Meet Caitlin Key of Key To Close

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Key.

Hi Caitlin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi everyone! I’m Caitlin Key. I was raised in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky before I decided at 17 to move to the big city of Murfreesboro for college. It wasn’t long before I realized Middle TN was my new home! I now live on the outskirts of Mount Juliet with my dozen chickens, two dogs (Townes and Indigo) and my husband Josh (amazing Handyman – Key Craftsmen LLC)! I’m an entrepreneur to my core and the proud owner of Key To Close LLC.

Key To Close LLC is a premium real estate transaction coordinating company committed to changing the lives of amazing Realtors throughout Tennessee. I’m guessing the name makes a little more sense now, right?

Before making my way into real estate, I had bounced around in different jobs trying to find my way and had most recently gotten stuck in restaurant management. Very long story short, I was miserable. It was time for a much-needed change. I knew it was solely up to me to change my own narrative – to write my story in a way that left me fulfilled and happy at the end of the day.

I talked it over with Josh and quickly decided that jumping into real estate was the best plan. It aligned with our long-term goals and I knew there was no better time to wager all of my bets on such a huge unknown. That’s exactly what I did. With all of the personal development ringing in my ears, I knew my first step was to find a mentor. I called up an old friend/seasoned Realtor and asked if she would let me tag along to learn the ropes. “Tagging along” lasted several years and gave me some much-needed real-life real estate experience.

After working alongside her for several years in the assistant/transaction coordinator position, I found myself wanting to make a change yet again. If you know anything about Nashville, you know there are tons of Realtors. I would say you probably know several yourself! This means you may be aware that they have very little time for themselves and their families at the end of the day. I was constantly hearing about how draining this business can be and how small technicalities can cost you so much time. Both of those statements are very true, by the way. I’m a firm believer in doing what makes you happy, so their complaints did not sit well with me.

Then one day, it all just clicked! I realized there were so many agents who needed some of their time back and I just so happened to be fully capable of easily giving some of that time back to them. Thus, Key To Close LLC was founded in early 2019! It makes me so happy to know that I’m making their lives a little better with every task I complete.

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?
Ha! Is entrepreneurship ever a smooth road starting out? Don’t get me wrong, there are so many more good days than bad – but starting a business is no easy task. In the early days, you’re everything rolled into one. Owner, Operator, Customer Service, Marketing Director, Accountant, etc. I think the biggest struggle is honestly finding the time and a way to 100% check out and relax. Even when I’m taking time off, I find myself drifting back over and over again to planning or daydreaming of the next right step for Key To Close. Another struggle has been finding time to work ON my business when so much of my time has to be spent working IN my business. There’s a delicate dance between the two. Too much of one or the other can really hold you back. At the end of every day, it’s a life I wouldn’t trade for anything and a role I know in my soul I was called to fulfill but it certainly can be challenging at times, albeit most definitely worth it!

We’ve been impressed with Key To Close, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Key To Close is a premium real estate transaction coordinating company committed to changing the lives of Realtors throughout Tennessee. We specialize in residential real estate transactions. The thing I’m most proud of is our client retention rate. Almost everyone who comes on board stays here. I think that speaks volumes about the way we take care of our people and their people.

If you’re unfamiliar with transaction coordinating, we essentially come on board as part of the Realtor’s team to assist them and their clients with everything from congratulations emails to file submission. We introduce ourselves to everyone involved and help create a seamless process from contract to close. Our agents are able to provide their clients a much higher quality service. Simultaneously, we are able to provide our agents with the luxury of time freedom. Some of them use their free time for family or travel, while others use the time to push their careers to the next level.

From a business standpoint, the most important thing to know is that you can just try one transaction and see how it goes. There are no quantity/term commitments because we know our impact creates all of the commitment for us! Lastly, our clients don’t pay us until they get paid!

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Anyone and everyone can support us by following us on Instagram @keytoclose or facebook.com/keytoclose! If you’re someone who knows a Realtor, especially one who seems like they may need some help – send them to www.keytoclose.com. We would love to help them love their work again!

If you’re someone who is involved in real estate but you aren’t an agent, get in touch! We would love to meet up to see how we can help one another.

Contact Info:

• Email: caitlin@keytoclose.com
• Website: www.keytoclose.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/keytoclose
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/keytoclose

Image Credits
Nebraska Jones