Baird & Warner

After a lengthy career in the hospitality, fitness and retail bookstore industries, Kim Scott was ready for a change. She wanted a job that allowed her to choose her hours and her clients. She is living her dream in real estate now as a broker associate with Baird & Warner in Naperville.

Scott moved with her husband and their two kids from the UK to America in 2002 when he was transferred for work. “I am originally from the north of England,” she says. “I attended Leeds University in the UK, and spent my working years in and around London.” She says that, having come to the U.S. knowing no one and after working in Chicagoland real estate for 14 years, her biggest accomplishment is that now 90 percent of her business is referrals from family and friends. My friends — now my family — refer me business every time, and for that I am very, very grateful,” she says. “I work hard for my friends. I do not find it difficult to switch from friendship to business.”

Among the top 1 percent of Baird & Warner’s Realtors in Naperville, Scott has been recognized by the company with Founder’s Club status. A Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist, she is a member of the Luxury Home Institute. “I attend regular courses and see motivational speakers, and try to keep my mind open. Luxury buyers are my biggest market. It’s a harder sale, but a very diverse business.”

Fond of global travel — “seeing the world for what it is, no fancy hotels” — Scott is able to close transactions without a hitch even from oceans away. She recently spent two weeks in Vietnam, backpacking and traveling from Saigon to Da Nang to Hoi An to Han Hoi.

Scott supports the Ronald McDonald House and Well Child, a charity in the UK. An avid runner, she has participated in the Boston Marathon twice — 15 marathons total — and works out most days.