Karla is the broker/owner of American Way Realty. She has been a full-time REALTOR since 1976. She started American Way Realty based on the concept of offering full service with only a 4% commission paid by the Sellers. She believes that homeowners deserve to keep more of their hard-earned equity and has proven this can be successfully accomplished with only 4% compensation.

Karla is a Graduate of the Real Estate Institute and has also achieved the designations of Certified Residential Specialist and Accredited Buyers Representative. Karla is active with the Board of Realtors and proudly has the distinction of being the first woman to be the President of the local Board of Realtors. She started her career with the Century 21 system where for 14 consecutive years she received the top producing award as a Centurian as well as being inducted in the International Hall of Fame. She has served on the local Realtors Board of Directors and various committees, chairing many of them. For the last several years, Karla has been the top producing real estate agent in the entire greater Mankato area.

A native of St. James , Minnesota , Karla has lived in Mankato since 1968 with the exception of two years that she lived in Okinawa, Japan. Karla graduated with cum laude honors from Mankato State University and taught elementary school prior to becoming a Realtor.

Karla is the proud parent of two children. Mike and Angie Van Eman both have obtained their real estate licenses and are always willing to help out with client and customer needs. In her free time, Karla enjoys traveling and biking the beautiful bike trails of southern Minnesota .

Mike Johnson brings over 25 years experience in sales and marketing to the highly successful team at American Way Realty; and has the knowledge, experience and proven skills to handle all of your selling and buying needs. Our dedication to you, our clients, is unsurpassed in the industry. We will work with you to exceed your expectations and fulfill your dreams of home ownership. If you are selling a property, our 4% fee for service will help you retain more of your hard-earned equity.

Mike is a Realtor®, Licensed Broker, ABR® (Accredited Buyer Representative), GRI® (Graduate Realtor® Institute) and welcomes the opportunity to serve your needs.

Mike has been a Mankato resident since 1984; is married to Lisa and together are extremely proud of their three children: Andrew, Gena and Jillian.

“I just love my job!!” is the response you’ll get from Bonnie Kruger when asked about her success in real estate.

She was born and raised in southern Minnesota and is a life long area resident.

Bonnie has been in the real estate business since 2004. Prior to becoming a REALTOR, she had several years experience in retail sales. According to her broker, Karla Van Eman, “Bonnie is too modest to admit that her first year in real estate she closed 100 transactions and has been going even stronger ever since! I am extremely proud to have her as a member of our team.”

Bonnie serves on the Realtors Association of Southern Minnesota committee for Toys for Tots Campaign working with the Marine Corp League. Bonnie is also a designated Graduate of the Real Estate Institute (GRI), she also has earned her Accredited Buyer Representative designation (ABR), and is currently working on her Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) certification.

Paula has been in the real estate business since 2003. She is a member of the Realtors Association of Southern Minnesota and has successfully completed her requirements to be an Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR). Paula is very dedicated to her clients and customers and serves them with sincere caring and commitment to their needs.

Paula was born and raised in Minnesota . She has lived in the Mankato area since 2003. Prior to real estate, she owned and operated the Tea Room and a gift and quilting shop for over seven years in St. James. She also graduated in 1973, as a licensed practical nurse.

She has been happily married for 33 years to husband, Doug. They have a son and daughter in law, Nathan and Robyn Smithson, who reside in Eagle Lake . They also have a daughter, Katy, who resides in St. Paul . Paula has a cute and friendly grand-dog, Jack, the large and friendly golden doodle.

Steve joined American Way Realty in 2007 after five consecutive years as the top producer with another Mankato real estate company. Steve brings ten years of real estate experience to American Way Realty. Steve is focused on professional representation of his clients and negotiating favorable financial terms to meet their needs.

Steve's goal is to make your next real estate transaction so successful that you'll want to recommend him to everyone you meet. Steve's innovative marketing strategies are designed to provide maximum exposure for your property when you sell. His home buying procedure is a step by step process designed to help buyers get the most for their money.

If you are about to buy or sell a home, contact Steve Buckholz. Be sure to also check out Steve’s web site and listen to a snappy real estate song performed by none other that Steve himself.

Steve has lived and worked in the Mankato area for most of his life. He is a 1975 graduate of Mankato West High School , a graduate of Cardinal Stritch University with a bachelors of science degree in management and South Central Technical College with a degree in electronics. Steve worked as a project manager for Cummins Engine Company at their Onan Power Electronics Plant for 13 years prior to resuming his real estate career in 2002. Steve is married to Wendy and they have two children; Nikki, who attends the University of Minnesota and Jack, who is a student at West High School . Wendy is a registered nurse for the state of Minnesota .

Nick joined American Way Realty in 2008. Born in St. James, MN, Nick has been around the construction and real estate industry his entire life. Nick's family owns Wilcon Construction, which has been building residential and commercial buildings throughout Southern MN since 1986. In 2004, Nick moved to Mankato and continued to work in the construction industry. In 2007, Nick got his real estate license and has been building and selling homes ever since. If you have questions about any facet of the real estate industry or would like to sell or buy a home, give Nick a call today.

