Before coaching, real estate ruled their lives. Buffini gave them the structure to move from transaction-driven to relationship-driven, creating a “we, not me” culture and confident, heart-led leadership.
With that clarity, the Dews grew their brokerage, strengthened their team, embraced delegation, and realized their 10-year dream office, honoring three generations of family legacy.
Devoted parents, community leaders, and partners in every sense, David & Katie are living the Good Life with balance, joy, and a business built on relationships, service, and legacy.
For Katie Dew, real estate has always been in her blood, even during the years she tried to avoid its pull.
As a child, she watched her grandmother, IsaBell K. Horsley, excel as the founder of her own real estate firm.
“She had built up a legacy in and of itself, because she started the company as a single individual woman, despite many people telling her she’d never make it in this industry as a woman. That motivated her even more to succeed,” Katie said.
Even with that inspiring example, Katie said she had no plans to become a real estate agent after college until her grandmother encouraged her to join the family firm, where her father and other relatives were also working.
‘Eating, Breathing and Sleeping Real Estate’
In 2006, Katie’s husband, David, left his job in banking to join her full-time in real estate. But two years later, the couple found themselves struggling along with so many others as the 2008 financial crisis rattled the global economy.
“Two real estate agents, independent, young, just built a house, mortgage and a baby,” Katie recalled.
They pushed harder into their work, but the pace was relentless. David described that period as “eating, breathing and sleeping real estate.”
“That’s all we did,” he said. “We didn’t take any time off for ourselves.”
The breaking point came when David told his wife they had to cancel plans with friends because they simply couldn’t afford it.
“I remember sitting there on our front steps thinking, I don’t know how hard I need to work, but I never want to feel like this again,” she said.
Then a friend told her about Buffini & Company.
‘A Perfect Fit’
Working by referral — with its focus on building and maintaining relationships — was a perfect fit for the couple, Katie said. The Working by Referral systems helped them manage and prioritize their workload so they could focus on developing deeper client relationships.
David agreed, saying “I think our purpose is we’re put here to serve people. And that service doesn’t have to be just a transaction. It can be putting meaning into someone’s life.”
“Just personal little touches,” he added. “Before, it was all about ‘let’s get a sale.’ But by taking the transactional piece away and going back to relationships, we’ve actually gotten more referrals because we’ve taken more time to care about the individual, not just the transaction.”
The Value of Coaching
Katie admitted she wasn’t sure what to expect when she first started working with a Buffini coach. She quickly saw the impact — not just on the business but on her whole life.
“My favorite part about coaching is when I get the action steps: ‘Here’s what you need to follow up on and do,’” she said. “Our coach is great at keeping us on task and sticking to the systems.”
Her coach also pushes her to “rest and delegate,” Katie added.
“That’s allowed me to turn off the computer and do something else. It’s given me more flexibility,” she said.
“Our coach pulls out the best in us. It’s not all about real estate,” David said. “She truly cares about what’s going on in your life. Sometimes she’ll set goals that have nothing to do with real estate at all. That’s the difference with a Buffini coach. It’s not just about a transaction or putting a system in place — it’s about the whole person.”
The Dews’ Good Life
Katie and David are now in Leadership Coaching, which has helped them grow their team and open additional offices. They value the impact their work has had on their employees, their family, and each other.
“What really makes me feel like this is exactly where we should be,” Katie said, “is when I walk in and hear all the agents talking, chattering, laughing, working, being together. Knowing we’ve created an environment where other people can live a good life, where we’ve helped them achieve their own dreams of helping others. That’s everything.”
For David, the best part of working with Buffini is seeing how it’s helped Katie thrive, not just in her business but also her personal life.
“Prior to that, she was wearing 10 to 12 hats — marketing, advertising, mom, cook, agent, etc. It took learning how to delegate and how to lead effectively for her to realize she could let go of some things and still be a strong professional and leader,” he said.
“So to me, living the good life is seeing my wife happier in her profession and able to spend more time with her family. And it’s contagious—it’s spread throughout our family. The proof’s in the pudding!”
