12 minute read
Karen Hatcher, The Four Ways Real Estate Helped Me Create a Life of Sovereignty.
Karen Hatcher
The real estate industry has been predominantly male-dominated and widely considered a white man profession. In the 19th and 20th centuries, this industry was primarily dominated by white males with just a small number of white females coming into the picture in the early20th century. It was also during this time that prejudice and inequality took roots in society and became widely practiced. Most of the country was segregated and African Americans were out rightly denied the basic access to housing among many other rights that today we take for granted. It is important to understand the dark place we are coming from for us to truly understand the remarkable feat the personality we are featuring in this issue of our magazine has made. In a profession that was widely regarded as predominantly white, this important figure has defied all odds rising to the top and making a name for herself. Indeed she has made history and her name will forever be remembered and plastered in the books of history with other remarkable women like Biddy Mason, Nancy Johnson, Ernestine Johnson, and Johnnetta G. Paye.
Karen Hatcher is one phenomenal woman, and even that is an understatement and simply not enough to describe what Karen has achieved both personally and professionally. She is a Mother, wife, and real estate executive, and also the CEO and head broker for Sovereign Realty & Management. She is a Certified Property Manager® (CPM®), which is the elite mark of distinction for those invested in real estate demand when they seek someone who they trust to manage their assets. Serving the Atlanta metro area for over a decade. Karen is a Rochester, New York Native. She went to Georgia for school and graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a degree in Finance in 2002. Interestingly, Karen did not start her career in real estate immediately, but like so many other people before her, real estate was something she grew in love with as time passed. She started her professional experience early on at 21 as a restaurant manager. She managed a
I fell in love with this amazing city and I then continued my education “ achieving a Master’s in Business
Administration, with a concentration in Real Estate, from Georgia State
University in 2011.
“I was given an opportunity to do marketing in my own way including giving myself and my new role a title. I became the Director of Marketing, a really cool experience.”
Shortly after, Karen went into the formal corporate environment for a newly IKEA company as the fourth management hire. This is a position that Karen excelled in but didn’t really feel that she fitted in the position. Karen recounts that she felt the proverbial ‘glass ceiling’ working for someone else. It was also at this time that she began questioning whether she was enough for the role mainly because of the environment’s negative projections which ultimately began to affect her self-esteem. For instance, some of the things she struggled with were being black, and being a woman but these were the things that she used as a pillar to motivate herself toward becoming her own boss.
She eventually got into real estate and ever since she got into the industry, she never looked back, it has been in the industry for 20 years now!
In 2008, Karen founded Sovereign Realty & Management scaling it to be Atlanta’s leading real estate investment-focused and property management group. The company aims to be a full-service, one-stop-shop real estate management experience with the necessary “know-how” to provide her clients with unparalleled service. She and her dedicated employees serve every customer with the passion of their motto, “Improving Lives, Transforming Communities.” In addition to leading her prestigious brokerage, Karen is also the president of Atlanta REALTORS® Association serving as the chapter’s 97th president and the first African American woman and African American Owned brokerage to hold this position. The Atlanta Realtors Association is the largest local real estate trade association in Georgia with almost 14000 members. Karen is also a State and National Association of REALTORS® voting Director and the Federal Political Coordinator, appointed by NAR for Congresswoman Nikema Williams for the 5th Congressional District of Georgia.
“As a business owner, wife, and mother of three, having the opportunity to fuse work and life together is the optimal situation for me. Sometimes you have to blend those worlds. Working in the real estate industry has given me control over these wonderfully moving parts of my life.”
A black woman operating in a field that has been operated by men will come with challenges and for Karen, being counted out is something that she always faced but quickly overcame.
“Being a woman of color, being short, being a woman period, it didn’t matter if I was number one in Sales, in my department, creating innovative events, record revenues for the company – those judgments have been made against me.” Owning properties and companies put Karen in very prime positions as she did not have anything to prove to anyone.
