NATIONWIDE & INTERNATIONAL 9-5-22

NATIONWIDE & INTERNATIONAL EDITION

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REASONS WHY YOU NEED A MENTOR Uncommon Contact:

CONNECTING WITH CLIENTELE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

Small Yard?

Big Statement: HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF MICRO OUTDOOR SPACES

3 EASY AT-HOME

DIY PROJECTS TO INCREASE PROPERTY VALUE

FEATURED AGENTS

ANDREW MASCIERI LOLAH FIGUEREDO

COVER STORY

DANETTE DUGGER

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Uncommon Contact:

Connecting with Clientele Through Social Media Social media is one of the newest and most powerful tools in an agent or mortgage professional’s arsenal. With just a few keystrokes, you can stay top-of-mind with buyers, sellers, and borrowers near and far, past and present. The key is knowing how to use these mediums to your advantage, working smarter instead of harder to keep the thread of professional relationships intact. With that in mind, here are a few ways you can maximize the pull and power of social media by shifting just a few of your ideas and practices for the better.

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Not everything has to be about business.

While your relationship with a client or fellow vendor began over the course of business, your relationship going forward doesn’t have to be limited. One of the great things about social media is that’s it’s social. Not every comment, post, or communication has to revolve around your business, its metrics, or turning a sale. In fact, you should do your best to branch out and curate a brand and online identity that’s about who you are and

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the lifestyle you’re authentically interested in living. In that vein, consider interacting with clients in an organically-driven way, encouraging them during life’s milestones, reaching out with a local event, restaurant, or news item that’s relevant to their interests or neighborhood. The goal is to be a persistent presence in their lives without feeling like a talking head. Engage as you would like to be engaged with, as a human being with interests and needs and boundaries. Keep that personal thread in mind and your dynamic will shift from past business contact to present resource.

Expand your medium.

Many Realtors are comfortable on Facebook as an interactive meeting to connect with clients, but there are several other mediums where you can connect with clients both past and present, as well as future. Particularly when courting Millennial clientele, the fastest-growing segment of the buying market, a presence on Instagram and Snapchat are key to finding new faces, demonstrating hot properties, and creating an interactive brand as an agent. Not only does this help when you’re listing a property and seeking potential buyers, but it also serves as a perusable portfolio of your work and real estate prowess. You can also use these mediums to interact with clients on an outlet they might feel most comfortable in. Liking pictures, commenting, streaming Instagram Live home tours and Stories are all ways you can build engagement by simply spreading your social media presence around. Likewise, Top Agent Magazine

these photo and video driven mediums are popular for home design ideas, and before and after renovation pictures. When you expand from Facebook into these new platforms, you’ll already have plenty of visual content ready to be transferred and consumed by an expanded audience.

Don’t just react.

Create your own content.

It’s easy enough to post a link to a new listing, or retweet a helpful article on real estate news. Creating your own organic content is a different story, but worth its weight in gold when it comes to luring engagement, ranking higher in search fields, and overall crafting an interactive presence for yourself and your business online—which is where more than 90% of homebuyers and sellers begin their process. Creating your own content can seem risky, or else like no one is listening in a digital world already crowded with information. However, original content is sure to boost personal engagement with your social media pages, guaranteed.

Instead of recycling content, consider posting a video with a Q+A theme for first-time homebuyers, or perhaps posting a live tour of a new listing will perk up your clientele surfing at home.

No matter how you decide to expand your social media presence when it comes to interacting with clients, consistency is key.

Find the ways that work best for you and stick to them, and you’ll watch your audience and business grow in tandem.

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Small Yard? Big Statement: How to Make the Most Out of Micro Outdoor Spaces When house-hunters compile their lists of musthave home items, a dreamy backyard space is often near the top. After all, who doesn’t want an outdoor oasis of their very own? From summer barbecues to open space for your dog to frolic— everyone has their own aspirations when it comes to creating the perfect backyard paradise. But as homebuyers seek properties deeper within city limits, and Millennials opt for properties with 6

urban amenities and access, home-connected outdoor spaces are becoming a bit smaller in stature.

