A small team that treats your move like our own

Nest & Key started with one idea: buying or selling a home should feel exciting, not confusing.

1,140+Families moved in since 2012
4.9Average rating from 1,284 reviews
101.6%Sale-to-list price, 2025 average
19Median days on market for our listings

Our story

Renee Whitfield bought her first Raleigh home in 2009 and remembers the paperwork better than the house. Nobody explained due diligence, the appraisal came in low, and she learned what an HOA estoppel letter was the night before closing.

Three years later she opened Nest & Key with a simple promise: explain everything, answer the phone and never push anyone into a house that does not fit. Today our team of eight still works out of one bright office on Glenwood Avenue, and most of our business comes from past clients and their friends.

“The best compliment we get is when a client calls us five years later just to ask about a leaky roof.” Renee Whitfield

2012
Renee opens a two-desk office above a coffee shop on Glenwood Avenue.
2016
Our first-time buyer workshop welcomes its 500th family.
2020
Video tours and remote closings help 140 relocating families during the pandemic.
2024
We move into our current office and grow to eight people.
2026
More than 1,140 families moved in, and still answering texts the same day.

What we believe

Explain everything
If a term shows up in your contract, you will know what it means before you sign.
Advice over commission
We have told clients to wait, rent longer or skip a house. Trust lasts longer than one sale.
Neighbors first
We coach Little League, volunteer at Habitat Wake and shop at the same farmers markets.
Show up on time
Showings, deadlines and callbacks happen when we said they would.

Meet the team

Eight people, 71 combined years in Triangle real estate, and one shared group chat that never sleeps.

Renee Whitfield
Founder and Broker-in-Charge · 14 yrs
Renee opened Nest & Key in 2012 after helping more friends buy their first homes than she could count. She still takes every new client call herself on Mondays.
First-time buyers, North Hills
Marcus Bellamy
Listing Specialist · 11 yrs
Marcus managed a staging company before real estate. He can walk a room and tell you which three changes matter and which ten do not.
Home selling, Five Points
Priya Raman
Buyer's Agent · 7 yrs
Priya moved to Raleigh from Chicago for a pharma job, so she knows the relocation checklist from the other side. Fluent in Tamil and Spanish.
Relocation, RTP commuters
Daniel Okafor
Buyer's Agent · 9 yrs
An Army veteran who spent 8 years at Fort Bragg, Daniel helps service families make sense of VA loans and PCS timelines.
VA and military buyers
Layla Haddad
New Construction Advisor · 6 yrs
Layla has walked through more pre-drywall inspections than anyone in the office and has a spreadsheet of every builder incentive in the Triangle.
Builders in Wake Forest and Apex
Tyler Brandt
Buyer's Agent · 4 yrs
Tyler bought his own first townhome at 25 and loves showing other young buyers that it is possible. Weekend and evening tours are his specialty.
Townhomes and condos, Brier Creek
Hannah Choi
Transaction Coordinator · 8 yrs
Hannah keeps every deadline, document and attorney email on track, so clients always know exactly what is due and when.
Contracts to closing
Andre Collins
Downsizing and Seniors Specialist · 12 yrs
A Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) designee, Andre builds calm, unhurried plans with move managers and families.
Downsizing, Cary