Dana Kelly
Dana Kelly, The Dreamer
It’s not often a person knows at the age of 12 they are cut out for the real estate business. Yet Dana Kelly was already exploring what would become his career before he was even a teenager. He asked his parents to take him to tour the Parade of Homes houses across the Triangle so he could explore the details of the area’s luxury home builders. It would take a decade or more before he realized this passion was preparing him for his future career. “I didn’t know I was going to be getting into it back then,” he said. But today, as a Raleigh luxury home agent, he says, “It all came full circle.”
Thanks to Dana’s appreciation for luxury real estate as a youth, it remains a top priority. He said he’s hit the ground running by identifying infill lots that could be used for luxury homes within the city of Raleigh. “I was out knocking on doors with a few of my colleagues and we worked from there,” he explained.
While he loves focusing on his work as a Raleigh luxury home agent, he also enjoys working with first-time homebuyers throughout the Triangle. “I feel like we really click and connect,” he said. “I love seeing what they like and what I can bring to them. I really work to find something that works for them.”
Yet what’s most important, he explained, is what he knows he brings to the table for any buyer. “I want to help them as much as possible so it’s not as much of a chore as it is an experience,” he said. “I want to take as much stress out of the home buying process as possible. Put that stress on my shoulders, and you can have a stress-free homebuying process. It shouldn’t be an overwhelming process.”
Dana has been with The Jim Allen Group since he earned his real estate license in 2022. He initially learned of the firm through advertising he saw in the Raleigh News & Observer. “That’s how I got in with Jim and knew who he was… from the back of a newspaper,” Dana said. He then realized his brother’s friend, Russell Zuccone, is a Realtor with The Jim Allen Group as well. After speaking with Russell and interviewing with various team members, Dana knew he had found his home thanks to the opportunities the group brings to the table. “I knew it was the right place for me,” he said. “This is going to be what I do for the rest of my life.”
In addition to his role as a new Realtor, Dana is an avid golfer who tends to remain on the clock when he sees homes in golf course communities listed for sale. He is also the youngest of three brothers.