For Kim Kerbis, a broker with @properties Christie’s International Real Estate, 2023 will always be remembered as the year she gave up a beloved technological tool: her BlackBerry smartphone.
“I love texting and emailing with a keyboard,” the industry veteran says with a laugh. “I wasn’t using some ancient phone. It was an Android smartphone with a BlackBerry keyboard. I’m no luddite, even if I do still drive a stick-shift car.”
In fact, Kerbis prides herself on marrying today’s high-tech tools with her high-touch client philosophy. It’s a formula that has served her well during more than 25 years in the business. “It’s important to stay on top of technological changes,” Kerbis says. “But ultimately success in this business can be traced to the relationships you have with people.”
Kerbis says client connection is the bedrock of her success, adding, “These relationships are built, in part, on longevity in the profession. I’m like Cher … I’ve been around forever.”
It’s been a big year for Kerbis. Not only was it her busiest year ever, but she also continues to serve the real estate industry she loves. Kerbis dedicates significant time to the professional organizations that support the industry. She is on the Chicago Association of Realtors’ (CAR) Board of Directors, serves as chair of the CAR Forms & Contracts Committee, is a member of the CAR Finance Committee and serves on the Professional Standards Committee of the Illinois Association of Realtors. Additional volunteer and philanthropic work includes serving on the Francis W. Parker School Board of Trustees and on the Chicago Women in Architecture Foundation, an organization started by her mother in the 1970s.
Kerbis has an excellent reputation both inside and outside of the profession. “I love it when agents contact me for advice or a consultation,” she says. “It means I have their trust and respect. That means the world to me.” That reputation helped Kerbis win Managing Broker of the Year in Chicago Agent Magazine’s 2019 Agents’ Choice Awards, one of her most cherished accolades.
“I really love this business,” says Kerbis. “It is challenging and rewarding. But if my clients are happy, I’m happy.”
