Meet Brenden Mitchum | Real Estate Agent & Investor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brenden Mitchum and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brenden, what is the most important factor behind your success?
People refer to this factor with different verbiage: “persistence,” “sticktoitiveness,” “resilience,” “perseverance,” “tenacity,” “grit.” Call it whatever you want, but the bottom-line is that successful people often attribute this trait to their success. Although my success has been more of a roller-coaster ride than an exponential curve of improvement, I know that bouncing back and refusing to give up is what has led to the success I have seen. No one who ever started a business was wildly successful on day one. There will be obstacles & failures, more than you’ll expect, but if you view these as learning experiences and opportunities to improve, this is exactly what will happen. If you truly believe in your product, in your vision, never give up on it. But remember, part of being resilient is being able to shift and model yourself and your product to the changing market. If your business is failing, don’t keep doing the same stuff but don’t give up either. Find out why it’s failing and what you’re missing. Improve the product to fit the market and the needs of your consumers and you will find success.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I got started in real estate at arguably one of the worst possible times. It was March 2020 and I had just gotten my Georgia Real Estate Salesperson license. That year, I had very little success. I’m hesitant to blame this on the pandemic since many newcomers to this business do poorly and often fail, giving up in their first year or two. Rather than giving up, I doubled down in 2021, deciding to go full tilt and devote most of every day to my sales business. The effect of this was hardly immediate but, as the second quarter of 2021 came to a close, I began to see the fruits of my labor. However, I would be likely lying if I claimed to have worked harder than even half of the 8,000 agents in Atlanta. But I do believe I worked smarter. By carving myself into a relatively small niche in the business, I have been able to go around the competition rather than through it. Creativity and focusing on the needs of my clients has been the key to my success in this business. It was far from easy but after spending months searching for a way to meet the needs of my clients, I found it and have since made that my primary focus. Finding great returns for my investor clients is what I do; creativity and open-mindedness is how I do it. I’m fortunate to have learned early on that the key to this business, and any other, is finding solutions and effectively implementing them quickly and efficiently.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta is just like any other city, there are plenty of things to do if you’ve never been there, but little to do if you’ve lived there for years. If you’re just visiting the city for the first or second time, you will no doubt enjoy yourself. There are a number of popular spots, from Krog street market to the Lee + White development. You can spend a day just visiting all these popular markets/neighborhoods, but replayability of this tour is low, in my opinion. However, one thing our city certainly has going for it is a number of solid breweries. These are scattered across the city, and you will even find many terrific spots outside the perimeter (OTP) – Bold Monk, Arches, Monkey Wrench, & Slow Pour being among my favorites. I love taking friends on brewery-hopping tours. Aside from that, we try to get outside the city as much as possible. I’m an avid rock climber – while most flock to the Belt Line on pleasant weekends, you can find me at any of the myriad of crags or boulder fields within a 3 hour drive of the city.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ll be the first to admit that without the support of those around me, I would have seen only a fraction of the success I have so far. Being a REALTOR® and Investor, I technically have two businesses that are similar but also very different. In my real estate sales business, one individual really stands out and that is my team lead, Benjamin Benomar. I would not be where I am today if not for his support. Despite my lack of experience, Benjamin believed in me from day 1 and continued to do so even when my belief in myself waned. He’s been a monumental part of my success and I am so thankful for his knowledge and guidance.

In my investing business, I can trace my success back to a couple mentors. The first is Ekaterina Stepanova, a fellow investor and creator of the most popular Facebook group for Manufactured Home Community owners and investors. Being an early member of this group and working alongside her to help build the community is something I will always cherish. To this day, she is always quick to respond to my questions and offer assistance in any way she can. Without Ekaterina, and the MHP Tribe community, I would certainly not be where I am today in the world of manufactured home community investing. Another mentor instrumental in my success as an investor is Spencer Roane, local community owner and founder of SECO (the largest and longest running conference for Manufacture Home Community owners). Despite me being a nobody in the space, Spencer has sat down with me on multiple occasions for extended breakfast and lunch meeting. The generosity of both Ekaterina & Spencer is a constant reminder that no matter how busy I get, there is always time to help others. I strive to emulate their humbleness and generosity every day.

I could go on listing countless names of folks that have helped me and continue to help me on my path to achieving my goals and dreams. The fact is, I simply could not have found any meaningful success without the many generous individuals who have helped along the way.

Instagram: @brendentherealtor

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/brenden-mitchum