Of course, size isn’t everything when it comes to outdoor space. Even balconies, rear patios, and ultra-tiny yards can provide homebuyers with the outdoor reprieve they crave—even on a smaller scale. For a few ideas that can help you envision all the possibilities of a micro outdoor space, read on for inspiration.

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Think vertically.

When space is at a premium, think up instead of out. In other words, make the most of small spaces by capitalizing on your backyard, balcony, or patio’s overhead height. Mood-setting string lights, hanging pocket or wall gardens, floating shelves, and modern overhead hangings can create a sense of privacy and luxury without cluttering the square footage on the ground.

Soothing sounds set the mood.

Upgrade the look of structural components.

Not in love with your patio pavers? Don’t have the sweetest view off your balcony? Whatever your small backyard living space gripe may be, there’s always a solution if you go back to the basics. Consider the structural components of your outdoor space that you aren’t in love with and there’s likely an affordable, eye-pleasing solution. For instance, plenty of home goods Top Agent Magazine

retailers make a variety of punchy or luxe outdoor rugs that can disguise stained or lackluster outdoor flooring. Power-washing is another great solution for old grime and dirt that’s an eyesore. Don’t have a great view? Planting ivy on bare walls, installing adjustable mood lighting, or hanging planters can create a more inviting ambiance.

While there may not be room for a swimming pool or pond in a micro yard or balcony, you can still bring the calming presence of water to your outdoor oasis. Fountains run the gamut in sizing and price, making this amenity an easy acquisition. What’s more, a running fountain not only adds a soothing sound to your space, but it also helps drown out noise from the street or the neighbors—making your space entirely your own and stress-free.

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Don’t compromise on your culinary dreams.

If you love to entertain in outdoor spaces or relish the chance to man the grill—small outdoor spaces don’t have to trip you up. Grill options (both propane and charcoal) come in a range of sizes, many of which can be outfitted securely to balcony posts or be tucked away and out of sight when out of use. Consider nesting tables or those with a removable leaf to adjust your seating and dining options depending on company.

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Another trick? A small, oscillating fan can keep air flow moving in a small space during grill season—and can be easily affixed to walls or posts, as well.

Don’t let yourself or clients be discouraged by spaces with more limited square footage in outdoor areas. Furniture and design trends have already begun shifting toward providing better small-space options, and at the end of the day, a backyard space is all about providing an area for relaxation. With a few well-placed, strategic choices, you can still have it all.

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DANETTE DUGGER Top Agent Magazine

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Top Agent Danette Dugger has worked for builders in new-build communities throughout the greater Birmingham market, always ending up as a top producer.

It takes a true professional to spend more than a decade as a top producer in a highly competitive market like Birmingham, Alabama.

But it takes someone truly special to spend that same amount of time as a top producer in Birmingham’s new construction market. Let us introduce you to Danette Dugger.

Danette entered the real estate profession about 14 years ago, shortly after finishing grad school.

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“I was working a full-time job,” explained Danette, “but I was also a single mother of a two-year old, so I was looking for something more. People who knew me continued to suggest that I would be great at real estate, so I decided to give it a try.” Initially Danette maintained her full-time job and built her resale and new construction real estate business in the evenings and on the weekends. But it didn’t take long for her to realize that real estate was her Top Agent Magazine

true calling, so she dove full-time into the new construction side of the business, working for a series of builders and developers. “New construction is an entirely different discipline,” said Danette. “But I love this side of the business…and I am really good at it.”

