being able to be heard, and I’m really proud that we’ve come as far as we have in just my lifetime. “Between our education and having more time [thanks to our husbands spending twice as much time with their kids as our dads spent with us] I think women are poised to flourish in every way, in any kind of business, and in any kind of career because we have the higher education and now we have the time as well. “In housing, remember that women tend to be the deci- sion-makers in most families. We innately understand hous- ing and what people want and need for their families.” •
advice. Because the firm specializes in default-related matters including both judicial and non-judicial foreclosures, they are well-equipped to assist private lenders in real estate and real estate investors while serving as advocates for parties that often are left out when politicians pass “consumer protection” laws. CRUCIAL “KEY” TO SUCCESS IN THE INDUSTRY: “You have to be willing to make tough decisions every single day. Sometimes you have to settle an unfair and unjus- tified case because it is less expensive for my client to pay off a bogus claim than to fight it out in trial. Even when I know my client is in the right, I have to help them make the best decisions for their best interests, and sometimes that means paying as little as possible and getting back to business. “You always have to remember that your reputation is gold, so don’t tarnish it. Stay honest, and never sacrifice your integ- rity for anyone, any job, or any cause. The same goes for your clients, whoever they are. “Overregulation and dishonesty (are) what kills an econo- my. Keep clients honest and prudent, and you’ll always have plenty of business.” PROUDEST MOMENT: “I’m proudest of the Geraci Law Firm, my marriage and my children. Together, they encompass who I am, and I am very proud of them and what they stand for.” A WORD FOR WOMEN IN REAL ESTATE: “Believe in your dreams, and they will become your reality. My mother always said that, and she taught me not to let any- thing or anyone hold me back. She was a tough single mother who sacrificed for so many years to support me and my sister on her own, and she always said I could do anything and be anything I wanted.” •
CHRISTINA GERACI Geraci Law Firm Irvine, CA
PLACE IN THE INDUSTRY: Christina Geraci entered the legal field as a result of a passion for inter- national politics. “My father contract-
ed cancer while working with chemical weapons (specifically Agent Orange) during the Vietnam War (as a Marine),” she recalled. Her interest in what she describes as “the fight for justice and human rights” evolved from an interest in prose- cuting war crimes to dealing with rights of a different and also extremely important nature: business and financial litigation. “Consumer protection laws, while originally created to protect the consumer, now only serve to harm them,” she explained, adding that many nontraditional lenders and loan servicers will not make consumer loans or even service them due to consumer protection laws like the California Home Owner’s Bill of Rights. “That severely limits the consum- er’s ability to obtain financing for real estate and only helps eliminate the American dream of homeownership,” she said. Geraci works closely with clients who are willing to loan to real estate investors and others in the industry to protect their ability to do so profitably and productively for both the lender and the borrower. WHAT’S AHEAD IN 2017: Geraci Law Firm recently teamed up with the American As- sociation of Private Lenders (AAPL) to create a strategic part- nership providing education and legal services on a national level. “We have so much experience in business and lending-re- lated matters,” said Geraci, adding that the firm takes care of clients from the very inception of their business by helping them strategically form corporations, preparing securities offerings, drafting loan documents and providing compliance
SVENJA GUDELL Zillow Seattle, Washington
PLACE IN THE INDUSTRY: Svenja Gudell has a very big job. As Zillow’s chief economist, she not only leads a team of more than 10
economists, data scientists and analysts in producing real estate research for consumers, academics, policy-makers and the rest of the decision-makers in the real estate space, but she also is integrally involved in doing what Zillow refers to as “turning on
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