How Valarie Kerby is Selling Historic Downtown McKinney One House at a Time
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McKinney Realtor Valarie Kerby is busy.
Reading through her Facebook page feed feels frenetic about all the people she meets and places she sees. The RE/MAX Four Corners agent posts new home listings as quickly as she posts their respective closings. Open houses, coming soon announcements, and new home walkthroughs come nearly daily, and that’s not counting all the community events she attends and helps promote in Historic Downtown McKinney.
Downtown McKinney is very much a part of Kerby’s DNA. Since 2002, she’s lived in the large historic district that surrounds the old Downtown McKinney Square — the home of the original 1876 Collin County Courthouse that served this county seat for more than a century. This buff brick building — an architectural statue among the now-bustling boutiques, art galleries, and antique stores — serves as the centerpiece of historic Downtown McKinney and its proud heritage as the heart of Collin County.
In fact, if you haven’t been to Downtown McKinney, let Kerby give you a tour. Much more effective than me trying to describe what makes McKinney so especially near and dear to her heart.
Mapping Out McKinney
You can bet during that tour, Kerby will mention a metaphorical piece of paper. Something that represents her 15-year career as a real estate agent. It’s a map of the homes she’s sold in Historic Downtown McKinney.
She’s designed and updated this map over the last decade-plus, showing every single home she has sold in Downtown McKinney. The brightly-colored map adorned with butterflies — a staple of her brand — tangibly shows how tuned into the Downtown McKinney homes market she is.
Homes with History
At my best count, there are 63 scattered pins on the map, representing homes for which she worked with the buyers or sellers. Some of these homes we featured on CandysDirt.com, like this 1925 daisy yellow cottage on W. Louisiana Street [shown above] with a perfect little lattice on the gable and a white picket fence in the backyard.
And there are some that we should have covered, like this impeccably-designed 2003 stone cottage on Parker Street [shown below] with interiors that are straight out of a magazine (or Barbiecore, you decide.)
Remarkably, six of these properties have crossed paths with her not once, but twice, indicating the unwavering trust clients place in her expertise.
“I can drive up and down the streets of Downtown McKinney’s Historic District and point out every single home I’ve sold to a buyer or for a seller,” Kerby says. “And I have a lot of homeowners come back and use me to sell the historic homes they purchased with me because I know the district so well.”
Kerby’s deep familiarity with this historic district enables her to navigate its streets with ease, pointing out each home she has played a significant role in buying or selling. It is no surprise that homeowners return to her when it’s time to sell the very houses they once acquired through her guidance.
Past Life in Corporate America
The path to success wasn’t always smooth for Kerby. Her journey into real estate commenced in 2009, a year marred by the aftershocks of the infamous market crash of 2008.
“When I started, the market was crazy with price reductions, foreclosures, and short sales,” Kerby says.
With two decades of corporate event management experience at AT&T under her belt, Valarie found herself facing an unexpected career shift. Corporate cutbacks compelled her to embrace a new life in real estate — a decision that would shape her future remarkably.
She’s clearly found her calling.
Helping Clients Find Their Future
Those colored pins on her cherished map hold profound significance for Kerby. Each one represents a pivotal moment in someone’s life — the moment they chose to make a house their home.
She humbly recognizes the responsibility she carries, striving to be the North Texas real estate agent that homebuyers can wholeheartedly rely on. To Kerby, finding someone their ideal home is an extraordinary privilege, and she cherishes the opportunity to guide them through this life-changing choice.
Her dedication and passion have earned her well-deserved recognition among RE/MAX Four Corners’ top producers and the Texas Top 250 Individual Realtors, a testament to her unwavering commitment to excellence. She received prestigious Guild recognition for becoming a Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist, underscoring her prowess in successfully closing multiple million-dollar-plus properties.
Kerby’s journey from corporate event management to becoming a respected real estate authority reflects a resolute spirit and an unwavering dedication to her clients’ well-being.
“I want to be the North Texas real estate agent you can count on to guide you through one of the best choices of your life,” Kerby says. “I’m finding someone ‘home.’ That’s incredibly special to me.”
Find Valarie Kerby on her website ValarieKerby.net and take her up on that Historic Downtown McKinney tour. She can be reached at [email protected].
