More Than a Home: Mariah Hamm’s Mission to Support LGBTQ+ Buyers & Sellers

Source: LinkedIn

Real estate is about more than just buying and selling homes—it’s about creating a sense of belonging. For Mariah Hamm, broker and founder of Hamm Real Estate Co., that means ensuring LGBTQ+ homebuyers and sellers feel seen, respected, and supported throughout the process.

As the owner of one of the only queer-owned brokerages in Minnesota, Mariah has built her business around inclusivity and advocacy. Based in St. Paul, she strives to make every real estate journey a comfortable and affirming experience for her clients.

In this article, we’ll feature Maraiah’s story and uncover how she helps the LGBTQ+ community feel at home during their real estate journey.

About Mariah

Mariah, originally from Western Wisconsin, lives in a 1920s bungalow in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul with her wife, son, and two cats.

She uses she/they pronouns and encourages people to use them interchangeably.

She loves thrifting, design, the outdoors, and the Midwest. Mariah is also passionate about old homes and preserving their original features. In fact, she is one of only seven Realtors in the Twin Cities who is Old Home Certified. 

Mariah says she’s not your typical run-of-the-mill real estate agent. Instead, she’s there to be a resource, advocate, and guide for her clients going through a real estate journey, whether they’re buying or selling a home.

Mariah’s Background in Real Estate

Mariah became a licensed real estate agent in 2019 and has been a full-time Realtor serving clients in Minneapolis and the Greater Twin Cities region ever since.

Source: Facebook

Mariah wants her clients to feel comfortable and have a genuine connection with their real estate agent. This is why she has an established group of vendors and teams to refer her clients to. 

Mariah’s journey into real estate started when she was working at a local gym, where she was responsible for marketing, social media, and design. But she knew she wanted more—to own her own business. “I’ve always been a creative and have really thrived with problem-solving,” she says. 

At the gym where she was working, many of their clients were realtors. One of them suggested to Mariah that she become a real estate agent. At the time, she felt like this wasn’t the right move for her and instead wanted to start flipping houses and owning a few rental properties.

After thinking about it more, Mariah realized that getting her license and gaining some real estate expertise was worth it. She knew this was a good starting point. “I’ve always had a love for houses, design, and people.”

“Especially as a queer person, I thought it would be really cool if I could work with someone who was queer and that understood me and my wife,” she explains. 

But there was one problem: this service didn’t exist. “I just didn’t see that,” she says. “Minneapolis and St Paul are pretty progressive, but I still wasn’t finding what I was looking for.” 

What Inspired Her Leap into Entrepreneurship?

After working for three different boutique brokerages, which molded her experience and career, Mariah started Hamm Real Estate Co. She realized that she could do things differently if she had her own brokerage, and she would have more control over everything.

Additionally, when wanting to purchase a home herself, she realized that there was an opportunity that was being missed. There wasn’t anyone catering to queer individuals who would provide a comfortable and inclusive space for clients. 

The turning point for her came when she looked around, realized there was nowhere she wanted to go, and understood that starting her own venture was the answer.

Source: Mariah Hamm

She decided that earning her broker’s license wouldn’t be a bad idea. She also realized that being able to earn and keep all her commission would allow her to invest in programs and software that actually work rather than using what the brokerage she would work for provided.

What are her plans for the future of Hamm Real Estate Co? “I’m not looking to run a huge brokerage, but I do want to add on a couple of agents,” she says. “That’ll be interesting.”

She wants to build a brokerage where people get to keep their commissions and where they want to stay. 

Mariah loves running her new brokerage.

“I get to combine a lot of my passions. I get to be outwardly queer and run with that."

Her vision is to create a space for people that is comfortable, which she says has been the foundation of her business. 

Her Unique Approach to Real Estate

Mariah has a unique, three-pronged approach to real estate that she believes has been key to her success:

Education-based services

Mariah doesn’t believe in being salesy or disingenuous. Instead, she provides her clients with the information they need to make the most informed decisions about buying or selling properties.

“It’s all about educating people on what you’re going to get when you buy an old home," she says.

Thorough communication and expectation-setting

She values open, honest, and thoughtful communication with her clients. Mariah also strives to set clear expectations throughout the entire buying or selling journey so that no one is left in the dark.

Respect in all forms

Mariah says that respect is the cornerstone of her business. She makes a continuous commitment to respecting her clients and their boundaries. She expects her clients to do the same for her.

She says she has since worked hard to develop a team of providers who won’t talk down to her clients and will treat them with respect.

Specializing in Old Homes

Mariah specializes in helping her clients buy and sell old homes, something she is deeply passionate about. When she started her brokerage, Mariah knew this would be her focus.

“I like this; I’m going to lean into it; I’m going to learn more about it."

“I’ve always had an interest in thrifting and old things. I’ve always had that attachment to refurbishing items. Most of the things we own are second-hand,” she mentions.

