CHAIR of FORCE Advisory Council Nominees
Elizabeth Borsuk-Bellonio: I believe I can bring a wealth of knowledge and ideas to the FORCE as we enter 2022. I have extensive experience in servicing distressed assets. My goal is to guide real estate agents in best practices on how to service properties and what to look for from the time that a property is assigned through the disposition of the asset. It is easy to complete a task once assigned, however, being proactive is what guarantees longevity in the business and helps you stay ahead of your assigned tasks. Therefore, I am requesting that you vote for me for FORCE Advisory Council to gain a different perspective. My goal is to educate real estate agents on what they can do to gain more assets, how to best provide thorough bids, how to research code violations, open permits, closed permits, etc., so that when a client calls, they understand the issues, have a well-thought-out solution, and can be most effective.
Susan Fallon: Susan (Suzy) is a third-generation Long Island, New York, native whose family called the North Shore home for 75+ years. Suzy is known for her iconic realty firm, Island Polo Realty Inc., and its many distinctive properties, as well as her role in serving the distressed industry on the East End. Her family has longstanding ties in the community where they owned several businesses. She continued their local tradition and founded Sea & Surf Builders LLC, as well as Tern Realty & Management firms. She was previously Marketing Manager at Prudential Douglas Elliman in the fabled wine region of the North Fork. As a Licensed Real Estate Broker, Suzy has professional experience in photography, advertising, social media, writing, graphics, and marketing, having worked professionally in advertising in both Manhattan and London. Suzy founded Island Polo Realty Inc. in January 2013 and works tirelessly on behalf of all her clients to make their real estate transactions as seamless and as rewarding as possible. Suzy is a strong advocate of Affordable Housing initiatives in her county and is working towards a General Contractor (GC) license. She has renovated, repaired, fixed, and flipped hundreds of distressed properties as well. She wrote and pitched a pilot for a cable network and has an upcoming HGTV show called Hamptons Hustle. Suzy would be delighted to serve as a FORCE Advisory Council Member.
Jim Hastings: Jim Hastings is the past Vice-Chair of the FORCE. He has been on the FORCE Advisory Committee for many years. He is the Broker of Hastings Brokerage, Ltd., a Las Vegas real estate firm that has specialized in helping mortgage servicers and residential real estate portfolio managers with their complete REO process since 1984. He holds a bachelor’s degree in real estate from Arizona State University and has closed over $1 billion in residential REO. He holds real estate broker licenses in Nevada, California, Arizona, and formerly Ohio. He has had offices in each state and is only operating in Nevada right now. Co-Founder of Broker Brain, an REO/property management, web-based system used throughout the U.S. He has written many articles for the FORCE newsletters and has spoken many times at past Five Star Conferences. His passion is to make sure that FORCE members get value out of their membership in a concrete way that will better their lives.
Sarah Richards: As an experienced REO broker and short sale specialist with 18 + years in the industry, I operate a well-maintained and diversified full-service real estate brokerage office. The office is complete with all current technologies and equipment with sufficient capacity to perform all services required. Marketing efforts go out to reach those individuals who believe that homeownership is not obtainable to them. It is my goal to create new homeowners wherever possible. I have a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master’s in business administration. I have several certifications in REOs and short sales, a CDPE certification, HAFA certification, Equator Certification, RES/NET certification, AHWD, e-PRO, SFR, GRI, PSA. I have served on the THDA Housing Industry Advisory Board, Chair on the Knoxville MLS Committee, Governors Affairs Committee, TAR Membership Board, Board of Directors of Knoxville Association of Realtors, and Five Star Advisory Board. I really enjoy working on this board, so I hope I can get another opportunity to serve you and have another fantastic year.
