Kathleen Winter

Kathleen Winter has specialized in the Santa Barbara beach real estate market for over 30 years, completing over 200 beach transactions totaling in excess of $1 billion in sales. For many years, Kathleen has ranked within the top 1/2 of the top 1% of the 50,000+ Berkshire Hathaway real estate agents worldwide and twice was in the “Top 10.” Consequently, Kathleen was awarded a Berkshire Hathaway “20 Year Legend” designation for her consistent achievements.

Kathleen is committed to providing her clients the highest quality of informed, honest and professional real estate service. As Kathleen’s expertise and sales experience in the oceanfront market far surpasses any other local real estate agent, she is considered the premier broker for beachfront properties in the Santa Barbara area.

Kathleen’s integrity, enthusiasm for her work, low pressure approach and extensive market knowledge combine to make working with her a delight.

Licensed Attorney in California 1986 – 1993

Prior to entering real estate, Kathleen practiced law in Santa Barbara. Kathleen’s law background, with its extensive training and experience in contract preparation, negotiation and attention to detail, gives her clients a tremendous advantage in their real estate transactions.

Education

  • Juris Doctor Degree, UCLA School of Law 1985
  • Bachelor of Arts, UCLA 1982
  • Double Majors in Economics and Psychology
  • Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Personal

Kathleen has three loves of her life, husband Jim Hurley and sons Tyler and Jackson. Kathleen enjoys gardening, beach walks, hiking and the weekly poker game she founded in 1995.

Internet Presence

Kathleen has personally designed various websites dedicated to distinct niches within the Santa Barbara real estate market, including the following:

SantaBarbaraBeachHomes.com

  • Oceanfront properties from Hope Ranch to the Rincon

SantaBarbaraBeachBlog.com

  • A Blog about the beach market from Hope Ranch to the Rincon

MontecitoCondos.com

  • Condominiums within Bonnymede and Montecito Shores

BonnymedeBlog.com

  • A Blog about the condo market within Bonnymede and Montecito Shores

PadaroLaneProperties.com

  • Beach properties along Padaro Lane and Beach Club Road

MontecitoSeaMeadow.com

  • Properties within the guarded and gated Montecito Sea Meadow enclave

CarpinteriaCondos.com

  • Condominiums along the beach in Carpinteria

SantaBarbaraShorelineCondos.com

  • Condominiums at Leadbetter Beach in Santa Barbara

EastBeachTownhouses.com

  • Townhouses at East Beach in Santa Barbara

ElEscorialVillas.com

  • Condominiums within the El Escorial Villas in Santa Barbara

MontecitoBirnamWood.com

  • Properties within the gated Birnam Wood Country Club

BirnamWoodBlog.com

  • A Blog about the real estate market in Montecito Birnam Wood
TESTIMONIALS

“Kathy – You deserve a medal or sainthood or something.  I can’t tell you how much we treasure your patience, perseverance, and psychological fortitude in dealing with us.  Please know that if you ever need someone to give a recommendation, both of us would sing your praises from the mountaintops. I truly believe that you willed this sale into being. So many thanks from the bottom of my heart.”

– GARY AND JEANNE NEWMAN

“Kathy Winter is a true professional. Knowledgeable, hard working, with a ton of integrity. Being a person that does the right thing is more important than the deal, to Kathy. That is truly admirable.”

– LEO AND MELINDA BUNNIN

“Where do I start? Kathy is the most hard-working, trustworthy, and most professional agent we have ever worked with. She has helped my parents with their purchase a year ago, and now we just closed escrow using Kathy as well for our home purchase. And it was the smoothest transaction thanks to Kathy. You not only have an experienced real estate agent in Kathy, but also a (former) lawyer! Her advice and expertise are gold! She is humble, straightforward, and truly cares about her clients. She is not like those agents who are just out to sell a home and make money (I know because I have gone through my fair share of realtors). She truly wants the best for her clients and will go above and beyond for you. No-one else I would rather work with. Thank you Kathy!”

– TALIA VARTANIAN

“With Kathy Winter you get the best of both worlds when you are buying or selling real estate in Santa Barbara. Not only is she a highly experienced and dedicated agent whose marketing skills are second to none, but she was also an attorney who brings that extra level of confidence needed in today’s real estate world. As an example of her determination to make deals work, just 3 days before closing escrow, the buyers insisted that the dishwasher be replaced. That sounds easy enough, except we were told that the wait for new dishwashers is 4-6 months. The buyer said it was a deal breaker. I (the seller) was unable to accommodate the buyer. Kathy jumped into action and within 48 hours, not only found a new dishwasher but had it delivered and installed before the final walk through! We closed escrow 2 days later. Kathy not only saved this sale but she handled the entire process with graciousness and integrity. I could not have had a better experience than I had with Kathy Winter.”

– CINDY RILEY AND DAVID NUELL

“Kathleen has been a GREAT agent for us! She has been our representing agent with 2 property purchases. We value her knowledge of the market….and was always helpful with questions regarding various properties we were interested in. Throughout our escrows…..Kathleen always answered our calls, and was prompt with answers to questions we might have, and always made time available to view properties at our convenience! She is a good coordinator with inspectors, appraisers, contractors, and escrow officers…..and expedited all that need to be done! We appreciate the great service she provided for us, we had great experiences both times, and would highly recommend her!”

