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About us

Welcome to Kansas City, Overland Park, and surrounding communities!

Look no further! I absolutely love helping clients buy, whether a first time home buyer, repeat buyer or investor.

I am Karen L. Gilliland, an award-winning Realtor, broker and business owner of HOUSE OF REAL ESTATE, LLC in Overland Park, Kansas. I service Kansas and Missouri. I am a specialist at listing, seasoned negotiator and have an licensed assistant that is an art director and professional photographer. 

My area of expertise is Johnson County, Wyandotte County and the Greater Kansas City area as I have lived and worked here for the past 27 years. I am very knowledgeable of the market. I help clients relocate, invest, flip, downsize or upsize! I am an expert with FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS and INVESTORS. For 14 years in a row I have won awards! I am a member of NAR, KCRAR, MLS, and Realtor.com. 

Feel free to call me with any home buying or selling questions!

For the Love of Real Estate

What I know for sure: in order to be excellent at anything you must possess a love and passion for it. You can never truly be great at something if you don’t love it. Several years ago I came up with my slogan, “For the Love of Real Estate”, and it sums up how I feel about this career and why I‘ve made it such a huge priority in my life.

How did I start this adventure? 

In 2008, when the housing market crashed, so did my job at Lee Jeans. I was part of a large layoff and began to rethink what I really wanted to do. After 6 months of searching and self-reflection I came across an ad for a small local real estate company. I applied and never looked back. Many told me it was too risky to take a career based on commission but I decided those were their fears and not my own. I always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I never gave myself a way out. After 6 years of success as an agent, I had learned enough that I wanted to go out on my own. I considered other companies but decided if I was to advertise a company — I’d rather it be my own. I diligently got my Kansas and Missouri Broker’s License, and set up House of Real Estate, which I have owned for 8 years now.

What do I love about real estate? 

My clients! They are the absolute best! I find it exciting to get to know them as their story unfolds right in front of me. I enjoy helping them discover what they want. Each client has a great story to tell and something they value. Owning a home and making it their own is at the very top of the list! I am enthusiastic about helping people improve their lives. 


House shopping! You never know what you will see. It is an adventure to go see a farm house in McLouth, a 2-story Tudor in Kansas City, or lovely new home build in Lenexa. If I can see the horizon line then I know I’m in a great place! There is so much variety between lots, location, décor, decade built, foundations, roofs, layout and the list just goes on. In this current market when a house pops up that a client likes, I’ll be in the car to see it as soon as possible. It takes dedication and commitment to do ‘whatever it takes’, which often means going to see a house right now or writing the contract at 11pm. 

Listing homes! First I love providing expertise in evaluating, pricing and marketing the home. I keep a keen eye on its top selling points, which photos are needed to emphasize those points, and the best way to explain it all in the MLS write up. Editing the photos is very important, for example if the basement is small then I don’t need 5 photos of it or if a bathroom has dated wallpaper then maybe one photo or none at all. Attention to these details will draw more buyers in. 

Staging homes! I determine how a room should be set up, create a good flow and add a touch of color. If there is too much in a room, it can be distracting to a buyer. If a home is completely vacant, it may not read as inviting and some staging may be needed. The front door and curb appeal is so important as that is the first items any buyer sees. For me, staging gets the creativity flowing and my design background gets a chance to shine.  

Negotiating! There is an art to navigating each sale or purchase. Each sale is different, so a breadth of experience really comes in handy. It’s important to listen to the needs of both buyer and seller, find the thing that will tip the scales toward a deal, be accountable for verbal and written discussions, and manage the details such as accurate paperwork and critical timing. I enjoy each step of the process keeping the transaction on track. 

Constant learning and curiosity! The variety in this work keeps me interested and fully engaged.  I always ask myself ‘is this the best way of doing something or can I do it better?’, and I never assume I’ve mastered something. I strive for excellence and constantly read to stay up to date on the market, trends, design, economy and more.

Staying in touch! I think about clients and wonder ‘did they add that garden they dreamed about?’ or ‘how the remodeling is going?’ or ‘is the new job working out?’. To find out, I love to reach out and touch base. I love the connection I have with my clients and want to know how they are and if can continue to help them.

For me, real estate has so much to love I could write an entire book.  It has been my dream and privilege to help over 660 clients since I started, and I look forward to meeting and helping so many more!