Kate did an incredible job on the sale of our house - we had a contingent purchase offer accepted and had 5 days to get our current home listed for sale. Kate had so much knowledge and experience that helped us get top dollar on our sale - staging ideas, vendors from landscaping to photography, and market pricing data. We had 4 offers within 3 days and sold for over 105% of list price. She even helped us negotiate a rent back so we could prepare comfortably for our move. Kate is so great to work with, a great communicator, and highly intelligent and experienced. She's a great choice if you're thinking about buying or selling a home.

We've bought/sold 3 different homes and Kate is hands down the best agent we've ever worked with. For our most recent purchase, she helped us structure our offer to be competitive at a fair price for a home 26 days on market despite including a sale contingency clause. We were able to move without double payments, stress, or a short term living arrangement. She is so knowledgeable and has a connection for any service you could ever want. She is a wonderful agent and person and I'd highly recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell!

I was fortunate to be introduced to Kate Johnston at Key Realty through a trusted referral, and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. Kate was my agent for both selling my home and the purchase of a new home. She made the entire process seamless. One of the things I appreciated most was how there was never any pressure. Kate had answers to all my questions and provided experienced advice. She was a great source of trusted people and she referred me to: a wonderful contractor/painter, handyman, and locksmith. Kate was always one step ahead of things and extremely thoughtful. She came by on move-in day with a basket of essentials for the home and brought us some food and drinks. All along the way Kate added personal touches that made the transition smooth and enjoyable. I would most highly recommend Kate to anyone looking to buy or sell a home. You will be in the best possible hands!

Buying a home is supposed to be this chaotic mix of anxiety, hope, and the faint smell of fresh paint covering god-knows-what. Most realtors thrive on that chaos. They’ll smile, nod, and then nudge you into buying the “perfect” house because, hey, the faster you sign, the faster they cash their commission check. But Kate isn’t one of those realtors. Thank god. She’s the rare kind of professional who understands that your life savings, your family’s future, and your sanity are on the line. She doesn’t just sell you a home — she walks you through every angle, every inspection report (yes, even the stuff not written in there), and every hidden quirk of the market that most buyers would never notice. That’s experience. And it shows. She was patient — absurdly patient. She never pushed us. Instead, she actually listened to what we needed. Imagine that: a realtor who listens more than she talks. Crazy, right? Her market analysis was sharp, her guidance steady, and when the odds of the market tried to bully us into compromises, she was the one who quietly said, “Nope, we’re not falling for that.” In a world of shortcuts, she played the long game — ethical, thorough, and always on our side. And here’s the kicker: within a month and a half, she didn’t just help us buy a house — she helped us land both a home and an investment. That’s not luck. That’s someone who knows what the hell they’re doing. But here’s the thing: her role didn’t stop at closing. She’s been a constant support, armed with an incredible network of contractors, plumbers, garden wizards — you name it. She checks in on us regularly, making sure we’re settled and supported. That kind of care goes beyond business. It’s the start of a relationship for a lifetime. So if you want a realtor who’s just in it for the sale, keep looking. But if you want someone who’ll protect your interests like they were her own, someone who’ll fight quietly but relentlessly for the right outcome, then you already found her.

I recently sold my small condo in Kirkland and Kate gave it the same care and attention that I would have expected for a home with a much higher purchase price. There was some unrelated HOA drama that resulted in me needing to pull the property off the market for a few weeks, and Kate stuck with me and guided me through the process. She was so supportive and gave me peace of mind that everything would work out eventually! The whole time, she was looking out for my condo, taking care of little details and making sure it was presentable and ready for each showing. I had total confidence that everything was good to go. Once I had an offer, there was more unanticipated weirdness with the buyer’s financing and Kate was an amazing advocate for me and kept a watchful eye on the closing process. She was highly communicative and explained everything in layman’s terms, checking in frequently so I knew where we were in the process. There were a lot of unexpected complications with this sale but Kate was an amazing partner and advocate every step of the way!