Cheryl Krengel joined the American Way Realty team in 2004. She has been in the real estate industry since 1997, specializing in managing, leasing, and selling residential, commercial and multi-family developments. She has also been involved with leasing commercial spaces for restaurants, banks, office and retail. She enjoys all the different aspects of the real estate business, so be it a home to buy or sell, or finding an office space to rent, or perhaps purchasing a building of your own, Cheryl can help in all areas.

She has lived in the Mankato area all her life. She enjoys spending time with her three children and her family. She also enjoys staying active playing softball in the summer, and biking the trails of southern Minnesota . When you ready to make that next big decision of buying or selling, you may contact Cheryl Krengel at lagow@myclearwave.net or the office at 507-345-4040

Jeff has been a licensed Realtor since 2004. Besides being very knowledgeable in the real estate field of buying and selling, Jeff has also worked as a licensed building contractor.

Jeff was born and raised in north east Iowa, but has called Minnesota his home for over 15 years. He and his wife, Pam, are parents of five active children ranging from a college student to grade school youngsters. Besides spending time with his family, Jeff likes to ski in the winter and enjoys hunting and fishing any time of the year.

Angie has been with American Way Realty since it opened in 2001. Not only is she a licensed Realtor she also works as the Communications Coordinator for American Way. Angie got her real estate license in 2003 and has been helping people achieve home ownership ever since. She specializes in buyer representation and holds an Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR®) designation.

In May of 2007, Angie graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato, with a degree in Mass Communications emphasis in Public Relations. She currently resides in Minneapolis.

If you are looking to purchase a home in Mankato or the Twin Cities, give Angie a call. She can help you with all your real estate needs.

Since entering the real estate business, Mike has the privilege to work in the office with the Mankato area top producers. His experience and knowledge defines his working style, which is confident and enthusiastic. He combines a personable and caring manner toward clients with a willingness to be of immediate assistance whenever possible.

Have a question about a home or want to talk about selling yours? Or, if you have any other questions or comments, then feel free to e-mail or call using any of the information below. You will get a quick response. Mikev@americanwayrealty.net

Pam and her husband Bernie have lived in the Eagle Lake area for 26 years. They are both from Mankato and together they are proud parents of 2 grown sons, Chad and Jeff. Jeff is soon to be married to a lovely girl by the name of Heather and we welcome her into our family.

Pam has a degree in Commercial and Technical Art with a specialty in Graphic Design. She graduated with honors and has branched out into Interior Decorating/Interior Redesign. "I was given the gift of color and design and I truly enjoy sharing that gift with my clients, family and friends."

In between going to college and raising 2 sons, Pam worked in the banking industry for 20 years and the aviation industry for 10.

Pam is a full time Realtor with American Way starting in early 2008. She too is a member of the Realtors Association of Southern Minnesota. "I am 52 years old and I have pretty much figured out what I want to do with my life! What a wonderful and peaceful feeling this is and I pray that my clients will enjoy my friendship, professionalism, absolute trust and loyalty I will give you as YOUR Realtor."

Together Pam and Bernie are both Aviators. They have a small airplane and enjoy attending fly-in pancake breakfasts throughout southern Minnesota in the summer months. Pam's favorite thing is their motorcycle. "It is a touring bike and my husband has to do all the driving while I am the lucky one behind Bernie enjoying the scenery. Love It. The helmet is hot but you never know."

"Would you like to go up in our airplane and take a picture of your new house?" If you work with Pam and once the closing is done and the house keys are in your hand, my husband Bernie will take the homeowners up for a spin around town in our airplane. We have our airplane hangared at the Mankato Regional Airport which is pretty much just down the road from the Mankato area.

Mary Caven joined the staff at American Way Realty in January of 2004 as the office showing coordinator. She was in that position for only six months before being promoted to the position of office manager. She has an Associate of Arts Degree and an Associate of Science Degree in Secretarial Administration. The many facets of her job include keeping track of 10 very active Realtors (!); preparing all the promotional information on the office listings; she continuously updates the information on the many web sites; she also does the deposits and disbursements from the trust account; over sees the advertising; and anything else that needs to get done!

Mary was born and raised in the area and she lives in rural Amboy on the family farm with her husband John. They have three great children – Maria, Megan and Joshua. Mary enjoys spending time with her family and watching her favorite TV shows, as well as actively cheering on the Maple River school sport teams.

Gayle Stelten joined American Way Realty as the showing coordinator and customer service representative. Gayle enjoys having this exciting job career challenge. She was in advertising sales and marketing for the past twenty three years. She’s been a member of BPW (Business Professional Women) and the Minnesota Free Paper Association.

She has been a resident of the greater Mankato area all of her life. Gayle and her husband Dick are proud parents of son Nick and proud grandparents of grandson Jordan. In her free time she enjoys family and friends, boating, traveling, and playing cards.