“When Are You Going to Retire?”
Why I still love every day of this work.
THE HONEST ANSWER
When you love what you do, it’s hard to call it work.
People have been asking me this question for years. At industry events, at open houses, at the grocery store. And I understand why they ask. I’ve been selling real estate in Santa Clarita since 1989. That’s a long time by anyone’s measure.
But here’s what I’ve come to understand: the question usually says more about how people think about work than it does about me. They assume that after enough years, you’d want out. That the grind would wear you down. That you’d be counting the days.
I’m not counting the days. I genuinely enjoy helping people buy and sell homes, navigate some of the biggest financial decisions of their lives, and come out the other side with confidence. That hasn’t changed. If anything, 36 years of experience has made the work more rewarding, not less. I know this market deeply. I know what buyers need to hear and what sellers need to do. I’ve seen every kind of transaction, and that knowledge belongs to my clients.
Every home is a life milestone. Every client, a story.
The Santa Clarita Valley has been my home and my market for my entire career. I’ve watched Valencia grow from new master-planned streets into an established community where the families I helped move in twenty years ago are now selling and moving on. I’ve helped buyers find their first home in Saugus, upgrade to something bigger in Stevenson Ranch, and eventually settle into their forever home in Canyon Country. I’ve also helped longtime residents leave Santa Clarita with confidence, whether they’re relocating for work, moving closer to family, or heading somewhere new entirely.
Both sides of that equation matter to me. Helping someone plant roots here is a privilege. Helping someone close a chapter here with dignity and a great outcome is just as meaningful. Real estate isn’t just about square footage and sale prices. It’s about what comes next for the people sitting across the table from me.
I’ve worked with first-time buyers who were nervous about every step, and seasoned investors who needed a sharp negotiator in their corner. I’ve helped families moving to Santa Clarita from across the country who needed someone to be their eyes and ears on the ground. And I’ve helped clients sell homes they’d lived in for 30 years, full of memories and emotion. Every one of those transactions deserved the same level of care, and that’s what my team brings.
“I’m not counting down the days. I’m enjoying them.”
As long as I’m still making a difference and enjoying the journey, I have no plans to step back. The market keeps evolving. The clients keep teaching me things. And I still get genuine satisfaction from solving problems that feel impossible at first and finding a path through.
(And yes, still traveling. My mom always said, “Travel while you’re young.” She was right.)
Celebrating your everyday, long past closed escrow.
One of the things I’m most proud of is how we stay connected to our clients long after the transaction is done. When your birthday comes around, we remember. When your home anniversary rolls past, we acknowledge it. These aren’t automated emails. They’re personalized gifts, delivered because you matter to us as a person, not just as a past client.
This isn’t a strategy. It’s just how I was raised to treat people. Real estate is a relationship business, and a relationship doesn’t end at closing. Some of my closest connections in this valley started with a transaction years ago and grew into something much more lasting. I’ve watched my clients’ kids grow up. I’ve been referred to their siblings, their coworkers, their neighbors. That kind of trust is earned over time, and I don’t take it lightly.
Every year we bring our clients together, because community doesn’t have to be a big word. It can be a picnic in the park on a warm spring afternoon, or ice skating and brunch with Santa in December, or a summer bowling night, or a margarita tasting that turns into a three-hour evening of catching up and laughing. Over the years we’ve done all kinds of events, and the common thread is always the same: these are our people, and we want to celebrate them. Not because they might refer someone to us someday. Because they matter to us now.
When people ask me why I haven’t retired, I think about those events. I think about the families I’ve watched change over the years, the kids who were toddlers at our first event with Santa and are now heading to high school or college. Those relationships aren’t a reason to stop. They’re a reason to keep going.
This community has given me so much.
Selling homes here is only part of it. For years I served on the board of the Youth Project, a Santa Clarita organization dedicated to supporting young people in our valley. Watching it grow, and feeling the loss when it eventually closed, reminded me how much this community depends on people showing up for each other beyond their professional roles.
Today I’m proud to support Carousel Ranch, which provides therapeutic horseback riding for children and adults with disabilities, and the Santa Clarita Valley Boys and Girls Club, which gives kids a safe and nurturing place to grow. These aren’t just causes I write a check to. They represent the kind of community I’ve been honored to call home and to serve for over three decades.
When someone asks me why I haven’t retired, part of the answer is simply this: Santa Clarita is worth showing up for. The people here are worth it. And as long as I can add value to someone’s experience of buying, selling, or putting down roots in this valley, I’ll be here.
RELATIONSHIPS MATTER.
Thinking of making a move in Santa Clarita?
I’d love to help. Let’s have a conversation. No pressure. Just good guidance.
CALL OR TEXT 661-510-0321
The Kathy Watterson Team | RE/MAX of Santa Clarita | 661-510-0321
