herRochester.com Pays Tribute to Karen Leonardi

Below is an exceprt from herRochester.com's article on our Executive Vice President, Karen Leonardi.



At age 33 and with a 7-month old baby at home, Karen Leonardi became the first female CEO of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors. Now 40, she was recently named executive vice president at Nothnagle Realtors, one one of the largest real estate companies in the country.

Leonardi has been with Nothnagle for four years, previously as vice president of corporate and consumer affairs, before her recent promotion.

She oversees internal departments that provide support to the sales staff, which includes marketing, advertising, relocation, and home services.

“I keep everything running behind the scenes,” Leonardi said.

Living in Rochester her entire life, she enjoys the cultural offerings, restaurants, and quality of life here.

Leonardi gives back to the community by participating in Nothangle’s community involvement efforts, and also as president of The Housing Council, which provides foreclosure prevention and other housing-related counseling.

One of the biggest challenges she has overcome in her career was entering and moving up in a male-dominated field. She found herself constantly interacting with board members, business owners, and government officials that were mostly older men.

“It was intimidating because I kept thinking that they saw me as this young girl and inexperienced,” she said.

Leonardi decided to cut her hair short, buy a lot of pants suits, and dye her hair darker all in an attempt to appear older.

It wasn’t until she started meeting with a professional coach that she learned how to truly gain confidence. She said he told her, “What if they’re looking at you and thinking, ‘wow, this young woman really has it together’?”

“I honestly can say that was a pivotal moment for me,” Leonardi said. “I just never looked back and I never felt that intimidation or lack of confidence.”

Her best advice for young women entering the business world is to trust your intuition and find a few key people that will keep you balanced and give you honest and constructive criticism, like a mentor, spouse, or partner.

Read the rest of the article on herRochester.com

Moving Outside of the Area?

Are you moving outside of the area? Not sure who to talk to or where to start? Well you're in luck! Not only can we help you with everything here but we can get the ball rolling for you where ever your destination may be!

It doesn't matter where you are going, Nothnagle Relocation can help! As part of the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, Nothnagle Relocation has access to information on well over 10,000 communities nationwide. We will ask the questions to not only pinpoint your exact needs but so that we can find you an agent that will deliver you the same quality service you've come to know...and expect...from Nothnagle.

Nothnagle Home Services can help too! Once you're ready, we can assist in helping you relocate. Working with local to nationwide movers, our Home Services department can assist you with getting quote through our exclusive benefits program. Not only that, but we work with various other companies that can help get everything wrapped up here as you transition to your new location.

Nothnagle Relocation: 1-800-295-RELO (7356)
Nothnagle Home Services: 1-866-295-MOVE (6683)

Thinking of Renting Your Home?

If you are thinking about renting your home, let us give you some tips to help!

To start with, you want to understand everything involved. From preparing the listing to collecting rent and keeping up on maintenance...being a landlord can be time consuming. Also take time to prepare your home. If you are renting just part of your home, make sure that you can secure the rental area from the rest of your home. Take note of any key points about the space. Is there laundry available? What about central air? Try and think of things that can make your property stand out above the rest!

Think about hiring people to help! Whether it be a lawyer to help with the lease or an accountant to help with finances and taxes; professionals can help. Nothnagle can help as well! We offer FULL SERVICE Property Management. We can help market and maintain your property. Feel free to call 585-756-7263 for more information.

You will also want to price competitively. Check similar prices in your area for comparable properties. Make sure to consider the bonuses when pricing but don't forget that renters will also be looking for great deals as well. Make sure you screen your tenants carefully. Remember, they are a stranger, so checking references is never a bad thing. Once, you have found the perfect tenant, ask for an appropriate deposit and rental payment schedule.

Have you ever thought about renting your property?

How the Mortgage Settlement Affects Housing

In a previous post we addressed the National Mortgage Settlement that involves 5 banks (Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Ally, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup) and gave a summary of where the money was going to be allocated to. In this post, we will take a look at how the settlement will affect the current housing market.

There are many different thoughts on how this settlement will actually impact the market. Some think that this may be a little too late. IHS Global Insights states, “Like many previous plans to stem foreclosures, this agreement will help at the edges. The problem is too big for it to have a large impact, however…This agreement will help the housing market move ahead in 2012 in a small way. But it is hardly a game changer.” But how does this impact houses currently in the midst of the foreclosure processs? "The settlement helps the housing market in the long run because it allows banks to proceed with millions of foreclosures that have been stalled. Many lenders have refrained from foreclosing on homes as they awaited the settlement.” says Mark Vitner, a senior economist at Wells Fargo.

Oh course both IHS Global Insights and Mark Vitner are looking at this from a National standpoint where some states are seeing drops in housing prices as much as 11.3% (Illinois) over the past 12 months whereas New York state is seeing an increase of 1.7%. What are your thoughts on how this will affect Western New York or even the state as a whole?

Welcome to the Buffalo market Nothnagle!

We made the announcement this week that we will be opening our first company owned agency in Amherst. The new office will be joining our three franchises that are also in Orchard Park, Amherst, and downtown Buffalo respectively.

"We see a lot of opportunity in that market." says Executive Vice President Karen Leonardi. With a market in Buffalo that is similar to Rochester in the sense that the economy has weathered the recession very well. Both Rochester and Buffalo have not had the ups and downs that are commonly seen in other parts of the country.

The new office will be managed by Lisa Avery who is a veteran of real estate and brings with her 15 years of real estate leadership. Currently operating out of a temporary space at 6789 Main St, we will be securing a permanent space in the Amherst/Williamsville area.