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Michelle Kemerer Realtor at Compass

Name: Michelle Kemerer Realtor at Compass
Address: Ellicott City, MD, 21043, US
Telephone: +14433245916

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Ellicott City, MD
Michelle Kemerer Realtor at Compass

Buying or Selling? Let's talk real estate! Wanna know your home's worth? Call me! Michelle has been a licensed Realtor since 2002.

Michelle has built a strong real estate career on taking care of her clients. Even with all the high-tech tools available, she has found that most people care about the simple things - communication, caring, and skill. Michelle cares about her clients, keeps in contact with them through the entire transaction process, and possesses the training and skills to make sure they not only get a great dea

l, but also are treated fairly. Michelle works together with all of her clients based on a Clients First mindset. This is about more than just real estate; it's about your life and your dreams. Michelle's goal is to ensure that all of her clients enjoy the time they spend working together and in the end call her their friend and Realtor for life!

09/04/2026

After 24+ years in real estate, you'd think I'd know better than to leave my phone in a house.

Apparently, I still have my moments. 😂

A few weeks ago, I was showing a home.
I was wearing a dress, so I put my phone on the couch while I took off my shoe covers.
We finished the showing, I locked the door, and we started to leave.

Then I realized...
My phone was still inside.
Oh Gosh. 🤦‍♀️

The buyers were heading to the next house, so I told them to go ahead while I figured out how to get back in.

Luckily, my granddaughter was with me.
I grabbed her phone, called Sentrilock, verified my credentials, got a code, and headed back to the house.

I opened the back door...
and the sellers were walking in.

“I'm so sorry. I just finished showing your house, but I left my phone inside.”

Thankfully, they were very understanding.
I retrieved my phone, apologized again, and went on my way

And here's the part I love:
Those buyers bought the house.
We went under contract two days later.
So the moment that felt like a complete mess...
ended up being part of a very successful transaction.

After nearly 24 years in this business, I've learned that real estate rarely goes exactly according to plan.

Sometimes the deal gets complicated.
Sometimes the answer isn't obvious.
And sometimes, apparently, your phone decides it's staying behind. 😂

But that's also why experience matters.
I can't guarantee that nothing will go wrong.
I can guarantee that when it does, I'll know how to work through it.

I've spent years helping buyers and sellers navigate the unexpected, solve problems, and keep moving toward the closing table.

So if you're thinking about buying or selling, let's talk.

You might not need an agent who can predict every plot twist.

You need one who knows what to do when the plot changes.

Michelle Kemerer
Realtor at Compass
Lock and Key Home Team
M:443.324.5916
O:410.220.5745

08/31/2026

If you're planning to invest in real estate but you’re still in debt, Here’s what you need to know.

Real estate isn't automatically your way out.
I know that's not the advice people usually want to hear.

You see people talking about rental properties.
Flipping houses.
Building passive income.
And it can make real estate investing look almost too easy.
But before you jump in, I always tell people:
Slow down.

The first question isn't,
“How can I get into real estate?”
It's “Can I actually afford to?”
Because investing isn't one-size-fits-all.

Are you trying to flip?
Buy and hold?
Own rentals?
Partner with other investors?
How much cash do you actually have available?
And what happens if the property doesn't make money as quickly as you expected?
Those questions matter.

A lot of investment properties require significant cash upfront, and financing can get expensive depending on the loan and the deal.
I've also had people ask about hard-money lending.

It can be an option in the right situation.
But it's not cheap money.
And when you're already financially stretched, expensive financing can turn a difficult situation into a much bigger one if the deal doesn't go according to plan.

That's the part I want people to understand:
Real estate can build wealth.
But it can also magnify a bad financial decision.
So if you're carrying debt and dreaming about becoming a real estate investor, I'm not going to tell you,
“Just find a way to make it happen.”

I'm going to tell you to do your homework first.
Run the numbers.
Understand the financing.
Know your risks.

And talk to people who actually understand the numbers—not just people who want you to believe every property is a great investment.

Sometimes the smartest move isn't buying a property.

Sometimes it's getting your financial foundation stronger first.

And when you're ready to explore real estate, then we can talk about what actually makes sense for you.

Because after 24+ years in this business, I've learned that the goal isn't just to get into real estate.

It's to make sure getting into it doesn't put you in a worse position than where you started.

If you're considering your first investment property and want to talk through what you're thinking, I'm always happy to have that conversation.

