Shelton & Stewart On Cover of Cocoplum Magazine

COCOPLUM

Living

A Social Newsletter Exclusively For The Residents of Cocoplum, Islands of Cocoplum & Tahiti Beach

LONGTIME COCOPLUM RESIDENT

CONSUELO STEWART SPEAKS ABOUT COCOPLUM HISTORY AND HER COMPANY

SHELTON AND STEWART Photography By Anita Andrade Hair and Make up Styling By GLAMSQUAD

SEPTEMBER 2017

had visited it as a child. “I first fell in love with Cocoplum in my youth, when I would visit Tahiti Beach on weekends,” she recalls, “I can still remember driving up the old squeaky wooden bridge and paying 25 cents to get into the beach.”

Many Coral Gables residents, including Consuelo, were concerned about potential traffic patterns on Old Cutler Road if 5,000 new families were to move into the community. In order to help overturn the high-density multi-family zoning ruling, Consuelo joined the Citizens League, led by former Coral Gables Mayor Bob Knight. Knocking door-to-door Consuelo was able to collect more than 200 signatures from her neighbors for a referendum. She explains, “I cared about Cocoplum from the beginning because I thought it would be an amazing community and I wanted to live here.” The potent activism from the Citizens League and Coral Gables residents would eventually lead the Florida Supreme Court to reverse Cocoplum’s zoning to single family, making it possible for families to enjoy the community we have today.

By the mid-1970s Cocoplum Phase 1 had largely been developed.

Consuelo, already an accomplished realtor at the time, was delighted when the Keys Company selected her to sell some of the first available plots of land in the community. In 1975, she and her husband Robert purchased a “would-be” waterfront lot in Los Pinos Circle, and within a few years, they moved into their newly built home with their three children. At the time, there was no homeowner’s association or any organized way for neighbors to get to know each other. With the goal of building a stronger sense of community, Consuelo and three other neighbors formed the Cocoplum Civic Association (Cocoplum Volunteer HOA) in 1978.

When Cocoplum’s original developers defaulted and eventually foreclosed on the Cocoplum Tract (including Islands of Cocoplum and Tahiti Beach), Arvida Corporation purchased it for less than eight million dollars. Consuelo and the Cocoplum HOA were decisive in ensuring that the Cocoplum Tennis courts would be built as promised in the original developer plans. They also negotiated with Arvida to secure boat slips for Cocoplum and Islands of Cocoplum residents at the Cocoplum Yacht Club. When it came time to protect the community, Consuelo and the Cocoplum HOA helped organize neighbors to decide on which security patrols would protect Cocoplum residents. “I love this community and I have always been involved because I care. Even today I have sold homes to the children of some of the original homeowners and I want Cocoplum to be a great place for the next generation also,” relates Consuelo.

Consuelo Stewart, Teresita Shelton, and Tere Bernace Speak About Co coPlu m H i sto ry a n d Th e Evo lu t i o n o f

SHELTON AND STEWART Written By Carina Zatarain | Photography By Anita Andrade | Hair and Makeup By GLAMSQUAD

Consuelo Stewart, and her partner Teresita Shelton have been playing an integral part in our community for over 40 years. Albeit as competitors, Consuelo and Teresita were not only selling real estate but were helping to shape Cocoplum and Islands of Cocoplum as a whole. From advocating for single-family zoning

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before the community was built to helping Cocoplum’s first families move in, their story began way back in the early 1970s. Today, the duo, along with Teresita’s daughter Tere Bernace, have forged a formidable partnership that has touched many families

in our community, and sold more homes than any other realty team in Cocoplum and Islands of Cocoplum history!

In the late 1960s, the Cocoplum Tract (including Islands of Cocoplum and Tahiti Beach) was undergoing plans to be developed into a high-density 5,000-unit multi-family residential community. Consuelo, who was living just a few blocks from Cocoplum at the time, already admired the soon-to-be community and

By the early 1980s, Teresita Shelton was similarly becoming a centerpiece of Cocoplum real estate. Islands of Cocoplum plots of land were beginning to be sold, and Arvida Corporation had set up a sales office on 185 Cocoplum Rd., just before the first bridge.

Realtors were just selling land, however, and there were no model homes being shown. Teresita, a successful realtor at the time, September 2017 t CoCo Plum Living

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had a chance encounter with developer Babe Elias that would change that. Elias who had already built homes in Cocoplum invited her to run an open house in one of his recently built homes just passed the guard gate. That home became the “model home” which many soon-to-be residents would see before purchasing land in the community. “As families would drive into the community they would see our open house right away. If they were interested in purchasing a lot, I would then take them over to the sales office,” explains Teresita. Thanks to her chance encounter with Elias, within a few years Teresita would become one of the most successful realtors in Cocoplum, Islands of Cocoplum and Tahiti Beach. As she admits, “You can be very lucky when meeting someone!”

Throughout the 1980s and 90s, Teresita would become a trusted expert in the community. The relationships she was able to build, coupled with her knowledge of the community led to some record breaking sales, such as the time she sold a lot in Cocoplum within 3 hours. “I remember when I received a call from a client who was interested in selling his lot on Los Pinos Circle. I had also sold the lot next door, so I made a quick phone call and within 3 hours we had the property on contract,” recalls Teresita. In another instance, Teresita received a call from a potential client interested in an Islands of Cocoplum property. The client lived in Cancun, Mexico so she took a same day round-trip flight and came back with a signed contract.

