“In the UK, I always had demanding customer service and people-oriented jobs,” says REALTOR® Kim Scott of @properties in Naperville. “It was imperative [to me] to end up in that kind of environment.” 

After studying business and hotel management at Leeds University, where she met her husband, Guy, she served as a regional manager for health clubs and Bass Brewery’s pubs and restaurants. In 2001, Kim, Guy, and their two young children moved from London to the US.

“We thought we’d live here for two years, maybe five at most,” says Kim. “But we enjoyed our lifestyle and met some fabulous friends. Ultimately, we found it hard to even think of returning to the UK.”

Not wanting to stay at home, Kim considered her future career prospects. She could have returned to hospitality, but found the job of a REALTOR® intriguing. 

“When our real estate agent met us at the airport and showed us homes, I enjoyed getting to know the different areas and subdivisions,” she says. “I thought it would be a great way to meet people, discover new areas, and get into the American way of life.”

Kim was also attracted to the flexibility and variation of the work. And since it was a new industry to her, she thought it would be an exciting, demanding challenge. In 2005, she earned her license and started as a full-time broker. Because she came to the US not knowing anyone, Kim thought there would be no better way to build relationships than to do so through her profession.

“I guess my biggest achievement was beginning with no connections, and moving to an 80 percent referral-based business,” says Kim. “Each day, my husband would ask me what I was going to do that day. I would answer, ‘I’m going out to meet some new friends.’”

Now, nearly two decades later, Kim still enjoys meeting new people, and she’s built up her network so much that she’s now helping a second generation of home buyers.

“I have sold homes to many of my friends and their family members, and now I am working for their children as first-time buyers,” she says. “I take that as a huge compliment—that I’m trusted with the children of past clients.”

While Kim started out on her own, she has since added key comrades to her team. Kim’s husband has joined the team and so has her son, Will. The trio have different strengths and areas of expertise, and that has given Kim fresh enthusiasm for the business. 

“My son is based in the city, which he knows very well, and so does my husband, since he worked there for eighteen years,” says Kim. “It’s exciting now that I have my family working with me. Best of all, I’m the boss.”

On or off the clock, Kim prefers to stay busy. “I don’t know what to do with myself when I’m quiet,” she explains. Outside of work, Kim and her family spend time traveling together, exploring new places and restaurants, and engaging in new experiences. Kim remains an active runner, competing in one or two half-marathons each year. She’s also fallen in love with her new local community and running along the Naperville Riverwalk, which she does as often as she can. 

Along with continuing to serve her new and next-generation clients and increasing her referral-based business, Kim looks forward to passing along her knowledge to her son and other up-and-coming REALTORS®. 

“We are all in this together. There are some fabulous agents out there, and it’s imperative that we keep credibility between each other and our clients,” she says. “I’m passionate about keeping a solid reputation amongst my peers, colleagues, and clients.”