Female real estate agents sell Atlanta on WE-TV's 'Selling it in the ATL'

Six of the seven real estate agents came to the Atlanta Journal Constitution in six different limos Wednesday (presumably paid for by WE-TV) for an hour-long Q&A. Sheree Whitfield of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" fame is an executive producer and knows some of the ladies, including Gwen Moss. Gwen said once word got out about the show, more than 100 realtors in Atlanta wanted in. Those who applied were cut down, "American Idol" style, to the seven..

And despite the fact the show sounds like a spinoff of "Cutting It in the ATL," which is in the midst of shooting its second season, they are produced by two different companies. Their only tie is WE-TV, which is clearly trying to brand the name. (Other titles for "Selling It" that were considered: "Heads of Estate," "Sold Sisters" and "Atlanta Boom.")

The cool thing about the show in the opening salvo is the references to the Atlanta Beltline. They even show a map of it. Who would have thunk that would ever be a topic on a reality show on WE-TV?

Here's a quick summary of what I learned about each lady, based on watching the first episode and talking to six of them.

A'lana Banks This Roswell realtor has a big personality. She likes smoking cigars and emotes confidence. She works with production companies and celebrities such as R. Kelly and T.I.. She has found temporary residences for Samuel L. Jackson and Jim Carrey while they made movies here. In the opening episode, she shows a rich Nigerian a home in Edgewood but the area is too edgy for her. Later, A'lana gets peeved at her staff for telling her the woman wanted properties in the "high 4s." She thought that meant $400,000 but the woman mean $4 million! That's why A'lana started her in the wrong neighborhood. "She is more than VIP. She's an ATM!" Banks said.  Fortunately, she gains the trust of the woman, whose husband has $20 million he wants to invest in Atlanta real estate. So she gathers the other women together to get them to find properties. And that appears to be the excuse to get these ladies together.

In the interview at the AJC, she said she knows how to negotiate: "I have a little gift I can use to make people open up."

Jae Christian has been in the business two years and is learning from A'lana, who she sees as a mentor. "I wanted to be my own boss," Jae said, explaining why she got into real estate. She wants to show the struggle of starting in this business. "Being a new agent is hard," she said. "It's a hustle. You have to be creative to market yourself."

Okevia Wilson (dubbed the "Jack of All Trades" on the show) - She owns a hair salon and a real estate business, too, which she has built up over ten years. She lives in Decatur. "It's hard to juggle," she said on the show, "but I make it work." When she was younger, she had done plenty of makeup and nail work.  "Beauty fell in my lap," she said to me. She worked her real estate business in her nail salon. Doing the show is "100 percent free marketing. We also get to show Atlanta in a different light, that it's more than just Buckhead."

Chrishena Stanley  This West Midtown resident is called the "empire builder" on the show. She noted that she went to school with Paris Hilton in Manhattan. Her father was a fan of Sheena Easton so that's why her name is a merger of Christina and Sheena. She has a mom (a Georgia peach) who is also a realtor and helps her out but is often overbearing. Okevia on the show thinks she "gives bourgie," as in pretentious.

Chrishena is open to reality TV and is used to the cameras as a former model. "I know it can be risky and you're vulnerable," she said. "At the same time, this is good therapy. I hope it's going to help me. Without great risk there's no great reward."

Tahlia Brown - Self describes herself as having a "vivacious gorgeous personality" and is described by producers as the "social media maven." I didn't get to talk to her but Tahlia and Sarah are colleagues. "We're like ebony and ivory,' Sarah said on the show. "We're like Salt n Pepa. We're close." She also gets a bit of hazing from Jae in the first episode, who imply some of her clients are "pharmacists," a nice way to say "drug dealers." Then Tahlia recognizes her as a woman who served chicken a few years back.

Sarah Lowe  The token white girl in the group, she notes that her daughter is bi-racial so being around black ladies does not faze her in the least. She considers herself a broker for "old money" in Buckhead and neighboring environs who specializes in country estates. She entered the field during the massive downturn after teaching aerobics at assisted living facilities and proved her worth. She happens to know the CEO of the Beltline and has been hot on properties around it since earlier this year. In the first episode, Tahlia and Sarah showing rapper K Camp a Rockmart mansion with a pool featuring a waterfall and three lakes. They manage to close the lease deal.

Gwen Moss is just returning to the business after the recession. The Cumming resident also has an autistic child and talked to my colleague Gracie Bond Staples about her. About 15 years ago, she left corporate America to do real estate partly because it provides her more flexibility given her son's issues. She did a lot of new construction but that dried up in 2008 so she managed properties for awhile, then moved to luxury car sales. She knows Sheree, Lisa Wu and DeShawn Snow, all original "Housewives."

ON TV

"Selling It In the ATL," 10 p.m., Thursdays, WE-TV