Elsa Kiprotich is a Kenyan-born realtor working in the Houston, Texas area. She has sold over 100 homes to both US citizens and Kenyans living there. She leads H-town Royal Group, a boutique real estate group under CB & A group. They offer services in both commercial and residential real estate.
Here is her career journey as told by WoK.
Education
After high school, she pursued a course in Business Management at Kenya Institute of Management. Later, she pursued further studies in Business Management at the University of West Georgia.
Selling charcoal
While in Kenya, Elsa got into the charcoal business. She started small and expanded her business to a point where she was supplying charcoal to hotels around Eldoret.
Moving to the US and becoming a realtor
She got an academic scholarship in 2012 and moved to the United States. After graduating, she worked for an insurance firm, selling life insurance to clients. Most of her clients were in the military.
When they moved to Texas, she got into real estate. As a realtor, Elsa works with people who want to buy, sell, rent and lease. She has been in the industry for six years and experienced the highs and lows.
They get a lot of business during the summer season. During Covid-19 , a lot of people purchased homes since interest rates were lowered.
One house would have so many offers and people were willing to pay in excess of Ksh50,000 to Ksh100,000 to own property.
Today, the interest rates are a bit high. Despite the high interest currently on mortgages, she believes that real estate is a worthwhile investment. In an interview on Cham’s media, she said if one buys a house, it will appreciate by at least three to five per cent the following year.
Elsa says that she ensures her clients get their money’s worth. She does not sell a house but a home. Some of her clients have even developed a cordial relationship with her.
While she has worked with Americans, a big bulk of her clientele are from Kenya or in places around Africa. For one to purchase property, they need to get a pre-approval and find out how much they qualify for in terms of housing finance.
One’s credit score is a big factor in the decision. For one to be approved for financing, they also need to show that they’ve been working for two years and their two years tax returns.
A person can then purchase property depending on their qualification. Her advise is that people should buy according to their means.
