Lisa Sobell

Finding Old-School Happiness in a New School of Work

By Jane K. Asher, Ph.D.

Photos by Dawn Townsend Photography & Design

Lisa Sobell became interested in real estate in 1993 when her boyfriend-now-husband purchased his first home with the help of a passionate and knowledgeable agent who left a lasting impression on Lisa.

“Since then, I always knew that real estate would be my retirement career,” Lisa said. And so, in 2015, as she was wrapping up her 21st year as a public K-12 special education teacher, Lisa put her “very solid plan” into action by taking an online pre-licensing course and dedicating her evenings and weekends to preparing for the next chapter of her career in real estate.

After researching several brokerages, Lisa, who sought top-notch education and excellent agent services, decided on Real Estate One and found her home at the Southgate office. She then passed her exam and began the on-the-job training that she was looking forward to.

“Until my last school year was over in June of 2017, I attended every training opportunity my company provided me,” Lisa said. “As a teacher, I knew from my own practice that in order to successfully implement a new skill or idea, you need to practice or apply what you learned within 24 hours to increase your rate of retention — for me, continuing to learn has always been the key to success.”

Although Lisa’s career move into real estate was calculated and carefully planned, it was, nonetheless, a “huge, scary decision” to relinquish the security — and full benefits — that she had grown accustomed to as a public school teacher over the last two decades. However, given the salary restrictions, growing number of mandatory after-school meetings and stress, Lisa knew it was time to make a change in her life.

Moreover, the federal, state and district initiatives to increase standardized testing and the increased number of timed online tests were taking a toll on Lisa and on her special needs students who had many other precipitating factors to deal with. The big kidney bean-shaped group tables in Lisa’s classroom where she and her students used to play fun, pressure-free learning games and practice tying their shoes were now filled with daunting computers for online testing. “I had students melting down left and right,” Lisa said. “It was really unfair to them and difficult to witness.”

August 2021 will mark the end of Lisa’s fifth year in real estate, and although she still experiences the back-to-school excitement — and misses her students — she says she’s been very happy since her retirement from education. With a career volume of almost $13 million — over $5 million of which she generated in 2019 — Lisa has also been successful in meeting and exceeding her personal, professional and financial goals in real estate.

In 2018 and 2019, Lisa earned a place in the President’s Circle of Excellence, and in 2019, she was elected by her office as one of two co-chairs to the Real Estate One Charitable Foundation. In this role, Lisa, along with Co-Chair Deanna Coleman, has more than doubled the Southgate office’s charitable contributions from the previous year, which resulted in their office being recognized at the corporate level. Additionally, Lisa became a licensed broker in December of 2020.

Having been involved in team sports from a young age, Lisa values teamwork and the contributions of every team member. “I’ve had leadership roles on teams and played second string center field — everyone is important on the team,” she said.

Lisa’s personal and professional path has been fueled by her desire to help people and shaped by the many people who have influenced and inspired her along the way: her mom who never gives up, her dad who has a great work ethic, her sister who reminds her that it’s important to be kind, her son who keeps her on track and her hardworking husband who is skilled at managing and coaching.

“My dad, an Army vet and retired steelworker, would always ask, ‘You aren’t going to put up with that, are you?’ My mom, a retired RN who went back toschool in her 30s to get her degree, would always say, ‘Don’t make a habit of relying on others,’” Lisa said. “My family only knows the blue-collar work ethic and that’s my motivation.”

Lisa and her husband Mike are high school sweethearts who have known each other since elementary school. Mike is the senior metallurgical laboratory supervisor at U.S. Steel in Ecorse where he has been employed for over 30 years. Lisa and Mike both grew up in Riverview and raised their son Michael in the same Riverview neighborhood of their youth.

In her free time, Lisa enjoys reading new and classic historical fiction — she is contemplating the idea of writing a historical novel based on her ancestry — and listening to a wide variety of music from heavy metal, classic rock and new wave to punk, hip hop and classical. “When it comes to music, it just depends what I’m doing,” she said. “I’ve been pulled over for speeding while listening to Kickstart My Heart. Lucky for me, the officer was a Mötley Crüe fan.” Lisa says that when she’s happy, she likes to bake and make desserts; she also enjoys gardening her flowerbeds and veggie pots.

Lisa is a big advocate for animal rescue work and has a lot of respect for the teams of volunteers at all the Downriver animal shelters. Lisa regularly supports Shelter to Home in Wyandotte, which is run by one of her friends from school, and she previously volunteered at the Wyandotte Animal Shelter during the summer months when she wasn’t teaching. During the quarantine, Lisa dusted off her sewing machine and made tons of fabric masks to give away to anyone who needed them. Recently, Lisa has been involved with Waynewright Community Meals — also known as the Wyandotte Soup Kitchen. “I like to support many causes, but I generally give my time and funds locally,” Lisa said.

In real estate, Lisa has discovered not only the freedom to control her own schedule but also a renewed sense of purpose. “I plan to stay active, happy and busy in real estate for the next 15-20 years,” she said. “I love this career. I am so relieved that I can get up in the morning and do what I love again.”

Lisa may no longer be leading fun learning activities at a kidney-shaped table, but she still gets to facilitate “lightbulb moments’’ — and have fun — with her clients. Albeit not in a classroom, Lisa continues to fulfill her desire to help others, encounter new opportunities for learning and growth, and, most importantly, enjoy the newfound happiness of her second career in real estate.

Rising Star - Lisa Sobell