The Lady of the Lake
By Woodie Stephenson
There was something special about Keller Williams’ mega-agent Katherine Maher when she was a little girl. Although it would take her some time to build up the courage and perfect her skills to confront her destiny in sales, it was there from the beginning.
“When I was a little girl,” Katherine shares, “I worked hard to be the #1 girl scout in cookie sales. I would sell all my cookies, and then, I would help my friends sell theirs.”
The eager little girl knew she had a knack for sales, but she had no idea that one day she would grow up to be the #1 individual Realtor in all of Conroe and move lakefront property like boxes of cookies.
After a decade and a half of real estate service in the Conroe/Lake Conroe market, Katherine has built a strong business by offering her clients a level of unparalleled service and dedication. Her great passion for her priorities—her faith in the Lord, family, people, and real estate—have paid off in more ways than one for the charismatic Realtor®.
“Helping people in need is how I feel I can best express my faith and dedication to God,” Katherine says.
Katherine’s fervor for helping those around her—whether her friends, fellow agents or clients—has demonstrated why she is a staple in her marketplace and a true ambassador to those wishing to live in or keep weekend homes on the beautiful landscape of Lake Conroe. She truly lives up to her namesake and calling card as the “Lady of the Lake”.
The oldest sibling of six, Katherine grew up along with her 3 younger brothers and two sisters near Disneyland in sunny Anaheim, California. The daughter of a hard-working father and homemaker mother, Katherine was an avid student and hard worker who held her first job at the age of 15. This hard-working young lady, however, had no choice but to grow up earlier than expected when her father unexpectedly passed away while she was 16 years old.
“My mother had to start working multiple jobs to support us, and since I was the oldest, it was my responsibility to help her,” Katherine shares. “My mother was a great role model and taught us all to be responsible and use our common sense.”
Besides being a high school student, Katherine found herself pitching in around the house when it came to helping her mom with caring for her younger siblings. She would routinely help her brothers and sisters with their homework and help her mother keep up with the cooking and laundry duties.
In addition to the demands of being a student and homemaker, a young Katherine worked in the credit department for a national department store chain. Trying to better herself and take to a skilled trade, Katherine attended junior college following her high school graduation where she studied cosmetology, health, and science.
Following her graduation from junior college, Katherine, who felt she was “too situated”, interviewed for a job with TWA working as a flight attendant. Twenty-one years old, and eager to travel the world, Katherine received the job working the friendly skies far away from home where she was based out of Chicago and Kansas City.
“Working as a flight attendant helped me learn to talk to people,” Katherine recalls, “I was always a little shy and soft-spoken growing up.”
She took quickly to her new job and truly came out of her shell over the course of the next several years. It was during this time that she won honors as second runner up as Miss International and met her future husband, Michael Maher, at a fellow flight attendant’s birthday party.
Katherine’s husband to be, a psychologist and Executive Director of the Beverly Hills Community Mental Health Center, wooed Katherine beyond belief. One of the couple’s first dates was a highly publicized fundraiser gala where Katherine wore an evening gown so stunning that she found herself on the front page of the Beverly Hills Post the following morning.
“It was such an amazing occasion,” Katherine says, “Michael and I had been on a few dates and he invited me to a major fundraising event. Since he had been organizing the event, I had to meet him at the Beverly-Wilshire Hotel and when I made my entrance on this beautiful grand archway, everyone stopped to stare and cameras started flashing. I remember just worrying that I had a piece of toilet paper stuck to my dress or something embarrassing.”
Following their marriage, Katherine and Michael purchased their first home in Manhattan Beach, California. It was there that their two children, Ryan and Monique were born. Katherine’s step-daughter, Autumn, from her husband’s first marriage, lived nearby and was always part of the family.
In 1989 Katherine and her family moved to New Orleans where her husband became a partner in a New Orleans stevedoring business located on the former Godchaux-Henderson Sugar Refinery site on the Mississippi River. Rather than commute from New Orleans to New York, Katherine retired from the airline to become a full-time homemaker.
Five years later their business was purchased by the Port of South Louisiana and Katherine and her husband moved to Lake Conroe where Michael began applying his education in psychology and marketing to open an advertising agency. Katherine, meanwhile, began running a homeowner’s association and handling building permits for a lakeside subdivision. Although she had often considered becoming a Realtor, Katherine held a certain level of apprehension about pursuing her license.
“I had always pondered working in real estate,” Katherine shares, “but I was worried I wasn’t smart enough because I had never been very good at math. Once I started studying, however, I realized I had nothing at all to worry about.”
Licensed as a Realtor after only a month of real estate school, Katherine quickly joined Keller Williams, an organization she has remained with for the entirety of her 15-year career.
“I have always felt that I shared the common philosophies of Keller Williams,” Katherine says, “I possess the same caring heart and give-back nature of this company.”