“I show up for myself every day. I like to call it being in a constant state of Sovereignty which, for me means, owning your total self and your life – including owning more real estate!”
Today, Karen through her companies helps create and maximize the value for real estate property owners and it makes sense now especially given the recent appreciation values for homes countrywide.
“You can be debt-free in a couple of years by leveraging other people’s money to generate income.”
Through her company, Karen helps people realize the American dream of homeownership through investing in real estate. She believes that the goal is not just about making money, but knowing that she is able to help people kick start their homeownership journey.
One other area that Karen is so much invested in is affordable housing solutions for teachers, nurses, blue-collar industry workers, entrepreneurs, and anyone else with a strong desire to invest in real estate or even to become a homeowner.
“We help you realize your dream with creative real estate investments. Everyone’s dream and the end goal are different. We find solutions that are tailored to your needs.” real estate to transform our lives and create a foundation of wealth for our family. When we were dating in the early 2000s, my roommate and I were looking for a new place to live, and I convinced him to buy a fixer-upper rental property for us.
My fiance’, at the time, was in construction, so I asked him if he was open to partnering with me to buy a property, fix it up, and then allow me to lease it from him. I also agreed to manage the property as the tenant.
He gave me this look that said, “You are on to something.” And from there, we were off to the races. I chose the location, property, and layout and that was our first official deal together on a quest to become a ‘power couple.’
We went on to do more deals together, then I purchased my
4 WAYS REAL ESTATE HELPED ME CREATE A LIFE OF SOVEREIGNTY
My husband and I have used
first home in 2007 and he renovated it. Later that year, we got married and several deals later, along with a family of six, we have a portfolio of income-producing real estate today.
I am led by the desire to live from a place of Sovereignty. To me, that is intentionally creating a Sovereign Life ®. This lifestyle is full of freedom, confidence, and permission to say YES to every dream and every intangible goal you believe in to make tangible. For me, this freedom builds from the foundation of real estate.
When I first traveled to Europe, my husband and I visited museums and castles. We were in awe at the grandeur of what we were experiencing and the feeling it created.
In our society, we have the freedom to own real estate and businesses. Having long been coveted as the land of opportunity, my husband and I focused on how we could create that feeling of grandeur for ourselves once we returned.
This overall theme of creating your own state of sovereignty began to manifest when we focused on the following:
1. Owning a real estate portfolio - When I began building my real estate portfolio, I challenged myself to immerse myself in the Power of Belief—believing in myself, my decision-making abilities, and my profound knowledge and analysis of every acquisition. It can be daunting to acquire multiple properties when most are pursuing their first one; however, I leaned on my expertise, Tribe and faith. Once I completed my first one, the next was easier so on and so forth. 2. The Power of Taking Risks - The confidence a real estate portfolio gives back to you in financial stability and growth allows you to take more risks and tap into work that is truly meaningful to you and fulfills your spirit. Taking risks is the adventure of life.
3. Attracting a Tribe - Have a Tribe. From that, I mean once I embraced taking risks in love and work, it opened me up to meeting amazing people who became my Tribe. Whatever that is for you in terms of a support system – your girlfriends, spouse, industry group, or family. Having a tribe that feeds your spirit and gives you nourishment is essential to keep you going.
4. Power of Passion - Listen, do what you love. Period. Gone are the days when we choose careers simply because they provide an income. I challenge you to dare to create income through your gifts. Real estate investing allowed me to pursue all my passions and it’s what I do to help others cushion their dreams.
Historically, Real estate appreciates over time. It fuels your endeavors by nourishing you with a win-win investing relationship: you gain equity through appreciation and tenants that pay down your mortgage while you’re providing them a quality, affordable home on their path to home ownership. You are a part of the housing solution by becoming a housing provider.
Sovereignty is empowering and owning a real estate portfolio is a pathway to helping you gain access to this level of freedom.
