We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kaitlyn Meck. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kaitlyn below.

Kaitlyn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you take vacations? Why or why not?

Yes, I don’t get to take as many as I want, but inevitably, when I do take a vacation or get a really busy time, I gain a new client. You never know where your next client will come from in this business, but you always need to take some time for yourself. My latest “vacations” haven’t been for the best circumstances, but I make sure to let my clients know ahead of time, so if I’m delayed on a response they know and can be prepared. I also make sure I try to get what I can done before our vacation, and plan to catch up on anything when I get back as well.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a real estate agent here in the Tampa area, and a Tampa Bay native! I grew up in Bloomingdale, and now live in Riverview with my husband who also is a Tampa Native. I have always had a love for floor plans and homes, probably because I lived most of my life in the same home, I just liked to see different ones. After moving away, making a few mistakes, and moving back, I spent a few more years nannying before finally deciding to get my real estate license and join a team. That was February 2018, and I left the team in November of 2019, striking out on my own.

Since then, I also started a YouTube channel about the area and real estate, mostly the suburbs, which helps people relocating to the area, as well as people who live here but don’t know much about the area.
What also sets me apart is that I work heavily with a rent to own program that helps clients actually save up for a down payment and helps them build their credit, thus ACTUALLY getting them ready for a mortgage, unlike many other programs.
I truthfully love being able to help people in what is often the biggest money move the will make, and am proud that people trust me with that decision.
I also really love so many of the connections I’ve made with locals and businesses in the area.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The biggest pivot in my life was leaving the team I previously worked with, and striking out on my own. I didn’t know what to do for lead generation, or really what some of the most important first steps were, though I darn sure could take someone from the home search, or listing paperwork all the way to closing.

It took me a while, especially as then Covid shut a lot of things down, and the few things I knew to lead-generate were now off-limits (door-knocking, networking, hosting events). It took me a ton of time to search for something that resonated with me, and I could do in the current conditions.
In the meantime I threw my heart into volunteering, and helping other agents with their paperwork.
In September 2020, I posted my first optimized YouTube video, and have posted religiously every Monday since (except for one just a couple weeks ago).
It took 7 months, but my first couple reached out to me about moving here from Indiana, and I did get them moved into a brand new home in Ruskin about 6 months later.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Karin Carr, an agent in Savannah, GA runs a course now called Video Boss Agent, and I saved up the money for the full program, and followed it diligently. I can 100% attribute all of my success to her course, as many people reach out to me now about moving here and buying a home in the area, from seeing me on YouTube.
Not only has that helped me in my life, but I 1000000000% have even more confidence and better self esteem than I did before I took her course.
Not only has posting in YouTube really been a great source of business for me, but it has helped me LIKE and enjoy every part of my business!

Contact Info:

• Website: albertsparadise.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realestate.and.rescues/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KStroedeKR/
• Youtube: Youtube.com/channel/kaitlynmeckrealtor

Image Credits
Timothy Valentino, https://valentinounlimited.agency/