Jeff Russell: Jeff Russell, CEO of Russell Realty Group (RRG) has consistently distinguished himself as a top producer and as a preferred real estate consultant by his clients. Since 1999, he has proven to be one of the most successful Realtors in the industry with multi-million dollars in sales volume, top 1% in the country, having sold over 2,500 homes including luxury, relocation, REO foreclosure, short sale, traditional residential, multifamily, investment, short-term rentals, new homes, etc. He has been recognized, awarded, and honored by the real estate industry for his outstanding sales professionalism, sales achievements, and client satisfaction. As a member of U.S. REO Partners, Jeff is also a former director for an esteemed non-profit national real estate organization, NRBA (National REO Brokers Association). In addition to mentoring other agents, he is involved in donating his time for many charitable causes. Jeff has been featured in many real estate magazines and newspapers including, The Times, Pasadena Magazine, and DS News. Recently, Jeff has partnered with eXp Realty (EXPI), a leading real estate company, to continue delivering top performance in the real estate market. This partnership has opened a new pillar of business and opportunity using the strengths of Jeff’s performance, expansion team, and award-winning service. Jeff feels that as a member of the FORCE council, with his experience and knowledge, he undoubtedly can help to mentor and coach his FORCE colleagues in creating their own successful REO default real estate businesses.
VICE CHAIR OF FORCE Advisory Council
Elizabeth Borsuk-Bellonio: I believe I can bring a wealth of knowledge and ideas to the FORCE as we enter 2022. I have extensive experience in servicing distressed assets. My goal is to guide Realtors in best practices on how to service properties and what to look for from the time that a property is assigned, through the disposition of the asset. It is easy to complete a task once assigned, however, being proactive is what guarantees longevity in the business and helps you stay ahead of your assigned tasks. Therefore, I am requesting that you vote for me for FORCE Advisory Council to gain a different perspective. My goal is to educate Realtors on what they can do to gain more assets, how to best provide thorough bids, how to research code violations, open permits, closed permits, etc. so that when a client calls, they understand the issues, have a well-thought-out solution, and can be most effective.
Susan Fallon: Susan (Suzy) is a third-generation Long Island, New York, native whose family called the North Shore home for 75+ years. Suzy is known for her iconic realty firm, Island Polo Realty Inc., and its many distinctive properties, as well as her role in serving the distressed industry on the East End. Her family has longstanding ties in the community where they owned several businesses. She continued their local tradition and founded Sea & Surf Builders LLC, as well as Tern Realty & Management firms. She was previously Marketing Manager at Prudential Douglas Elliman in the fabled wine region of the North Fork. As a Licensed Real Estate Broker, Suzy has professional experience in photography, advertising, social media, writing, graphics, and marketing, having worked professionally in advertising in both Manhattan and London. Suzy founded Island Polo Realty Inc. in January 2013 and works tirelessly on behalf of all her clients to make their real estate transactions as seamless and as rewarding as possible. Suzy is a strong advocate of Affordable Housing initiatives in her county and is working towards a General Contractor (GC) license. She has renovated, repaired, fixed, and flipped hundreds of distressed properties as well. She wrote and pitched a pilot for a cable network and has an upcoming HGTV show called Hamptons Hustle. Suzy would be delighted to serve as a FORCE Advisory Council Member.
Jim Hastings: Jim Hastings is the past Vice-Chair of the FORCE. He has been on the FORCE Advisory Committee for many years. He is the Broker of Hastings Brokerage, Ltd., a Las Vegas real estate firm that has specialized in helping mortgage servicers and residential real estate portfolio managers with their complete REO process since 1984. He holds a bachelor’s degree in real estate from Arizona State University and has closed over $1 billion in residential REO. He holds real estate broker licenses in Nevada, California, Arizona, and formerly Ohio. He has had offices in each state and is only operating in Nevada right now. Co-Founder of Broker Brain, an REO/property management, web-based system used throughout the U.S. He has written many articles for the FORCE newsletters and has spoken many times at the Five Star Conference. His passion is to make sure that FORCE members get value out of their membership in a concrete way that will better their lives.
Edward Hru: I have been in residential and commercial real estate for the past 51 years and have been participating in the world of default for about the past 20 years, during which time my wife and I have represented Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, VA, USDA, and others. Over the past 10 years, we have averaged over 160 homes sold per year in the default market, which included a very bad COVID year. I am a member of Professional Standards for our local association, a former builder, and I love to eat. We are fully staffed and prepared for the defaults that are soon to be here. I look forward to helping our industry in any way that I can.
