(Christie Glennon (Pinnick) | Photo courtesy of Knightsbridge International Real Estate)
Christie Glennon (Pinnick), owner/principal broker of Knightsbridge International Real Estate, has been a broker in Bend for 16 years. She used to work for the Lowes Group realty company here, and says she always joked about wanting the space they were in because it is such a prime downtown spot. When the Lowes lease ended, she signed a new lease on the space, and officially opened the doors of Knightsbridge in January 2020.
“This had been something I’d always thought about,” she says, adding that Knightsbridge International Real Estate now has 28 residential brokers, a principal broker and a commercial broker. “The reason for the International in the name is because I spend so much time in the United Kingdom. I spend a lot of time in London, and Knightsbridge is the most exclusive borough there.”
Glennon has bachelor’s degrees in English and Business Administration from the University of Washington, and a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Boston University. “Years ago, I worked on a modern anti-slavery project in London. I spent lots of time there and fell in love with it,” she explains. “The idea for Knightsbridge was to start in Bend and then expand to the United Kingdom. As of August 2020, I have an office in London.” She now splits her time between Bend and London, and says that Knightsbridge clients like the global aspect of the company. “We have a plethora of international buyers,” she says.
Although getting the London office up and running was a struggle, Glennon says business is booming. “Setting up Knightsbridge in the U.K. was challenging. It was months and months to get one task done. There are lots more licensing requirements over there,” she explains. “In terms of COVID, as far as the Bend office goes, there has not been any real affect. But it has more than affected Knightsbridge in the U.K. I could swim to the U.K. faster than things get done over there,” she says with a laugh. “But, we are now fully licensed with all the required licenses, and are fully operating with a staff, properties listed and properties flipping over there.”
In Bend, Glennon says the toughest thing about the events of this past year has been the inability to have office get-togethers and meetings, because the brokers on staff are like family. “But beyond that, 2020 was a great year for Knightsbridge. There are lots of great brokers who came on board, and we have lots of happy homeowners and sellers,” she says. “We’ve got top brokers left and right. I am noticing a trend where several of our brokers are beating out others in terms of making offers.”
The success of Knightsbridge is partly due, she says, to branding. “My sister-in-law did the graphics for the K in our logo. The lines in the K are modeled after my favorite bridge in London, the Royal Albert Bridge,” she says. “It’s very personal; it lives in my heart. My sister-in-law spent hours with me tweaking it to get it just right. She did the website too. Everyone seems to think it’s a franchise, so kudos to her for that.”
Currently, in addition to the 28 residential brokers, Knightsbridge also has a division for buying, leasing and selling commercial properties in the Bend office. “The commercial side of Knightsbridge is very successful as well; they do a lot of deals statewide. We have some local downtown restaurants with bars for sale.” Moving forward, Glennon says her goals are to bring on a few more properties and brokers in Bend, and she also hopes to expand into California. “Then, I will most likely have a second location in London,” she says.
“When you enlist a broker from Knightsbridge, you aren’t just working with that broker. You’ve got a top-performing group of brokers who are always communicating with each other,” she says. “No one is really competing with one another, but there is lots of camaraderie. We are all really excited when one of us gets a property. You are really taken care of when you work with someone from Knightsbridge.” She adds, “I am really thankful for the brokers I have at Knightsbridge; they really believe in the brand and the business, and in building the future.”
