Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Smith.
Amanda, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As a young kid, I grew up in the northern city, Walnut Park to be exact. My parents, two brothers, and I lived in a two-bedroom apartment above a corner candy store. Once I reached middle school, my parents bought a house in Bellefontaine and it seems our lives immediately charged overnight. We could afford more than our necessities, I had my own room for the first time we could go outside and play and my parents were much happier as well.
At that point, I knew I wanted to own my own home. Years later in high school, my parents purchased their first investment properties. Two four-family buildings in the southern city. It was at that moment I was introduced to the ideas of real estate investing and the concept of owning property and renting it to others and I was immediately intrigued. We would go over to the properties after school and paint and work until all units were fixed up and rented out.
I couldn’t believe how much money we were making and at that time I started paying more attention and asking questions. I knew then I wanted to be a real estate investor. After years of apartment living and high rents for less space as a single mother, I was determined to purchase a home and give my kids stability. In 2015, I purchased my first home at the age of 30 with my three children.
Our mortgage for our three-bedroom, three-bath with a garage and big fenced-in yard was $100 less than what we were paying for a two-bedroom two-bath townhouse with half the space. I was dating my husband at the time. About a year later we moved in together and I saw an opportunity for rental income with his house. So we fixed it up and rented it out. After years of climbing corporate ladders and job-hopping from one unfulfilling job to the next, I was ready to make a change.
In 2017, I finally committed to following my dreams after my boyfriend at the time (who’s now my husband) encouraged me to leave my job and pursue my passion for real estate. With the fear of the unknown and lacking confidence, I agreed to become an agent and learn as much about real estate as possible. I left my job and submerge myself in the industry.
I was passionate about helping other families gain stability as I remember how I felt when I was a kid and when I purchased my first home. I wanted others to experience that as well, so I set out on a mission to help first-time home buyers. My husband and I acquired our 2nd rental property a duplex in the northern city and a year later a second duplex.
Currently, I run a full-service boutique brokerage with three full-time agents and I produce myself as well. We assist sellers, buyers, and investors with their residential and commercial real estate needs. We believe our mission is to stabilize families and build communities. We service Missouri & Illinois and are excited about the opportunities in our city.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road by far. Entrepreneurship is difficult no matter what you do. I believe the misconception about bringing a realtor is that easy and it’s not. You have to work hard if you want to yield life-changing results. Success is gradual and I believe the misconception of ease is the reason most agents fall out of the business in 18 months.
There are fees & dues you have to pay out consistently and after a while, if you don’t run it like a business you lose money and it no longer makes sense. There are a lot of information and scams. I paid $15.000 to an organization that was supposed to teach me how to invest in real estate and they didn’t teach me anything.
It was the biggest and worst investment ever. That was before I got my real estate license. I had other agents being unethical stealing my clients and it’s a rough industry people can be really cut-throat but I choose to stay and keep working at it.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a full-service brokerage whose commitment is to close the wealth gap through homeownership and real estate investing opportunities. We operate with the highest level of integrity and we build relationships beyond the closing table.
We are strong community advocates. We offer the following:
- Seller assistance.
- Buyer assistance.
- Investor strategies.
- Property management.
- Project management.
- Agent recruitment & coaching.
- Serving Missouri & Illinois.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Follow us on Facebook: Smith & Associates Realty Group, Instagram: @1_smith_realty, and our website at smithrealty.net, or call us at 314.325.7272 for more information and details.
Contact Info:
- Email: amanda@smithrealty.net
- Website: https://www.smithrealty.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1_smith_realty/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmithRealty1
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/TyLSAkMdb-Y
Image Credits
Mena Darre Photographer
