Steve Harney: A Visionary Leader in Real Estate
It is with great sadness we share that Steve Harney, founder of Keeping Current Matters and a titan in the real estate industry, passed away suddenly this week. He was 68.
His departure leaves a void in the community; but his vision, principles, and passion for people will continue to shape our world for generations to come.
Steve’s legacy is imprinted in the fabric of the real estate business. He transformed agents into educators, guiding them through challenging times, and inspired leaders to be the beacons in their markets. His principles and unwavering courage left an indelible mark on those who had the privilege of knowing him.
His character, family values, and commitment to helping others forged his successful career, turning him into a larger-than-life personality that influenced everyone around him. Steve was not just a businessman; he was a coach, a visionary, and a builder of people. Born on April 23, 1955, in the Bronx, NY, he drew inspiration from his father and grew up surrounded by the art of telling stories. Steve’s leadership emerged early, marked by his involvement in his peer-to-peer student counseling group during high school, setting the stage for a lifetime of impactful coaching and mentoring. At the age of 21, he married his high school sweetheart, Kathy, who he continually referred to as “the most amazing woman he’s ever known.”
Steve’s career in real estate began in 1983. He quickly rose to prominence as one of the top producers nationally. Steve’s natural leadership ability led him to becoming head of the largest Prudential Realty office on Long Island in 1991.
In 1995, he founded his own brokerage, National Homefinders, a 500-agent firm that was defined by its focus on superior market knowledge and trailblazing company culture. Each of their 13 offices grew to become the leader in their marketplace. Notably, Steve championed the building of the area’s first Spanish Team, providing previously missing support for this growing community.
His passion for and commitment to real estate was unstoppable. In 2007, recognizing a need to prepare brokers and agents for what was coming in the real estate industry, Steve founded Keeping Current Matters.
As an accomplished trainer and speaker, he traveled the country for years, speaking to hundreds of teams and brokerages, with one mission: to help the best real estate professionals – and the families they served – navigate every challenge affecting the housing industry. Steve’s vision was to equip as many agents as possible with the information, analysis, and data they needed to become not just real estate professionals, but trusted advisors. In 2016, he retired from day-to-day operations and passed the reins to his son and daughter-in-law, Bill and Charlotte Harney, but remained active as the founder until his last day.
Steve’s personality was a force of nature—larger than life, impactful, and generous. He led by example, valuing simplicity, courage, and treating everyone as if they were the most important in the world. His genuine care for people defined a life dedicated to helping others. This is highlighted not only in his career accomplishments but also decades of philanthropic work. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, he and his wife, Kathy, spent three weeks working in Houston with the American Red Cross to help displaced survivors navigate this life-changing disaster.
He was also a long-time contributor to Habitat for Humanity. His company, National Homefinders, was one of the largest supporters and volunteer groups for the organization at the time he owned it, helping dozens of families achieve the dream of homeownership.
Above all else, Steve loved his family and friends. He cherished date nights with his wife, talking basketball with his sons, and spending time with his grandchildren.
Steve is survived by his beloved wife, Kathy, three sons—Bill, Steven, and Kevin ‘Bone’ Gholson, along with his daughter-in-law Charlotte and grandchildren Graham and McRae. His siblings, JoAnn Uzzi, Michael and his wife Sue, and Ricky, mourn the loss of their brother.
He leaves behind a legacy of leadership, compassion, and a profound commitment to homeownership. Steve would say that his passing on March 4th was prophetic, as he would want all of us to march forth and continue the spirit of helping others that he lived by.
The Harney family would like to thank everyone for their kindness and support during this difficult time. On Monday, March 18, friends from near and far will be received at Unity Church of Bon Air in Richmond, VA from 1:00pm to 1:30pm, with a service to immediately follow. After the service, a full celebration of Steve’s life will be held at The Boathouse at Rocketts Landing beginning at 3:00pm. Food and drinks will be served for all those wishing to attend. Also a sharing of “Steve’s Stories” will be open to any and all during this time.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to Habitat for Humanity, reflecting Steve’s lifelong dedication to the cause. His commitment to homeownership is unending.
You can donate here:
If you would like to send cards of condolence, you can do so here:
The Harneys
Keeping Current Matters
8720 Stony Point Parkway, Suite 400
Richmond, VA 23235
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!
I was a new agent when I met Mr. Steve in 2006, he used to come to teach at this office and he was amazing I learned a lot from him. thank you My condolences to his family.
Thank you Steve for all your contributions and wisdom along the years. You were a visionary and we appreciated all you did for the world of Real Estate. Your leadership and inspiration will be missed!
My condolences go out to Mr. Harney‘s family and friends. I am so glad I had the fortune of benefiting from his wisdom and teachings. It was evident that he was a man of integrity, was interested in the betterment of others and had a sense of humor. his passing is a loss to us in the real estate industry.
