Vantage Voices · Episode 05
Katrina Romatowski
Katrina Romatowski on co-homeownership, betting on yourself, and why she stopped looking for the door and started blowing up the wall.
Hosted by Rachael Barclay · reSpace
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Katrina Romatowski is, in her own words, a curious human being, and she has spent 30 years in real estate unable to stop building. Everything she does lives on one continuum: if it involves the dirt under your feet or the roof over your head, she is in it. That continuum is three ventures. Katrina Eileen Real Estate, her brokerage. reSpace, her co-homeownership company. And Level Up, a nonprofit she co-founded in 2019 with Frank Shankwitz, a founder of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, that pairs housing with mentorship for men coming out of re-entry and recovery.
reSpace was born from an uncomfortable question. Katrina built two infill homes in a backyard, put one on the market, and watched it sell in days for $950,000. Who can afford that? Around the same time she saw fractional ownership being used to hand wealthy families a slice of multimillion-dollar second homes. Her reaction: who cares about rich people getting a second home, how about the everyday person being able to afford one? reSpace meets people where they already are (house-hacking, co-living, a third of Americans living with people who are not their partner or their kids) and turns it into real ownership. Every bedroom is a private primary suite; the kitchen, living, and outdoor spaces are shared; and for a fraction of the cost of the whole house, you own a piece of it. The first home, a yellow Victorian mansion in Leschi with five suites, is live now, with more coming in Wallingford, Green Lake, and Ballard.
This is the third episode in a row about doors. Jesse took his off the hinges, Roger held his open, and when Rachael asked Katrina who she builds doors for, Katrina said a door is not what she sees. She sees a big brick wall, and nobody even tells you there is a world on the other side of it. Her answer: stop looking for the door. Either build what you want right where you are, and it will be better than whatever you were reaching for, or get some dynamite and blow up the wall. Where she comes from there was no permission to do much of anything, so she never waited for it. Betting on herself, she says, is like breathing.
Her north star is simple: a rising tide raises all ships, and whatever is happening to the least is happening to the most, so you reach back and bring people with you. What she can give the room: she is a natural connector who remembers everyone and refuses to gatekeep. What she needs: capital. reSpace is gaining traction and investment is the one thing holding it back. Level Up needs mentors, volunteers, and the capital to add homes. And Katrina Eileen Real Estate, the brokerage that funds the mission, is always ready for anyone buying or selling.
HOW TO CONNECT WITH KATRINA
reSpace (co-homeownership: invest, co-own, or live in one): respace.co Katrina Eileen Real Estate (buy or sell a home): katrinaeileen.com Level Up Seattle (volunteer, mentor, or donate): www.leveluphome.org LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/katrinaeileen
If I were waiting for permission, I would still be waiting.
A door isn't what comes to mind. A big brick wall is. And nobody even tells you there's a world on the other side of it.
Who cares about a bunch of rich people getting a second home? How about the everyday person being able to afford one?
We can create anything we want right here, and it will be a lot better than anything we were trying to get to.
What Katrina can give the room
- Connecting people across a wide range of industries, remembers everyone, never gatekeeps
- 30 years of real estate insight: buying, selling, and investing
- Encouragement, and seeing the potential in people before they see it in themselves
The introduction Katrina is looking for
Capital, above all. reSpace is gaining traction and investment is the one thing constraining it (investors who want strong returns secured by real estate and cash flow that does real good). Level Up needs mentors, volunteers, and capital to add housing. And Katrina Eileen Real Estate welcomes anyone buying or selling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Katrina Romatowski?
Katrina Romatowski is the founder of reSpace. They help everyday people priced out of buying a home, plus the investors and communities who want ownership to work differently.
What can Katrina offer other Vantage members?
Connecting people across a wide range of industries, remembers everyone, never gatekeeps; 30 years of real estate insight: buying, selling, and investing; Encouragement, and seeing the potential in people before they see it in themselves.
What is Katrina looking for?
Capital, above all. reSpace is gaining traction and investment is the one thing constraining it (investors who want strong returns secured by real estate and cash flow that does real good). Level Up needs mentors, volunteers, and capital to add housing. And Katrina Eileen Real Estate welcomes anyone buying or selling.
What is Vantage Voices?
Vantage Voices is the podcast of Vantage, a members-first network in Seattle. Each episode is a short conversation with one member so the room can get to know them before they meet.
Every member gets a seat in this chair.
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