For more information, contact:
Stephanie Singer
202-383-1050
ssinger@realtors.org
Realtors® Under 30 Turn Challenges into Opportunities
Washington, June 01, 2009
Younger consumers are taking advantage of today’s market opportunities like never before – more than four out of every 10 recent home sales were to first-time buyers. This year’s REALTOR® Magazine “30 Under 30” winners demonstrate the same spirit, transforming challenges into advantages for their clients and businesses.
“Many of our younger members have little experience with market downturns, but they have confidence in the long-term value of homeownership and real estate investment,” said National Association of Realtors® President Charles McMillan, a broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dallas-Fort Worth. “Whether they’re exploring new industry innovations, making significant contributions to their communities, or simply providing tremendous value to their clients, this new generation of Realtors® represents the future of the real estate industry.”
Six of the 30 Realtors® recognized this year do much of their business in foreclosures and short sales, which account for 45 percent of recent sales, according to NAR’s most recent existing-home sales report. Whether they’re helping homeowners avoid a foreclosure by facilitating a short sale, or assisting buyers who might not have been able to afford a home a few years ago, these young professionals are passionate about making a positive difference in people’s lives.
When Realtor® Elizabeth Do started practicing real estate in Los Angeles, conditions were not very favorable for buyers. “I felt like a lot of people were overextending themselves,” she said. Do, a salesperson with CCR Properties Inc., advised some of her clients to wait until the market settled down, and now many of those people are coming back to become homeowners.
Jared James, a salesperson with RE/MAX Right Choice in Milford, Conn., shares his positive market insights with clients. “I refuse to participate in this recession,” James said. “While others focus on negative data, I find the positive in every bit of news.”
Lane Larson, a salesperson with RE/MAX Results in Plymouth, Minn., offers his seller clients a 120-day guarantee. “If we don’t sell it in the first four months, it reverts to 0 percent commission and 100 percent effort,” he said. “Nine times out of 10, the home is sold in the first 55 days.”
For others, being a Realtor® hits closer to home. “I helped my parents buy their first home,” said B.J. Ward, broker-owner for Comfort Real Estate Services in Ventura, Calif. “It felt great to finally see their dream come true.”
Winners of the 2009 “30 Under 30” award are:
| Shawn Anen Preakness Realty Wayne, N.J. |
Adam Hergenrother RE/MAX North Professionals Co. Colchester, Vt. |
| Karishma Asrani Keller Williams Realty Houston |
Mark Inman Coldwell Banker Commercial TEC, Realtors® New Orleans |
| Kathryn Barry Prudential Preferred Realty Pittsburgh |
Jared James RE/MAX Right Choice Milford, Conn. |
| Lindsey Bivins Century 21 Advantage Columbia, Ill. |
Lane Larson RE/MAX Results Plymouth, Minn. |
| Elad Bushari Bushari Group Real Estate Boston |
Eric Leightman Campus Realty Gainesville, Fla. |
| Rosie Derryberry Realty Executives Scottsdale, Ariz. |
Jared Lofton Lofton Realty LLC Houston |
| Elizabeth Do CCR Properties Inc. Los Angeles |
Erika Mlachak Verde Realty Inc. Santa Monica, Calif. |
| Ryan Donnelly Coach, Realtors®, Fennessy Associates Garden City, N.Y. |
John Morley Coldwell Banker Premier Huntsville, Ala. |
| Allison Gambone Keller Williams Realty Flushing, N.Y. |
Benjamin Nichols Realty Executives of St. Louis St. Louis |
| Mark Gonzales Rodeo Realty Sherman Oaks, Calif. |
Joel Pearl Century 21 Beutler & Associates Coeur d’Alene, Idaho |
| Christian Grothe Max Broock Inc. Birmingham, Mich. |
Wayne Salmans Keller Williams Realty Wasilla, Alaska |
| Kate Hamlin Century 21 Hometown Brokers Billings, Mont. |
Melissa Seureau RE/MAX Realty Center Cypress, Texas |
| Harma Hartouni Keller Williams Realty Encino, Calif. |
Rachel Valentino Long & Foster Real Estate Inc. Washington, D.C. |
| Skylar Haskell The Group Inc. Fort Collins, Colo. |
B.J. Ward Comfort Real Estate Services Ventura, Calif. |
| Rogers Healy Rogers Healy and Associates Dallas |
Robert Wiebusch NP Dodge Omaha, Neb. |
Complete profiles of all of this year’s winners are online in the REALTOR® Magazine section of www.realtor.org.
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
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Information about NAR is available at www.realtor.org. News releases are posted in the Web site’s “News Media” section in the NAR Media Center.
