Member Feature: Pamela McLucas
This week, we’re featuring one of our long standing members in the Central West End, Pamela McLucas. Pamela is the Founder of Inhabit Properties, LLC and is someone who has continued to inspire and change our community, both within and without.
Our community's strength is and has always been defined by the diversity and creativity of our members. It's what makes working at a coworking space so refreshing and motivating compared to working from home or a traditional corporate office. Meeting entrepreneurs from all walks of life inspires us to learn new things and push ourselves outside of our comfort zone. So does seeing the impact they are making in St. Louis, a city that needs all the motivated and driven people it can get.
A word from one of Pamela’s biggest fan, TechArtista’s Founder, Christopher Holt on this amazing person.
“Pamela is one of TechArtista’s members who has consistently raised the bar in our community. Pamela is an agent of change, and someone always fighting the good fight. She is one of the most driven, positive people I have ever met, and someone who inspires me to grow and challenge myself constantly”
Now check out the Q&A below to see how Pamela’s describes the work she does, how she got here, and what she’s focused on now during Covid.
Q: How would you describe the work you do to a complete stranger with a significantly low attention span?
A: Whether they’re looking to buy, sell, or lease Inhabit Properties, LLC works with all kinds of individuals to assist them with their real estate needs from concept to reality. Inhabit Properties, also works in the community to support underserved individuals in the real estate market.
I took on the challenge of city real estate because there is a lack of programs and education available for those in need and to address the issues of black flight and white flight from neighborhoods. I hope to be a conduit for community building and to provide the best possible service and education about important real estate documents and decisions to those in our community, to grow black homeownership and wealth that can be passed onto the next generation.
Q: What inspired you to start doing the work that you do?
A: My mother inspired me, and I didn’t even realize it as a young child. She was a single mother and worked for the city of St. Louis in the Relocation Department. I didn’t realize she made such an impact in my life when i was younger, but now I see that her work influenced mine. She worked with families facing eminent domain and helped them find other city homes.
I have always had a love for the land, and as I got older realized how much of an impact her work had. I went to school for real estate and married in 1998. I told my husband that I wanted our children to have a house with a backyard. Rather than hiring someone, I represented our family in the closing and got the deal done before even being licensed—it was a pivotal moment for myself and my family.
Q: How long have you been a member of TechArtista, and what do you love and/or hate about it?
A: I became a member in 2017, during a very transitional time in my life. TA is one of those bonuses that you find in life, and it helped stabilize me. My mother died in 2015 and left me the family home. One day, my dog tugged me in the direction of TA, and I saw the sign. The woman that worked the front desk invited me in, and I felt the wow factor: coffee, memberships, and more! After 4 visits, I joined the TA community and have been there ever since. TA is like home to me — it’s the first time I could work, and my kids could come too. We have cooked, done laundry, and everything in between at TA; I love the freedom and liberty that the space provides for my family and me.
TechArtista has believed in my mission and supported me since day one by helping me make connections for my business. For example, Christopher introduced me to Kevin Bryant, who is a developer working in the neighborhoods that I focus on, and that introduction has led to a long-standing working relationship, which has continued to connect me to more and more people to help move my mission forward.
Q: How has the current pandemic affected you and your business – positively or negatively?
A: Real estate has never stopped, and I am considered an essential employee. The business has been steady, and I have an agent that is still selling. Beyond the “normal” real estate side, the pandemic is creating an impending crisis around a large loss of black homeownership especially in areas that are continually underserved. I am involved in the Vacancy Collaborative and this issue is one that I am personally very passionate about.
We are working with a number of partners including Not For Profits that I am involved in, to set up private funding for forgivable loans, grants and other means to help homeowners and renters make it through this uncertain time. We hope this can help many come out the other side of this.
While many people are focusing on issues around Black Homeownership, due specifically to the pandemic, these issues have been long standing and ongoing in our community. Working on these issues prior to now is why we’re in a position to help now when it is needed most.
This work is what I was put here to do and I’m here to help.
We would like to thank Pamela for taking time out of her busy schedule to share her story with us!
TechArtista is so proud of all of our members who work tirelessly to facilitate growth and positive change in our community, and we would love to hear your story!
Reach out to Pamela directly if you’d like to learn more about what she does, or just get connected.
Pamela McLucas
pamelam@inhabitstlproperties.com