I was introduced to Steve via Tom Ferry and heard him speak dozens of times. In addition to his no-nonsense and charismatic delivery of detailed and compelling data concerning all things real estate – I believe his most potent message was that we (as real-estate professionals) are MORALLY OBLIGATED to tell the truth about what’s really happening in our marketplace and to cut through all the noise and disinformation that fills the media and confuses the public when it comes to making the most important financial decisions in their lives. Steve impact is important, inspiring and profound. He will be deeply missed.
Through Steve’s deep dives, I could tell he genuinely cared about people and really strived to educate and assist us agents in our field. I feel he is gone too soon, as I only learned of KCM within the last year. His great personality was a joy to watch and his authenticity was a welcome surprise in this industry. I hope he is resting in peace and love and his family is doing okay with his sudden passing.
Steve’s generosity fueled, educated, and trained many professionals in our arena. That’s a dedicated, loving legacy. He will be missed. Heartfelt sympathy and condolences to those who love him and will feel his loss most painfully.
The minute I found out about Keeping Current Matters I got my subscription. I felt the value and knowledge provided will help me communicate with clarity with my clients.
Thank you Steven for your work, RIP.
I was shocked when I just saw the announcement. Honestly I never met Steve but I feel I was with him everyday on line. I will miss seeing his smiling face and determination to keep us educated in our beloved real estate market. Rest in peace Steve. Your home. My condolences to his family and friends.
Steve was an amazing human! I am so sorry to hear of his passing. Still can’t believe he is gone. So grateful for him starting KCM. I will miss him on the videos, but he will never be forgotten. I am grateful for his legacy and all he did for the real estate community. Steve will be forever missed, but his legacy will continue to make an impact. My condolences to his loved ones and all of us who Steve made feel like loved ones.
I thoroughly enjoyed hearing him speak. He will truly be missed in Real Estate. My condolences to the family. May you find peace in your moments of reasoning.
I was introduced to Steve in around 2012 in Pasco Washington. I’d recently received my real estate license and he was one of the first speakers I heard in my career. I can’t thank him enough for helping the real estate industry! He will be missed.
From his earliest days at KCM I relied on his insight to help me guide my real estate agents so that they could then guide their customers and clients. His voice was invaluable and has helped so many of us be invaluable in return. He leaves an incredible legacy.
Rest in Peace Steve, Thank you for all you have done for myself and all the other little guys.
Thank you for all you gave to all of us. You were amazing. You will be sadly missed.
Being new to KCM, I immensely enjoyed and benefited greatly from Steve’s Deep Dives. His knowledge, insight, and ability to relate was so engaging. My condolences to his family and everyone at KCM. His impact on the real estate market will be greatly missed.
You didn’t have to know Steve for a long period of time, or even face to face, to get a great sense for his kind nature. I came to know him through his insightful shares on the Deep Dive every Monday morning. I can’t imagine how many families he must have helped via helping to educate agents throughout the country and beyond. He made us all better for the people we serve.
I’ll look forward so to meeting his work family and biological family and friends on Monday. I can only imagine the kind and caring people that he surrounded himself with. Heaven has welcomed a good one.
My condolences to Steve’s family and friends. My condolences to everyone in the real estate community. He was a great asset and he will be missed. I personally looked forward to seeing him on Keeping Current Matter’s Deep Dive every monday.
I learned so much from watching Steve’s videos and market analysis. I really try to emulate his thoroughness, understanding, and effective communication of the market when I do my local market analysis videos. No longer having his presence and knowledge of the industry will be felt tremendously just as much as his positive impact was felt while we were blessed with his insights. Love and prayers to his family, friends, and all who were blessed to know him.
Sending our heartfelt condolences to the Harney family. I learned so much from Steve and will be forever grateful for his contributions to the real estate community. Praying for peace for the Harney family.
His wisdom was a benefit to me as both as a manager and eventually a salesperson. I always enjoyed his speaking events, which were filled with knowledge and humor. I was truly taken back by this sad news. My deepest condolences to his family and employees. May he rest in peace.
My sincere condolences to Steve’s Family and Friends. Steve impacted real estate industry in a very meaningful and unique way. His vision and encouragement for agents were so authentic and so appreciated. Every Monday’s webinar was a “pick me up” dose of information to go out and face the world. I’m so sorry for YOUR loss and loss for the real estate industry. May Steve rest in peace…
Sending deepest condolences to the Harney family. I so enjoyed listening to his presentations and getting insight into the market as well as strategies for moving forward. I can still hear his voice and loved his presentation style. I did not know about all of his charitable work and it is clear that giving back was another huge and impactful component of his life. He will be missed very dearly.
Sending the Harney Family healing prayers and comforting hugs. I’m so sorry for your loss.
My heartfelt prayers and condolences to the family. I value my membership with the KCM group and the concept of helping and providing a service for those in the real estate industry.
Thank you.
Steve was great at bringing clarity to a complex real estate market! I loved his non-nonsense straightforward way of analyzing things! He also made me a lot of money because I executed on his analysis! My company relied on him and he will be missed so much!