Congratulations to Abio Realtor Felicia Mares – 30 Under 30!

 

UPDATE: We have learned that Felicia was selected for Realtor Magazine's "30 Under 30" class of 2019! We are sooooo incredibly proud of her. Read the full announcement here, and look for Felicia in the May/June issue of Realtor Magazine.

 

 

ORIGINAL POST: March 15, 2019

Our very own Abio Properties Realtor Felicia Mares is a finalist for the National Association of Realtors 30 Under 30 honor!

Each May, Realtor Magazine features 30 rising stars in the real estate industry. This year, nearly 300 millennial professionals applied, and Realtor Magazine named Felicia one of 50 finalists.

Now it’s your turn to weigh in and help our favorite finalist make it into the 30 Under 30!

Vote for Felicia during the Web Choice Award voting period, which closes at 10 a.m. PST on Friday, March 22. You can vote once a day.

 

 

If Felicia receives the most votes (yes please!), she is guaranteed a spot among this year’s 30 Under 30 and will be named the Web Choice Award winner. Judges will select the other 29 honorees.

Felicia is feeling beyond honored, tearing up in an Instagram video she posted right after hearing she is a finalist.

“I learned so much about myself through the application process. It was very personal to me,” says Felicia. “When you have big dreams, sometimes the scariest part is admitting you have that dream. But I am here to say I’d love nothing more than to become a part of the 30 Under 30 crew.”

 

Watch Felicia's video, part of her application for Realtor Magazine's 30 Under 30

 

Felicia, whose niche is helping first-time homebuyers and millennials navigate the intense Bay Area market, is our homegrown hero.

The 28-year-old is a native of Richmond, California, who knew exactly what she wanted and set herself on her professional trajectory while just a teenager. Felicia is the first college graduate in her large family, which includes 14 aunties and uncles and a flock cousins, nieces, and nephews.

“At a young age, I realized that an education can help break the lower-class cycle. I vowed to do things differently than my family had,” she wrote in her 30 Under 30 application.

 

First generation college graduate

 

Felicia fast-tracked her education by attending Middle College High School in San Pablo and simultaneously earning a high school diploma and an associate’s degree. She transferred to the University of California, Davis, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology within two years.

Today, Felicia hopes her path inspires her nieces and nephews to pursue higher education. She plans to help finance their educational futures with her real estate income.

 

Why real estate? In her own words:

 

“My family doesn’t have much, but we do have a huge support system. I have made it my mission to help those in transition,” Felicia wrote in her 30 Under 30 application. “The home buying process was confusing for my mom [who raised three girls and bought a home on her own], which has inspired me to focus on educating my clients so that they feel fully supported.

“The combination of my need for a better life, my mom’s life-changing investment, my dad’s unrealized dream [he died after a five-year battle with cancer], my desire for a meaningful life and my ability to support people through life transitions has led me to a career I love. That’s how life works. All of these little moments throughout our lifetime add up to create who we are and what we stand for.”

Felicia came to Abio Properties in 2016, blowing away the partners with her energy and entrepreneurial spirit.

“Felicia is the epitome of a self-starter,” says Abio co-founder and broker Cameron Platt. “She came right up to me at a party that her old boss was throwing and told me that she knew she wanted to be a Realtor, was taking classes to get her license, and wanted me to hire her and mentor her. How awesome is that?

“She hit the ground running, has never said no to an opportunity to learn, serve, or improve herself. She represents so much of what I look for in even veteran agents who I recruit to join our company.”

 

Fast Facts about Felicia:

 

• First full-time job: Nanny
• Professional honors: Selected as chair of the local Association of Realtors Young Professional Network and named to the state YPN Advisory Board in 2019
• Special talent: French fry connoisseur
• Loves: Social media (check her out on Instagram and Facebook)
• DIYer: Learning woodworking at the moment
• Passionate volunteer: Abio Cares, Trees for Oakland, Habitat for Humanity, ESCAPE Club, Alameda County Food Bank
• Professional motto: "Putting the REAL in Realtor"
• How she celebrated becoming a 30 Under 30 finalist: She took herself out for a glass of champagne – and French fries, of course.

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Abio Properties is a boutique real estate agency with offices in Oakland and Lafayette, and we specialize in making buying and selling a home in the East Bay easy. Our name (ah-bee-oh!) is inspired by the Spanish word for open, abierto, because that's our founding principle. We're open, honest, expert, energetic, and collaborative. Contact us to learn more about the Abio Difference at 888-400-ABIO (2246) or [email protected].