Over her 15-year tenure working in the Conroe area, Katherine has created a strong business through her consistent service and hard work. Named the top listing agent in her market for seven years straight, Katherine has shown year after year that she is able to be a multi-million dollar producer while continuing to build client relationships and garner accolades for her outstanding service. In August, 2006, Katherine was listed the number one agent for closed units among 85,000 Keller Williams agents in the USA and Canada.
“When it comes to buying or selling real estate, I feel that dealing with someone who thoroughly enjoys working with people can make a real difference,” Katherine says, “I’ve always strived to be a genuine ‘people person’. I make it my mission to exude a rare enthusiasm for my work and consistently deliver results that exceed my clients’ expectations. For this reason, the referrals of satisfied customers have become the cornerstone of my business.”
Katherine admits she has an extreme passion for what she does and often works seven days a week. As a result of her hard work, Katherine has made quite a name for herself practicing real estate in the Conroe/Lake Conroe market. The name she has made for herself, and the one most people easily recognize, is the “Lady of the Lake”.
Katherine’s tagline, a handle her marketing guru husband helped her to devise, has offered the mega-agent a unique marketing position that Conroe residents routinely recognize and associate with their real estate needs.
“No matter how funny it sounds being known as the ‘Lady of The Lake’, people remember me because of it and it has helped me to build my business,” Katherine says.
Katherine’s clients can attest to her dedication to developing relationships rather than just trying to turn and burn their business for a quick commission.
Clients Bob and Deb Turner, who were only recently relocated to the Houston area, value Katherine’s expertise, hospitality, and friendship.
“My wife and I have been involved with a corporate relocation from the Midwest to the Houston area,” says Bob, “We’ve had the genuine pleasure of working with Katherine Maher. She is a true real estate professional with many years of experience. Her high energy, consistent and timely follow-ups, and pleasant personality have made working with her a truly positive experience during what could have otherwise been a stressful period. The best part of working with Katherine is that outside the professional work at hand, our relationship has developed into a valued personal friendship. We would be pleased to recommend her to any of our friends without reservation.”
Clients Matt and Angela Vickery have remained friends of Katherine since she sold them their Lake Conroe home some years ago.
“Matt and I have known Katherine’s family for over 14 years, and we think the world of her,” shared the Vickerys, “We have dealt with Katherine on both a personal level as well as professional. She is the ‘go to’ girl for real estate on Lake Conroe and the surrounding areas. In our real estate dealings she has always been forthcoming and completely honest. She helped us find our piece of Lake Conroe three years ago and we couldn't be happier.”
“My husband and I met Katherine and Michael Maher during a weekend visit with mutual friends in Walden on Lake Conroe,” share neighbors and friends Shirley and Harvey Willis, “Our friend mentioned to Katherine that we had been thinking of buying a second home on the lake. While spending the afternoon boating, we told Katherine what we were looking to buy. We had spent some time the previous summer looking at property in the area unsuccessfully but Walden was where we wanted to own property.
After listening carefully, she made a couple of suggestions on possible properties that she felt might be of interest to us. Returning from our boating, we immediately went to look at property and found what we wanted on our third stop. We made an offer the same day that we met Katherine, and after some negotiation and fine tuning from Katherine, we bought our lake home. The real bonus was that Katherine and Michael became our best friends and that we loved Walden and the people here so much that we sold our Houston home and made our lake home our retirement home.”
Katherine’s business associates value her professionalism, dedication, and friendship.
“Katherine is a professional in her field,” says Kathy Joslyn of the Blue Heron Bay Corporation, a Lake Conroe builder and developer for over 30 years, “She listens and fulfills the wants and needs of her clients. Katherine has helped make our projects successful with her sales ability and determination. I encourage anyone who is looking for personal attention and professionalism to not hesitate to contact Katherine Maher.”
Longtime friend and associate Dave Roedel of Exit 6 Star Realty appreciate the lengths Katherine has gone to professionally and personally to help those around her.
“Katherine is a true professional who has always cared about her clients,” Dave says, “I have known her and her husband for over 30 years and they have personally helped me when I first came to Houston. I have had the pleasure to serve as Katherine’s team leader at a former Keller Williams office, and she’s consistently present at every meeting, birthday party, and training session imaginable. She is the most active person I know in this business and she is completely serious when she tells her clients she is available 24/7.”
Although she has been known primarily for her individual achievements in real estate, Katherine recently decided to take a step forward in her career by constructing a real estate team. Though she has been known as #1 individual agent in Conroe for four years straight, Katherine felt it was time to expand her business. The “Lady of the Lake” Team now includes several valuable associates who are able to work together to strengthen Katherine’s already-solid customer service.
Recently joining Katherine’s team are her sister Shirley Abt and licensed agent Judy Shryock.
Shirley, who moved from Wisconsin to join Katherine’s team, is a quick learner to the business who Katherine values for her warm personality, work ethic, and people skills.
