Meet Kent Redding, the Austin Real Estate Leader Putting People First

This article is produced by TRIBEZA as sponsored content.

For recent graduates entering the workforce this summer, the idea of building a career around work you love can feel out of reach. But a conversation with Kent Redding, 2024 president of the Austin Board of REALTORS® and founder of the Kent Redding Group with Berkshire Hathaway, offers a reminder that a meaningful career can take shape in more than one chapter.

For Redding, real estate is a second career. Before entering the industry, he created and operated a chain of mall-based gift shops for more than 20 years, managing more than 400 employees and building experience in marketing, branding, customer service and leadership. That foundation has carried into a long chapter of real estate leadership. Redding served as 2024 president of the Austin Board of REALTORS® and Unlock MLS, currently serves as a director with the National Association of REALTORS®, and was named Austin’s 2025 REALTOR® of the Year.

That experience ultimately laid the foundation for his success in Austin real estate, where he says the work is not just about houses.

Kent Redding’s people-first approach

“The secret to success in this industry is to look at it as more relational than transactional,” Redding said. “If you look at it as transactional, you’ll be a short-timer. Return your calls, serve well, love well and show up with sincerity. Learn how to do that well.”

Over the past 20 years, Redding has seen Austin’s real estate market change significantly. Still, he believes the city’s fundamentals remain strong.

“We have high education, high income, high desirability and a great location between all of Texas’ massive cities and hubs,” Redding said. “Those things keep Austin real estate turning along. Even when real estate in America is soft and consumer confidence is low, Austin is the last to stumble and the first to bounce back. We see that time and time again.”

But for Redding, the work is not only about the sale. His commitment to service, recognized with the 2024 Texas REALTORS® Community Service Award, extends beyond the real estate industry and into work with people living on the margins, including refugees, asylum seekers and people experiencing homelessness.

“No one wakes up one day and chooses those circumstances,” Redding said.

“To support people in those situations, Redding serves on the board of Red Oak Hope, an Austin nonprofit that helps restore the lives of survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation. He also supports Community First! Village and More Than Welcome, two organizations helping neighbors find housing, safety and community.”

Red Oak Hope helps restore the lives of survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation, an issue Redding says is more widespread than he once realized.

Community First! Village, an initiative of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, is a 51-acre master-planned community in East Austin that provides housing and support for people who have experienced chronic homelessness. Redding says the village shows that housing alone does not cure homelessness. Community does. The community is home to more than 400 people and is expected to eventually house nearly 2,000 neighbors.

More Than Welcome supports refugees and asylum seekers fleeing violence and persecution around the world, helping them learn English, find housing and build community in Austin.

Curiosity, connection and community

Redding says Austin, and the world at large, would be better if more people took time to slow down and look around.

“Go screen-free for a bit,” Redding said. “Look at the life happening around us. There’s so much joy and richness in that life if we don’t rush by it. Enjoy community before screens. Stop, be curious and stop judging people by what you see on a street corner. Can you imagine if we responded to something we disagreed with by asking to learn more? If we can reclaim curiosity in America, it would change a lot.”

That same message, he says, applies inward as well. Redding wants people to know they are worthy, seen and enough exactly where they are.

“And if you don’t know that, I’m easy to find,” Redding said. “Call or text me, and we’ll get coffee.”