Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristina Fusco
Hi Kristina, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I moved to LA from Boston, MA in 2021 for a property management position. I come from a hospitality background but have always had an interest in Real Estate. After leaving that job and going through a few tough years involving the loss of my father back on the east coast and a personal injury that required surgery and a 2-year recovery, I was in a really tough mental spot. In trying to break out of the fog of grief and heal my body, I began really working on my self-development, mindset, etc., until I reached a point where I decided I wanted to begin taking control and create a life I loved and deserved. Those events sparked a fire in me to begin my Real Estate journey and take a chance after diving into books, podcasts, webinars, etc. I came across the idea of “Corporate Housing,” and instantly, I knew this was what I wanted to do. The ability to combine real estate with my love for hospitality and help give back to the community I’d grown to love felt like a no-brainer – and that’s when Kaeda Haus was launched.
Kaeda Haus aims to provide corporate and insurance guests with a sanctuary, home-away-from-home experience. We offer fully furnished housing so our guests who may be temporarily in Los Angeles for work or local families who have been displaced due to insurance claims have a safe and comfortable place to rest their heads during a stressful time of transition.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course not, is it ever?! Houses can be challenging to deal with, and guests can be hard to please. I’ve had homes sit for stretches and have been awake at night wondering how I’ll pay the bills. I definitely dove head first in and I have no regrets about that, but I certainly didn’t think everything through. Scaling is a struggle due to the associated costs, so it’s made it hard to grow the way I’ve imagined in my head. I also work a full-time job, so being able to commit to the business 100% has been challenging most of the time. When you’re providing a hospitality service, there’s always a level of you that has to be available at all times incase your guests need something – and usually when they do reach out it’s not to say “Ohh I love how the bathroom was designed!” it’s more like “hey the showers backing up,” so every time you see their name pop up your heart does a little flip. While I’ve learned to manage that anxiety pretty well, I don’t think the stress of having vacancies will ever go away. But I am learning that it’s part of the business and how to reduce them and better plan for it!
As you know, we’re big fans of Kaeda Haus. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Kaeda Haus is a Temporary Housing Company- We specialize in providing 30+ day, fully furnished accommodations to travelers who are on work assignment, relocating from out of state to Los Angeles, or families who have been displaced due to insurance claims. We are a full-service company, from acquiring properties to fully furnishing and maintaining the homes (my favorite part of the process is the interior design and setup of properties – sourcing the furniture and decor, installation and setup, and seeing the space go from an empty home to a beautiful one our guests can unwind in). All of our homes are also pet-friendly because we love animals and know that our furry friends are part of the family!
With the recent fires that broke out, we’ve been humbly reminded of how we serve our community and the importance of our work. We’ve hosted a few fire victims, and while absolutely devastating, we’ve been so thankful to be in the position of being able to help them rest their heads in a comfortable home while they work on regaining some normalcy in their lives. We partner heavily with landlords who allow us to take on their properties and run our business. We also rely on making connections with those in the insurance industry and relocation/HR, etc., at companies in the area to see how we can partner with them and save them money on housing accommodations while making sure they are putting their folks into great housing. We are proud to serve the South Bay community, but are also part of nationwide networks. We want folks to know that if they are a company looking for a housing partner or know people coming to the area for temporary assignments, there are amazing hosts like us who offer houses over hotel rooms and aim to provide the best service possible!
I love the name and branding of Kaeda Haus, and here’s why – No, I’m not German at all, but “Haus” felt like the fanciest way to say home. I’m Italian, which plays a big part in why I love hospitality and the business’s branding. KAEDA was formed by taking the first initial of all my family members and playing around until it formed something that looked like a usable word. Family is everything to me, so I knew I wanted to incorporate them in some way and, of course, pay homage to my late father. My Italian culture is very important to me and also influences how I run not only my personal life but also my business. My parents are from Italy, so we grew up making memories in the kitchen, which was the heart of our home. We loved to host parties and share food and wine with all who entered. Anyone who was at our house was a part of the family and would never leave hungry. I want people who stay with us to also feel that warmth and love in the homes they stay in. That level of service is our key differentiator. You’ll feel from our clean, neutral, earth-tone branding that we want our homes to be inviting yet clean and modern, making all who stay with us feel relaxed when they enter the space at the end of their days.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I think the biggest lesson for us lies in the cleaning process between guests. We go above and beyond to ensure our cleaning teams are thoroughly sanitizing all items in the home and that our guests are walking into a spotless home that they feel comfortable in!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kaedahaus.com
- Instagram: @kaedahaus
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/kaedahaus
Image Credits
Thomas Gary, Kim Pritchard
