Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristopher Willis
Hi Kristopher, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
This is easier to tell in person or at length, but cheesy as it sounds, relationships and discomfort are at the center of how I arrived here.
My family moved around often growing up due to my Dad’s work. I was born outside of Chicago, then moved to Detroit, LA, Chicago again and came to Atlanta to finish my senior year of High School. That last one was especially tough, but during that year I had a mandatory crash course in making a good impression. Going out of state for college at Florida State University and only knowing one other person when I got there, I put what I learned to use and made so many good friends seemingly overnight, some of which I consider brothers and were in my wedding in 2023.
After college I moved to Japan to teach English and was placed in a rural mountain village of around 120 people. Again, I learned what it meant to have community and friendship, and maxed out my Japanese skills to the point where I passed Level 3 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (I failed level 2 but someday I’ll get there). Communication was central here but equally as important was how I viewed myself. I was accustomed to being the only hued individual in the room, but living abroad can force you to take ownership and responsibility for yourself in a way few other experiences can.
I moved back to Atlanta in 2008, just as the economic recession was hitting its stride, and have been here since. Some years of struggle and lots of temping made me get really good at interviewing. I realized that while experience and credentials can get you the interview, it’s really about connecting with the person across the table from you. They’ll take a chance on someone they like or can relate to.
Through all of the people that I’ve met in this life, I learned that we are all fascinating and I can listen all day to the things people are weirdly passionate about. I’ve always liked Real Estate, ever since my family would drive around after church looking at what we’d call skeleton houses that hadn’t been finished yet, but getting to drop into someone’s life for a few months at a time and having to advise through their eyes is a challenge that I love undertaking. I was once told that I’d be a bridge in life, connecting people to wherever they need to be next. That’s sort of how I view being a Realtor.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Hah. Not at all.
I’ve had more than one burnout, have applied for other jobs because I wasn’t sure if I could pay my bills, and made humiliating mistakes. That’s just in Real Estate. Beforehand, I’d been fired or experienced group layoffs, experienced some tough family transitions, been an adult in a new city, been alone, felt like life had nothing left for me, been broke, been taken advantage of etc.
It hasn’t been a sob story by any means, but in the moment I try my hardest to look at hard seasons through a lens of preparation and maturing you for what comes next. Sometimes it takes so long to hit a milestone I’ve forgotten that it was something I’d so deeply hoped for when it became reality!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a full-service licensed Realtor servicing the Metro Atlanta area. I like to think of myself as a jungle guide. People meet with me because they are pretty sure they know that they want to get to a destination, but don’t know the way, what to pack, what shape they need to be in and what to expect when they arrive. My job is to understand who and where you are, prepare you for the journey, and then guide you along the way, step by step.
What sets me apart from others is that I can’t help but be interested in the little details that make you and your family unique. Those things will matter along the way. The experiences both in and out of real estate that I’ve collected along the way have convinced me that there is a solution for every problem. That means that your client shouldn’t feel afraid to voice their opinion to you, because I want people to learn during the process and come away with confidence that they are exactly where they should be..
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think life presents you with necessary risks every so often. For me, when I’ve delayed taking those risks it usually means taking another lap instead of graduating to the next level. No time is wasted, but procrastination is a killer. Risks for me looked like:
*Holding a standard
*Passing on opportunity because a commitment hadn’t been fulfilled yet.
*Saying ‘Yes’ to photographing my first wedding
*Asking my wife out for the first time
*Accepting jobs and roles I didn’t feel fully qualified for
*Leaving W-2 world and working for myself.
The beautiful thing about life and opportunities to take risks, if you don’t make the jump when you know in your bones that you’re supposed to, you’ll get another chance soon enough. All of the best things tend to be somewhere on the other side of a big ‘Yes’.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.TeppenGroup.com
- Instagram: @teppengroup
- Other: @kris_toph
Image Credits
Dominic Helton
