Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelley Freeman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in the United Kingdom within a Military family. In 2002, I graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Law. Shortly afterwards, I moved from Southampton, England to sunny Orlando, Florida, following a job opportunity. In 2008 I became a US Citizen.
I am a Certified Rescue Scuba Diver and have traveled all over the globe exploring the hidden world under the seas. I am also a Certified Yoga Instructor and teach classes in my area. In my spare time, I like to travel, spend time with my friends, family, read and cook.
In September 2002, I moved to Orlando, Florida and began attending real estate school. In April 2003, I began my real estate career in Florida, passing my Real Estate Salesperson exam and becoming a member of the National Association of Realtors®.
In 2004, I passed the Real Estate Brokers exam and officially became joint Broker of Frontline Florida Realty. In 2011, I advanced my involvement within the company, becoming CEO and majority shareholder, giving the company a ‘woman owned’ status.
In April 2015, I joined Evista REsources as a Broker Associate and REALTOR®. For three years, I served on the board for the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), helping the Hispanic community, clients and REALTORS® achieve their real estate dreams. I have also served as Vice President and Chairperson for OSCEOLA County’s Association of REALTORS®, Global Alliance Committee. The goal of the committee is to position and expose its members internationally through global opportunities, support and tools.
I specialize in representing foreign national clients in the purchase and sale of vacation/income properties in the Greater Orlando area. In the market downturn, I also listed homes in the area for various Banks and Asset Management companies. I was GE Money’s only Realtor in the state of Florida, conducting all of their foreclosure business and a lot of their short sale business.
I truly love this area and pride myself on my knowledge of current transactions and market conditions, Visa’s, neighborhood information, and related services, including mortgage, insurance and inspection information. My knowledge and expertise has allowed me to provide first-class service to my clients. The majority of my business is from word-of-mouth, which stands as a true testament to the level of service I provide, increasing my sales volume year on year, even in challenging market conditions.
My previous jobs in the legal field, helping people obtain immigrant and non-immigrant visas, customer service and administrative work have all enhanced my abilities in the real estate field in establishing myself as an outstanding real estate agent/REALTOR®. I am a customer-driven Realtor dedicated to achieving results and providing exceptional service. If you are in the market to buy or sell a home, I will put my 19 years of real estate expertise to work for you!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It’s not been smooth sailing, but that doesn’t mean I would change anything. A challenge in life helps us learn. I was surprised how homesick I was when I first came over. I though with having a job with people I had previously worked with and coming to a city I had visited many times, I would feel instantly at home. That was not the case and it was a while to truly feel settled, make friends and learn the difference in culture and how things are done.
The housing market, as with our general economy, will always have its ups and downs. I had to learn to pivot my business with a few different economic shifts in 2006 and 2008 and then again in 2015. Today’s market, post-pandemic is also seeing changes as the inventory for resale and new build homes is very tight and the cost of building materials and labor are high.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a Realtor helping people buy and sell property in the metro Orlando area. I work in the Residential segment of the market, mainly with people from overseas and out of state in the vacation and second home market. I also help people in the local area and those that are relocating to the area.
I pride myself on my education and keeping up with market trends. I hold many National Association of Realtors designations and keep up to date monthly with economic and real estate trends. Having a complete ‘team’ to support my buyers and seller is also very important to help with a smooth transaction and to be able to guide people to get the advice and help from others that they need for example banks, lenders, FX, inspectors and so forth.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
One of my favorite childhood memories is from when I was nine years old. My Aunt, Uncle and Cousin bought me to Disney for the 1st time. We came from the UK for one week and stayed in a hotel on International Drive. We visited the Disney Parks and Wet n Wild. It was the first time I have been to the US and I still remember going to a buffet-style restaurant on International Drive called Yorkies. It’s long gone, so is the hotel we stayed in. I had never seen anything in my life like this buffet, I was nine and I could help myself to all the ice cream and chocolate sauce I wanted. I was surely close to heaven. From this trip we started to come regularly to Disney for summer holidays. Eventually my parents bought a vacation home here.
If you had told that 9 year old girl one day she would be living next to Disney and selling houses like we had she would never have believed you. But hear I am, living the dream I didn’t know I had and still eating ice cream and chocolate sauce at every chance!
Contact Info:
- Email: shelleyfreeman@icloud.com
- Website: www.shelleyfreeman.com
- Instagram: shelleyfreeman_realtor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShelleyFreemanRealtor
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ShelleyFreemanFL