Steven Pagano: Steve Pagano is obsessed with exceeding client expectations. Steve is the Principal Broker of First Hawaiian Realty in Honolulu, as well as the Broker/Owner for Pagano Properties in New York, with both companies specialized in servicing the default market sector. Steve has been a member of the Five Star FORCE Advisory Council since 2017 and was formerly the CFO for a New York-based mortgage company. You can email Steve at steven@paganoproperties.com with your favorite pizza restaurant suggestions in any city.
Sarah Richards: As an experienced REO broker and short sale specialist, with 18 + years in the industry, I operate a well-maintained and diversified full-service real estate brokerage office. The office is complete with all current technologies and equipment with sufficient capacity to perform all services required. Marketing efforts go out to reach those individuals who believe that homeownership is not obtainable to them. It is my goal to create new homeowners wherever possible. I have a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master’s in business administration. I have several certifications in REOs and short sales, a CDPE certification, HAFA certification, Equator Certification, RES/NET certification, AHWD, e-PRO, SFR, GRI, PSA. I have served on the THDA Housing Industry Advisory Board, Chair on the Knoxville MLS Committee, Governors Affairs Committee, TAR Membership Board, Board of Directors of Knoxville Association of Realtors, and Five Star Advisory Board. I really enjoy working on this board, so I hope I can get another opportunity to serve you and have another fantastic year.
Jeff Russell: Jeff Russell, CEO of Russell Realty Group (RRG) has consistently distinguished himself as a top producer and as a preferred real estate consultant by his clients. Since 1999, he has proven to be one of the most successful Realtors in the industry with multi-million dollars in sales volume, top 1% in the country, having sold over 2,500 homes including luxury, relocation, REO foreclosure, short sale, traditional residential, multifamily, investment, short-term rentals, new homes, etc. He has been recognized, awarded, and honored by the real estate industry for his outstanding sales professionalism, sales achievements, and client satisfaction. As a member of U.S. REO Partners, Jeff is also a former director for an esteemed non-profit national real estate organization, NRBA (National REO Brokers Association). In addition to mentoring other agents, he is involved in donating his time for many charitable causes. Jeff has been featured in many real estate magazines and newspapers including, The Times, Pasadena Magazine, and DS News. Recently, Jeff has partnered with eXp Realty (EXPI), a leading real estate company, to continue delivering top performance in the real estate market. This partnership has opened a new pillar of business and opportunity using the strengths of Jeff’s performance, expansion team, and award-winning service. Jeff feels that as a member of the FORCE council, with his experience and knowledge, he undoubtedly can help to mentor and coach his FORCE colleagues in creating their own successful REO default real estate businesses.
MEMBER OF FORCE Advisory Council Nominees
Elizabeth Borsuk-Bellonio: I believe I can bring a wealth of knowledge and ideas to the FORCE as we enter 2022. I have extensive experience in servicing distressed assets. My goal is to guide Realtors in best practices on how to service properties and what to look for from the time that a property is assigned, through the disposition of the asset. It is easy to complete a task once assigned, however, being proactive is what guarantees longevity in the business and helps you stay ahead of your assigned tasks. Therefore, I am requesting that you vote for me for FORCE Advisory Council to gain a different perspective. My goal is to educate Realtors on what they can do to gain more assets, how to best provide thorough bids, how to research code violations, open permits, closed permits, etc. so that when a client calls, they understand the issues, have a well-thought-out solution, and can be most effective.
Thomas Bohlmann: Thomas Bohlmann’s 30+ year real estate career has given him priceless wisdom and developed experience in serving a variety of buyers and sellers for investments, REO/bank-owned, bulk buying, and selling. Starting before the MLSs, I’ve moved into online just-about-everything real estate. We REO agents must understand the foreclosure laws and processes of the state we live in, including auctions, upset bids, and redemption periods to settlement. I highly recommend REO agents go to our counties’ foreclosure auctions and just watch. The REO agents are the eyes and ears of the loan-servicing companies. We are some of the first people to see new properties coming into inventory. Technology in real estate, especially with default loan servicing, is rapidly moving forward. The technology platforms that loan-servicing companies use are constantly changing and improving. The tasks for each part of the default cycle allow each party to see the different steps in the whole process. New REO agents must adapt and be well-versed in the technology platforms, as well as provide innovative ideas for the loan-servicing companies to sell their assets quickly. The future of real estate is online, from shared MLS data, photos, videos, and (soon, in my opinion) purchasing. REO agents help communities turn around and be productive. I would appreciate your support for the FORCE Advisory Council, so I may return the favor by helping other REO real estate agents. Thank you very much for your consideration.
