Good Neighbor Podcast South Charlotte
Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of South Charlotte.
Good Neighbor Podcast South Charlotte
Ep. # 126 Kaila Lindsey's Journey from New Yorker to Charlotte's Top Real Estate Professional
Kaila Lindsey doesn't just sell Charlotte real estate—she embodies the vibrant energy that's made the Queen City one of America's top three relocation destinations. As CEO of the Trulane Group with eXp Realty, Kaila brings her New York roots and entrepreneurial spirit to a market that's experiencing remarkable post-pandemic shifts.
The conversation explores Charlotte's fascinating market dynamics, where 2023 marked the slowest real estate year since 1995, yet February 2024 unleashed what Kaila describes as a "massive boom" in activity. She reveals the sweet spots where savvy buyers can still purchase under list price, while other properly-priced homes attract multiple offers and sell well above asking. For anyone contemplating a Charlotte move, Kaila provides an insider's breakdown of the hottest neighborhoods—from the booming southern corridor of Waxhaw and Ballantyne to the prestigious northern reaches of Huntersville and Davidson, explaining how school quality drives many buying decisions.
What truly distinguishes this conversation is Kaila's illuminating journey from corporate professional to successful real estate entrepreneur. Her "be the change" philosophy extends beyond transactions to fostering 63 dogs since 2017 and supporting children entering foster care. When she's not revolutionizing Charlotte real estate with her team approach and YouTube channel, you might find her surfing the Carolina coast or creating beautiful paintings. Connect with Kaila on Instagram @KailaLindseyRealtor or through her YouTube channel "Living in Charlotte, North Carolina" to discover why she's become one of the city's most trusted real estate voices.
eXp Realty-The Trulane Group
Kaila Trulane Lindsey
10130 Perimeter Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28216
(704) 559-9169
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, regina League.
Speaker 3:Okay, so welcome, kaila lindsey. You are the ceo of the trulane group with exp realty here in charlotte.
Speaker 2:Welcome thank you, thank you thanks for having me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you are a rock star here in charlotte in the real estate world I, I try to do my best.
Speaker 2:Uh it's, it's called marketing and it is not the easiest thing in the world. But once you figure it out, you just lean into it that is amazing.
Speaker 3:well, it's a such a competitive industry and, from everything I can tell, the word is out and the whole nation is moving to Charlotte, it feels like we are one of the top 10 most popular and actually of the top 10.
Speaker 2:We are in the top three most popular destination, aside from Texas and Florida. So we keep creeping up on the scale there.
Speaker 3:Do you typically work more with people moving within the city or people coming in?
Speaker 2:So that's a great question. So my start to my career. I did a lot of cold calling, so most of the folks that I work with were in town selling their properties, had difficulty doing it the first time around and were able to do that. It's pivoted over the last few years due to some of the strategies that I'm using and whom I'm reaching out to which are specifically relocation people coming into the area.
Speaker 2:So I'm seeing an influx coming from everywhere, from Europe and New Zealand and Canada to other states within the US. So I've pivoted and most people are moving in that I'm working with. But a few folks still find me online that are here in the Charlotte area already and want to relocate within Charlotte.
Speaker 3:That is crazy. So I've been in Charlotte since the 70s so I have seen all the changes. Yeah, when did you come to this area?
Speaker 2:Not nearly that long ago. So I actually am. I'm originally a New Yorker. Nobody shoot me, I know I'm a New Yorker. I actually moved here in 2004,. Moved to North Carolina. My dad retired from the FDNY and I was in high school at the time Ended up living in Asheville for three years, went to Raleigh for six to do undergrad and work and then moved to Charlotte back in 2011, late 2011,. Actually the week of Thanksgiving. I'll never forget it. So I've been in Charlotte for quite some time at this point, which is crazy to think about, but I've absolutely loved it. I love Charlotte. It's kind of a happy medium between New York and the slowdown of Raleigh, but it's I couldn't say in Raleigh it was just a little too slow for me. So this is the pace here is really nice, but you can get you know, I'm going to say farms and rural areas and things like that just 15 minutes outside of town and you can have some cows and horses, but you get the city and nightlife that you look for.
Speaker 3:What took you into real estate?
Speaker 2:So that's I'm going to shorten this story because it's you know how you have different paths or times in your life that point to something, but it wasn't the culmination of that particular moment yet. As I was, when I was younger, my mom read the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad to me and my brother. We were on a long road trip coming back from Florida and she read us the book. I was like OK, didn't think anything of it. I was 12, you know, 13 years old, but I'd always been entrepreneurial. I would do lemonade stands and I would rake leaves in front of houses and shovel snow, like whatever I could do to go out and do work to get paid. I wanted to do it and, as I was graduating college, I had a professor bring me back along with one other student to teach us hey, or to teach his class for a day. What did you wish, you knew, before leaving college, and for me it was networking. Well, the other gentleman that was teaching that day, he, actually, while he was in school, he got his real estate license, bought a house. All of his friends rented the house out for him, so he didn't have to pay anything to live there. Then he moved, kept that house and built a little bit of a real estate empire and sells homes. I'm still in touch with him today, actually, funny enough and I remember leaving that day going, huh, you ever have like that moment that just never leaves you and it just sits there on the shoulder over and over.
