Meet Kyle Draper | Realtor and Team Leader

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kyle Draper and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kyle, what matters most to you?
Authenticity is my most important value. What are we if we aren’t our authentic selves? A non-authentic existence becomes a prison… The importance of authenticity translates to the business world as well–people can tell when you’re trying to be someone that you aren’t. At the start of my real estate career, I dressed in suits everyday, spoke in a very proper manner, and was just flat out vanilla/boring. I was so worried about appealing to everyone that I lost my edge and spunk that I’ve since learned actually translates very well in business when I just lean into that. My energy/quirkiness is what makes me unique. In fact, I would say that it’s my secret weapon in business and life in general. If my authentic self isn’t right for some agents or real estate clients, that’s ok because I know that leaning into it is what has and will continue to attract the right people to me. Stop trying to please everyone, and double down on what makes you “you”!

What should our readers know about your business?
I serve two different groups: real estate agents on my team and the buyers/sellers/investors that our team serves. With agents, I am very confident that the systems and technology we employ are world class and help grow agents’ incomes well beyond what they can do on their own. My team model enables rookie agents to develop into strong agents, and it also develops strong agents into total rockstars. I help grow their own personal business and also provide them with “team” business they wouldn’t otherwise have which keeps the partnership viable regardless of how successful agents on my team become (many other team models assume the rockstar agents will eventually leave). One agent on the team went from 60k income before joining the team to $380k income. This has transformed his life, and that is something I take extreme pride in. While that is the most extreme example on the team, there are plenty other examples of extreme income jumps since joining the team, and I’m damn proud of helping change their families’ lives.

With regard to the clients we serve, we focus on empowering our clients with education about the process of buying and selling real estate. Our team mission is to help our clients build wealth through real estate to enable them to live their ideal lifestyles. We also take a unique approach to marketing real estate: we don’t believe people buy homes because the kitchen is “pretty,” for example. We believe people buy homes because of the lifestyles they believe come with the properties. This means that we take our marketing to another level and hire actors, rent cars, develop story lines, etc. to not just sell the features of the home, but instead, sell the lifestyle that comes with the home.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am born and raised in Los Angeles, a UCLA alumnus, and have worked my whole career in LA, so I know this city like the back of my hand and truly adore it. During the week, we would check out a Dodger game because there are few things better to me than a night at the Chavez Ravine with a buddy while sipping on a michelada and singing “I Love LA” by Randy Newman after the good guys win. I would also take them to Echo Park Lake and Griffith Park to show off some of LA’s beautiful green space that many overlook. For Friday night debauchery, we would start off grabbing drinks in DTLA’s Arts District at an AMAZING dive bar called “Tony’s”. As we get closer to 2:00am, we would venture to an after-hours warehouse party (likely walking distance from Tony’s) to shake our tail feathers to some house/techno until the wee hours of the night. We would spend the next day recovering with more micheladas, chicken mole, and ceviche at one of my favorite restaurants called “Madre’s” in West Hollywood. A disco nap would likely be in order before going out Saturday evening to Genghis Cohen for a left of center take on Chinese food, and we’d then head east to catch a show that night at one of the many live music venues on the east side (likely the Echo or Echo Plex). Sunday we’d brunch in Malibu at Duke’s because it’s right on the water and drastically less expensive than the other restaurants along PCH for some serious Bloody Marry action and then enjoy our time adventuring around the beach and catch one of LA’s unbeatable sunsets (fingers crossed we get a pink sky type of vibe that day!).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give a huge shoutout to the three original members of Serene Team: Vanessa McCaffrey, Howard Cheng, and Pilar Oliva. They were the first people to take a MASSIVE leap of faith in me and give up their successful solo careers when I decided to build out Serene Team. I had no track record of being a good Team Leader yet who grew agents’ incomes, so it was a huge risk they took for them and their families to exit the lanes they were all in to give me a shot as their Team Leader. They also stuck by me during the toughest stretch of my life where I found myself in an incredibly toxic marriage/divorce that threatened to derail everything I’d worked my whole life to build. All three stood by my side and offered support, concern, guidance, and patience while I went through a horrible experience that reduced by capacity to be the best leader I could be. I am forever grateful to them for sticking with me through that–the “OG” Serene Team members will always hold an incredibly dear place in my heart.

Website: search.sereneteam.com

Instagram: instagram.com/thekyledraper