Michelle Kemerer
Realtor at Compass
Lock and Key Home Team
M:443.324.5916
O:410.220.5745

08/25/2026

I have a confession to make.
I don't have a Plan B.

And that might be the reason I've survived 24+ years in real estate.

Because when real estate is your only plan, you don't get to disappear when the market gets weird.

You adapt.

I've had months where I thought,
“Oh my Gosh. What am I going to do?”
No deals.
No momentum.
The market slowing down.
Everyone suddenly waiting to see what happens next.

And it's very easy to start thinking you need some brand-new strategy to fix everything.

After all these years, I’ve learned my lessons.
When business gets quiet, I go back to the basics.

I make the calls.
I follow up.
I reconnect with people.
I have conversations.
I show up.
And I keep doing it.

Because the market doesn't owe you momentum.

You have to create it.
Interest rates change.
Inventory changes.
Buyer behavior changes.
Sellers change their minds.
The market can change completely in a matter of months.

But the fundamentals don't.
People still need answers.
They still need someone they trust.
They still need someone who knows what to do when the deal doesn't go according to plan.

I've learned how to keep moving even when I don't know exactly what's coming next.

That's probably one of the biggest reasons I'm still here.
Not because every year has been easy.
Far from it.
But because I've never expected real estate to stay the same.
I change with it.

And if you're a buyer or seller looking at the market right now thinking,
“Should I wait?”
“Is this even a good time?”
“What would you do if you were me?”
Those are exactly the conversations I'm here for.

You don't need to have the answer before you call me.

We can figure out the next move together.

Michelle Kemerer
Realtor at Compass
Lock and Key Home Team
M:443.324.5916
O:410.220.5745

08/21/2026

Two weeks before closing, the buyer's loan was denied.
And I thought,

“Oh my Gosh. What are we going to do?”

This wasn't a simple deal.

A mother and daughter were trying to buy a home together.
But first, they both had to sell their existing homes.
The mom had already sold hers.
She was living with her daughter.
Their new house was under contract.

And now, just weeks before closing, the financing fell apart.
One phone call had put three transactions at risk.
I could have panicked.
Honestly, for a minute, I did.

But then I started calling.
I called the other agent.
“Have you explored every option? Have you talked to another lender?”
Then I called my lender.
“Listen, I need you to pull a rabbit out of a hat for me. What can we
do?”

We discovered that a change in the wife's credit had caused the loan denial.
So my lender looked at the situation from a different angle.
Could they qualify using just the husband's name?
They could.
We connected everyone.
The loan was approved.

And somehow...
we still closed on time.
The mom got her new home.
The daughter got her new home.
And three deals that looked like they were about to collapse stayed together.

Afterward, they thought I was some kind of miracle worker.
I wasn't.
I just knew where to start looking for a solution.

And after 24+ years in real estate, I've learned something that I wish every buyer and seller knew before choosing an agent,
You don't hire a realtor because you think nothing will go wrong.
You hire one because things will go wrong.
A lender will call.
An inspection will uncover something.
A buyer will get nervous.
A deadline will get tight.
A deal will suddenly look impossible.
You can't control all of that.
But you can control who is standing beside you when it happens.
That's where experience matters.
Not when everything is easy.
When it's not.
So if you're thinking about buying or selling, don't just ask an agent how many homes they've sold.
Ask them:

“Tell me about a deal that went wrong. What did you do?”
Their answer might tell you more than their sales numbers ever could.

And if you want someone who's been through a few of those “Oh my Gosh, what are we going to do?” moments...
I've been through quite a few.

I'm happy to help you navigate whatever comes next.
Michelle Kemerer
Realtor at Compass
Lock and Key Home Team
M: 443.324.5916
O: 410.220.5745

08/18/2026

I never planned to become a realtor.

I was running a home daycare in Virginia.

Then my husband and I decided to move to Maryland, and I remember thinking,

What am I going to do for work?
Starting my daycare over meant starting from scratch.

New clients. New licensing. A whole new life.
I was nervous.

Then the realtor helping us sell our house said something that I didn't think much about at the time.

“You should think about real estate. I think you'd be really good at it.”

I remember thinking, Okay. Maybe.

Then we moved to Maryland and started looking for a house.

Our realtor, Joe, kept pushing our price range higher because we couldn't find anything.

$250,000.

Then $275,000.

Then over $300,000.

And every time I said,
“Joe, I can't keep doing this. I'm not going to have an income when we move.”