Speaker 2:And we purchased our home and I started thinking about it more and more. And I found myself at work because I was in corporate America and I'm always in sales anyway and I'm looking at houses, and not for me. But what does investing really look like? No one in my family had ever done it. We talked about it but no one ever did it. So I didn't know what it looked like and I finally made the decision one day future for our future we wanted to flip house, we wanted to be the or houses, we wanted to be the Chip and Joanna Gaines, which, funny enough, we ended up turning into. But I realized that it was a gateway to those opportunities and for me that's what initially pushed me into it was the gateway to those opportunities. I didn't know how lucrative it truly could be and what would come of that later, but that was my initial take in it and it's been really fun being my own boss. She's really hard on me.
Speaker 3:Yes, aren't we all Tell us what sets you apart with your agency? What do you strive for? Love that.
Speaker 2:So I tend to lean into leverage and truly a team. Now there's multiple, if anybody understands, you know kind of teams in real estate. You've got other buyers and seller agents on your teams and things of that nature. When I say team, I mean the people that are supporting your client to get them over the finish line right, to get them into that home or get that home sold. So for me it's leaning into those that are better at things than I am. So I have my director of operations, I have my showing director, who's amazing.
Speaker 2:We have our inspectors, we have our photographers. All of those, to me, are a team. So leaning into those leverage points and letting those people do the best that what they're good at, and introducing those opportunities to my client, I feel like it brings that extra level of support and service to them. Now, aside from that, also the social media aspect of things. I don't know many other agents in the area that have a YouTube channel, but that helps both my clients who are purchasing and my clients who are selling, getting them the exposure and the information that they're really looking for, which is a bit different, that is different.
Speaker 3:So what are you seeing in the Charlotte market here? What are some of the trends you're seeing?
Speaker 2:Major shifts, major shifts, so kind of. If we backtrack to last year, I always like to look back a year to say where were we? We're not going to see those 2020, 2021 markets, probably ever again in our lifetime. A lot of that was driven by boredom being trapped in your apartment and realizing you need a house and extremely low interest rates which we'll probably, knock on wood, never see again. That being said, we saw a massive slowdown in 2024. It was actually the slowest year in real estate since 1995, which, if someone told me that at the beginning of the year, I would have been like really, and then at the end of the year we had a wonderful year so I didn't notice it.
Speaker 2:But when you actually look at the stats, nationwide the lowest number of home sales since 1995. So it did have a massive impact. Now the additional slowdown with elections, and then you have Thanksgiving and then Christmas and then New Year's. You know it's that whole. I'm going to call it dead time. But whenever we have an election cycle it further slows things down. There's just uncertainty. Regardless of which way it goes, it's just that uncertain time so people choose not to make large purchasing or sales decisions in that time. So it further slowed it.
Speaker 2:What we've seen since late January really mid February massive boom and people moving. I mean it's been nuts. It kind of came out of nowhere. Almost the phones have been off the hook.
Speaker 2:I've seen multiple offers on my properties and properties that my clients are offering on. The boom is here Now. Part of it is because of the cycle of things. Right, this is right around that time where if you go under contract now you could be moving over summer months, which a lot of people like to do. But it also there's a lot of pent up demand and we're starting to see more inventory. So it's a bit of a pro combo. But I will say this there's still a lot of houses that are overpriced. There's a lot of houses sitting, so there is still opportunity to get under list price. One of my clients we just got them 35,000 under. Another one we just got them 15,000 under. So then I have another client that we went 15,000 over but the house was underpriced and had 10 offers right. So it's a case by case basis, but there is opportunity to get a property under what it's actually priced at and opportunity as a seller to still sell over your list price.
Speaker 3:What are some of the hottest areas in Charlotte that your people, your clients, are attracted to? Love this.
Speaker 2:So my clients, I work in many different niches of what people are looking for. Some of the more popular areas that have been really coming across my desk more and more lately has to do with the best schools and a median sale price Right. So we've got a lot of folks coming, yes, from California, New York, and I always get the question for my clients well, they're coming with cash, they could pay whatever they want to pay. That's not always the case, Actually, a lot of times it's folks that are moving because they want a better cost of living right, Lower cost of living.
Speaker 2:So we're seeing a lot of push in the Waxhaw area, Fort Mill, Ballantyne, the Weddington, Wesley Chapel area, so that lower quadrant of Charlotte. There's been a major draw to those areas. The second major draw has been the Huntersville area. So the Huntersville, Davidson, Cornelius area, which I always let my clients know it goes as you go north the price increases until you hit Morrisville right. So there's kind of like this flow up that way where folks are really leaning into that Hun area, especially out where we've got odell school and odell school road out that way because the schools are so great. So those have been two major hot spots over the last couple of weeks that I've seen, or really the last couple months that folks have been really attracted to. Now you've got your secondary areas as well, which would be, I'm going to say, the lower wedge of Charlotte. So you've got your South Park, your Barclay Downs, your well, yeah, really Prada's Plantation, like oh, not Prada's, yeah all those areas.
