Real Producers Cherokee County July 2026 Edition
Check out the July 2026 Edition of Real Producers Cherokee County featuring Mike Stott
Meet Mike Stott, He’s Been In Real Estate Since 1980!
When he moved to Atlanta, he started from scratch. Why did he move? “We had five children, and we were not going to find jobs to stay in Hawaii,” he quietly shares. Now six of his eight grandchildren live within 30 minutes of him. Mission accomplished.
“I still miss the ocean, the food, and a few people I grew up with who still live there,” he comments about leaving Hawaii. His childhood was filled with sailing, scuba diving, snorkeling, and boogie boarding. He even played basketball in high school with Barack Obama at Punahou.
Mike is rooted in real estate. “Real estate has been my whole life,” he smiles. Even decades later, he remains energized and excited about helping his clients buy and sell homes. “You have to keep learning,” he points out. “You can’t rest on your laurels.” When he started, he didn’t have access to MLS, a pager, or a cell phone. Everything was slower, more personal. “People had index cards,” he shares. Think Rolodexes filled with scribbled notes.
Despite everything that has changed over the years, Mike will tell you the secret hasn’t. “Consistency,” he reveals. “You just show up every day.” He sees no substitute for hard work and building genuine relationships. He calls people when he says he will; checks in years after a sale; and remembers clients’ names, what’s going on in their lives, and what matters to them. He holds on to the details that make a difference. He cares long after the deal is done. “Our job isn’t to get people to buy or sell,” Mike says. “It’s to help them make good decisions.” Sometimes, that help means telling someone not to sell. Or not to buy. People don’t forget that kind of honesty.
Real estate hasn’t been easy, however. Mike will never forget the year when everything fell apart, but it made him the man of character and courage that he is today. Refusing to Quit
In 2009, life unraveled for Mike. An investment he and his wife, Donna, trusted in collapsed. More than a million dollars was gone. At the same time, properties they owned were dropping in value, and loans were due. “We had to move into a rental for the first time,” Mike notes. That moment could have broken a lot of people. For Mike, it clarified everything. “We looked at each other and said, ‘What do we need to do to fix this?’” he recalls. No blame. Just a decision to move forward. “I knew I was with the right person,” he adds. “It was ride or die.” He and Donna, both in the real estate business for over four decades and married for 34 years, rebuilt everything together. And if anything, that season made them stronger.
Over time, Mike continued to rise in the industry, serving as a GAR State Director since 2023 and earning REALTOR® Emeritus status. He regularly attends GAR and NAR conferences, contributes to RPAC at major investor levels, and has earned an extensive list of designations, including CRS, ABR, CCIM, GRI, SRS, SRES, AHWD, and C2EX. He was a national trainer for the ERA franchise and the Mike Ferry Organization and was a Certified Professional Coach to hundreds of agents for over 15 years.
Accolades are nice, but Mike’s purpose is people, not properties. He has sold thousands of homes, but ask him what matters most, and he’ll talk about something simpler. He’ll discuss conversations, being available when someone isn’t sure what to do next, and helping people think through decisions that will impact their lives in a real way. “You can’t take it personally,” he says. “Sometimes you do everything right, and they still go a different direction.” And he’s OK with that.
What’s Next? At 63, Mike has no plans to slow down. “I still enjoy what I do,” he stresses. “I still have the energy.” Outside of work, he’s found new ways to stay active, especially after battling melanoma multiple times and dealing with the physical challenges that came with it. “I swim now,” he says. In 2025 alone, he logged more than 365 miles in the water. He and Donna also make time for travel, whether visiting family or tackling new adventures. Amid the ever-evolving landscape of AI, Mike remains grounded in what he knows will never change. “I have no fear of AI replacing us,” he says. “Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest moments in someone’s life. People need to work with someone they know, like, and trust.” That truth has guided him for more than 40 years and is how he still shows up.
He still does the work. He still picks up the phone. He still cares. And that, more than anything, is why Mike Stott was named the Cherokee Association’s 2025 REALTOR® of the Year.
