I am Katherine Blazer, and I am a licensed Realtor (SL3421732) and Loan Originator (NMLS# 1832994) in Florida. I love everything real estate; however, my path to it was not very straight. You may know some of this already if you have followed my story, but I wanted to show a complete picture of my career path!

I grew up on a cattle farm in East Tennessee, right outside of Knoxville! Go Vols! From a young age, I learned the value of hard work. When college rolled around, my independence and love for the ocean led me to Murrells Inlet, SC, and Coastal Carolina University. I majored in Accounting and Finance. I have always had a thing for numbers and solving problems. A little bit of a Math Nerd here!

After graduation, my hunt for finding my passion started. I started auditing for the South Carolina Department of Revenue right out of school, Not the most exciting job for a 21-year-old. The opportunity to work for a local distribution company and automating their accounting department. I jumped on it! I loved everything about this position, from creating systems, and launching new software, to developing and training team members. This time will always be something I cherish and be grateful for my time with this company and how it taught me a lot about who I am. But realizing at 25 that I had reached the top of where this team could take me, I decided to start a new chapter in a new state!

Move to Florida

When I moved to Florida in 2015, After spending months looking for a cost accounting position, I found myself in my first sales position. I was selling, or staffing, accountants. What a change that was! Quickly moving up and taking over a team, I realized how little work ethic most individuals have. A mentor of mine was always encouraging me to try pharmaceutical sales. So that is what I did! With excellent training and an even better District Manager, I was in the top 10 within six months! Both positions taught me the value of listening to your clients and what their needs and wants are. Sometimes I wasn’t the best option for their businesses, and that was ok! I also learned how important my organization skilled are.

Anyone who has been in the pharmaceutical industry knows, acquisitions and layoffs happen frequently. God closed a door to a position I was good at but was not fulfilled at. For the first time in my life, I did not have the next step. Not having a plan shook my need for control. Do I move into medical devices? That is the next step for most pharma reps, but then I was risking the unstable corporate structure that had me in this position now. Do I move back into accounting? I missed the math and solving problems but was not excited to sit in an office every day. I took time to look at who I was and what I wanted.

Real Estate

Then out of the blue, a recruiter called me from a national real estate brokerage and asked me if I would be interested in interviewing. She explained the brokerage she worked for was different than traditional real estate, as they focused on investors. She had called because my accounting and sales backgrounds made her feel like I would be a good fit. Why not try! I learned a great deal from this team, and part of their program was getting my mortgage license.

Like most people thought, I didn’t have a transaction close for eight months! The type A personality in me was questioning everything. Is this right for me? Am I good at this? Should I go back to accounting? Then finally, the first week of the year, I had three transactions close, and it has continually gone up from there! Since my start, I have made a few changes in my brokerages, but I am happy where I have finally landed.

The lending side of this business is my favorite… right now, and I am lucky to work with a brokerage that has programs for just about anyone! We lend for:

Lending

• Traditional loans (FHA, VA, Convention, and Jumbo loans)
• non-QM good for self-employed borrowers (bank statement, profit/loss, and foreign national loans)
• Private and Hard Money Fund, (fix and flip, and 30-year debt service loans)
• Commercial loans

I can help with Private and Hard Money and Commercial Loans across the United States. If you are looking for a primary or second home loan, I am happy to help you across the State of Florida. You can find more about The Collective Lending Group (NMLS# 1747294) and our programs under the Lending Tab.

I have kept my real estate license active and am always excited to help individuals buy and sell homes. I work with a lot of investors when they are ready to list their flips. It makes it easy for buyers to have one point of contact for their transaction.

Having both of my licenses and being an investor allows me to help induvial selling real estate uniquely. I can walk into an appointment with 3 options for homeowners.

• I can help them refinance their home. This may be able to help them lower their Interest Rate, eliminate mortgage Insurance, pull cash out of their home, or change their loan type.
• I can list their property on the MLS. This is a great option for homeowners that do not need a set move date now, are comfortable make improvements if needed, and will most likely receive higher sale prices. There are not set numbers or dates and the markets do fluctuate with this option.
• When it makes since, my team can purchase the home. This is a great option for individuals who need the transaction to work around their time frames and having a number now to make plans with fits their goals.

One of these options is not better than the other. It all depends on what the homeowner’s needs and goals are. I am just here to help explain the options and help walk you through the steps once you have decided which is best for you and your family.

If you are interested in learning more or have any questions, please schedule a time for a call.  

Here is the link to my calendar!