Celebrating Women’s History Month: A Q&A with RMR Residential’s Krysti Keser

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we are spotlighting the 5 RMR Residential women who recently won a RMR Residential Circle of Excellence Award. First up in our spotlight series is Krysti Keser, a Regional Property Manager who is based in North Carolina.  She recently won the Firm’s “Regional Property Manager of the Year” for not only exemplifying RMR Residential’s core values, but also providing great leadership, performance, and team support.

Happy Women’s History Month to you! Name a woman from history that you find especially inspiring and tell us why.

Harriet Tubman was a force to be reckoned with. She stood up for what was right and put her life on the line to save lives. She went above and beyond for others, not just those she saved via the Underground Railroad, but as a spy for the Union, and in retirement she was a caregiver for the elderly. She is a true inspiration to me – as a leader and as an example of selflessly serving others.

According to CREW Network’s fourth benchmark study, women represent roughly 36.7% of the workforce in commercial real estate. Tell us a little about your career journey which led to your present-day work in multifamily real estate.

Like many others, I “fell” into the industry by accident. I was transitioning away from restaurant management and a friend who was in the industry suggested a Leasing Consultant position. In the D.C. area, there were so many opportunities for growth that I quickly moved up the ranks and found that this is the perfect industry for someone who doesn’t like to sit still and needs a challenge!

In what ways have you grown (whether professionally or personally) since you began your career in multifamily real estate?

Having been that girl in school that always got into trouble for talking, I learned that listening is a far better skill to have. Converting from a talker to a listener is hard! I had to really learn to listen and not just wait for my turn to respond. This has been a journey for me and I still have to concentrate on what the person is trying to communicate (not always what is being said in words) so that I can better understand and help them more effectively.

You recently won a 2022 Circle of Excellence award! Congrats! How long have you been a member of the RMR Residential team? Tell us what your current role is and what an average day may look like for you.

I have been with RMR Residential for over 5 years as a Regional Manager and currently oversee Central North Carolina (Raleigh). I spend my days trying to support my teams and find ways for them to be successful. For example, as part of always being there for my team, we spend a lot of time communicating via phone, email, or text. I also try to catch them “doing something right” so that I can send them a shout out, give kudos on a  phone call, or share company-wide by posting on Yammer.

What is one of the most fulfilling parts of your job?

Witnessing growth within my team. Seeing how a team member learns and blossoms into an expert in their role and then helping them move up into a new position that they were working towards. This fills my heart with pride and pure joy to see their hard work pay off.

What is something you wish your present self could tell your younger self?

All of the blood, sweat, and tears are totally worth it!

How can women continue to support/empower each other in today’s workplace and in the communities in which we live?

There are more and more women-focused conferences and leadership seminars and that is a start. Promoting each other publicly and applauding each other’s victories on social media is a great way to support women in our industry.

Stay tuned! Throughout the month, we will shine the spotlight on the other incredible  women who recently won a RMR Residential Circle of Excellence award!