We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Charles Kim a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Charles , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission is to help people sell and or buy homes. This relates to me because I have been homeless and have thought about being a homeowner for the longest time. Being a homeowner is an American Dream.. It’s ironic now that I am a realtor helping others to be homeowners no matter if they are repeat or first time home buyers. I have dealt with obstacles and hardships in my life but here I am a real estate agent and a homeowner. I always tell my clients that it is. never impossible even though the process might be stressful if you are patient with. me and trust the process I can get the job done. I have came to realize that I love helping people and I love all aspects of real estate so that Is why i have decided to be a realtor.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I never thought I would be in real estate. Before getting into the real estate world I was pursuing a degree in ultrasound technology. I went through the whole program but in the end I could not pass the state boards exam. This was right before covid hit. So when everything got shut down on my friends said “hey have you thought about being a real estate agent?” And that planted the seed in. my brain and I started pursuing this new career path. I thought to myself I have nothing else to do since everything was shut down so why not? So I did I took the online course and passed the class final within a month of starting the class. I gave myself two weeks to prepare for the state test and I failed the first attempt but I passed my second attempt. During my time studying my friend recommended me talking to a broker here in Atlanta and I did and fell in love with the office and the people there. I would say that I am not a traditional real estate agent as in spending a ton of money on marketing material social media ads etc. I am more of.a social person so i like to get to know potential clients by meeting them organically whatever the situation may be. It might be a longer game but I feel like if you take time to actually get to know the potential client and not just be a “salesperson” to them , then they will trust you more and ultimately become repeat clients and refer all their friends/family to you as well. I want my potential client to see my journey and make them feel like they have known me for a long time even though sometimes they do not. I like to problem solve because sometimes that means you have to get creative in what you need to do to get the job done. I want people to know that I am a guy that just wants to make genuine connections with people. I love helping people no matter what it. maybe. I love being of service to my clients because at the end of the transactions i want them to feel like they are my friend moving forward. I am not the typical fancy real estate agent that wears a suite everyday. I hardly dress up to be honest. I want them to like me for me and not something that I portray.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I first started real estate a year ago I did not know if i made the right decision or not by switching career paths. I was so nervous because there are so many agents in my area so I would not think i would become successful. I had so many days where I didn’t want to do real estate anymore but I just kept my head down and focused on work and now its paying off. I am the type of person that never gives up on anything. I fight for what I want and will not stop until i get there. From becoming homeless to now a homeowner and a successful agent that is getting recognized for different accomplishments that I have already received in my first year in real estate I am so humbled and grateful for all the opportunities that have been presented to me.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

As a South Korean kid, my parents always said ” You have to be a doctor lawyer or engineer of some sort.” So I kinda did that and pursued a degree in ultrasound which was in the medical field which would be acceptable for my parents standards. I am the type where I don’t like change and do not like taking risks. But when a friend mentioned real estate to me it caught my attention. I took the leap of faith and decided to pursue real estate and here i am one year later loving what i do and being successful at it at the same time. This job is so rewarding to me. I just love helping people.

Contact Info:

• Website: ckim0510.kw.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ckim0510
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/charles88
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-kim-473137224/