– RON AND CLAUDIA PREVOST

“Dear Kathy, This note is to thank you for your consummate professionalism at every step of our Sea Meadow journey. You are a unique and very special person. It was our great good fortune to have entrusted you with our sale. Warmest regards and many thanks.”

– RANDALL AND JANA GREER

“Just sold our condo in Montecito Shores with Kathleen Winter as our agent. We would highly recommend Kathleen (Kathy) to anyone who is looking to buy or sell property in Santa Barbara and wants a super-capable real estate agent with high integrity. Kathy also acted on our behalf when we bought the condo 10 years ago. She handled both transactions efficiently and with aplomb. Kathy knows the market like the back of her hand and knows exactly what to say and what not to say in negotiations. She is a straight shooter with no artifice. And she gets results. It was a pleasure working with her. An A+ agent!”

– ARTHUR AND CATHRYNE HALADNER

“Dear Kathy, We cannot thank you enough for your key role in the sale of Sandyland. In all my many years in real estate, you are the finest broker I’ve ever known. The entire process was a pleasure to witness – and the results unforgettable. Bravo! With lasting appreciation and love from the whole Toms family.”

– CHRISTOPHER AND WENDY REYNOLDS

“Kathleen helped us buy a beach house along Padaro Lane and she was a wealth of information & knowledge. She went above and beyond her duties to help us purchase and close escrow on our house. I would highly recommend her to anyone searching for or selling a house along the coast.”

– DALE AND TAMARA DONOHOE

“Kathleen’s professionalism and local knowledge of residential beach properties is unsurpassed in the Santa Barbara residential market. Her skill set greatly contributed to a sale closing in less than two months from commencement of marketing. If given the opportunity, I would gladly retain her in the future.”

– ERIC FORSBERG

“Well known, experienced local Santa Barbara realtor with excellent reputation among real estate colleagues and clients. Responsive to seller concerns. Worked closely with Staging representative to produce a wonderful and inviting home. Extensive contacts and web presence cast a large net to prospective clients who would be looking for just this home.”

– ROB WELTI

“Everything, including marketing, velocity, enthusiasm, and very good sense, all were present from the beginning to the end. Kathy’s strong capabilities are always present. I recommend her highly to prospective real estate buyers and sellers.”

– GLEN MITCHEL

“Based on my recent experience of successfully selling a unique beach front property in a very difficult market environment, I can confidently and unambiguously recommend the services of Kathy Winter.

Kathy combines exceptional service with superlative market knowledge and sophistication. She facilitated a rapid sale of our property as necessary to address tax and estate planning issues that were a significant factor in the transaction. During a career in the commercial real estate business exceeding 25 years, there are only a few instances where I can recall dealing with a real estate broker who provided the same valuable service that Kathy did.”

– BILL BANKS

“Dear Kathy, we want to thank you for orchestrating another smooth transaction. From the moment we started looking in Santa Barbara you guided us through the pros and cons of each neighborhood and property. Clearly, your expertise steering us through this current challenging real estate market paid off as we ultimately found the perfect home. Additionally, we appreciate your personal hands-on style and your prompt communication skills via email and telephone. We consider you the consummate professional. Thank you for consistently providing us with the best service.”

– SOL AND MERYL PETERS-EHRLICH

“Through Kathy, I have purchased, listed and sold numerous properties for myself and have recommended her expertise to friends as well.. For almost 20 years she has helped and guided me, I feel very fortunate to have her professional assistance, but more important to have her as a friend. Kathy is always professional, accurate and very attentive to detail. She is also always available, prompt and responsive, intelligent and courteous.”

– MARK WILLIAMS

“Kathy, it was a pleasure to work with you during both the sale of our beach house and purchase of our new property.  You were thoroughly professional, always accessible, and extremely hard working.  You also did a brilliant job of sales and marketing.  We’d be delighted to recommend you!”

– BRIAN AND KAREN HASTINGS

“Kathy was completely professional in every aspect of the sale of my home.  She anticipated correctly, negotiated skillfully, and handled all the unanticipated delays with humor, skill and professionalism.  I plan on using Kathy for my next Santa Barbara real estate transaction and heartily recommend her to all my friends.”

– MARK TAYLOR

“We found Kathy Winter to be very knowledgeable and professional in her handling of the sale of our family residence in Montecito.  She was meticulous in attention to details, kept us well informed, and gave us very good advice and counsel and was very pleasant to work with.  We recommend her highly!”

– JOHN AND HOLLY ROBINSON

“Thank you for your patience, professional advice and emotional support through it all.  We feel very lucky to have had your help with everything.  We went through ‘Kathy’ withdrawals the first week we moved because we had gone from talking to you 5 times a day to not at all.  Thank you so much!”

– BRAD AND ANDREA ROE

“Thank you so much for all your help in selling our house in Summerland! It is a real pleasure to be able to work with someone so knowledgeable, charming, energetic and effective! We look forward to working with you again soon.”

– MORGAN AND DEBBIE GENDEL