Hidden Gems: Meet Kristin Laine of Boxwood Properties

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Laine.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I did not grow up thinking I wanted to do this. Actually the opposite, since Real Estate runs in the family… I wanted to be a graphic artist. I went to art school! I wanted to do anything but real estate at that time. However, I really needed a job. Art jobs are hard to find, so I started as a sales assistant for a couple sales agents selling new construction in 2005, I became licensed myself in 2006. I dabbled back and forth a few times with other careers, finished my degree in Art History, but in 2010 I decided to commit to real estate. My first project back in real estate was to develop an HPR in East Nashville, followed by two new construction condo projects. During this time, I picked up a few rentals to manage for a friend. It’s really snowballed over the last decade, building commercial and residential properties, managing both, getting into the short-term rental market…I was learning a ton of information very quickly.

Until 2019 I had been working under a traditional Real Estate Brokerage and decided I wanted to grow my business in a unique way and build something different. Boxwood Properties has been developed to create a sense of family for our clients. Most of our clients are long-term, we don’t just help them buy or sell real estate, we are curating their properties and portfolios to meet long-term goals in Nashville Real Estate.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not. Every transaction is a learning opportunity, there is a constant thread of “how to make this better on the next try.” I tell my team, failure is welcome and expected. Handling those bumps in stride is what makes the group strong. I can’t even tell you it’s a smooth operation today. We are in a major growth spurt this season, in the last year our portfolio has tripled, personnel has doubled, and we are still on the rise. There are growing pains, but I could not be more proud of what we are putting together for our clients, the current clients and future clients.

As you know, we’re big fans of Boxwood Properties, LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Boxwood has three major pathways for our clients to benefit in real estate. We offer typical real estate brokerage services, long-term property management, and short-term rental property management (airbnbs). Each of our departments is offering the same care, personal touch, and unique experience to each client. For our buyers and sellers, we provide an intimate team of licensed Realtors. Our agents are knowledgeable about the Middle Tennessee market and understand how to negotiate smoothly to bring both buyers and sellers the most value. Relationships drive so much of what we do, Boxwood agents understand they are building lasting relationships with not only the clients but the other real estate professionals in Nashville. Many of our clients are purchasing multiple properties for investment purposes. Boxwood offers management of residential, commercial, and multifamily properties for these clients. The overarching expectation for Boxwood personnel involved in property management is to treat the clients and the tenants as family. Our property management clients are in it for the long haul, some in contract with us for multiple years, it should be our priority to foster those relationships as we would our own friends and family. Short-term rental management is closely related to long-term rental management on the client-facing side and a different ball game on the customer/tenant-facing side. Boxwood is fully entrenched in the hospitality industry and proud to represent Nashville in a unique way to visitors from all over the world. All aspects of the company are rewarding, but welcoming tourists to our hometown is something we enjoy and take pride in.

I will always refer back to our team of amazing individuals when asked “What sets us apart, what makes Boxwood unique?” Most of our group are Nashville natives, and those that aren’t are permanent residents with strong roots in Music City. Behind the scenes, some of our longest client relationships are also with natives. Nashville, by this point, is well known for attracting long-term residents from everywhere in the country. And why not? Nashville is a beautiful, vibrant, welcoming place, and I think everyone deserves a chance to enjoy it and feel welcomed!

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I think the longer I stay in this industry the more diversified my risks get. I believe that long term success in building/growing your own business, involves an element of risk to keep things fresh in an ever changing market. The Real Estate industry relies on economic stability in our country. With that being understood, I prefer to spread out my “risks” over multiple markets. Prior to the recession, my only job was selling new-construction condos. I loved it and could have spent my life doing it, except the economy had other plans for 2008. In 2010 when the real estate market was slowly coming back together, I decided I had to diversify if I was going to keep doing real estate.

Over the last ten years, I’ve added (exponentially) to the property management portfolio, sold new condos again, redeveloped warehouses to retail, and ultimately built a team around me that can do all of these things at once. During the pandemic, it became obvious to me, that the diversified risk-taking is a successful model. In mid-March 2020, while I was resting awaiting the arrivale of my first child, I watched the whole thing tank. My son was born April 7, 2020 (yes you read that correctly my son was born 3 weeks into the pandemic) I worked on Boxwood’s PPP Loan application from a hospital bed while learning how to nurse a baby. Boxwood was able to continue paying employees, hire new personnel, and keep going through a very scary year. We still had clients buying and selling. Lifestyle changes requiring big moves seem to happen quicker in a pandemic! Our long-term rentals did ok, we were able to help some people out and provide resources to some, and that feels better than anything. So many of our clients, vendors, tenants, etc. stuck it through with us, and our relationships are stronger in 2021 than they would have been with no bumps in the road.

I have been watching, for the last year, industry leaders in short-term rental and property management to see who is still here. Who innovated, who diversified, who do we need to build relationships with now to create an even stronger Nashville? As a business owner in this ever changing world and market, I will always be taking risks, and I look to build relationships with those that can also be made stronger through unpredictable adversity.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.bxwdllc.com
• Instagram: @bxwd.nashville
• Other: www.nashvacay.com