Meet Kathryn Mehl | REALTOR, Atlanta Intown Real Estate Services

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

Hi Kathryn, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Ha. I wouldn’t go so far as saying it changes the world, but I really enjoy helping people on a macro level. How many times do people think, “My rent is more than a mortgage would be?! I should buy a house! The extra money would solve a lot of problems.” A lot. They think it A LOT. They even sometimes call me to talk about it and it tickles me pink to be able to help someone start that journey.

At a point, they aren’t wrong. Depending on their market and their criteria, there is a really good chance their mortgage will be lower than rent. A lot of times people want the instant gratification and are disheartened by the fact that they have to plan and wait, but I really enjoy being the person that helps them plan an approach to something so important to their well-being and that of their current/future family.

Home ownership is a right of passage for a lot of adults and not everyone has the best financial position starting out. One of the most gratifying parts of the process for me is that first call with a first-time buyer when they are scared and unsure, possibly uneasy about finances, or embarrassed about where they are in life (as if there is really a metric for that!) and I get to lay the first steps out for them.

The sense of relief that I’m able to provide through a little education and planning, assurance that they CAN do this, and support that things are not as bad as they seem is priceless to me. I love being able to give people that. Adulting is hard work and I thoroughly enjoy helping people take the next step….especially when they never thought they’d be able to.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think when I began my career in real estate what I was looking for was, for lack of a better term, purpose. It wasn’t that I needed a reason to get up in the morning, but I was looking for something more fulfilling. I wanted to help people. I wanted to craft something for myself for the future. I wanted to be able to take something complicated and make it simple by becoming an expert. Let’s be real: real estate agents get branded as greedy charlatans only interested in their commission check. My goal became to change that if only for the few people I came into contact with and I’ve been very, very lucky to work with more absolutely brilliant people than not, clients and agents alike.

I came into real estate in a very unconventional way. I was a professional photographer and ended up taking real estate pre-licensing courses after a real estate deal went particularly badly for my Mother. As with anything, I applied myself in the course as if I was doing the thing for keeps. I ended up being recruited by an associate broker looking for a photographer to take photos of him and his team. I figured, “Why not give it a shot?” It turned out I really liked it and, more importantly, I was good at it.

It wasn’t an easy road. What you learn in pre- and post-licensing classes isn’t really applicable in the field. They depend on your brokerage to teach you those things, but that actually happening is few and far between. and there is a steep learning curve where you have to depend on your broker and other agents in your brokerage to help you. You’ll get sick of hearing, “Didn’t you learn this in pre-licensing?” No, no we didn’t.

At my first brokerage, I ended up going to my broker and explaining how lost I felt despite being on a team and he took me under his wing a little. I learned a lot in the following six months through his kindness and care for myself and his other agents. I left that brokerage when he was promoted and started looking for a broker/brokerage pairing where I felt supported, heard, and valuable. With a couple of other steps in between then and my final destination, I ended up at my current brokerage, Atlanta Intown Real Estate Services, which has been lovely and will continue to be so well into the future, I’m sure.

A lot of life and, consequently, real estate is thinking on your feet and having a curious mind. More importantly, you have to plan to cultivate people you trust and you have to have a very healthy sense of what you are and are not capable of. You have to listen to understand and be able to formulate a plan. Find people that are more intelligent than you are and listen as hard as you can. Learn from them, form relationships with them, and be sure to thank them for their help. You have to actively cultivate these relationships, value them, and engage in reciprocity whenever you’re able. You have to be the kind of person that WANTS to do those things with character and integrity instead of just for a sense of personal gain.

I think there are so many things to learn professionally and personally whenever interpersonal relationships are present. Over the last few years, I’ve learned the importance of letting go, being open to possibilities, going with my gut, being aware of what I’m worth, and being firm. I’ve learned how to listen to people more interactively and how to not take things so personally (even though I’m still working on that one and probably always will be).

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, most of my best friends are from here and some still live here, so they wouldn’t be very into the usual tourist spots. Usually, when we go out, we try to find some new places to go that don’t have a lot of hype. I’m generally the planner of the group on these outings, so I research ambiance, drink menu, food menu, and I see what people say about the service. I’ve wanted to try Canoe Atlanta and the Garden and Gun Club for a long time, but haven’t yet had the opportunity.

At the same time, I love sitting by the belugas at the Aquarium and being in the city early in the morning on a weekend. I used to live on 12th and it used to amaze me how quiet a city could be when the daytime reality is so different. I love that juxtaposition.

My go to for an amazing meal and a sit down with a friend is Apres Diem. I friend took me there in high school when we wanted to venture away from Cafe Intermezzo and I loved it. I rediscovered it about 10 years ago and make it my business to go as frequently as I can. The Nook is an amazing lunch (watch out for that dadgum hidden stair, please!) The Tara and Midtown Art Cinema are also good. I love the Atlanta Botanical Garden as much as I love going to the lake or camping. I’m still missing an always fantastic brunch staple, but I’m on the hunt. Bottomless Mimosas required.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So many people.

Personally, it has been my friends and family for the last year and change. I had this moment a few months back that almost brought me to tears. For my whole life, I’d wanted to cultivate this group of friends that were life-long, cookout, have-seen-you-ugly-cry-as-an-adult kind of friends…and the epiphany hit so hard I physically swayed. They are the biggest group of randos and misfits, but, without them, I wouldn’t have made it personally or professionally through the last two years.

Professionally, my broker is amazing. When you’re doubting yourself, he has this way about him that makes you know that, even if you screw it up, things will be okay. Not that he thinks you’re going to screw up. He has faith and confidence…or, if he doesn’t, he has enough charm to make you believe he does. I’ve stayed with the brokerage for as long as I have because I have an amazing broker. Not everyone at every brokerage can say that. Trust me.

Also professionally, all of my fellow agents and, especially, my preferred lender, Teena Bare with Movement Mortgage. They listen to me freak out, have meltdowns, and, then, when I’m feeling sensible again, find solutions. Invaluable, every single last one of them.

As for a good non-fiction self-help read, 5-Second Rule by Mel Robbins. Too many adults don’t talk about how crippling anxiety can be. There are so many of us that are trying to make it look effortless, but we are trembling messes on the inside – at least from time to time. This is one of those books that you can use to lay a good foundation for self-support when all the besties aren’t available.

Website: https://www.atlantaintown.com/team/KathrynMehl

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kathrynmehlrealtor

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynmehl

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kathrynmehlrealtor

Image Credits
For the two professional headshots, the credit goes to Krisandra Evans of Krisandra Evans Photography. All the others I took.