The YPN Lounge blog is written by a team of young real estate professionals from across the country. Are you interested in joining our blogging team? Contact the blog’s editor, Nicole Slaughter Graham, at ngraham@nar.realtor.

 

MATT CLEMENTS, CEO of The Clements Group at KW Luxury International in Laguna Niguel, Calif, is a fourth-generation real estate professional—leading a legacy started by his great-grandmother. He’s the author of the YPN Playbook and was chair of the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.) YPN in 2016 when the group won the YPN State Network of the Year. Matt is currently on the Board of Directors for C.A.R. and is vice chair of the Business Technology Committee. He is also on the National Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors, and sits on NAR’s YPN Advisory Board. In addition, he’s the California-Hawaii-Guam representative for NAR Region 13, and is the 2018 president of the Orange County Association of REALTORS® (he is the board’s youngest president to-date). Matt, who graduated from the University of California—Irvine, was a professional surfer from 1994 through 2001. Connect with Matt at mattclements.com.

 

TEZETA “TEZ” RORO is a mom, a PTA leader and a community builder. She is a full-time practitioner licensed in New Jersey who is deeply engaged in her community. After a 12-year career in the corporate world, Tez entered the real estate profession as a result of her own home buying experience and thus has a great deal of empathy and understanding for the home buying and selling process. She brings emotional intelligence, professionalism, and design thinking from her corporate career which allows her to provide a custom and high-quality client experience. She is a power connector who is passionately curious, asks lots of questions, and makes magical connections happen for her network. Her business model includes giving back to causes and nonprofits of client’s choices. Her mission is to provide a real estate experience where each of her clients make informed and confident decisions. She does this by rooting her practice in education and delivering it wrapped in authenticity and professionalism. This translates to clients feeling confident about the home buying and selling journey and being fully engaged.

Tez is active in her local, state and national associations and makes meaningful contributions at every table she sits at. She is intentional about supporting local businesses, adding value to her network and taking action towards solving local issues. She is a lover of reggae and storytelling and has been featured on Forbes, Huffington Post, Thrive, Buzz Feed, Ellevate Network, and Diversity Inc.

 

JEF CONN, CCIM, SIOR, is a commercial agent specializing in industrial, office, and investment properties with Coldwell Banker Commercial in Lubbock, Texas. Since beginning his career in 2007,  Jef has helping thousands of clients and consistently ranks as the top industrial and office producer in his markets. Recognized for his work in commercial real estate, Jef won the 2015 William C. Jennings Texas Association of REALTORS® Transaction of the Year and the 2016 National Association of REALTORS® Commercial REALTOR® of the Year awards. He’s won the Coldwell Banker Commercial Global Award of Mentor/Protégé, once as a protégé and then again as a mentor in 2008 and 2012, respectively. Jef served as president of his local association in 2017 and currently serves as Region 1 vice president and executive board member for the Texas REALTORS®. Jef and his family reside in Lubbock, Texas, the home of food (beef), fuel (oil), and fiber (cotton) for the country. He is also a professional speaker on the topics of communication, leadership, and real estate. Connect with Jef on LinkedIn or via email: JConn@CBCWorldwide.com.

 

LEE DAVENPORT, Ph.D., is an experienced real estate broker based in Atlanta who trains real estate agents and brokerages on how to use today’s technology to work smarter. Lee offers a RE Tech Insider’s Club at no fee for real estate pros to keep up with the latest tech tools to help your sales business thrive. Learn more by visiting LearnWithLee.REALTOR. Also, follow Lee on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Google+. And if you are looking to transform your real estate sales game plan, check out Lee’s interactive workbook, Plan to Win!, available on Amazon.com.  For more personalized insights, Lee trains in person, by phone, and by video (live and recorded). For more information, or to request Lee as a speaker or guest blogger, contact her at info@LearnWithLee.REALTOR.

 

 

JENNIFER WEINBERG is a licensed real estate agent and partner in Living True Home Group at MW Real Estate Co in Nashville, TN. Living True Home Group empowers homeowners by offering real estate information and services in an approachable, compassionate and fun way.  Their motto: No egos here. This women-led partnership makes sure all their clients feel listened to and cared for, in addition to well-informed.

