Meet Cate
Cate Kassab is the Founder, Owner, and Broker-in-Charge of My Upstate Home LLC, a boutique real estate brokerage serving the Upstate of South Carolina. With more than 15 years of experience, she is recognized as an industry leader in true transparency, ethical brokerage structure, and individualized client service.
Before entering real estate, Cate began her professional career as a Special Education teacher, where she learned that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to helping people succeed. That philosophy became the foundation of her work in real estate. After years within traditional brokerage models, she identified structural practices that often limit clarity, flexibility, and informed decision-making for both consumers and agents. In response, she founded My Upstate Home to create a more transparent, adaptable, and people-centered brokerage environment.
Under Cate’s leadership, My Upstate Home operates without corporate or affiliate overhead, allowing compensation and services to be discussed openly and structured to fit the needs of each transaction. This approach supports clarity, choice, and thoughtful collaboration, while encouraging high-quality service tailored to individual goals.
Cate’s perspective is also shaped by deep roots in the Upstate. Her family’s connection to the region spans multiple generations, dating back to the early settlement period of the Carolinas. This lineage gives her a long-view understanding of the land, the evolution of its communities, and the responsibility that accompanies growth—informing her belief that real estate is not merely transactional, but a form of stewardship.
Her guiding philosophy is reflected in her company motto:
“Where Humanity Comes First. Transparency Is Best Practice. Kindness Is Corporate.”
Cate is the host of The Upstate Insider podcast, where she leads long-form conversations on real estate, housing access, transparency, and ethical leadership. Through the podcast and her broader media presence, she educates consumers and professionals on how real estate transactions are structured, empowering them to make informed and confident decisions.
Cate holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Clemson University and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership, Management, and Policy from Seton Hall University. Her professional path—from educator to REALTOR® to Broker-in-Charge—culminated in the founding of My Upstate Home LLC, a brokerage built on transparency, flexibility, and consumer-first principles. She authored the TREE framework—Truth in Real Estate for Everyone—to advance transparency and accountability across real estate transactions.
Her leadership has earned national recognition, including inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who, which honors individuals based on professional achievement, leadership, and impact. Beyond transactions, Cate remains committed to consumer education, ethical business practices, and thoughtful industry dialogue, with a long-term vision of expanding transparent, service-driven real estate practices throughout the Upstate and beyond.
Testimonials
It was an absolute pleasure to work with Cate.
We interviewed a dozen agents looking for the perfect fit in selling our home of 20 years. We are so happy to have met Cate as she understood the complexities of our decision to sell. She brought her “A” game with a realtor open house with over 35 agents, tips and suggestions for showing the home and an awesome photographer who’s shoot was quite impressive. Cate’s attention to details, quick and constant communication, and a softer approach fit well with our goals. She was always available to answer questions, update us on progress and we quickly sold our home at a fair price. I would proudly recommend Cate if you are looking for a someone to assistant you on your home selling or purchasing journey.
Cate did a first class job end to end for. Great knowledge and contacts in the market. Gave us good information and communications thru the whole process. Would recommend highly to both buyer or seller in the upstate region.
Cate is always a pleasure to be around and work with. She helped us with our first home purchase, as well as buying another home and selling our home. She always worked hard and made sure we got top dollar. She was there from start to finish! Cate is amazing!
Since our very first conversation Cate was amazing. She was extremely knowledgeable in not only the area but houses that we viewed. She stuck with my family for over a year while we looked for our perfect first home! The fact that she would randomly take time out her busy day and text or call us to check on us and encourage us not to give up says so much about her caring character. I would recommend her to anyone that I find is moving. She is the best!!
Cate was a very knowledgeable and experienced agent. She was great to work with. Her experience and advice were extremely valuable to us as she helped us navigate our sale.
From the moment we met Cate we knew she was the best choice for listing and selling our home.
She was responsive to our needs and goals and anticipated things we hadn’t even considered.
Her professionalism, expertise and enthusiasm was evident in all aspects of marketing and selling our home quickly! She’s very connected to our community and her network skills are second to none. You will love working with Cate!
Cate did an amazing job of selling our Lake cottage in 7 days. She is professional, knowledgeable and a great communicator! Cate kept us informed of how the process was progressing throughout. We highly recommend her for your home buying or selling needs!
Tom and Cate are an excellent team that did a wonderful job for us. They were responsive, proactive and very knowledgeable about our home and area. They had a good plan on getting a buyer and did a great job marketing the home.
My wife and I would definitely recommend Tom and Cate to any home buyer or seller. They were both a joy to work with.
Cate was a true blessing to our family. Moving here from out of state, not knowing the area, Cate was an invaluable resource as a native. She was understanding and patient with us as we were selling our home in Michigan and purchasing at the same time. Nothing was easy about coordinating the two homes, states apart.
Cate put me in contact with local contractors for work I plan on doing in the future. She went above and beyond to make sure all our needs were met. She is a selfless agent, not out for herself. That’s hard to find. Cate even went out of her way to use her connections to help us get new appliances for excellent prices that we could not have got on our own. Her negotiating skills and creative ideas allowed us to not only buy our new home, but to secure the property that adjoins it without charge. I highly recommend Cate to anyone looking to buy or sell a home. You will never be just another sale to Cate. You will have a true friend who cares about you and your family and stays a lifelong resource.
Cate was very professional, incredibly knowledgeable and always had our best interest at heart. She was very responsive whenever we had a question. Cate and Tom are really some of the best in the business and know the SC lake areas well. You will not be disappointed with her service- will definitely be recommending her to all our family and friends.