Speaker 2:Sorry, I'm like going down my list Sardis, everything, everything in that area. And then I would say my last one that has been very popular is Matthews, because it gives the location without the price that you would see in some of those areas that are far higher, but it still gives some great schools.
Speaker 3:So those are some of the more popular areas going on right now it's so funny because when I moved to Charlotte, South Charlotte was like South Park and now South Charlotte is Ballantyne and Weddington.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like way down.
Speaker 3:Yeah, way, way down. Yeah, before you know it. I mean, all these beautiful little communities around us are, you know, becoming the hotspot to live. Isn't that crazy? Yeah, you have such energy, and I'm just curious what do you find the most rewarding part of your job is? And I'm just curious.
Speaker 2:What do you find the most rewarding part of your job is? This is so funny. I I literally was talking to a girlfriend about this yesterday Funny story and, by the way, this is not to toot my own horn, it's something that remember. I told you just a few minutes ago the reason I got into real estate was for more opportunity. What it turned into was more opportunity to also make an impact. I have a phrase that I live by, which I know it's not my phrase, I'm hyphenating it, but it's be the change. So there's the phrase be the change you want to see in the world. So I live by be the change. So often we hear the phrase I wish someone would do something and we stand by and we watch what's going on. Whatever it may be, the way I live is. Well, I can be that person. Is it picking up a piece of trash that someone's like?
Speaker 2:well, someone should clean that up you know, but around 2017, my husband hiked the Appalachian Trail. I was a little bored and I wanted to start giving back. Wasn't quite financially there yet, so I decided I'd start fostering dogs. Well, 63 dogs later since 2017. And I absolutely, I absolutely love it.
Speaker 2:Well, just the other day, I'm headed into OMB brewing and there were some folks standing outside to get ladies and I've got a heart for kids and they were collecting funds for backpacks. Most people don't know this, but when children enter foster care, they're given a black trash bag to put all their belongings. Crazy, right, like really they can't do better. Anyway, that's a conversation for another day. But they were collecting funds to give these kids backpacks as kind of like a hey, let's give you some toys and games, let's give you something to put your things in, let's give you, you know, a sense of human and humility. And she like starts going. I was like what do you need? What do you need? And she said well, here's our packages. I said, put whichever one you need most and handed her my credit card. She goes what made you be so quick to do that? I guess they probably have several people. They had to like talk into it.
Speaker 2:And it dawned on me in that moment. I'd always seen it and I'd always felt it. The reason why I work my tail off is so that I don't have to think about it, like I can just say, yes, good cause go make a difference. And although I can't always be the one that's doing it physically like I, as I said, I foster dogs I'm always pulling off on the side of the road if I see a stray. You know I'm always wanting to help children, but we have to leverage others that are doing good work and instead of standing by and saying I wish I could, or maybe next time I could do that. And that, I think, is one of the biggest things that motivates me, not only for the future of my family and our own finances, but the fact that we don't have to think twice before we can help someone else because we already put the oxygen mask on. We're fine. Others need help.
Speaker 3:It is a true privilege and gift. You're exactly right when you get to that state in your life. So when you're not doing all of this and running your business, what do you like to do for fun?
Speaker 2:Oh, so my favorite things to do? I haven't done it in many years. Actually, it was one of my favorites. I actually used to ride a motorcycle and that used to be one of my favorite, like get out and go do something. But I'm a mom now and that's. You know, I might be a few more years, yeah, but one of my favorite things to do I actually love to surf. So I, you know, whenever I have off time which is rare, but I make time I do go surfing out on the coast. And my second favorite hobby is actually painting. So actually the painting behind me. There we go.
Speaker 3:Painting behind me was done by me, so I love to paint.
Speaker 2:sit down, pop my earbuds in and just go at it. Paint I do, markers I do watercolor acrylic oil.
Speaker 1:It's just, it's fun, it's my little let loose and relax.
Speaker 3:I guess you could say, yep, mine's digging in the dirt, that's what it takes, yeah, at the end of the day. Well, kayla, you are a joy to talk to and I can see why you're so successful. I'm sure our listeners can hear that in your voice as well. So how do our listeners find you guys?
Speaker 2:So easiest way to follow me at Kaila Lindsay Realtor and it's K-A-I-L-A Lindsey L-I-N-D-S-E-Y Realtor on Instagram That'll probably take you everywhere else as well. Or you can check out my YouTube channel, living in Charlotte, north Carolina, where there's everything North Carolina, south Carolina and everything in between.
Speaker 3:That's awesome. I'm sure you get a lot of visitors on that. Well, thank you for joining us today. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the good neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPSouthCharlotte. com. That's GNPSouthCharlotte. com, or call 980-351-5719.