Kelly Bitto

Reflect on the Journey

“My hope is that other real estate professionals and agents can take a step back and reflect on their own journey and remember ‘the whys’ that made them decide to take this career path,” says REALTOR® Kelly Bitto of eXp Realty® in Naperville.    
                   
“Getting a real estate license is the easy part,” she says. “We have to take our roles to another level in providing customer service [because] it's not about us.”
                       
When we last checked in with Kelly at the beginning of 2020, she was setting some big goals—like passing $100 million in career sales—motivated by her two biggest “whys”: her clients and her family. They were the reasons why she left a successful corporate career to pursue her real estate dreams.
                       
“When I was at the advertising agency NSA, I was on the fast track to becoming one of their youngest VPs,” explains Kelly. “I elected to leave for CareerBuilder (a start-up at the time) and work from home with the idea that it would provide me with more time with my daughter, Abby.”
                       
Kelly loved her corporate career and was doing well, but it was demanding on her time and she traveled frequently. When Abby was in preschool, Kelly’s boss wouldn’t give her time off to attend a graduation program. It was the “ah-ha” moment she needed to make a change. Since her switch to real estate in 2005, Kelly has focused her efforts on formalizing and optimizing her customers’ experiences.
                       
“We need to be professionals and provide top service to our clients,” says Kelly. “An agent’s success is determined by how your client feels on closing day and their reflection on the journey that got them to that day. When an agent has a great journey with their client, their business will thrive, and we all win.”
                       
In the time since we last spoke to Kelly, the real estate market has often resembled a roller coaster what with a global pandemic, spiking prices, and changes in technology. However, the one thing that has been consistent in Kelly’s career is change.
                       
“The industry is going through great change. It takes true professionalism to support and guide our clients through the ever-changing process,” Kelly says. “We do so much more than walk in and out of homes. We truly have the ability to impact other people’s lives.”
                       
“I started my business knocking on doors in 2005, successfully built my business during the housing crisis, and continued to excel through the many market shifts,” she adds. “As a professional, you ebb and flow and adjust your business to account for the changes in the industry.”
                       
In addition to her evolving business, Kelly’s personal life has evolved and changed. Abby has completed college and her university golf career, and thanks to the flexibility of real estate, Kelly didn’t miss a single tournament. Also, Kelly’s husband of thirty-five years, Alex, recently retired. They are enjoying his newfound freedom by traveling frequently. Through all these transitions, Kelly’s focus on her clients has never wavered. And that commitment has paid off.                       

“I am very fortunate to have built my business around great people,” says Kelly. “When clients call me a second or third time to assist them in this process, that means the world to me. I am now working with clients’ kids too, which brings me great joy.”
                       
In her downtime, Kelly, like her daughter, is an avid golfer. She’s also working with Alex and Abby to establish new traditions, as well as reflecting on her journey and being appreciative of her full life.
                       
“When you live a very full life, there are many moments you can reflect upon—moments that influenced the journey and decisions that formed you along the way,” says Kelly. “There is not a ‘one moment.’ Rather, it is a lifetime of accomplishments, challenges, and people that make you who you are and get you to where you are.”
                       
Looking forward, Kelly is excited to continue building her business by referral, one client at a time, and serving her clients with great professionalism. She has taken on a mentor role with other agents and the combination of the two gives her renewed energy. If we wait another four years to check in with Kelly, she’ll likely still be in no hurry to wind down because her “whys” remain firmly in place. “Real estate will always be a part of my life,” she says.