“We live in a very historic area,” she explains. “My clients are buying old homes at every price point. They’re not just these beautiful old houses. They’re really practical older homes, too.” 

We asked Mariah if there were any unique challenges she faced getting into the old home real estate market. She said it is hard work and requires understanding the balance between investing in an old home and heading toward financial ruin.

“It’s more work, for sure.” She explains that when she has a client who wants to buy a home in the suburbs from the 80’s or 90’s, it’s a relatively easy project.

“I will always support old homes. But also, I think the biggest thing is being realistic for people,” she says. This is especially true if the old home requires too much work and may potentially damage her client’s financial future.  

She says if she were only working in the suburbs, dealing with all split-level homes, she’d find her work quite monotonous. “They’re all kind of the same,” she explains. She says that it’s the charm, character, and quirks of old homes that keep her career in real estate exciting and fulfilling.

Supporting LGBTQ+ Clients in Real Estate

Mariah says that although she’s not experienced any discrimination towards her in her real estate career, she’s hyper-aware of how her clients are treated and protecting them. 

For example, she works with a lot of trans clients and people who have changed their names, which can lead to difficult conversations, Mariah explains. 

She says she’s had to have conversations with clients who have changed their names about whether they’re comfortable with having their dead names used in their offers or in communication with other real estate professionals. 

Mariah explains that a dead name is a slang term for someone’s past name or current legal name that they no longer use. “A lot of times people will have changed their name but not have done so legally because of funds or the effort that it takes, and then perhaps the trauma you go through with changing their name.” 

She says she’s had many clients whose legal name is one thing, but the actual name they use is something else. Mariah says she has to have a conversation with them about their offer or the letter they’re writing to a seller using their legal name or their new name. 

“Those conversations are tough, but we have to have them. But I’m happy that we have the space to have those conversations.”

It applies equally to people using varying pronouns, she says. Mariah explains that these situations are delicate and need careful handling.

She says it’s a fine balance between trying to normalize these things and being sensitive to educating others. “I want all of this to be normalized, especially in the world of real estate,” she explains.

She works closely with her clients to find out how much they want to disclose to potential buyers or sellers so that they feel comfortable and accurately represented. “There’s a lot of work that goes into that,” she explains. “But, I’m here to be that advocate. I’m here to be that middle person to make sure it’s a good experience.” 

Building the Right Team

Mariah says it’s important that your home inspectors, lenders, and title company also understand queer people and the nuances of working with them. “It’s [about] creating this unified front,” she says. 

She explains that she’s created a group of people who are either queer themselves or professionals who won’t talk down to her clients or treat them any differently. It’s about helping people in a non-judgmental way, she says. 

Mariah’s Most Rewarding Experiences

We asked Mariah about her most rewarding experiences so far. She told us that helping families relocate because their children are being bullied at school for being queer has really touched her heart. “Probably a third of my business is helping people move here. That is super rewarding.” 

She helped one family relocate when their son was being bullied at school, and he didn’t have the circle of friends he wanted. Wearing dresses to school resulted in terrible treatment for him. “It’s so hard to hear people’s stories,” she says. 

After finding a new home, thanks to Mariah, she asked the family’s children what they loved most about their new area, and they told her it was their new school district. The child who was being bullied so severely was now loved and accepted by a wide group of friends and could wear whatever he wanted to school.

She regularly has dinner with this family and says that was a truly heartwarming and profound experience for her. “I have the best clients,” she says. “I do feel very, very privileged to have worked with really good people who have even become good friends.” 

Her Advice for Other Real Estate Pros in the LGBTQ+ Community

Mariah’s advice for anyone looking to break into the real estate industry, especially anyone wanting to service the LGBTQ+ community, is to be true to yourself. “As long as you’re okay with where you’re at and who you are and really leaning into that.” 

She says this can be uncomfortable for a lot of people, and it’s “hard to put yourself out there as yourself. But at the end of the day, that’s what gets you the most rewards,” she says. “You’re working with people that resonate with you.” 

“Lean into yourself and what you are interested in."

She also says that knowing your niche from the beginning and doing things you feel good about is important. “I firmly believe that when you speak to everybody, you speak to nobody.” 

“Like the old house thing, I feel good about that. So I’m going to lean into it because then I’m going to give it more attention, and I’m going to learn more about these houses because I’m organically interested in them,” she explains. Following your gut is important, she says.

“Be yourself unapologetically. You’ll find people who like you."

What We’ve Learned from Mariah

Source: Mariah Hamm

You don’t have to find a niche for your real estate business, but working in an area you love can go a long way toward finding fulfillment in the work you do.

Mariah has carved out a highly specific niche, specializing in old homes and serving the LGBTQ+ community.

Her story is a reminder that real estate is about more than just transactions—it’s about people. By aligning your business with your passions and values, you can create a space that truly serves communities in ways no one else can.