About Penny

Interview with Penny

“My advanced training, professional designations and in-depth knowledge of the real estate market help me provide my clients with the highest level of competence when it comes to managing contract negotiations until the successful close of escrow.”

---Penny Kula, REALTOR®, ABR, GRI, SFR, Launch Real Estate

It comes as no surprise that Penny Kula, a REALTOR® who specializes in luxury listings and sales, also handles with ease a wealth of other responsibilities: sales at all levels of the market, investor purchases and new home sales management, just to name a few. Kula is, after all, a creative and energetic dynamo whose resume was extraordinarily impressive even before she ever set foot in the office of Launch Real Estate in Scottsdale. A flutist and music teacher (who performed with a professional chamber music trio), she also worked full-time as a private tutor, teaching the varied subjects of English, mathematics and preparation for the SAT. “I still tutor two nights a week,” adds Kula, who has also studied ballroom dancing for 12 years and participates in competitions in the Latin, Ballroom and Smooth divisions.

A New Home and a New Direction 

Speaking of smooth, Kula’s transition from the classroom to the rooms of the Valley’s finest homes has been just that. The New Jersey native says that her husband’s work brought the couple to Arizona, but they had both been eager to move to the state, recalling that her first visit to Arizona was “love at first sight.” 

Upon graduating from the Arizona School of Real Estate in 1998, she began her career at Pinnacle Peak Realty. A Scottsdale resident herself, Kula’s areas of expertise came to include properties in North Scottsdale – particularly Pinnacle Peak Vistas, Canyon Heights and Lost Canyon – as well as Winfield and The Boulders in Carefree. “I also became the office ‘go-to’ person regarding land in the Rio Verde Foothills,” she says. She learned a new aspect of the field when, through a chance online meeting, she met several investors who were interested in purchasing condominiums and townhomes, including some at Avenue Communities’ Venu and Edge properties.

Joining the Downtown Scottsdale Scene

In time, after Pinnacle Peak Realty became Coldwell Banker Pinnacle Peak, Kula was invited to join a new, boutique company that was then called The Equitable Real Estate Company. “When John (Vatistas, co-chairman of Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty) built the Waterfront Office, I moved there to be a part of the new downtown urban scene, for the excitement of something new and to learn a different type of inventory,” she says. “I have a special interest in the contemporary condo and high-rise market, mid-century modern architecture and design, and the serenity and appeal of Arcadia and Paradise Valley.”

Equitable eventually merged with Russ Lyon Realty Company to become Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty. After several years at the Waterfront office, Penny was invited to join an exciting new company, Launch Real Estate. Created and owned by her old friend and mentor John Vatistas, Launch is located in the Arts District of downtown Scottsdale. "I am grateful to be a part of this wonderful new venture," Kula says. "I truly feel that I have come full circle."

Going the Extra Mile for Clients 

As for the success she continues to enjoy in her new career, Kula – who earned a bachelors’ degree in psychology – chalks it up to her empathy with clients. She knows what they’re going through, and she takes pride in managing contract negotiations and providing detailed attention during the buying or selling process until the close of escrow. “My clients will tell you I always go the extra mile,” Kula says. “Their interests always come first.”

Penny Kula At a Glance

Title: REALTOR®, ABR, GRI, SFR, at Launch Real Estate

Phone: Cell 602-690-4554

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.PennyKula.com; www.azhomes.com

Hometown: Glen Gardner, New Jersey

Family: “My husband, Tom, and his family of brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews.”

Hobbies: "Ballroom dancing, ballet, reading and oil painting. I am an artist and a founding member of the Artists of Scottsdale Ranch.”

Who knew? “I performed with my chamber music group, the Dulcinea Trio, at Carnegie Recital Hall.”