Meet Karen Spahn

Meet Karen Spahn

If you’ve built a home in Kissing Tree with Brookfield Residential, you might have already worked with Karen Spahn. As a Customer Guide, Karen supported homebuyers from contract through closing, serving as a single point of contact to answer questions and provide updates. 

Today, we’re thrilled to have Karen on board as manager of our beautiful new welcome center, The Guest House. The Guest House will be opening in April as part of Kissing Tree’s brand new Model Village south of Centerpoint Road. We sat down with Karen to get the scoop on the new Guest House and why she thinks Kissing Tree is the best 55+ community in Central Texas.

KT: Tell us about the Guest House! What will it be like?

Karen: I can’t wait for it to open! The Guest House will be visitors’ first stop when coming to the new Model Village. It will be just the Welcome Center staff, so no sales offices, and it’s going to be all about hospitality. We’ll welcome guests and share with them all about Kissing Tree — our amenities and our story. Then we’ll send them out to Model Village to look at homes and talk with our builders.

KT: Have you gotten to see it yet? What’s the vibe?

Karen: I’ve seen lots of design renderings and walked the site! It’s going to be gorgeous. It’s definitely a different feeling than our current Welcome Center, which has a giant pinball machine, part of cars for couches, and roll-up glass garage doors. The new Guest House is actually in a home, so it’s going to be more welcoming and a little more cozy, almost like you’re going to someone’s ranch house. It has a Hill Country vibe — it’s going to be pretty amazing.

KT: What do you like to tell people about Kissing Tree?

Karen: People have a lot of fun here. Kevin and the Community Life team do a great job at coming up with new activities and events. There is something to do every single day if you want to. This past December, there was one day I was here working, and I kept seeing all these Santas walking around The Mix. It turns out the Community Life team had planned a Santacon event in the Biergarten, and everyone had to be dressed up like Santa or Mrs. Claus. It was a hoot seeing all these people dressed up! You just never know what you’re going to see. I actually had a customer tell me that she moved in not knowing anyone, but our residents are so friendly, she was getting invited to do something every day by different people she had met, going to play cards or volunteer or take a class. There’s always something fun happening here. 

KT: What would you say to someone getting ready for their first visit? 

Karen: Visiting is key — you have to visit Kissing Tree to understand it. We can tell you we’re active and we can say we’re different, but when you drive through the limestone entryway and then see all the amenities at The Mix, it’s like, WHOA. People say active adult — we’re ACTIVE. We’re not a retirement community. We’re 55 and up, but when you say retirement that sounds like a lot of sitting around. That’s not what this is. At Kissing Tree, there is a book club. And a knitting club. And a wine club. And a running club. There’s something for everyone. For example, I’m not going to go out and hike, but many of our residents do. If you go to Independence Hall, you’ll find people playing mahjong, people playing pool and shuffleboard, some guys who just finished a run or a long bike ride. There’s always people drinking coffee and playing games. When you walk outside, you can hear the balls on the pickleball court. It’s like a really lively college campus.

KT: How did you find Kissing Tree?

Karen: My husband is retired military, and I went back to work as a realtor when my kids were older. At some point, I saw a job posting at Kissing Tree, and I loved the idea of working at such a great community. I came in for an interview for a part-time position and ended up taking a full-time job — and here I am six years later! It’s a different place — it’s pretty special.

Thanks for all the info, Karen! Until the new Guest House opens in April, you can find Karen in Kissing Tree’s current Welcome Center. Stop by and say hi, or get a head start and browse move-in-ready homes from Brookfield Residential and David Weekley Homes.