Today we’d like to introduce you to Madison Kehler.
Hi Madison, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in a small town in Eastern Kentucky. My mother was a single mother of four kids. Poverty was a thing or two. I grew to be very fond of coming from a town considered one of the top four lowest-income towns in the US, with a median household income of $16,250. My mother did the absolute best she could with what she had. We knew that technically statistically speaking. We were considered poor; we knew my mother was struggling but not because she ever gave light to just how really poor we were. We kids never went without. We still went on vacations and would camp instead of spending money on nice expensive hotels. My mother would shop at the thrift stores for herself, so she could afford to send us off to school every year with new clothes. 3.8 % of Beattyville, Kentucky’s population, has a college degree. I saw my mother sacrifice a lot to become that small population. Once we got a bit older, I watched my mother return to college as a 40-year-old student. I soon realized watching her sacrifice and dedication just how important having an education was and inspired me to attend college.
In 2021 I received my Bachelor’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University. I graduated at prime covid time. Once I graduated, I soon realized that nobody was hiring. The ones hiring required experience, an experience I didn’t have because my internships were canceled because of covid. After all the hard work and hardships I endured to earn my degree, I soon learned that I had hit a roadblock, a roadblock that may have occurred because of the world-changing due to covid, but also a roadblock that occurred because I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life or with my degree. See, I always knew the importance of having an education, and I thought everything else would follow after getting my degree. When this didn’t happen, I was lost. My oldest sister is a traveling nurse, and her job assignment had just ended; she was free for two months. So we both packed our bags and hit the road in her 1995 Ford coachman on this soul-searching road trip with no plans and just miles ahead. We both knew we would return to our roots by making it a camping trip. We both learned to love camping and to be in nature from how we were raised. So we planned on making it a National Park tour, spending time in nature at some of the most famous national parks in the US. What set out to be a 2-month road trip turned into 3 and then turned into almost 4 months of us just being on the road, totally emersed, and all nature had to offer. We met some great people along the way and some of the kindest, most generous souls. You see, I never really got that “home” feeling being from Beattyville, KY. I mean, how could you when it’s known in the media as “America’s poorest white town: abandoned by coal, swallowed by drugs,” and that’s not me trying to discredit the town at all. Some people love that small town, the feeling of knowing all your community. I just knew I wanted more than that town could offer me. Being on the road emerged by different places, people, weather, and cultures made me redefine what my definition of “home” really means to me. It made me realize that having that “home” feeling doesn’t just come from the address of the place you grew up, but you can create that home feeling, from many different locations, with many different people. You can create that home feeling. As soon as our road trip ended and we made our way back to Kentucky, I immediately realized that it was time for me to call a different state home. I rented a Uhaul, packed my whole life up In three short days, kissed my mom goodbye with promises I would see her soon, and hit the road again with South Carolina being my destination. I always saw myself moving to South Carolina, but it was more a dream than a reality. You see, people stay in my small town. It’s unheard of, and the ones that do leave always come back.
Growing up, we had many camping vacation destinations in Myrtle Beach during the summer, but my heart didn’t just leave South Carolina when our vacation was up, and we were on our 12-drive drive back to Kentucky. My heart stayed in South Carolina. I fell in love with subtropical beaches, rolling mountains, marshlike sea islands, intriguing Cypress swamps, weeping hollow trees, and the many entrepreneurs that started their dreams here. I fell in love with the fact I could create and be whoever I wanted here. I soon learned I wanted to help people accomplish their goal of making this beautiful state their home, and I obtained my real estate license. Because one of the biggest truths I learned during my road trip is that you can create that “home” feeling wherever you decide to go. It doesn’t just have to be where you’re from, your parent’s home address, or where you grew up. That “home” feeling can come from the people, the experiences, and the culture, within just a little under two years. I’ve made South Carolina my home and created a business that helps people do the same. My idea of success comes from something other than having loads of money; it comes from helping people accomplish their dreams instead of buying your first home or investment property and selling the first flip house that helped you generate profit. My idea of being a real estate agent is much more than what’s face value. It’s this idea that I get to meet new people, create new relationships, and get to know this beautiful community better. It’s that idea that I can make that “home” feeling wherever I go. and it’s the idea that I can help people do the same.
