Meet Meg Perry

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Meg Perry.

Hi Meg, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I moved to Nashville (from Oklahoma City) in 2004. I was a singer, so Belmont and Music City were the obvious choices. But I “quit” singing pretty quickly. “Quit” in quotations because I still sing constantly– mostly karaoke or kitchen performances to impress (AKA, annoy) my son, my significant other, my friends, passersby, you name it. Songs by Alanis Morissette, No Doubt, and Shania Twain are probably my best works. It is very important to mention this in My Story.

I’m sure many people can relate to the type of story that takes so many wacky turns, leading to incredibly unexpected events. Like going from “I will be a famous singer.” to “I think I’ll be a Spanish teacher (for 15 years).” to “Maybe I should be a realtor?” I was a teacher for a very long time. 15 years. I taught Spanish at all levels in several Nashville schools and for a small business (more like a collective) that I started in 2016. It was called the Spanish Club.

I offered group classes and private lessons for adults and hosted events like wine+tapas nights and meet-ups at Latin-American-owned establishments on Nolensville Rd… it was incredible. Lasting friendships were created, and tons of fond memories were made, but it didn’t occur to me at the time that I was getting a crazy amount of experience with skills that would serve me well as a realtor. That’s because in no part of my head or heart did I imagine I would ever be a realtor.

A myriad of reasons led me to transition out of teaching. The students were NOT a reason. My students were my greatest joy (other than my son, of course). Teaching a language and stirring up a love for it in others was… everything. I think I was mainly just curious to find out if I could do something else really well. If I hadn’t stepped away from my teaching career when I did, I maybe would never have.

And then I wouldn’t have known for sure that there was something out there that would be just as fulfilling in so many ways while also affording me the freedom to spend my days all over town, with every type of person, learning skills that make me feel like I could do almost anything. A few years ago, if you had asked me, “Do you think you could be brave enough to take charge in a situation involving negotiation, banks, structural concerns, electrical issues, and emotions tied to large sums of money?” I would have said… “LOL. No.”

Sean Shariati (my longtime friend and now professional mentor/teammate, Principal Broker, and C.O.O of Reliant Realty) had a different opinion of me than I had of myself. When I was racking my brain last year trying to decide on a totally new career, he sat me down and told me he thought I should become a realtor. He said something along the lines of “You’ve got what it takes. And I would know.” For some reason, I just really believed him when he said that. And I’m so glad I did.

I wasn’t married to the idea of this career even after I got my real estate license. I remember thinking to myself, “If I can’t find a way to be creative and be myself, I know I won’t be happy, but it’ll be fine… I’ll just try something else if I have to.” But here we are nearly one year later, and I am… there’s literally no other way to put this… living my best life! I can’t believe I might be saying that and letting it live forever in a publication. So dorky. It’s fine. Dorky is fine with me. I wish you could see me shaking my head at myself right now though.

ANYWAY– I very quickly found my niche(s) in real estate. I’m nauseatingly obsessed with mid-century and historic homes. I feel like I might throw up or cry when I come across a hidden gem. A time capsule. A well-maintained and well-loved house that still has its soul. When you can really FEEL the era when you walk in, that’s what it does for me.

I also feel like now that I have some of the credentials to do so, it’s my responsibility to save these houses from getting torn down or gutted and potentially wiped off all history or… personality. Historic preservation is so important. But not every old home with history is protected. I’m always on the lookout for these, and I’m just trying to save one here and there as often as possible.

One of the best feelings of my whole experience thus far, as in… on earth, in my life (dramatic but true), is when I get to match someone I know and love with one of the gems I come across. There’s nothing like it. I could smile myself to death over it. I’ve really honed this match-making skill, I think! Even the clients I’ve had who came to me as “strangers”– first of all, I like to think I’ve never met a stranger, but second of all, I see you. I get you. I’ve got you. Let’s go! I wonder if I’ll ever get tired of meeting new people and house-hunting. I hope not.

Things have gone shockingly well so far. I really am having the time of my life. It feels weird saying that. I think there’s sometimes a bit of guilt associated with things going well. To give things a little more balance, I’ll say it’s not lost on me that there are highs, lows, ups, and downs. I’ve had plenty of all four.

I’m grateful that right now, I feel good about life and work, which is largely due to everyone in my community who believed I could do this new thing well and started spreading that opinion around town. It’s so comforting when people support you like that.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megperryrealtor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=34100688
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megperryinfo/
• Other: https://poplme.co/megperry

Image Credits
Rachel Growden (https://rachelgrowden.com/)