Laura Dietz: Change is in the wind, and we need to embrace it. COVID impacted how our real estate profession and markets are moving forward. When you have over 25 years invested in the real estate industry and have accomplished many achievements, along with having some of the highest credentials, it is essential to be a resource and help others. Many have extended a helping hand to me along the way; I didn’t wake up one day as an expert in default or REO. It is time for me to give back and extend my expertise to help in all areas of real estate. It has been my pleasure to be a broker, auctioneer, Certified Military Home Specialist, distressed property expert, and Women-Owned Business, servicing all government enterprises and asset-management companies, 24/7. I have completed both the typical and highly complex REO assignments expeditiously including single-family residences, condominiums, apartment buildings, new construction, estates, hotels, residential income properties, raw land, equestrian, motels, and commercial properties.
Susan Fallon: Susan (Suzy) is a third-generation Long Island, New York, native whose family called the North Shore home for 75+ years. Suzy is known for her iconic realty firm, Island Polo Realty Inc., and its many distinctive properties, as well as her role in serving the distressed industry on the East End. Her family has longstanding ties in the community where they owned several businesses. She continued their local tradition and founded Sea & Surf Builders LLC, as well as Tern Realty & Management firms. She was previously Marketing Manager at Prudential Douglas Elliman in the fabled wine region of the North Fork. As a Licensed Real Estate Broker, Suzy has professional experience in photography, advertising, social media, writing, graphics, and marketing, having worked professionally in advertising in both Manhattan and London. Suzy founded Island Polo Realty Inc. in January 2013 and works tirelessly on behalf of all her clients to make their real estate transactions as seamless and as rewarding as possible. Suzy is a strong advocate of Affordable Housing initiatives in her county and is working towards a General Contractor (GC) license. She has renovated, repaired, fixed, and flipped hundreds of distressed properties as well. She wrote and pitched a pilot for a cable network and has an upcoming HGTV show called Hamptons Hustle. Suzy would be delighted to serve as a FORCE Advisory Council Member.
Justine Jimenez Garcia: Dear Five Star FORCE members, since 2018 I have served on the FORCE council, for the last two years as Chair. My focus has been to give our members the opportunity to engage with asset managers and council members in order to open the doors for new business. I will continue to rally for education to include diversity, inclusion, and business-development strategies to help you master your market areas. I am asking for your vote.
Luis Guzman: As an Advisory Council member, I will have the opportunity to help serve and share my knowledge with the organization and members of the FORCE. My business model is comprised of streamlining strategies and systems for efficient results. I believe that I will be able to provide support and contribute solutions to challenges the organization may face currently and in the future.
Jim Hastings: Jim Hastings is the past Vice-Chair of the FORCE. He has been on the FORCE Advisory Committee for many years. He is the Broker of Hastings Brokerage, Ltd., a Las Vegas real estate firm that has specialized in helping mortgage servicers and residential real estate portfolio managers with their complete REO process since 1984. He holds a bachelor’s degree in real estate from Arizona State University and has closed over $1 billion in residential REO. He holds real estate broker licenses in Nevada, California, Arizona, and formerly Ohio. He has had offices in each state and is only operating in Nevada right now. Co-Founder of Broker Brain, an REO/property management, web-based system used throughout the U.S. He has written many articles for the FORCE newsletters and has spoken many times at past Five Star Conferences. His passion is to make sure that FORCE members get value out of their membership in a concrete way that will better their lives.