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?
Franklin D Roosevelt once said, “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor” My story, as many others, came from hardships and struggles. Growing up, I struggled with not having a father figure. It was until my sophomore year of college I got back my college bill, and it stated, “To continue your education, please pay the current balance” The balance that I did not have and the balance I knew my mother wouldn’t have. So with my last hope, I finally reached out to my father. I thought that this indeed couldn’t write his wrongs of being absent in my life for many years, but if he could help me pay this college bill so I could continue my education, it might be a step in the right direction to establish our relationship. So I did it; I reached out through Facebook, where he had tried to contact me. “messaged delivered, the message read,” That message read maybe was what I needed for the motivation I had lacked. So I got a second bartending job. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, I worked from 10-4 at my daytime bartending restaurant job, then from 5-1 am, I worked my bartering job at our local college pub we had downtown. I did this for years until graduation day came. My drive and hustle finally paid off by completing college and obtaining my degree. The money I saved from working two jobs while in college full-time funded our road trip. But even the “glamours van life” you see on social media isn’t what it seems. I wouldn’t take our road trip back for the world, but it also brought many struggles. Our van broke down in Sequoia National Park at the top of the mountain, and to make matters worse, we had no service. So we were stuck on the side of the road, with no cellular services, hoping someone would see us and stop. Days went by, and no one stopped. It wasn’t until day three of us being close to no water, food, and the temperature hitting the high of 105 that some park rangers found us and finally called a tow truck. When we finally thought the nightmare was over when they towed us to a mechanic shop, the head mechanic informed us that the nearest available time he had to get us in and fix our transmission was not for another two months. Keep in mind; we lived in our van, so when we heard that, we had no clue what we would do next. We have stuck thousands of miles away from home. We called other nearby mechanic shops, but unfortunately, the news sounded the same.
See, Sequoia National Park’s altitude went up to 14,494 feet, so it was common for cars to break down due to transmission problems. So when my sister and I both saw no hope, we started crying in the parking lot on this small patch of grass at the mechanic shop they initially towed us at. One mechanic came out, and still, to this day, we call him our guardian angel. He said he talked to his boss, and the boss said he could use the shop after he gets off work tonight. He said, “I want to help you guys out. I feel the need to help with your circumstances.” So after he worked all day from 10-6, he towed our van in, and within hours we were back on the road thanks to this sweet, kind soul who didn’t have to help us at all. When our road trip ended, and I got back and decided I wanted to leave Kentucky and make South Carolina my new home, my dreams of becoming a real estate agent was not easy. The course in itself was challenging, and at the time, I was taking the course while maintaining two jobs. When I finally passed the course, I went to take the state and national, thinking it would be cake, and I would soon obtain my real estate licenses. I soon learned how far off from the truth that was. Both exams took me serval times to pass. Too many than I would like to say. But it was in those moments that I would finish each exam and see that “fail” grade at the end that gave me the extra motivation to pass the test with flying colors eventually. The hardships that I encountered in the past will help me succeed in the future. I’ve gone through many hard times in my life thus far, but I am very proud of where I am, and each hardship I’ve gone through has made me into the person I am today.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
As a RE/MAX® agent, I’m dedicated to helping my clients find the home of their dreams. Whether you are buying or selling a home or just curious about the local market, I would love to offer my support and services. One thing that sets me apart from other agents in my industry is that I’m a hustler and a go-getter. Watching my mother be so driven growing up has influenced my work ethic today. I’ve always had two jobs for as long as I can remember and 100 percent supported myself through college. I’m also such a people person. My clients are not just another number to me. They are so much more. I want to make each connection I have with anyone a special connection and want to be myself through it all.
Contact Info:
- Mobile Number: 843.240.3224
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madisonksellssc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090052020102
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0kz3wct9p6_u96GHLd8psw