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Danette has worked for builders in newbuild communities throughout the greater Birmingham market, always ending up as a top producer. “I have been there for the start of new communities and I have been there when we have closed the last sale,” Danette said 11 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

“I am very client focused,” says Danette. “I think my core values of honesty, integrity and compassion serve my clients well and are the key to my success in this business.” proudly. She works with first-time buyers, who are often surprised that they can qualify for a newly constructed home, and she works with many luxury buyers who are taking that next step up the ownership ladder. “Regardless,” says Danette, “I really enjoy helping people achieve their dream of home ownership. If there is a way to make it happen, I find it. I just don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

That attitude definitely shows up in the numbers. Danette typically closes between $21 Copyright Top Agent Magazine 12

million and $24 million in annual sales. Her goal for 2022 is to double that volume and she is on track to do it. Danette is a perpetual award winner, regularly receiving annual Gold and Platinum awards for production and being named Salesperson of the Year based on homes sold. Achieving that kind of recognition requires a lot of due diligence, excellent customer service and a great work ethic. “I am very client focused,” says Danette. “I think my core values of honesty, integrity and compassion serve my clients well and are the key to Top Agent Magazine

my success in this business.” Danette generates 75% to 80% of her business from repeat clients and referrals but still regularly follows up with new leads and prospects. Says Danette, “That is what has helped me stay on top of the new construction sales market for all these years.”

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By her own admission, Danette works “a lot”, but like most successful professionals she finds plenty of ways to give back to the Birmingham community. Danette is involved with a number of community and church initiatives, particularly those addressing the needs of women and children who are homeless or living in shelters.

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She also helps raise money and write grant proposals for literacy programs, education enrichment and after school, faith-based programs. “I have been incredibly fortunate,” says Danette, “so

investing in others – making it possible for others to thrive and prosper – that is very important to me. I think we all have an obligation to give back.” Clearly, Danette is leading by example.

Contact Danette Dugger at 205-382-5335 or email dkdugger@drhorton.com

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3 Easy At-Home DIY Projects to Increase Property Value Most homeowners have a lengthy list of chores and bit projects they intend to accomplish around the house. Oftentimes, those to-do items are completed piecemeal over a long stretch of time, or else sometimes not at all. However, when it comes time to prepare a home for market, all those tasks begin to pile-up and overwhelm. The Top Agent Magazine

list of things to do before the photographer comes or the first open house is held might seem endless, but not if you tackle just a few things here and there as you go. These sorts of projects—easy, DIY, at-home tasks you can accomplish in a few hours or less, with tools you most likely have on hand— go a long way with marginal effort.

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Complete a quick rehab of closets and storage areas Many agents advise clients to declutter and depersonalize their spaces ahead of professional photography and home showings. The idea is to provide prospective buyers with a neutral palette. Not only does this allow them to imagine their own lives unfolding within those four walls, but it also helps make a home’s square footage stand out. One way to add visual space to your home without calling in the contractor is to declutter common storage areas and closets. When buyers can get a complete look at a closet’s capacity, or a pantry’s depth, or the garage’s full functional potential, they get a better sense of a home’s potential and thus, its value.

In that vein, consider decluttering and cleaning your high-traffic storage spaces: the garage, pantries, closets, attics, and basements. Besides, organizing and discarding unwanted items help you prep for a move anyway, while giving potential buyers a peak at how spacious your home really is.

Add easy curb appeal with a bit of sweat equity Sure, curb appeal can arrive in the form of a new mailbox, pathway lighting, or updated house numbers, but it can also come cheaper than that. Curb extends to the upkeep of your lawn, landscaping, and home’s façade, and there are plenty of ways 16

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you can give these zones a refresh without spending anything but time. Keeping your front and back yard green and uniform adds a lux layer to exterior square footage.

Likewise, polishing the outside of your windows, trimming hedges, and sweeping the walkway can make a tidy and wellcared for first impression. There are other measures you can take too. Planting wildflower seeds in empty beds, or collecting some landscaping rocks to frame mulched areas can add a bit of character to your residence. Repainting the front door, ensuring trees are trimmed, and keeping back patios Top Agent Magazine

neat and uncluttered also underscore a home at its finest, which is ripe for buyers to snatch up.

Transform tiled spaces into sparkling clean surfaces.

