"I decided I wanted to be a Realtor when I was eight years old, right about the time we got cable and I couldn’t get enough of HGTV," says Mariah Klemp.

Growing up in a small farmhouse, Mariah watched everyone on TV talk about a world of large, gorgeous houses. Her parents periodically discussed building a new house. That's when she became very interested in home plans.

"I started cutting out the “Home Plan of the Week” out of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier every Sunday," she laughs. "I was hoping to find a plan my parents would love so we could get a new house." They eventually included home plan magazines in her birthday and Christmas gifts. "It might have been an obsession," she says.

A week after graduation from Iowa State, she moved to Minneapolis to earn her Real Estate License. "I was only 21, I didn’t know how a mortgage worked, much less the business world," Mariah says.

"I was as green as it gets, but I had the most incredibly supportive office, and several people took me under their wing and helped me grow. I’ll never forget them."

In spite of her youth, she persevered. "I was taught at a very young age what incredibly hard work was." When Mariah was two years old, her mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor and told she likely wouldn’t see Mariah graduate high school. Her mother had been a strong farmwife, and the diagnosis and subsequent health issues left her limited in her ability to help around the farm.

"As soon as I could walk —literally— I became my father's right-hand woman," she says. Mariah baled hay, picked rock, dug post holes, and took care of the calves. "I started driving a tractor before I was 10. My feet didn’t reach the pedals yet so I had to slide down the seat to hit the break," she laughs.

Nearly thirty years after he mother's diagnosis, "We just celebrated her 65th birthday!" says Mariah. "She is a medical marvel."

"My parents are such inspirations for me, as they taught me some incredible life lessons without even realizing it: hard work, perseverance, and a can-do-it can-get-through-it attitude."

"My biggest challenge," she notes, "was being a young 20-something woman and getting taken seriously. When I was younger, I always joked I wanted wrinkles so people would stop asking me how old I was. Now at 31, I don’t ask for wrinkles anymore," she laughs.

"Seriously," she continues, "being a bit older, I find every challenge in our business as a way to show my clients how much value an experienced Realtor can bring."

She gives credit for her success to a recent revamping of her business and sales philosophy. "A few years ago, I started focusing on building relationships instead of selling homes."

She realized that most people don't sell or buy homes simply because they just feel like it.

"They are doing it because they have a life event happening or are going through some type of change. It can be an emotional process and I want them to know they are supported. At the end of the day, people just want to know that someone is in their corner."

She sees her true value in sharing her wealth of Real Estate knowledge with clients. Her philosophy of guiding and teaching clients as they move through the Real Estate landscape has paid dividends. “Having done extensive work in my own home over the last few years, I’ve been able to pass along my experiences so they know what they’re getting into before even writing an offer.”

"Since revamping my business," she notes, "I’ve had about 90% of my business come from personal connections or repeat and referral clients this year."

Mariah lives with her boyfriend, Tyler, and their two dogs Finn and Juni in the home they purchased in 2020 —on its 100th birthday.   The two have enjoyed bringing their old home back to life and planting roots in a historic Des Moines neighborhood.