That's when he said,
“Why don't you come work for me?”

I thought he was joking.

He wasn't.

So we moved to Maryland, bought a house, and started working in real estate.

I wasn't even licensed yet.

Eventually, I got licensed and started figuring out how to actually build a business.

I joined teams.

Left teams.

Tried working on my own.

Learned from people who knew more than I did.
Made mistakes.

Learned from those too.

And little by little, I figured it out.

What started as “I need to figure out what I'm going to do for work” became a career that has lasted more than two decades.

This October will be 24 years.

And when I look back, it's funny.
I thought I was starting a job.

I had no idea I was starting a career.

A career that would take me through multiple markets, thousands of conversations, difficult negotiations, wonderful clients, stressful deals, and situations I never could have predicted.

And after years of being in this industry, I've learned something,
Experience isn't about having seen everything.
It's about knowing what to do when something unexpected happens.

Because in real estate, something unexpected always happens.

A lender changes something.
An inspection uncovers a problem.
A buyer gets nervous.
A seller changes their mind.
A deal that looked completely fine suddenly isn't.

That's when experience matters.

Not because you have every answer.
But because you know how to find the answer.
You know who to call.
You know what questions to ask.

And, maybe most importantly, you know how to stay calm when everyone else is panicking.

That's the kind of realtor I try to be for my clients.

And honestly, I'm pretty grateful that a simple conversation more than 24 years ago led me here.

I didn't know where that little “Okay. Maybe.” was going to take me.

Turns out, it took me exactly where I was supposed to be.

So if you're thinking about buying or selling and you're somewhere between “Maybe” and “Let's do this,” I'm always happy to help you figure out what comes next.

Michelle Kemerer
Realtor at Compass
Lock and Key Home Team
M:443.324.5916
O:410.220.5745

08/14/2026

If you're a new realtor and business is slow, don't panic.
I've been in real estate for almost 24 years, and I still have to remind myself of this.

When things get quiet, the first instinct is usually to think:

I need a new strategy.
Maybe I need better content.
Maybe I need more leads.
Maybe I'm doing something wrong.

Sometimes you don't need any of that.

You need to go back to the basics.

I know, the basics aren't exactly exciting.

They mean making the phone calls.
Following up.
Reaching out to people you know.
Starting conversations.
Following up again.

And doing it tomorrow.
And the next day.
And the next.

Nobody likes the part where you feel like you're bothering people.

I certainly don't.

You pick up the phone and think:

“What if they don't want to hear from me?”
“What if they say no?”
“What if they think I'm being annoying?”

Then somebody rejects you...

And suddenly, you don't feel like making the next call.

I get it.

I've been doing this for almost 24 years, and rejection still isn't fun.

But here's what I know:

The more real conversations you have, the more opportunities you create.

You can't build a real estate business if nobody knows you're in real estate.

And you can't get consistent business if you only prospect when you feel confident.

The truth is, you don't need to feel ready.

You need to be consistent.

So start with one step.

Make that call.
Follow up with that lead.
Start talking to people.

And eventually...

things start happening again.

And if you're a newer agent trying to figure out how to build a business that actually lasts, find a trusted mentor to guide you along the way.

And if you want, I'd love to share the nuggets of wisdom I've learned from more than two decades in this business.

I'm happy to share what I've learned along the way.

Send me a DM. My inbox is open for you.

Michelle Kemerer
Realtor at Compass
Lock and Key Home Team
M:443.324.5916
O:410.220.5745

08/11/2026

I wish someone had told me this before I bought my first house

Because when we bought our first home in 8287 Raindrop Way, VA, we were house poor.

Every month felt like this:

Mortgage comes out.
We're broke.
Wait for the next paycheck.
Pay some bills.
Buy some food.
Mortgage comes around again.
Broke.
Repeat.

I remember thinking:
There has to be a better way to do this.

Then someone asked me:
“𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆?”

At first, I didn't get it.

Why would splitting the payment in half make such a difference?

But then they explained it to me.

With a lender-approved biweekly plan, you make half of your monthly payment every two weeks.

Because there are 52 weeks in a year, that's 26 half-payments, the equivalent of 13 monthly payments instead of 12.

That extra payment can help reduce your principal, potentially shortening the life of your loan and reducing the interest you pay over time.

But there was another benefit I noticed immediately:
It didn't feel like one giant mortgage payment coming out of my account all at once.

Half.

Then half again.

It felt much easier to manage.