Bathrooms and kitchens are where sellers can stand to add plenty of value in the process of selling a home. While pricey renovations might be out of the question for some, there are still affordable and time-effective ways you can transform for these spaces for the better. Cleaning,

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bleaching, or redoing your tile grout—in either kitchens, bathrooms, or other tiled spaces—can give these high-trafficked areas a new lease on life. Ensuring windows, mirrors, stainless steel appliances and backsplashes are streak-free and polished also demonstrate to buyers that your home is well-cared for and practically move-in ready. Sometimes, the devil is in the details. You might consider relining drawers, changing out knobs and fixtures,

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or else decluttering cabinets and shelves for a fresher look.

No matter the challenges ahead as you prepare your home for sale, completing a few small tasks every weekend or so can put you miles ahead of the competition.

Without spending a dime, you can add serious value to your home’s bottom line, setting you up for success as you begin your own home-shopping adventure.

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ANDREW MASCIERI “The other thing about the area is you’re an hour from the shore, 15 minutes from Philly, New York City is an hour-and-ahalf away, and Washington D.C. is two hours. So, there are a lot of things to do.”

Andrew Mascieri has done well as a REALTOR®. Very well, in fact.

Formerly part of a team known as Keller Williams PhillyLiving, Andrew has done so well that KW asked him to break off from covering the city of Philadelphia and run the new Keller Williams JerseyLiving, where he is again making a name for himself in South Jersey. Pretty good for a guy who started out studying a whole different aspect of the real estate business.

“I was in college at Temple University, studying architecture, when I got a part-time job working for a small brokerage that only did rentals. But they did about 400-500 rentals a year, and I worked with the broker as an assistant, and then moved into more of a ‘showing assistant’ type of role,” Andrew explained. “I realized even then how lucrative working as an agent in real estate could be. I was still in school, but I was a dual major in business, so I started taking real estate courses as part of an elective. I got my license as soon as I got out of school.”

That was almost five years ago. Now he works to cover Burlington, Gloucester, and Camden counties as the team leader for JerseyLiving. Andrew is the leader of a three-person team that also includes his mother, who entered the real estate game recently after seeing her son’s success and how much he enjoys it. And Andrew loves selling New Jersey.

“Jersey’s big thing is its accessibility to everywhere else. Jersey is also known for having really great school districts. There are always factors to be considered but school districts are a big one,” he said.

JERSEY

Andrew lives in Merchantville, N.J. He can often be found in a great restaurant built inside an old train stop called the Station Café, as well as Eclipse Brewery, where they grow their own hops on the back side of the building. It’s also a good spot to take his clients, 60-65 percent of whom are repeats and referrals. Last year Andrew brought in $10 million worth of transactions on his own and is hoping for $15 million this year.

“The main thing for me is to maintain a good working relationship with good communication. That’s why right at the beginning I try to define how the client wants to be communicated with and how often,” Andrew said. “I am also very data driven. It’s how my mind works. I analyze the market conditions and use that information to forecast what’s happening and educate people. I want to be a resource for anything real estate related.”

As for the future, Andrew wants to grow his house – he is renovating a 170-year-old Victorian – and his business.

“I want to grow the JerseyLiving team beyond the three agents we have now. We actually have a recruiting event coming up next month,” he said. “And I just want to hone my leadership skills and I want to get the JerseyLiving team as big and successful as PhillyLiving has been the last 10 to 11 years.”

Contact Andrew Mascieri on his mobile phone at 609-712-2961 or at the office at 609-451-6007. He can be reached via email at andrewm@jerseyliving.com.

Andrew’s website is JerseyLiving.com www.

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5 Reasons Why You Need a Mentor As great as it might feel to start your own business, and be solely responsible for its success, at some point, every entrepreneur reaches the limit of their potential, and needs a boost that only experience can provide.

But how do you get a lifetime of experience when you’re just starting out? Sure you can read countless books, but no book can replace the real life experience and advice of a mentor.

Mentors not only provides valuable insights, but they also have access to valuable connections as well. In fact a majority of the 20

most successful CEOs and entrepreneurs in the country have said that having a mentor early on was instrumental in their success.

Here are some of the reasons why.

