Online Auction home in Smithville, MO

Michelle Elder

Real Estate Agent

My background is in landscape of over 25 years.  My husband and I had a company where we built retaining walls, patios and specialized in the construction and maintenance of water features.  This business spawned my love for the public and the enjoyment we can bring to our customers.  Always having a passion for self employment, I opened my first retail store within the landscape company. I operated that store for a few years while we raised our two sons, sold our first home and built our second home on acreage. I have always collected vintage items such as pyrex, vintage quilts and had a great following selling those items along with the craft items i made.  I purchased an existing business that sold vintage and antique items downtown Smithville and that gave me the freedom to expand on my art, craft business and the love I have for marketing. This retail business also was the start to conducting estate sales, property clean outs and helping families liquidate items from a property. 

Real Estate was something I had wanted to do for many years but just could not fit it in my busy schedule.  When our youngest son was finishing up his time in Springfield, Mo at Missouri State University it was time for me to figure out my future.  I had acquired a life changing back injury and that took me out of landscaping, heavy lifting and I needed a change.  Always thinking about the connections of selling vintage items, estate/garage sales, it dawned on me that my service to the public could be a lot more, so I started interviewing Real Estate Companies.  It took a while but my fit found me when I meet a now office partner with in United Country.  He found an ad I had for a vintage cabinet for sale and that lead our conversations to me speaking with his broker, mine now too Shawn Terrel. And the rest is history.  I took the classes and received my licenses for the state of Missouri.  United Country gave me the freedom to choose my clients from hunters looking for recreational properties to families in situations needing for liquidate the content of a property and auction off the property. I wanted the freedom to embrace my roots and rural living and United Country gives me the freedom to work with families that farm, have acreage, lake homes, river homes and I also get to work with Commercial clients to list their businesses for sale as well.  

I have learned that Real Estate can be a very broad term and learning will never stop.  It is more than listing a property in the MLS and putting a sign in the yard.  I have so many advantages I can utilize with in UC that other companies can not offer their clients.