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By the early 2000s, Consuelo Stewart and Teresita Shelton had been each other’s biggest competitors in the community. Consuelo had opened her own brokerage, Stewart De La Vega Group, and Teresita had opened Shelton & Associates. The two brokerages had over 70% market share in Cocoplum, Islands of Cocoplum and Tahiti Beach combined. Around that time Teresita’s daughter, Tere Bernace, joined Shelton & Associates as well.

Tere has a BA in History of Art from Yale University and a Masters in International Management from Thunderbird American Graduate School. She was a Regional Director at Barclays Capital Latin America Investment Banking Group and had been working with the firm for fifteen years before the division moved to New York. From 1990-2000, Tere was responsible for the Andean countries and Panama, before heading the Southern Cone countriesw from 2000-2002. “In 2002, Barclays decided to relocate their Latin American operations to New York City and having settled in Miami, I did not want to move. I always admired my mother’s work ethic, drive, and tenacity, so this was the opportunity to follow in her footsteps,” says Tere.

Having been a Regional Director at Barclays, Tere was well accustomed to dealing with international clientele. “One of the aspects of my job that I most enjoy today is introducing buyers from out of town to everything Cocoplum and Islands of Cocoplum have to offer as well as nearby schools, town centers and other September 2017 t CoCo Plum Living

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“

Experience, hard work, integrity, and a reputation for fairness are the foundation of our success

” points of interest, and easy access to Downtown and Beaches,” Tere explains. Being a mother of two, Tere also takes pride in the importance of family when she’s showing a home for her clients.

“Cocoplum and Islands of Cocoplum are neighborhoods that foster community, outdoor activities, neighbors meeting, kids getting together,” Tere says, “I love it when kids accompany parents on a showing and their faces light up when they see another kids’ room, or a great play set or the communities’ playgrounds, parks or tennis courts.”

Changing careers and joining forces with her mother didn’t come without its challenges, however, as Tere had to face the devastating effects of the 2008 financial crisis. “Having survived one of the worst real estate crises this country has ever experienced, and with Miami at the epicenter, certainly made me consider a career change more than once. But the contrary happened. I realized that our business model thrived even in the worst of times.

It only strengthened my conviction in the importance of our relationship-based, hands-on approach to our business. It made us stronger both in the way we run our company, as well as in our market presence,” explains Tere.

In the late 2000s, Consuelo Stewart separated from a business partner because she wished to remain independent and did not want to join a national firm. When Teresita heard the news, she picked up the phone and gave Consuelo a call knowing that they would be more powerful together than they would ever be apart.

Although the trio had competed for Cocoplum, Islands of Cocoplum, and Tahiti Beach real estate for over 20 years, Consuelo, Teresita, and Tere came together to form Shelton & Stewart Realtors. Amongst fierce competition, they had always shared a profound respect for each other. “Every time I had worked with Teresita in the past she had been a consummate professional and we always got along, although we knew were our own biggest competitors,” relates Consuelo.

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Since 2009, Shelton & Stewart Realtors has grown to over 100 associates and surpassed $1.7 billion in sales to date. The three women maintain a great focus, relying on their extensive knowledge of the community paired with their strong track record of repeat business and referrals, as recurring clients count for over 80 percent of their business. “It’s been very rewarding to see families grow and evolve and move from one home to another.

We’ve seen three generations move from smaller to bigger back to smaller, and on and off the water and back. We know families that have lived in literally five homes over the years. I’ve been fortunate to get to know very nice families really well,” Tere describes. Their trio’s reputation in Cocoplum has preceded them, as they are some of South Florida’s best known, and most successful realtors, inside and outside of Cocoplum. In fact, for 2016 the Cocoplum Team was fifth in Miami-Dade for single family home sales. Tere currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Miami-Dade Master Brokers Forum, while Consuelo and Teresita have both been honored with the prestigious Master Brokers Forum Legacy Award.

Today, Consuelo still sits on the board of the Cocoplum Volunteer HOA, making sure that neighbors stay connected and that the community is well taken care of. She was recently honored with the Master Brokers Forum Legacy Award, which recognizes longtime Master Brokers, whose professionalism and leadership elevated Miami real estate. Teresita continues to be devoted to building long-lasting relationships and enjoys her other hobby on the side – cooking! She has written a cookbook titled “My Cuban American Recipes & Stories” in English and is currently translating it to Spanish. “I’m the happiest person in the world when I sell houses and next to that is when I’m cooking,” Teresita relates. Tere continues to enjoy the fact that her career allows her to be so close to her family. Tere’s husband Carlos also works

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with the family business; he handles all the financial matters of the company as well as certain operational issues. Tere’s brother Raul Salas is a real estate attorney and his office is located in the same building as Shelton & Stewart; they refer business to him whenever possible. “I couldn’t do it without my family,” she says.

Cocoplum Living thanks, Shelton & Stewart Realtors LLC for their longterm commitment to Cocoplum, Islands of Cocoplum and Tahiti Beach! We look forward to seeing them welcoming families into the neighborhood for many more years to come!

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What we offer most is that we roll up our sleeves and work at [building] great relationships.

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