Our experience with Kate was awesome!! We met through a referral and it was a best referral we got. We are first time home buyers, who didn’t know anything about home buying. Kate was very patient in explaining us everything about the process and doesn’t mind spending as much time needed till we get it. The best part of working with Kate was, she makes it her priority to help us get a dream house. She evaluates pro’s and cons of the property, gives us details to evaluate and helps us make right decision. Initially she always encouraged us to visit properties and learn about various things before jumping to the process of buying. This gives us confidence that, we not just buy a house which we like but also ensures future aspects of the property. Kate ensured to get us a home which my wife and I both love. Kate does not just end contact after the deal is closed. She ensures to keep tab on you. She guides us with house maintenance tips, she has lots of contacts in the area for providing solutions for everything related to the house. After discussing our experience with our friends , we can confidently say that we got the best realtor in the area to buy our first home. Cheers to Kate!!

Working with Kate was great. She took care of every detail from our initial meeting through the close of sale. This was no small order as I had moved out of the area and was unavailable for some of the usual homeowner responsibilities. Kate provided detailed information on the market and my listing every step of the way. She was always available whether it was a phone call from me or handling things in person. Whatever was needed she took care of. The market was slow when I listed but she pulled in multiple offers in a short amount of time. Juggling it all to get me the best price. I highly recommend Kate and Key Realty. Her level of professionalism is unmatched and she has the extensive knowledge and experience to get the job done.

It was such a pleasure working with Kate. She made the home searching and buying process extremely stress-free and easy. I leaned on her expertise and amazing knowledge of the local market and ended up finding my perfect Bellevue home way faster than I could have dreamed. It was a fantastic learning experience for me, and I'm extremely happy and excited to move into my new place.

I was referred to Kate by a great agent in another area, so I had high expectations, and Kate exceeded them! She was great about explaining all of the paperwork and legalese that goes with a home purchase. She took special care to make sure I understood the new buyer brokerage agreement; I had the information I needed, but I didn’t notice any impact or difference in this buying process versus my previous home purchase before the changes. I found a home I loved really quickly, and Kate did all the research and legwork to get me on the path to making an offer. I was especially impressed by how she noticed little details in the home that could point to maintenance issues and made sure that they were re-inspected and resolved. Closing was super smooth, and Kate was great at immediately communicating everything I needed to know. In addition to the technical details, she also checked in with me about any resources or vendor recommendations I needed. She has fantastic contacts! Overall, I had a great experience with Kate and wouldn’t hesitate to work with her again.

Kate was the definition of above and beyond. She was able to support and guide our family from the beginning to the end of selling our parents home. She knew exactly what to do around every turn with care and professional expertise. Every question we had she found the answers and solutions to any problem that arose. Our family was experiencing a lot of grief and did not live in the state the house was in. I was able to hand over the keys and the extreme mess of a house that needed so much care and remodeling. She took over with gusto and worked endlessly to put the house on the market in a timely fashion. She had an extensive pool of contracting referrals to choose from that all seemed to be great at their job, reliable, and affordable. At every turn, Kate would communicate with us what was needed or what had been accomplished. We were relieved to be a part of the process without the heavy lifting. She seemed to gracefully pull of the unimaginable! We will always remember Kate as the woman who did it all or made it happen. She’s our hero! Thank you,

We have worked with Kate on multiple purchase and sales. She is always on top of all of the details, communicates clearly, set expectations and manages issues through to resolution. Kate thinks and plans ahead so there are no surprises and ensures we go into everything with full knowledge and clarity. She is a great to work with and instills confidence at all steps of the process. When we have purchased real estate out of the area or even out of the country we fist call Kate to get her recommendation on who to work with. Again she has come through every time with someone who is as competent and capable as her. One of the best agents and brokers you could wish for.

When my father passed, he left his home in Woodinville in somewhat disrepair. With all of us out of state, we needed somebody on the ground to spearhead the operation. My stepsister, a real estate agent in Texas herself, found Kate Johnston through her network. Kate has many connections in all facets of the business. From the extensive repairs, packers, movers, plumbers, contractors, painters, landscapers, estate sale, interior design, curb appeal, inspectors, accountants… Kate has people one phone call away to get everything done down to the smallest detail. From four different states, Kate kept everybody in the loop so we could keep the train running smoothly. She did regular market research and analysis to give us a broader picture of where we were. In the end, the house sparkled in the sun. We got our cash offer and closed in nine days. I highly recommend anyone to hire Kate Johnston as their agent.