PROGRESS: Kristan’s world

Kristan Cole, longtime Valley real estate broker, has built a ship of storybook proportions from the adversity and grit honed over a lifetime. A mother of five, accomplished marathon runner, Miss Alaska (1982), pilot, and possessing an MBA from University of Alaska Southeast, she continues to reach for the stars in her own endeavors, which buoy the up-and-comers and less fortunate around her. Licensed since 1984 and a broker since ‘86, she has seen both boom and bust in local real estate, with the current landscape not even approaching the drama of the 1980s. She recalls being paid with a gold nugget necklace, allowed as commission by Fannie Mae, and even finding a dead dog frozen to the porch while showing foreclosures.

Cole recently sat down with the Frontiersman to reflect on her particular purpose in an industry that touches every life in its wake, from laborers to the local homeless population. Her flagship office on on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, once a former ‘dog wash’ converted by her brother, serves as a hub for 18 locations across the nation. Her own housing instability in adolescence infuses an accountability to those still struggling, now served by a charitable foundation directly from her real estate proceeds.

A celebration of 34 years in business, hosted mid-February at Evangelo’s, was once again at overflow capacity and gave testament to dozens of repeat customers as well as honoring her staff. She is quick to point out that her mission, summarized as ‘customers come first’, exceeding expectations and causing them to become advocates on our behalf’, goes beyond earning money. “It has a multiplicative effect, of course. I don’t need any more money, for myself. But I’m deeply aware of the good that philanthropy fosters. We were able to write the check for Teen Challenge, when they needed a new 11-passenger van.” Cole’s satellite office employs young people from Arizona to Alaska. “So many of the kids who have gotten scholarships from us, come back and work for as interns in the summer.” Wasilla's MyHouse is also a recipient, receiving a sizable check from Cole for the purpose of assisting at-risk youth.

Growing up in Whittier in the 1960s, Cole described her own circumstances as ‘interesting’, and specifies that she found herself homeless with her siblings at age 12. Her diminutive stature seems like pure muscle when underscored with statements like, “I was never able to live with my mother and father again, in my life.”

“It’s like anything. You can take a taxi somewhere, or you can take a limo. You’re still going to get there — but you’re going to have a very different experience. I think some people see real estate as very ‘transactional’. For us, this is about relationships.” Even noting her expansion, she returns to the sense of community and her own local mentors. Specifically, Ulli Johnson, as a model of integrity and relationships. “She has been above reproach, always taught the right thing, always done the right thing.”

That maternal grit seems a mirror for her professional code. A traumatic car accident involving one of her sons, the sudden and unexpected death of her eldest son, and the ATV accident which left her daughter with a massive head injury, all give weight to her words. “A pity party has about 24 hours to live, in my book. We always look for the way that difficult circumstances can be used to benefit others. Always.” After her daughter Teagan endured a major ATV accident, she created a foundation dispersing helmets for free to anyone who applies. Now a graduate of Northern Arizona University, Teagan will direct the charitable events of KC Worldwide Homes and is an instructor for Keller Williams Kids Can, and investment and financial strategy course for young people. Her daughter Kristi serves as Team Leader and Associate Broker, working with Cole since 2010.

More lighthearted examples are worth recalling, too. When her company offered clients a complimentary moving van in 2004, a realtor complained that it was inducement. Rather than retreat, Cole pivoted — that which was intended an obstacle, along with her innate invigoration during a challenge — and broadened use of the van to the community. What happened was the creation of a moving billboard which has worn grooves up and down the Valley’s highways for more than ten years. “High schools use it to move chairs for graduation, it’s available to anyone. Other realtors use our moving van!”

“It’s a mindset. You are on a dual track in life. There are great things happening, and not-so-great things happening simultaneously. I see in my own children, a spirit of generosity no matter their circumstances.”

Bob Munford, a pioneering real estate broker with over forty years invested in the Mat Su, summarizes Cole’s success as unique and well-earned. “There are a few gals who have done quite well. Kristan has sold more real estate than I’ve ever even seen.”

Cole tells of her own frugality, still driving the same car for which she sought affirmation from her children before purchasing. “I worried a Lexus was ostentatious,” she motions to the pearl white SUV decked out with skiing and marathon stickers on its rear windshield. Back in her office, with the fireplace crackling, her open laptop bears only two logos, a memorial commemorating her son Aaron’s military service and his life, and a purple decal for daughter Teagan’s charity Helmets on Heads.

Looking ahead, Cole sees smooth sailing and ever-expanding horizons. “People ask if I’m slowing down — ‘is this the twilight of your career?’ I say, are you kidding me? I really re-discovered my love for it four or five years ago. Money is good for the good that money can do.”

A recurring theme in Cole’s journey is her not only her insistence on building a network of authenticity, but a gratitude for those who helped her during adversity. To visit with her is to appreciate not only her lack of pretension, expressed well by her willingness to receive help when she needed it, but a spirit of leadership with laser focus. During family trials, she tenderly recalls those who stepped up. As a powerhouse of business-building, she sees the logistics of each sale as ingredients in a larger vision. Sought after as a coach, she now offers professional and philosophical guidance for those just starting out or wanting rejuvenation of their own goals. It’s like Gary (Keller) says, of the motivational process, “Go work with someone who knows what they want, until you do.” Professionally, she is most proud of the longevity of her own employees and being repeatedly chosen by her hometown newspaper as best real estate office. “People ask me all the time, because I travel a lot, I own a big office in Phoenix, but I’m teaching them the exact same things — I’m asked why I continue to live in Alaska? It’s my home. My family lives there, my business is there.”

In Cole there is a sense that those cast about by the winds of life will always have an advocate in her, should they choose to cast their sails.