But here's the important part:
Don't just start sending half your mortgage payment every two weeks without checking first.

Ask your lender or mortgage servicer whether a biweekly plan is available, whether there are fees, and how those payments are applied to your loan.

You may also be able to accomplish a similar payoff goal by making an additional principal payment each year, depending on your loan terms.

Because buying a house isn't just about getting the keys.

It's about understanding what happens after you get them.
There are so many little things I wish someone had explained to me when I bought my first home.

Now, after 24+ years in real estate, I get to pass those lessons on to my buyers.

So if you're getting ready to buy your first home, don't be afraid to ask questions, even the ones you think you should already know.

That's what your Realtor is there for.
And if you're ready to take that next step, you know who to call 😉
Michelle Kemerer
Realtor at Compass
Lock and Key Home Team
M:443.324.5916
O:410.220.5745

08/07/2026

A HUGE thank you to everyone who helped make our Dog Days of Summer such an incredible success! 🐾☀️

From our amazing volunteers, sponsors, vendors, and supporters to every single family who came out to celebrate—and of course, our wonderful furry friends—THANK YOU! Seeing so many wagging tails, smiling faces, and happy memories being made reminded us exactly why we do this.

Your energy, kindness, and support made the day truly unforgettable and made every moment of planning and hard work so worth it. We couldn't have done it without each and every one of you!

08/04/2026

5 Tips to Help You Decide if an Investment Is Actually Worth It

Not every investment is the right investment.

The key is knowing how to separate a good opportunity from a costly mistake.

Here are five questions to ask before committing your hard-earned money:

1. Does It Generate Cash Flow?
A strong investment should ideally produce income while you own it, not just rely on future appreciation. Positive cash flow can help cover expenses, provide steady returns, and strengthen your overall financial position.

2. Does the Financing Make Sense?
Look beyond the purchase price. Review the loan terms, interest rate, monthly payments, and ongoing costs. An investment should remain financially viable even if market conditions change.

3. Who's Behind the Investment?
The people behind an investment matter. Whether it's a developer, business owner, or investment partner, choose professionals with a solid track record, transparency, and credibility.

4. What Are the Long-Term Benefits?
Think beyond today's price. Consider factors like appreciation, equity growth, tax advantages, and how the investment supports your long-term financial goals.

5. Are You Making an Informed Decision?
Understand the risks, know your numbers, and avoid making decisions based on hype or fear of missing out. The more informed you are, the more confident your investment decisions will be.

Bottom line: The best investment isn't the most popular one, it's the one that aligns with your financial goals and helps build the future you want.

Thinking about investing in real estate?
I'd be happy to help you explore your options and determine what makes the most sense for your goals.

Michelle Kemerer
Realtor at Compass
Lock and Key Home Team
M:443.324.5916
O:410.220.5745

07/31/2026

A friendly reminder from your favorite realtor 😉

Just because your mortgage is 30 years doesn't mean it has to take 30 years to own your home.

Every extra dollar you put toward your loan principal today is a dollar that isn't accruing interest for years to come.

Before spending on something you don't truly need, ask yourself:

“Would I rather own this... or own more of my home?"

A few simple habits can make a meaningful difference:

✅ Round up your monthly payment.
If your payment is $1,842, pay $1,900. Even small extra amounts can reduce the principal over time.

✅ Make one extra payment each year.
Use your tax refund, bonus, or 13th-month pay to make an additional principal payment. Be sure your lender applies it to the principal.

✅ Pay biweekly instead of monthly (if your lender allows it).
Making half your monthly payment every two weeks results in 26 half-payments a year—the equivalent of one extra monthly payment annually.

✅ Reduce high-interest debt first.
Credit cards charging 20%+ interest often cost you more than your mortgage. Eliminating them can free up cash to put toward your home loan.

✅ Review your refinancing options.
If interest rates and your financial situation make sense, refinancing to a lower rate or a shorter loan term could reduce total interest. Always compare the overall costs and savings before deciding.

Owning a home isn't just about making the monthly payment.

It's about reaching the day when the home is fully yours.

The biggest mortgage "hack" isn't a secret product.

It's consistently reducing your loan principal faster than required.

Small, intentional decisions today can save you years of payments tomorrow.

If you’d like to have a conversation about anything real estate, my line is open:

Michelle Kemerer
Realtor at Compass
Lock and Key Home Team
M:443.324.5916
O:410.220.5745

Address

Ellicott City, MD
21043

Telephone

+14433245916

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