Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Schmidt.
Hi Kimberly, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My path to becoming a real estate agent was a bit circuitous. I worked for a realtor back when I was getting my undergraduate degree, and loved it. Those were the days when everything was faxed, and we didn’t have e-signing. It was a lot of running around and interfacing with clients. I then went to graduate school in an unrelated field and came back to real estate when I wrapped up my master’s degree. I knew I loved houses and design, and I knew I loved people, so I decided to give it a go. This was when the market was starting to crash at the end of 2006, and when I was at my first brokerage, I watched veteran agents pack up their offices and leave the business. I honestly was just too naive to understand how bad the market was; I was excited and had a lot of energy. So I just did what I had done during my rigorous academic training – I put my head down and worked.
The first 18 months of my career saw me doing 3-4 open houses a week, every single week. I slowly built my business and was Rookie of the Year in my office in 2007. It was hard – really hard. But there was an experienced agent in my office who told me to just give it two years. He said by the two-year mark, it would get easier and he was right. I started my third year in the business with deals in my pipeline and I’ve never looked back.
I made a couple of brokerage changes and landed with Compass back in 2018. I started a team so that I could help mentor a couple of agents and build a supportive environment, so I oversee my own transactions as well as theirs. I am the type of agent who grinds it out. I cross every T, dot every I, and get the deals to the finish line.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Real estate has not been a smooth road because over the last twenty years, the market has seen so many ups and downs. I think this is an interesting business; it’s an exciting business…but it’s not an easy business. I work long hours and there has not been a single vacation that I’ve taken where I didn’t address emails and/or work calls. I worked through the Great Recession, through the short-sale and foreclosure markets; I worked through the craziness of the pandemic years; and now I’m working through some of the lowest transactional volume years US real estate has seen in decades. There have been easy deals, crazy deals, and everything in between. You never know what is going to come up with a transaction or a client, so attention to detail is key, and being the steady hand in a storm is essential. I love this industry and I love my job, but I would never say it’s always smooth sailing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a San Diego real estate expert and team lead of Kimberly Schmidt & Associates at Compass. I’ve been selling homes full-time in San Diego for twenty years, and I’m known for a buying and selling framework that I created called the Confident Move Method™, which incorporates data-driven strategy, concierge-level preparation, and an education-first approach for my clients. I am most proud of the relationships I’ve built with San Diego homebuyers and sellers over the last two decades, and also of the detail-oriented approach I take with every transaction. My focus us on listening and giving buyers and sellers straightforward and honest opinions about homes and the market overall. I think my clients really appreciate my forthrightness, my strong work ethic, and my upbeat personality.
I’m known for helping people with what we call ‘life’s big moves,’ so we do a lot of trust and probate sales; relocations to/from San Diego; move-up sales; and, of course, first-time buyer purchases. Because of my love for writing, I am often quoted in the press, and I’ve had 17 national press citations so far this year in 2026 in publications from CBS News to House Beautiful to BankRate. I really love being a resource for local and national media about San Diego’s real estate market and the industry in general. I also started hosting The American Dream in San Diego for ADTV this past year, and that’s been really fun. I had no idea I would enjoy being on camera so much, and it’s been a great way to get extra exposure for my sellers’ listings.
My team has been ranked in the top 1.5% of small teams nationwide by The Wall Street Journal’s RealTrends every year since 2020, and we are currently ranked #10 in San Diego by FastExpert. We typically represent premier homes in the $800,000 to $5,000,000 price range throughout metro and coastal San Diego. When I’m not working, I’m listening to indie music, spending time with my family, hiking, walking, or riding a motorcycle.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
My have a B.A. in English, so I’m a reader/writer by nature – I spend at least two hours reading each day. My favorite books are Giant and So Big by Edna Farber; Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind by Shunryū Suzuki; Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand; The Awakening by Kate Chopin; and The Alienist by Caleb Carr. My favorite podcast is Inner French, because I am relearning the language after having had a break.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.GreatHomesInSanDiego.com
- Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/KimberlySchmidtSanDiego
- Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/KimberlySchmidtSanDiego
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-schmidt-90398729/
- Youtube: https://www.YouTube.com/KimberlySchmidtSanDiego
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kimberly-schmidt-and-associates-compass-san-diego?osq=Kimberly+Schmidt+%26+Associates+-+Compass&dd_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yelp.com%2F
