LOCAL PROFILES
Real Estate Exec: Kat Ray—Subdivision Sales, Inc.

When Kathleen “Kat” Ray moved from California to Las Vegas nearly 20 years ago, she was looking to slow down her life a bit and raise her daughter. “Las Vegas was a cowboy town back then,” says Kat. But she knew that a boom was just around the corner. “I’m a visionary,” she explains. “It was the only city in the world with a strong gaming base, which means job growth and tourist trade. And the land was still cheap.” So she started Subdivision Sales, Inc., a Real Estate brokerage that provides marketing services, feasibility services, sales and sales management to builders, developers and investors around the globe.

But Kat didn’t just decide to start her own business out of the blue. She always knew she wanted a career in finance and Real Estate, and at the age of 19, she became a loan processor for new home subdivisions in California. Within two years she had progressed to the position of loan underwriter and sales administrator for a prestigious California Real Estate development company. As her expertise grew, she made the leap to open KATCO, a marketing, research, consulting and land brokerage firm where she worked with corporations from many different countries.

Having grown up surfing and living on the beach in Southern California, Kat knew that sand and surf would provide the ideal vacation getaway. As co-owner and founder of Interworld Group, Inc., she was instrumental in the development of hotel resorts, marinas and vacation homes throughout Mexico and the United States, spearheading a chain of yacht clubs in Mexico, the first venture of its kind.

Kat likes to stay busy, and she enjoys projects that utilize her diversified strengths and her 30-plus years of experience in the Real Estate field. “I love to work with builders and developers on the front end and set it all up” she says. “They hire me as a corporate broker.” In addition to Subdivision Sales, Inc., Kat also owns New Home Pros, LLC in Arizona, acts as paper broker for a huge apartment management company with properties in Arizona and Nevada, and recently founded World Wide Luxury Rentals, providing deluxe accommodations for clients all over the world.

Always with an eye toward the future, Kat believes the Real Estate market is beginning to move. “Distressed properties are being bought up by investors,” she says. “And that’s usually a good sign.” New homes will be gearing back up slowly but surely. “It’s like a cruise ship,” Kat explains. “You can’t expect it to take off full throttle after the engine’s been shut down. It has to build up gradually.”

Kat studies and appreciates all the different segments of the Real Estate market, and enjoys consulting with developers and builders on new detached housing, mid-rise, high-rise and hotel condominiums, both nationally and internationally. “Where there’s no room to build out, you can always build up,” she says.

Even though Kat has her own businesses to run, she also finds time to share the knowledge she has accumulated with other Real Estate Licensees. As a trainer for both Northern and Southern Nevada, she teaches both continuing education and training courses through her own company, and is the nationally designated trainer for the highly regarded Certified New Home Sales Professional (CSP) national designation, provided by the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, D.C. and sponsored by the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association. She also conducts seminars through Lorman Education Services.

Kat is a member of the Las Vegas High-Rise and Condominium Association (LVHCA), the Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS® (GLVAR), National Association of REALTORS®, Leadership Class of 1999, Distinguished Women in Southern Nevada, Real Estate Educators Association (REEA), the local Chamber of Commerce, and Who’s Who Worldwide. She has also served on the board of several local nonprofit organizations including the I Am Youth Foundation and Music for HOPE Foundation, which works with music programs for teens and local school districts.

Work isn’t all that occupies Kat’s time, however. She believes in taking time to play too, and her outlet is singing. Her forte is jazz and R&B standards and she performs with her 18-piece jazz orchestra at special events. She started singing publicly when she was 3 years old and became quite comfortable onstage. And she’s picked it up again in recent years. “Some people golf, I sing,” she laughs. “It’s my passion.” She performed recently at Jazz in the Park, accompanied by an 18-piece orchestra. She also performs for private and corporate functions, and was voted Entertainer of the Year by T and the Foxes. She has also been nominated as Best Female Jazz Vocalist by the American Black Music Association at the Black Music Awards.

Life is never dull for this busy lady, and she’s always ready to take on a new venture. “I’m always available to work with people on their new development projects, as their broker, to train their staff or to provide staff, and set up operations. And now I can add to the portfolio they offer with my luxury management company.”

Subdivision Sales, Inc. is located at 8275 South Eastern Avenue, Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV, 89123. Kat can be reached by phone at (702) 878-2040 or e-mail at KRAYENT2@aol.com.