Born and brought up in Southern California, Kari is a twin who was raised by her paternal grandparents along with sister Kimi. She moved to the Central Coast several years ago but was familiar with the area long before.
"My husband and I used to come up here on vacations," "And, I always dreamed about being able to actually live up here. It seemed impossible, but now, here I am!"
After graduating from Burbank High School in Burbank, Kari continued her studies at Glendale Community College and Los Angeles Valley College. she eventually started a career in sales and customer service for a State Farm agent before branching into bookkeeping for a major custom home builder. Kari finally parlayed all those skills into managing an office for a Mercedes-Benz mechanic shop. After moving to San Luis Obispo, Kari assisted in special education classrooms at Los Osos Middle School with responsibilities that included preparing curriculum materials and teaching social skills. During this time, Kari also implemented a "lunch bunch" club where general education and special education students could meet together, eat lunch, and make new friends.
With her ready smile, Kari says that she considers herself a "people person." She is also detail-oriented, resourceful, and enjoys new challenges. "I think of myself as relationship builder." "Being this kind of person is important in every are of life, but it especially suits me for real estate," Kari chose real estate because a friend and mentor, who was a realtor, encouraged her due to her people skills and natural ability at helping sell her own home. One of Kari's clients agrees, calling her honest, responsive person committed to finding the perfect property without ever going for the "quick sale."
Outside of work, Kari enjoys family time with husband Stephen of 30 years and their son Jared. She also volunteers for several non-profit enterprises, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Ranch, and International Students Inc. Recently Kari was named Program Director for the Women's Council of Realtors.
She also travels to Brazil every summer,teaching English about what life is like in the US.