MOUNT VERNON — There is no mistaking Rebekah Mullins’ passion for real estate in Knox County. Her zest for old buildings and perfect homes can be heard in her words and seen in her renovated Howard Hanna Realcom Realty, LLC satellite office in Mount Vernon.
“It’s my life. My real estate is part of my everyday,” Mullins said. “I’m very passionate about real estate. I love houses — the older, the better. They are probably some of my favorites. I really do have an eye for making things new again.”
Her office on East Gambier Street sets the stage for what a potential client can expect. Purchased by the Mullins family in the early 2000s, Rebekah and her husband, Dan, restored the building, brought back the old brick, and rebuilt parts of it.
“(We) really made it an asset to East Gambier Street,” Mullins said. “It was kind of getting to be a yucky eyesore at the time. Renovating old homes is kind of expensive, but I really do enjoy bringing old things back to life.”
Mullins’ path to real estate began in 2001, shortly after she had her oldest son. She started investing in properties, began flipping houses then obtained her realtor license in 2005. In the summer of 2017, Mullins got the opportunity to work with Howard Hanna out of the Sunbury office. Not long after that, Mullins jumped on the opportunity to run a Howard Hannah Realcom satellite office in Mount Vernon.
“It was really the perfect opportunity for me to utilize my talents and my knowledge of our community and my real estate background and expand on the real estate side here in our community because I know it so well,” Mullins said.
“I bring a long history of knowledge of real estate buying and selling. I’ve bought — I don’t even know how many — dozens and dozens of homes, fixed them up, sold them,” she added. “I not only can walk a person through the process, I’ve lived the process myself with all my own transactions of our businesses.”
Mullins may be working out of the Mount Vernon satellite office, but she will also be able to provide service in the Columbus market and with the Columbus Board of Realtors.
“While I am a satellite office here (in Mount Vernon), behind me I have a whole team of agents,” Mullins explained. “I have all of my central Ohio team behind me. I have a full-time admin that works with me. You get the big service, if you will, of a big company, but you get the small town personality of Howard Hanna right here in my office.”
One of the things that drew Mullins to the Howard Hanna company was their dedication to technology and providing resources to their realtors. “They’re always looking for the best possible methods of exposing your property to buyers in the market,” Mullins said.
She also enjoyed Howard Hanna’s use of “Twilight Tours” open houses as a way to help busy families explore new homes during the evening hours. “Families tend to be super busy on the weekends,” Mullins explained. “They do these Twilight Tours from 5 to 7 on a weeknight where people can stop by after work if they’re house hunting.”
While Mullins will be taking advantage of those resources, she also has her own assets and experiences to aid in providing for her clients. Mullins noted she was very well-versed when it comes to investment properties such as rentals. She manages 70 units herself. Those rentals also led her to working with the Knox Metropolitan Housing Authority, another benefit she believes she brings to the table.
“I’m very well-versed with the processes of our Knox County metro offices, the housing, and their rules, and regulations,” Mullins said. “I have a pretty good working relationship with that office since I’ve done so much with them over the years.”
She has gained experience with the C.H.I.P. (Community Housing Improvement Program) grants as well, having been a grant recipient through the county three times.
Mullins’ husband, Dan, will be part of the team Mullins is putting together in Mount Vernon. Dan, who also has his real estate license, brings a strong banking experience to the table. “He has developed a lot of working relationships with other bankers in our community and can really help buyers with first-hand knowledge — and sellers, too — to make sure they are getting the right product to meet their needs,” Mullins said.
Mullins’ Howard Hanna Realcom satellite office is located at 110 E. Gambier St. Suite 2, Mount Vernon. Her office hours will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. She can be reached at 740-507-1711 or at rebekahmullins.howardhanna.com.