Jennifer is an advocate for children’s literacy and for homeownership. She served on the Board of East Nashville Hope Exchange for six years, and currently sits on the Board of her local YMCA. At Greater Nashville Realtors, she was Chair of YPN Council in 2021, and Chair of Public Education Committee in 2022. She loves exploring all of Nashville’s neighborhoods and will happily compare notes on the best coffee shops around town. Connect with Jennifer on Instagram or LinkedIn. 

 

 

HAZEL EMLEN is an award-winning, nationally recognized real estate professional currently residing in Vacaville, California. In 2021, she was named a REALTOR® Magazine 30 under 30 honoree. Hazel has a passion for selling residential real estate. Her love for helping people achieve their homeownership dreams is what continues to feed her love for the industry. With seven years of experience under her belt, Hazel is in the top 1% of agents in Solano County. She currently works for the No. 1 independent real estate office in Solano County, Rapisarda Real Estate. Having served as the co-chair of her local YPN, Hazel enjoys being able to help strengthen her local real estate community. As someone who is committed to striving for excellence, Hazel is proud to be a recommended business on California.com for her excellence in business and her commitment to her community. Hazel is also the host of her own podcast, “Real Life & Real Estate,” which you can find wherever you get podcasts. You can also find Hazel’s published articles on California.com. Recently, Hazel was also named one of the top 100 real estate agents to follow on social media in California by Property Spark. You can connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn or her website www.hazelemlen.com.

 

NEIL GORADIA (as written by associate Shaun Martin) is both a gentleman and a scholar. With an engineering background, a constant desire to learn, and a heart of gold, Neil is a fabulous human. He is thoughtful and kind. I am proud to call him a friend. Regarding real estate, he is the founder of Go Indy Real Estate in Indianapolis. His expertise is vast and includes experience in the following areas.

• Licensed real estate agent
• Home renovation and reselling consultant (a fancy way of saying fix ‘n flips)
• Land developer (he loves this side of the industry—he probably played SIMS City as a kid—now that’s a throwback showing our age a little)
• Private lender
• Buy and hold investor
• 1031 investor
• IRA and roth investor

Neil’s ability to learn and provide practical guidelines is incredible. To throw in a quote…have you heard the one? “Jack of all trades, master of none?” Well, when I’m talking about Neil this is what I say: “Neil of all trades, master of all trades.” Thanks, Neil. You the man.

 

KAYLA JOHNSON is devoted to always providing 3D (dependable, direct, and defined) service throughout the Saint Louis area. She’s a licensed Missouri Realtor® helping families navigate homeownership. With pride, she is a Fair Housing advocate and has earned the At Home With Diversity (AHWD®) designation from the National Association of Realtors (NAR®), a network of professionals focused on offering buyers and sellers the highest level of service with integrity. This has furthered her expertise in providing service with no biases.  Her love for volunteering at several non-profit organizations throughout North Saint Louis City is recognized and regarded. Being able to give back to the next generations of homeowners is always on her to-do list.  Her ability to successfully leverage her expertise and passions has been the key to a successful real estate career. To learn about her leadership experience and dedication to you, call her at (618)207-9437 or visit her website at kayla.explorestlouishomes.com.

 

MARIA KAUFFMAN has been a real estate pro in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the last several years. She has built many meaningful relationships and cares wholeheartedly about her clients and the real estate community. Prior to real estate, her career was heavily focused on brand management and digital sales. From a media agency in Chicago to a start-up in Seattle, from a Proctor & Gamble affiliate in New England to MLive Media Group in Grand Rapids, she’s been involved in several ventures and has marketed international brands, been part of major sales and digital marketing campaigns, and managed and mentored amazing people. Along with servicing her clients to the fullest of her abilities, she is now excited to engage as Bellabay’s director of training and development. In this new role, she will be training and mentoring newer agents so they are set up to succeed and achieve their goals in real estate. Connect with Maria at mariakauffmanrealestate.com.

ALEX CAPOZZOLO is the co-founder of Brotherly Love Real Estate. He has been real estate investing for +7 years and currently owns a small portfolio of 14 units. Alex spends his full-time hours working as a realtor in Southern California and enjoys writing on home improvement, marketing strategies, and other real estate topics.