Karen Hatcher is an equity and wealth advocate using her expertise to help others obtain material wealth through real estate and land ownership. She is equally passionate about sharing her tools for living a Sovereign Life®! A life of success blending work and home to create a harmonious balance with the whole Self. You can keep up with Karen at KarenHatcher.com and on all platforms @property_ninja.
INTRODUCTION
CAL-ALHFA (California Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies) was established in 1989 to represent local housing agencies and professionals in the California State Legislature and State housing programs. We also work on housing issues at the federal level. CAL-ALHFA is a non-profit organization with a broad-based membership including public and private agencies that develop, finance, and administer programs to create affordable housing in California. Our core membership is small and medium sized local agencies that have to follow state mandates, but often lack the personnel and financial resources to do so.
PURPOSE
From the beginning, the founders of CAL-ALHFA felt that local government agencies interested in affordable housing matters needed better representation at the state level because their concerns were often not addressed in the development of single family and multifamily housing programs and policies.
The purpose of CAL-ALHFA is to provide that representation, based on input from all our members, including our lenders, investors, developers, and consultants. It includes participation in the California State Legislature’s legislative process and participation in program and policy development in all the State’s affordable housing agencies.
ONGOING ACTIVITIES
▪ Legislative Advocacy. Sponsoring, supporting (or opposing), and tracking housing legislation including fair housing; bond financing; state program development and administration; relocation; land use law, including planning and zoning; housing element law; and other legislation which affects affordable housing development.
Program Advocacy. Tracking program developments in CalHFA, HCD, the Tax Credit
Program, and the Debt Limit Allocation Program. Assisting in the development of program policies and procedures. ▪ Education. Sponsoring webinars, conferences, symposia, and workshops to provide information on new developments in the field of affordable housing.
▪ Newsletters and Legislative Alerts. Preparing and distributing regular newsletters and as-needed legislative alerts to inform members of current activities. ▪ Individual Member Services. Providing advocacy and advice on district or agency matters as requested. ▪ Professional Networking. Providing a forum for industry activists to share ideas, information, and expertise with their colleagues.
RECENT ACTIVITIES
Return to the Capitol – April 2022
For the first time since 2020, advocates can attend legislative hearings in person, and testify on bills of interest to the affordable housing community.
We can now meet our colleagues face-to-face on an impromptu basis. In other words, we now have a lobby in which we can do our work as lobbyists.
Middle Income Housing Webinar – November 2021
Bond Purchase of existing market rate multifamily housing and converting them to lower rent middle income (workforce) housing.
Presentations included:
Discussion of the pros and cons of this program Examples of successful conversions Potential legislation needed.*
*AB1850 – Ward. Establishes minimum standard for JPA acquisitions and is currently moving through the legislature. CAL-ALHFA is a supporter of this bill, which was at least partially written on the recommendations that came from this webinar.
Single Family Symposium – October 2021
Discussions included:
Increasing Minority Homeownership with a presentation by The Power Is Now Innovators in Down Payment Assistance Rural Broadband Expansion Closed Loop Pump Storage – Wildfire / PSPS Prevention
CAL-ALHFA Annual Meeting – October 2021
Keynote Speaker – Senator Scott Weiner
Discussions Included:
State Programs Update Legislative Update
UPCOMING
Density Bonus Webinar – May 18, 2022
Following a presentation by leading density bonus expert Jon Goetz, two cities, the City of Pasadena and the city of San Jose will describe how they developed their density bonus ordinances and how they administer them.
Cosponsored by The Power Is Now, the Symposium will cover all aspects of minority home ownership programs, updates on Fair Housing activities, and presentations by state, regional and local homeownership programs.
CAL-ALHFA’s Annual Meeting summarizes the major events of the year in Sacramento, and features key State legislators, Senior Staff from all major housing agencies, and a discussion of future legislative actions, presented by the Chief Consultants of the Senate and Assembly Housing Committees