“Shirley is such a valuable addition to my team. She has a strong background in sales and it’s a dream to work with her,” Katherine says, “I remember when I first came into the business and for the first couple years I looked to the people who had been around and thought they knew everything. Shirley recently asked me if she would ever know as much as I do, and I answered her confidently, ‘Yes, you will’.”
Rounding out Katherine’s “Lady of The Lake Team” are longtime assistant Anne McClung, a Keller Williams veteran who has been with Katherine for 13 years and Dawn Dietz, who served as Katherine’s first sales assistant.
Katherine, the holder of a Luxury Home Specialist designation, prides herself in her ability to work in an area with so many luxury homes and high-dollar sales. With a track record as the top listing agent in her area, Katherine has worked extremely hard to impress her clients and assure them of the commitment she gives to maintaining and moving each property.
“I come extremely prepared when it comes to my listing appointments,” Katherine, a true believer in the power of first impressions, shares, “My team and I prepare complete and professional sales presentations for prospective clients. We share with them a wealth of information from our extensive database about the area and improving the value of their home. I am often told my listing presentation is a ‘Wow’.”
One person that Katherine has definitely “Wowed” is State Representative Brandon Creighton, who had this to say about Katherine: “In my professional dealings with Katherine Maher, I have known her to be highly competent, energetic and forthright. She exudes an undeniable passion for her profession.”
Katherine attributes her success in business to her immense faith in God.
“God is my centerpiece,” says Katherine, a member of several churches in the Conroe area, “I pray before I take on a new listing and wish for the best in my heart. God is absolutely at the center of my family and business.”
Katherine advises newcomers to the business to have faith in their abilities and to keep a positive attitude and friendly demeanor.
“I teach new agents in my listing class to have faith in their abilities from the start,” Katherine shares, “Although someone new to the business may have never sold a house before, everybody has sold something before in their life. I urge my fellow agents to believe in their abilities.”
Katherine reiterates that image and open-mindedness is essential to developing the relationships necessary to succeed in real estate.
“You have to like yourself to sell yourself,” Katherine says, “In order to make it in this business you have to be friendly and open. You have to talk to people, ask questions, and consistently keep an open line of communication with the folks around you. I tell agents, ‘Don’t walk around with blinders; be interested in other people, and let them know what it is you do’.”
When Katherine and her husband, Michael, are not immersed in their work, the couple enjoys traveling to Costa Rica, where they are principals in a tour and transportation company, VIP Costa Travel. They are also involved in the development and marketing of the new Beacon Escazu Hotel. Recently, they were able to bring 12 friends and family members, including Katherine’s grandson, Jordan, to see their exotic hideaway.
“Costa Rica has been such an amazing place to visit and explore,” Katherine shares, “We have explored the rainforest, the beautiful beaches, rode ATVs, and even taken up surfing.”
Katherine and Michael also enjoy riding their waverunners on Lake Conroe and dining out at good friend Debbie Evan’s restaurant, Debbie’s Prime Steakhouse and the Walden Caddy Shack. Their free time, however, is not all dedicated to relaxation; Katherine and Michael own 21 rental properties which they maintain and lease through their management company.
Katherine and Michael also dedicate their time and resources to several charitable organizations including the American Cancer Society, the Society for Muscular Dystrophy, KW Cares, Montgomery County Food Bank, the Salvation Army, and
many others.
Exciting new developments await Katherine and her team in the days ahead. Classified as a mega agent, Katherine has earned the privilege of operating her team out of her own Keller Williams office. Construction for Katherine’s new office began in 2008, and her team’s new home will have a unique feature—it is located right on Lake Conroe with an adjoining boat dock.
“I will be the first agent with the ability to show and sell real estate by boat,” Katherine says; however, there will be a small catch—buyers must be pre-qualified before Katherine and her team strap-on their life preservers. “No free rides on the lake,” she jokes.
Katherine also plans to welcome two of her brothers to the Conroe area as business partners. Her brothers, Tom and Ron Thebeau, experienced builders and contractors in the new home construction business, plan to relocate soon to the Conroe area where they can work along with their two sisters to build and market new homes on the lake.
Katherine’s mother, Jeanne Lee, moved to Lake Conroe from Carson City two years ago to be near her daughters, and the girls couldn’t be more excited.
“Mom has always been our inspiration and now most of our family will be living on the lake,” Katherine excitedly exclaims.
The “Lady of the Lake”, Katherine Maher, has found great success in business and life, but her mission has always been to develop friendships rather than receive commission. She attributes her success in real estate and life to her caring heart, faith in God, dedication, and passion.
“I have always been dedicated to this job,” Katherine says, “As a Realtor I have an immense responsibility to my clients, but, most of all, I just love to work with people. My phone rings on an average of 18 times an hour, and it’s hard for me to say no to a client. There is no greater satisfaction for me than helping people. For me, helping others is my greatest passion and it has never been about the money.”
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Left to Right: Jeff Jansen, Stephanie Robinson, Steve Levine, and Top Realtor Priscilla Ennis, RE/MAX Space Center
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