Going through a Divorce and Need Guidance? Meet the Women’s Realtor: Adrienne Green

A Note from Hope Katz Gibbs, author, Why Divorce — Hello, and welcome to today’s episode of the “Why Divorce” Show, where we interview experts who are here to help us through one of the most challenging transitions in our lives.

Today’s guest: Realtor Adrienne Green, who specializes in helping women buy their first home.

About Adrienne: This truly amazing woman started her career working in the financial investment world after graduating from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Business Administration in 2007. She performed financial analysis and accounting for mutual funds at Western Asset Management in Pasadena, California.

Craving more opportunities to interact with and help people directly, she earned a teaching credential (and eventually a Master’s in Education) to apply her aptitude for numbers to teaching high school math. Again, she enjoyed the hands-on opportunities to engage and assist students, allowing her to utilize her spirit of service. In 2011 Adrienne and her husband moved cross-country from Southern California to Northern Virginia, where they have happily resided ever since.

While taking time off from teaching to have two children, Adrienne started real estate investing by buying and managing rental properties in Loudoun County, Virginia. She enjoyed applying her financial skills and people skills in this manner and realized a career in real estate would be the perfect fit for her skills and abilities.

Now. Adrienne is a Realtor with Samson Properties in Northern Virginia. Her passion is to help people utilize real estate to meet their family and financial needs. She leverages her financial, analytical, problem solving, and interpersonal skills to optimize client results. Her clients appreciate her passion for doing the right thing and going above and beyond.

Adrienne resides on a farmette near the historic town of Leesburg in Loudoun County, VA, where she helps as many women as possible find the home of their dreams.

Now let’s launch into our Q&A with this Inkandescent Woman!

A Q&A with Hope: Why would a woman want to buy real estate on her own?

The answer, of course, is why wouldn’t she? But, of course, the devil is in the details. And that’s  That’s but one of the questions we have today for Adrienne Green, a successful Realtor in Northern Virginia’s Loudoun County, specializing in finding homes for single women. Welcome to the “Why Divorce” radio show on the Inkandescent Radio network, Adrienne!

First question: We know investing in real estate enables a person to build equity versus paying rent. In most markets, you are not only saving money, but your asset is appreciating asset like real estate values increase. What are some other reasons?

Adrienne: You have total control over your habitat. You can paint your home whatever color you want, put nails in the walls — or tear some down if you prefer. Plus, single women get to make all the choices themselves. There is no need to wait for a partner or spouse to make the transition from renting to buying, or no reason to stop owning real estate and start renting if divorced or widowed. Real estate has financial and personal benefits.

Hope: And being able to pick the house you truly want is clearly a benefit.

Adrienne: That’s right. You can get exactly what you want, with no need to compromise! When married couples buy a house, the goal is to find a house they both agree on, and both usually give up something in the process. Maybe she gets the interior finishes she likes, and he gets the basement rec room he wants, but both compromise on location. When you are buying on your own, you can focus on your wish list and no one else’s!

Hope: Now, let’s talk about challenges.

Adrienne: The greatest challenge an independent woman faces in buying real estate is that it’s all her — there’s no one to share the load — both in terms of workload and in terms of emotional burden. It’s a huge investment, and it can be difficult to manage that alone. Also, any real estate transaction can have unexpected problems or challenges, so having that team of supporters and advisers who can share their wisdom is the greatest strategy a woman can utilize to share the workload, including:

• Mortgage loan officer: If you’re getting financing, interview mortgage loan officers until you find one who is proactive and helpful.A lot of paperworkt goes into getting a loan, and a good loan officer will walk you through this lengthy and detailed process. He or she will also consult with you about your financial situation, and offer advice as to which loan offerings would be the best fit for you.
• Realtor: Look for a real estate agent who will be your teammates and help you with this process. You can evaluate this by giving the person a call, explaining your situation, and seeing what advice or guidance they offer. A real estate agent who communicates well and is willing to help you evaluate potential properties will be a huge asset. Real estate agents tour a lot of houses, so their wisdom during the showing can be very helpful. Make sure you ask the agent to share their observations and thoughts to ensure the agent knows you want their views (not every client does!).
• Friend: While you may have dozens of friends, rely on the one who will be honest and. You may want to have such a friend accompany you on the house showings, or use this person as a sounding board to help you work through decisions throughout the home buying process.

Hope: What about after the purchase — what should a woman property owner consider?

Adrienne: Once you purchase a property, at some point there will be home maintenance and home improvement. We traditionally assign many of these tasks as male roles, and the majority of the home service professionals (contractors) are men. Some women have shared with me that they weren’t raised maintaining a house and feel out of their element when taking care of things themselves or hiring contractors.

Hope: Maintenance and repair can definitely be an issue. I know that first hand.

Adrienne: Knowledge is your ally here. In terms of completing any of these house-related tasks yourself, if you don’t know how to do something, local home improvement stores offer various home maintenance classes, or there’s always Google and YouTube. Also, I know from observing my husband, father, and male neighbors and friends are that one-way men learn how to do home maintenance is by talking to each other. I think us women can certainly do that as well as, if not better than, any man! Wondering how to do something around your house? Post on social media or ask your friends the next time you get together.

Hope: But there are times when you need to hire a professional. The glass in the window broke in my bedroom — and my house was built in 1911. That was not something I was going to try to fix.

Adrienne: Right. Sometimes you need to spend money to get the job done. So if you decide to hire a professional to complete work around your house, here’s what I suggest:

• Get a few estimates.
• Ask friends for references. Ask a real estate agent, I deal with a lot of contractors, and I love to pass along the names of good ones.
• Then meet with the contractor, and make sure that you believe you will be respected as the homeowner. Some woman homeowners have told me about contractors acting unprofessionally, or not taking the woman seriously.
• Use that initial meeting to determine how the contractor treats you before you hire them.
• Also, be clear with yourself and the professional whether you know exactly what you want or if you’re seeking the professional’s advice as to how the task should be completed.
• Once you agree on the project, get everything in writing. This way, if the contractor doesn’t stick to the agreement, you have proof of the agreement and can work to get the problem remedied. Most of the home service professionals you work with will be great, but having everything in writing will be a huge help for the times when there is an issue.

Hope: You make this sound very doable, and fun! I know that buying my own house in November 2014 was one of the most proud things.

Adrienne: And you should be! Women should absolutely invest in real estate — without hesitation or fear. Like anything in life, there will be joys and challenges along the way. Build a strong support system that will help you celebrate the good times, and help you work through the bad times.

Hope: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us, Adrienne!

For more information about this Inkandescent Woman, check out her website, AdrienneGreen.com.

And thank you for listening to tips from experts and case studies from those going through a divorce or swimming on the other side. We look forward to talking with you all again soon. I’m Hope Katz Gibbs, your host.