacies of the market to his clients in a way that will help them make smart decisions about their real estate goals. “A lot of times, buyers are scared to make the move when nobody else is, but many times - now, for instance - taking a step forward when everyone else is in neutral will pay off down the road. Real estate is a long game, but most people get caught up in the concerns of today and not the rewards of tomorrow.”

 

Karl recently elevated his game and moved to Porchlight Real Estate and advocates the true locality of the Porchlight brand as a selling point. “Many real estate companies came in when Denver was “safe” to set up shop, but Porchlight is the genuine article when it comes to real estate brokerages in Denver. The brand carries a lot of weight, and the Colorado focus makes us stand out.”

 

In his free time, Karl enjoys the Colorado things: playing golf, snowboarding, and hunting/hiking with Gerta, his black lab. He cooks, writes, and enjoys reading: “My taste in books revolves around a lot of mid-20th century authors and journalists: Hunter S Thompson, Michael Chabon, TC Boyle, Henry Miller. And, it sounds cliché – very social media – to say I’ve been investing in a lot of self-care, but frankly, if you don’t, who else will? It’s never too late to give yourself a tune-up.” He also chases live music, and his tastes are ever-evolving. “What I’m listening to now is music I never knew existed when I was a kid. That’s the beauty of music…  a never-ending universe of discovery. I grew up going to Smashing Pumpkin and Beastie Boys shows, and now I’m stoked Jungle and Khruangbin are touring again.”

 

Although real estate is fulfilling on many levels, Karl is the first to admit it is hard work. “You have to spend time and money to make money in this business. And put in the hours. Good agents can make real estate look easy to our clients, but we’re paddling furiously underwater. Stress eating and elongated happy hours don’t appear in the real estate agent manual, but they exist.” Success is something Karl strives for every day and emphasizes that exerting more energy than you take in tends to do wonders for you and those around you. He enjoys meeting like-minded people from all walks of life and finds earning their trust and fulfilling the promises that come with the job are truly satisfying.