A Note on Why I Started SKW Realty: Our Story and Vision

Hello Everyone!

My name is Serene Wong. As the founder and president of SKW Realty, I wanted to speak a little bit today on the story behind SKW Realty, including why I started my brokerage firm and what our company brand stands for today.

Around twenty years ago, my husband and I welcomed our first child into this world, and in the following years, we continued to grow our family. I am so proud to be the mom of my three daughters and son today. There are no words to quite describe how strong a mother’s love is, and I poured everything into my kids. I wanted (and still do) want to give them a better life than I had growing up. Healthy, organic food. Tutoring centers for homework. Ballet, gymnastics, piano lessons. When I wasn’t being a mom and homemaker, I spent my time working as an account manager in sales at Sysco so that my husband and I could continue to have the income to support our family. 

The great thing about my position in sales meant that there was enough flexibility to still be able to pick up my kids from school, go to their piano recitals or dance competitions, and cheer them on. However, I realized at one point that to continue to give my kids everything they needed, I needed to earn more. I made a big career change, jumping from sales to a long-term position as a relationship banker. Through my years and work at JPMorgan Chase Bank, Bank of America, and East West Bank, I am proud to say that I’ve been able to meet and help many amazing people. In particular, it was the young couples buying their first home, ambitious individuals looking to invest in upcoming properties and the real estate market, and small business owners who inspired me. Helping these individuals secure the financial backing for homes or offices that were integral to their dreams and goals was the best part of my job. 

I realized in my office one day that I had grown to love real estate, even more than the career I had worked so hard to build in banking. It wasn’t hard from this point to make the jump headfirst into real estate as a realtor with Keller Williams Realty. And at Keller Williams, I thrived. I used my background in sales, the financial expertise I had gained in mortgage brokering and bank loaning operations, and even my Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems to integrate technology into my approach to real estate. I earned many first-place awards in gross commission input, individual listings are taken units, individual close units, and individual close volume. I placed in the top 2% of performers in sales production in the entire Texas state. 

Now I am beginning yet another chapter of my real estate journey: starting my own brokerage firm SKW Realty. I want to formally thank Keller Williams for helping me find my start as a realtor, but I left to start SKW Realty because I realized my approach to real estate is fundamentally different from that of a traditional brokerage firm like Keller Williams. Unlike many traditional brokerages, SKW Realty is a modern brokerage firm, which means we have the ability and flexibility to operate on a client-centric model. I always want to engage with my clients. I wake up at 6 AM every day to serve my clients, and even if it’s 10 PM at night, I am there to answer last-minute questions of my clients and assure them of any concerns they have. From my years as a real estate agent, my value for meaningful engagement is still reflected in many of my close family friends today, several of whom I initially met as clients and helped to buy homes or office space. My firm SKW Realty will reflect this priority of engagement too. SKW Realty’s work with you does not only focus on certain stages of the home buying process nor simply ends once you have closed on a home. Our team will engage with you at every step of the process: securing financial backing, finding a property, making an offer, inspections, appraisals, closings, and beyond. 

In addition to engagement, my vision for what SKW Realty will stand for centers around three more qualities: professionalism, trustworthiness, and dedication. To aspiring homeowners, I want to personally promise you that if you choose to work with our amazing team, SKW Realty will be there with you every step along the way to finding your home – engaged, professional, trustworthy, and dedicated to your goals, and dreams. To any ambitious agents watching who also hear and believe in our core values, I hope that you will reach out to us and join our team. I’d love to proudly introduce you as part of the SKW Realty team. Whoever you are, whenever it is, SKW Realty is ready to work with you!