Summary

This episode of Maryland Real Estate Influencers spotlights Diana Kong, a real estate attorney, broker, and business owner who’s built a connected ecosystem to serve Maryland clients. She runs a solo law practice focused on real estate, estates/trusts, elder law, and business law, and also owns multiple brokerages, a title company, and a property management firm, with a new investment/flipping venture underway.

Diana stresses ethical, transparent client service and the value of synergy across her businesses to create smoother transactions. She shares how staying accessible while keeping boundaries, pivoting quickly in a shifting market, and moving beyond referrals into proactive marketing helped drive her strongest month in years. Her leadership approach centers on understanding every part of operations, investing in weaknesses to improve efficiency, and prioritizing values—especially building a business that supports family time, not just higher income.

Key Highlights and Insights

• Diverse Roles and Businesses:

  • Real estate attorney specializing in real estate law, estates, trusts, elder law, and business law.

  • Owner of three real estate brokerages (Howard County, Baltimore County, Boston).

  • Owner of a real estate title company and a property management company.

  • Launching a property flipping and investment company.

• Client-Centered Legal Practice:

  • Emphasizes honesty and transparency with clients.

  • Example case: advised a client upfront that farm animals could not be kept due to 75-year-old covenants.

  • Focuses on helping clients mitigate damages realistically rather than giving false hope.

• Business Synergy:

  • Integration of legal, real estate brokerage, title, and property management services.

  • Proactive communication: immediate and personal follow-up with clients and agents.

  • Builds trust by being accessible and responsive, while setting clear boundaries.

• Marketing and Growth Strategies:

  • Originally referral-based but pivoted to proactive marketing due to market slowdown.

  • Tactics include social media, direct mail postcards, teaching real estate classes, sponsoring events.

  • Resulted in highest monthly activity in three years.

• Daily Success Principles:

  • Triage: Assessing client needs individually and prioritizing urgent issues.

  • Pivot: Constantly adapting business strategies to market conditions and client feedback.

  • Emphasizes the importance of flexibility and responsiveness.

• Leadership and Operations:

  • Advocates for business owners to learn all aspects of their operations, including mundane tasks.

  • Knowing how to perform every job creates respect for employees and ensures business continuity.

  • Invests in areas of weakness by hiring experts or purchasing equipment even if it means upfront costs.

• Value-Driven Business Philosophy:

  • Prioritizes work-life balance over maximizing income.

  • Values include spending quality time with family and maintaining manageable work hours.

  • Believes goals evolve over time and should be regularly reassessed.