A woman of faith, real estate agent Kara Whitesell never saw herself getting into real estate, but never say never. In her mid-30s, she had a different plan in mind. She was a Criminal Justice grad from Georgia State University and working as a paralegal, then conceived her first and only child in Cincinnati, Ohio. Kara was living in Atlanta at the time.

 

 

“I wanted to get into criminal investigations on a state or a federal level,” says Kara. When she discovered she was pregnant with her son, she had a difficult choice to make, to stay in Atlanta or move back to Cincinnati. She now knows that she made the right decision.

 

She found a job working at the Hamilton County prosecutor’s office at a 50 percent pay cut. Although she was preparing to work there after maternity leave, she had a heart-wrenching realization. The prospect of leaving her infant son in daycare while she worked was emotionally overwhelming.

 

“I bawled my eyes out. I went back to daycare several times and he was always in the same space. Working just to pay for childcare and parking simply didn’t make sense. I picked up my son and told the daycare that I wouldn’t be back. I also emailed my boss and told him I wasn’t coming back either.”

 

Determined to maximize her time with him and ensure a stable income, Kara explored her options. Real estate emerged as a promising choice due to its income potential and the flexibility it offered.

 

The thought of working in real estate wasn’t entirely new to her. In 2015, she attended a holiday party at a Re/Max office, her mother's workplace. While surveying the room filled with older agents, she recognized an opportunity to bring a fresh perspective and energy to the industry.

 

“The income potential is limitless,” she says. Her best friend’s parents covered the cost of real estate classes and books. In April 2016, Kara’s son was born and she finished real estate classes at the end of that year. She then took the exam and got licensed in January 2017.

  The road wasn’t easy. “When I started my career, it was a grind. I was a decade removed from this city and began my career with no real training, no money, and no sphere. I think I took the hardest road possible. I was starving for training and went to every continuing education class, networking event, and ‘Lunch and Learn’ that I could find. The only thing that I knew where I had a slight advantage was that I knew how to promote myself.”

 

Back in Atlanta, Kara promoted musical artists. It was easy for her to get on social media back when agents were terrified. She branded herself on social media as “Kara Your Realtor.” She reflects, “I knew the power of a name because of the music business.”

 

Soon her social media accounts gained traction and people started walking up to her and saying, “It’s Kara, My Realtor.” “It was awesome,” says Kara.

 

Her first year resulted in seven transactions and in the second year it doubled. With her drive and determination, she was able to secure stability in her third year of real estate.

 

Best of all, she savored time with her son. “I got 2 years with my son before I had to put him in childcare,” she says. Kara also was able to improve her living situation in her third year of real estate. During her fifth year, she bought a townhome in West Chester.

“I sell everywhere from Dayton to Cincinnati,” says Kara. “I attract a lot of first-time homebuyers.” She is thankful that she doesn’t have to do Amazon or pizza deliveries to make ends meet anymore.

 

Some of Kara’s inner circle discouraged her from a career in real estate, but Kara pressed on. She knew that she would get to a time when she wouldn’t have any financial needs. “I knew it would work, but I had to put everything into it.” She reflects, “This business is not easy. Sometimes licensed agents want to give up. I could have given up, but I had tunnel vision.”

 

Her hard work paid off and she is thankful to her son. “My son is why I got into real estate.” She recalls the words of wisdom given to her by an Army staff sergeant in Atlanta, “MOVE like you got a purpose in life!”

 

Now she realizes that real estate is her purpose and passion. “Even though we sometimes don’t get paid for the work we do in this industry, I wake up with the same energy and love to do this every day.”

 

As Kara continues to thrive and build her real estate business with eXp Realty, she remains grateful for the opportunity to do what she loves while sharing her expertise and while helping others achieve their dreams of homeownership.