Edward Hru: I have been in residential and commercial real estate for the past 51 years and have been participating in the world of default for about the past 20 years, during which time my wife and I have represented Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, VA, USDA, and others. Over the past 10 years, we have averaged over 160 homes sold per year in the default market, which included a very bad COVID year. I am a member of Professional Standards for our local association, a former builder, and I love to eat. We are fully staffed and prepared for the defaults that are soon to be here. I look forward to helping our industry in any way that I can.
Janet Knopp: Janet Knopp is broker/owner of Capital Region Preferred Properties LLC. She has spent the last 25 years as a full-service real estate brokerage, serving most of New York state. She started her own brokerage in December 2000, working previously as a licensed salesperson for Coldwell Banker from March 1997 to December 2000. Janet’s primary focus is on distressed properties. She manages properties from cradle to grave for many banks and servicers, including Freddie Mac, Bank of America, and Chase, to name a few. She serves individuals, first-time buyers, and investors purchasing entire portfolios. Janet is a member of the National Association of Realtors, New York State Association of Realtors, Greater Capital Board of Realtors, and Central New York Board of Realtors, Global Multiple Listing Service, Central New York Information System, REO Brokers Network, and the Five Star Institute. She has served on education advisory committees on both the local and state levels throughout the past five years. She enjoys influencing the industry from a “boots on the ground” perspective. Janet’s primary residence is in Delmar, New York, and she has a passion for animals, both domestic and in the wild, as well as for the homeless and veterans. She regularly volunteers at local homeless shelters, safe houses, and soup kitchens. She is involved with promoting animal welfare globally.
Jennifer Kuhn: I have been involved in REOs for five years but have dealt with distressed properties since 2005. My business consists of mostly representing institutional investors, and my team and I normally manage over 100 assets at any given time. This includes all phases from property preservation to the market. I have an extremely high success rate for negotiating cash for keys, and we take pride in marketing our REOs with the same quality and marketability as we do our organic listings. We pride ourselves on providing accurate BPOs and ARVs to our clients. I always provide a recommended course of action for each asset to the asset manager. Our hub office is centrally located in Jackson, New Jersey. Our 2022 goal is to have 500 REOs.
Tamika Marks: My name is Tamika Marks, and I am the Managing Broker of Trademarks & Associates, LLC. We are a smaller, personable office that prides itself on quick response times and hands-on servicing of the asset from the date of the assignment to the date of the sale. I personally have worked with bank-owned assets for over 15 years in the greater Chicagoland area. My goal is to educate as many homebuyers and agents as I can about this industry when it comes to the buying process, selling assets, and how to maintain the integrity of the business.
Aaron Mighty: Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Aaron Mighty faced struggles, not unlike so many growing up in the inner cities. His independence led him to take the road less traveled, and the hard work he put forth led him to be only the second in his family to attend college. While studying at the University of Florida, his passion for business gave him an entrepreneurial spirit that would spark just about everything in his life. After graduating and working in the real estate industry in various capacities ranging from an Asset Manager to Construction Manager to Property Manager and Realtor, Mighty became a real estate broker and started his own brokerage in 2006. His background in the default servicing industry led him to immediately seek out the REO foreclosure world, where he would carve out a niche as one of the largest minority-owned REO-focused brokerages in the Orlando, Florida, area. As a constant professional, Mighty has always strived to expand his knowledge of the REO industry and fine-tune the best practices that have made him successful in real estate as a whole. With over 14 years of REO experience, Mighty has developed an organization built on integrity, hard work, and professionalism. His REO career has led him to mentor and train hundreds of agents in the REO field while expanding his own brand throughout the southeast region. As a member of the FORCE Advisory Council, Mighty will look to expand the reach of the organization with new members in all aspects of the business. He will also assist in developing new programs to help diversify FORCE members’ businesses. Mighty is looking forward to serving our organization in any way called upon, but most importantly in creating new relationships that will increase REO inventory for our membership.
Steven Pagano: Steve Pagano is obsessed with exceeding client expectations. Steve is the Principal Broker of First Hawaiian Realty in Honolulu, as well as the Broker/Owner for Pagano Properties in New York, with both companies specialized in servicing the default market sector. Steve has been a member of the Five Star FORCE Advisory Council since 2017 and was formerly the CFO for a New York-based mortgage company. You can email Steve at steven@paganoproperties.com with your favorite pizza restaurant suggestions in any city.