1. They’re able to see where you need improvement, when you can’t When you’re working non-stop to get your business off the ground, you might feel sensitive to any criticism from people who aren’t going through what you are. A good

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mentor knows exactly what you’re going though, and has probably made every mistake. When you’re in the thick of it, you might not be able to see where the problems are. A knowledgeable outsider, who knows exactly where you’re at and has only your best interests at heart is just what you need.

When you have a trusting relationship with someone like that, you will be more willing to listen to that brutal honesty, even if that constructive criticism stings.

energy into it. They can see things in a completely logical way and guide you based on the facts rather than emotion. A good mentor helps you work smarter, not harder. They help you focus on your goals and how to get there, as well as setting boundaries for you so you don’t overextend yourself. They teach you how to say no and help you let go when you need to move on from a setback.

2. They will encourage you to think outside of the box

In addition to expertise, building a strong network is something that can only come with time. A mentor will most likely have that already, giving you access to people and resources that would take others years to gain. These connections will lead to opportunities that might never have happened otherwise. It’s also a great confidence boost knowing that your mentor trusts and believes in you enough to invite you into their inner circle.

Years of experience can give someone a great idea of what works and what doesn’t.

They’ve seen things first hand, not just in theory. At the same time, mentors recognize the importance of taking chances, calculating risks, as well as cutting losses and moving on. A good mentor isn’t trying to encourage you to be a carbon copy of them, they are trying to create the best ‘you’ possible. That includes encouraging you to take chances, and then being there pushing you to keep going forward if it doesn’t work out.

A good mentor knows that even failures can be opportunities.

3. They take the emotion out of decisions and help set boundaries Unlike you, a mentor has no emotional investment in certain business approaches that you might have decided to try. There’s nothing harder than admitting something isn’t working when you’ve put a lot of time and Top Agent Magazine

4. Networking

5. Encouragement At the heart or it all, a mentor offers you encouragement and motivation along the way, in good times and in bad. After a failure, it can be hard to get back on track and keep forging ahead. It helps to have someone who has spent year getting back up after being known down and coming out stronger than ever. It’s during those moments, when you feel alone and isolated, that having someone around offering you advice and positive feedback will be a much needed salve. They’re your cheerleader, they want you to succeed, and hopefully, you’ll pay it forward one day when you become as successful as them.

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Daily Habits That Will Increase Your Mental Strength When it comes to building physical strength, the solutions are obvious, but keeping up your mental strength isn’t as easy as going to the gym. Although physical exercise does help clear your head and relieve stress, there are other things you can do daily that will help your mind be as strong and flexible as your body after a workout. Here’s just a few things you can do to help clear your head and make you more productive.

DON’T WASTE YOUR BRAIN POWER That might seem obvious, but think about how much mental energy you might use up worrying about negativity or things you have no control over. Instead of focusing on problems, focus on solutions. This actually take a lot of effort, we’re all conditioned to let worry paralyze us sometimes.

Try and catch yourself when you’re wasting time thinking about about past mistakes or current dilemmas you don’t have the power to stop. You really only have so much mental energy, and if you have kids and an especially stressful work situation, that might be even less than normal. Start treating your brain like the precious resource it is.

You don’t want to be running on empty when it really matters.

STEP OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE A lot of mental energy can go to dealing with anxiety. One way to deal with that is by forcing yourself to try new things and take on new challenges, that you might normally avoid because they make you feel unsure or scared. Challenge yourself daily, even with small things.

This is definitely something that becomes easier with practice. Start small, and in no time you’ll be taking on things you never thought were possible.

The simple task of trying something new every day will have you feeling energized and put you on the path to self-growth.

BE SELF-AWARE Your emotions affect everything you do, even if they’re not at the surface. Recognizing and labeling them is key. A lot of the above exercises require self-reflection. It’s okay to have the emotions you have, understanding why and where those emotions come from allows you to focus on dealing with them rather than just wallowing in them.

Being self-aware is also about self-care. Know the things that help relax and rejuvenate you. That way you can handle everyday stresses and remain calm even during the most turbulent times.

