FAIRFIELD — The building that formerly housed The Fairfield Ledger has been remodeled into a real estate office.
Karen Hewitt runs LIV Real Estate & Property Management, a new business that opened up at 112 E. Broadway Avenue in Fairfield. The Fairfield Ledger called that space home for many decades until it moved into the adjoining building to the east in December 2017. Later, Big Tree Marketing moved into the former Ledger space and made some improvements before moving out a few years later.
Hewitt, who has now worked in real estate for 16 years, has dreamed of venturing out on her own after getting her broker’s license in 2015. At the time, her kids were still young, so she delayed the decision for a few years. By the end of 2021, she felt the time was right to start her own business, and began looking for office space.
One day, she happened to drive down Broadway Avenue in Fairfield and saw that the former Ledger building was for rent. She called the building’s owner, Chris Johnson, and he gave her a tour. She said the space “ticked a lot of boxes” on her wish list. High on that list was having separate office spaces to have confidential conversations with her clients. Hewitt liked the amount of room she had to work with, and decided to move in.
The previous occupant had put in a new floor, so Hewitt didn’t have to touch that, but she did remodel much of the rest of the space. She put up walls to create more individual offices, put drywall on the ceiling, replaced the wood paneling with drywall, and installed new lighting, windows and doors.
The most eye-catching renovation was the addition of a fireplace and big screen television on the west wall of the lobby, which Hewitt calls the “focal wall.” Near the back of the office is a kitchenette area with two bathrooms, a space that Hewitt shares with another tenant in the building.
Hewitt has two agents under her, Tammy Thomas and Kooper Dahlstrom. Thomas has worked in real estate for more than four years, and Hewitt said the two share the same vision and thought process.
“Tammy is very driven and hardworking,” Hewitt said.
Dahlstrom is the son of Shawn and Jill Dahlstrom of Packwood. Hewitt said she is thrilled to have him on board, and described him as a “very service-oriented” agent.
Even with those two agents, Hewitt still has room to grow in her new office space. She said she doesn’t want to grow too quickly, but she is hoping to hire two more agents within a year.
Hewitt is a native of Fairfield, and attended both Fairfield and Cardinal schools before graduating from Fairfield High School in 1997. She was inspired to get into real estate when she bought her first house in 2002.
“It sparked something in me, because it felt like such a privilege to do that,” Hewitt said. “I appreciated the help I had received. It was not until 2006 when I decided to get my real estate license, and I was motivated by a desire to pay it forward, to help other people do the same thing that I did.”
When it came time for Hewitt to start her own real estate firm, she decided to join “LIV,” pronounced “live.” She said it embodies all the reasons people have for acquiring homes, such as recreation, downsizing, moving closer to family and relocating for business. She said the company serves Fairfield and the surrounding area, and assists people who need to relocate.
Hewitt said her goal is to provide an experience for clients and agents that “embodies community, service and growth.”
Karen Hewitt stands outside her real estate office at 112 E. Broadway Ave. in Fairfield called LIV Real Estate & Property Management. (Andy Hallman/The Union)
Karen Hewitt opened LIV Real Estate & Property Management | Hewitt & Associates in 112 E. Broadway Ave. in Fairfield, in the building formerly occupied by The Fairfield Ledger until December 2017. (Andy Hallman/The Union)
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
Karen Hewitt stands in the lobby of her real estate office at 112 E. Broadway Ave. The remodeled interior features the lobby wall seen here, known as the “focal wall” with a television above a fireplace. (Andy Hallman/The Union)
One of the offices at LIV Real Estate & Property Management in Fairfield. (Andy Hallman/The Union)
The kitchenette in the back of LIV Real Estate includes two newly remodeled bathrooms. (Andy Hallman/The Union)
Karen Hewitt added the blue wall seen here to another office space at her business LIV Real Estate & Property Management — Hewitt Associates. (Andy Hallman/The Union)