June Phillip: June Phillip is a seasoned veteran in real estate with over two decades of experience in the profession as a Realtor and real estate investor. Demystifying the process and getting it done smoothly are her specialties, and there’s no issue that is too hard to handle. Her long track record of success enables her to make sound decisions on the behalf of her clients, and her numerous years of service have solidified her position as a trusted agent among her peers. She’s an avid believer in understanding, communication, and teamwork. In addition to her vast experience in her field, she has an MBA, REO and short sale FORCE certification, property management licensure (Washington, D.C.), license reciprocity in Maryland and D.C., and she’s also a Notary in Maryland. Aside from her education and experience, June has one goal in mind: to be an effective manager of the process on behalf of her clients. As a member of the council, her goals are to be a clear voice of knowledge and reassurance to her community, to advance the interests of and advocate for members, and to be a team player by working across the aisle with stakeholders and partners in the mortgage industry.
Sarah Richards: As an experienced REO broker and short sale specialist, with 18 + years in the industry, I operate a well-maintained and diversified full-service real estate brokerage office. The office is complete with all current technologies and equipment with sufficient capacity to perform all services required. Marketing efforts go out to reach those individuals who believe that homeownership is not obtainable to them. It is my goal to create new homeowners wherever possible. I have a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master’s in business administration. I have several certifications in REOs and short sales, a CDPE certification, HAFA certification, Equator Certification, RES/NET certification, AHWD, e-PRO, SFR, GRI, PSA. I have served on the THDA Housing Industry Advisory Board, Chair on the Knoxville MLS Committee, Governors Affairs Committee, TAR Membership Board, Board of Directors of Knoxville Association of Realtors, and Five Star Advisory Board. I really enjoy working on this board, so I hope I can get another opportunity to serve you and have another fantastic year.
Jeff Russell: Jeff Russell, CEO of Russell Realty Group (RRG) has consistently distinguished himself as a top producer and as a preferred real estate consultant by his clients. Since 1999, he has proven to be one of the most successful Realtors in the industry with multi-million dollars in sales volume, top 1% in the country, having sold over 2,500 homes including luxury, relocation, REO foreclosure, short sale, traditional residential, multifamily, investment, short-term rentals, new homes, etc. He has been recognized, awarded, and honored by the real estate industry for his outstanding sales professionalism, sales achievements, and client satisfaction. As a member of U.S. REO Partners, Jeff is also a former director for an esteemed non-profit national real estate organization, NRBA (National REO Brokers Association). In addition to mentoring other agents, he is involved in donating his time for many charitable causes. Jeff has been featured in many real estate magazines and newspapers including, The Times, Pasadena Magazine, and DS News. Recently, Jeff has partnered with eXp Realty (EXPI), a leading real estate company, to continue delivering top performance in the real estate market. This partnership has opened a new pillar of business and opportunity using the strengths of Jeff’s performance, expansion team, and award-winning service. Jeff feels that as a member of the FORCE council, with his experience and knowledge, he undoubtedly can help to mentor and coach his FORCE colleagues in creating their own successful REO default real estate businesses.
John Tangri: Hello, fellow REO experts, my name is John Tangri. Most of you know me from last month’s Five Star Conference FORCE meeting, where I (along with Bill) helped many of you find chairs to sit down and enjoy our overly full/highly successful get-together (as well as providing many of you free drinks for the after-party). That was a lot of fun. I am a former U.S. paratrooper and a former investment advisor who, until the 2007 market crash, used to manage millions of dollars in technology and bank stocks. However, I’ve had my real estate license since 1991, which came in handy when a neighbor of mine asked me to help her save seven properties that were underwater. Thus began my career in short sales and REOs with 300+ sales, as well as just as many regular sales. During the last year, more of my clients have moved into purchasing portfolios of NPLs/REOs, which has helped me better understand the shift in banks and servicers thinking about how to handle the current economic conditions. I think my insights into the NPL/REO market can make a valuable contribution to help our members prepare to succeed during the next year. Thank you for spending your valuable time reading this, and I would be honored to have your vote.