BE MORE POSITIVE

BE WILLING TO LEARN

Eliminating negative thoughts is essential to increasing your mental strength. Carrying around negativity is like swimming with all of your clothes on. You might be okay at first, but eventually you’ll feel like you can barely stay afloat. Don’t drown in negativity, use positive thoughts as a lifesaver.

This doesn’t mean you should ignore things you need to improve, just approach them with solutions rather than beating yourself up. Constant monitoring of this is important since it’s really easy to slide back into negative thinking.

A lot of people are still hung up on the idea that learning is a boring and tedious process, but you aren’t in junior high anymore. You can find something you’re actually interested in and immerse yourself in it, which engages your mind like nothing else. Whether it’s learning a new technology that will improve your business or something that will make you a more well-rounded person, the learning process keeps you engaged and open to new ideas. A curiosity about the world and new things is something that all mentally strong people have in common.

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LOLAH FIGUEREDO With an exceptional depth of experience in real estate, Lolah Figueredo serves GA and FL residents in their pursuit of their dream home or building wealth and prosperity through real estate. Originally coming to real estate from a background in the technology industry working for tech giants such as AT&T, Verizon and CenturyLink, Lolah became a real estate investor herself before deciding to go into the industry full-time. “I was completely enamored by buying distressed/ugly homes and making them beautiful! I loved the home improvement process, and more importantly, was fascinated with the investment and numbers aspect of it!” Lolah recalls. “While I had a high-line job at Verizon, I got my real estate license. I figured that as a REALTOR®, I would be able to not only help myself but help other investors and families.” Since 2002, Lolah has been a leader in helping her clients through the real estate process. For Buying, Selling, Investing, and Commercial, Lolah has mastered real estate!

With Coldwell Banker Realty, Lolah serves the greater Atlanta area and the FL panhandle. Lolah praises the Atlanta area for its importance in technology and other emerging fields, making it a center for innovation and growth. “This is a huge market for the major industries, with AT&T, Delta, UPS and others having headquarters here,” Lolah says. “And now the movie industry is also huge here, as Tyler Perry has a gigantic movie studio just south of the airport. We are seeing a lot of families, industries, and corporations moving into Atlanta and the surrounding areas.”

Lolah understands the importance of being knowledgeable with regard to technology. “I have been in the business and licensed for 20 years, and I have also been in the tech field for quite some time,” she explains. “The market has changed so drastically that agents who don’t understand technology, software as a service, and social media, are not going to be able to sustain in this market.” Lolah also

adds, “The use of Artificial Intelligence is an absolute game changer. I can approximate the characteristics of what kind of buyer we are searching for to sell the home for my Sellers. It is absolutely incredible the technology I have to serve my clients!”

Lolah also has relationships with large investment conglomerates that represent Banks/Lenders nationwide. Lolah is known for her reputation as an expert in foreclosure situations. “I currently do BPOs for national banks,” Lolah explains. “Before they go into a pre-foreclosure or foreclosure situation, they run those properties past me and my evaluation.” New construction is another area in which Lolah’s considerable expertise shines, and she maintains close relationships with many of the premier new home builders in the area.

Outside of real estate, Lolah is active in giving back to families with Autism and Just People, a home for adults with disabilities, a cause that is near and dear to her as the mother of a successful autistic adult son. Her company, Coldwell Banker gives and works closely with St. Jude’s.

Lolah’s husband is a prominent Attorney in Roswell, GA with specialties in Workers Compensation and Personal Injury. Since both are from the Hispanic culture, they are bilingual and enjoy assisting families and businesses of all nationalities. Lolah’s daughter is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker in Pensacola and has 4 beautiful children. Lolah and her family enjoy vacations to the Panhandle of FL and international travel.

As for what the future holds, Lolah is excited to have recently been licensed in Florida. “I’m blessed to be dual licensed, and growing my business in both Georgia and Florida,” Lolah says. “Everyone wants to own a house or condo at the beach, and I want to help my clients be able to leverage that as a secondary home or investment property.

I look forward to being able to grow both businesses and my team.”

For more about Lolah Figueredo, please call 678-249-8779, email lolah.figueredo@cbrealty.com or visit Lolahfigsells.com www.

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