Real Estate Experts

Jodi Bakst, a licensed Realtor® and owner of Real Estate Experts, has good ideas. A lot of good ideas. The kind that come from creative, innovative, outside-the-box thinking. A problem solver by nature, Jodi structures her approach to selling a home or helping someone buy a home according to a client’s specific needs. For example: She recently listed a house that the owners needed to sell as-is even though it needed a new kitchen, bathroom, and about $8000 worth of structural and other repairs. No problem. She positioned it properly, put it on the market, had five offers in two days, and it’s now under contract to close, with no contingencies, for well-above asking price. Amazing, right? For a house Jodi personally fixed and flipped – the deal initially fell through because the buyer couldn’t get financing. So, Jodi suggested to the buyer’s agent that she call Ribbon to bridge the buyer’s gap. As a result, the house sold for cash and the buyergot to move in and rent for a reasonable amount while she works on her financing. When she’s ready, she can buy the house from Ribbon. Win Win. That’s just her way. Getting from There to Here: Rewind to 1990 One of Jodi’s smartest Ideas was to move to Chapel Hill -- aka, the “Southern part of Heaven.” Another one – which gave the homeowners mentioned above their happy endings -- was to become a Realtor®. * After receiving a BA degree in Economics from the University of California in Santa Cruz and a Masters degree in Public Health from UNC-Chapel Hill, Jodi enjoyed a 15-year career in environmental management and economic development until 1997. A woman of courage and moxie, Jodi found herself longing to do something entrepreneurial and intellectually challenging that would require her keen organizational skills, encompass her aptitude for marketing and strategic thinking, and satisfy her desire to serve others. When the idea to become a real estate agent occurred to her, she grabbed it with both hands and threw herself into full pursuit of becoming a Realtor®. Fast forward: At the conclusion of the Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI) program, she not only received that designation but also scored higher than every other candidate in the state of North Carolina. It should come as no surprise then that Jodi Bakst is an over-achiever (a virtue that annoyed her siblings to no end). So it didn’t take long for her to acquire a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the local real estate markets in Chapel Hill, Durham, and surrounding communities. So she had another big idea: to launch her own independent real estate agency, which she appropriately named Real Estate Experts. Just as quickly, she became an expert in real estate technology. And she’s used that expertise to integrate systems into her work that send important information to her clients quickly and let her address clients’ questions or needs just as quickly and efficiently. As her real estate business blossomed, so did another good idea: to add a property management group to her business. For this, she teamed up with fellow broker Bill Matthes. Together, they’ve built Real Estate Experts Property Management Group into a highly successful company buoyed by highly satisfied clients. While Jodi has grown their thriving business, she has acquired the knowledge and experience to earn numerous professional designations (and a sizable collection of initials after her name). She is a licensed Real Estate Broker/Realtor®, a Certified Residential Specialist, a Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist, an Accredited Buyer Representative, a Certified Distressed Property Expert, a Senior Real Estate Specialist, a GRI graduate, a Certified International Property Specialist and, most recently, she earned her GREEN designation.

Karyn Cho came to Real Estate Experts by way of Illinois and California. First, she received her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For several years, she managed a retail establishment in the Chicago metropolitan area then gained hands-on experience in marketing for a small business. Life took Karyn to Northern California and Silicon Valley. But in 2004, she left “The Valley” for “the Hill” – Chapel Hill, that is – where she discovered her passion for the real estate industry. She was so passionate about it that she became a full-fledged Realtor® in 2007. Today, nothing brings Karyn Cho more professional joy than guiding her clients through a seamless, hassle-free home buying or selling experience. To achieve that joy, she carefully tailors real estate transactions to the unique needs of each unique client. She also keeps herself apprised of the ever-evolving technology around the real estate market, which is indispensable in providing the kind of excellent service she’s known for. Yet as much as Karyn loves real estate, her greatest blessings, she says, are her husband and three sons. Karyn is Korean-American, bilingual, and an active member of Newhope Church in Durham.

Over the years of being a real estate professional I’ve gained a unique set of skills and knowledge rooted in my personal commitment to Sustainability, Affordability, Social & Financial Equity that go beyond just helping my clients to purchase or sell a home. Sustainability - Mother nature doesn’t need us, we need her. Taking care of our environment has long been one of my top priorities. I spend a lot of my time volunteering to bring awareness to environmental issues. I’ve always been solutions driven so when I learned about ways to curb CO2 emissions at home, I began sharing this knowledge with my clients. I took it a step further and became a Florida Green Building Coalition Certifying Agent and got my GREEN designation and became a certified instructor to teach the course to other Realtors®. Last fall I joined Real Estate Experts and the developers of Array – the first Net-Zero-Energy neighborhood in North Carolina. I offer all my clients a deep commitment to sustainability and knowledge of green building practices to help them - navigate the purchase or sale of a home with sustainable, high-performance features and certifications. remodel an existing home to make it more sustainable – with resource, energy and cost-efficient features. Social & Financial Equity through Affordability - In my years of selling real estate, I’ve seen firsthand the opportunity to own a home vanish for many and with it the chance to build wealth. As a real estate professional it’s my desire to work to reverse this trend by creating more home ownership opportunities for the people who make up the backbone of our communities. Many factors have contributed to this problem and the path to solving it will require varied solutions. I offer my First-time buyers the chance to achieve financial and social equity by - helping them get financing as a Preferred Agent thru NCHFA which offers affordable financing terms. using my real estate investment background to help my clients find the right home in need of some TLC. applying my green home renovation experience to facilitate the process of modernizing and upgrading the home to create energy savings and long-term value. My commitment as an appointed member of the Orange County Affordable Housing Advisory Board to create more affordable housing opportunities. Financial Equity - Before becoming a residential real estate agent; I earned my BSBA in Finance and I spent several years working in the corporate world as a Financial Analyst at an international consulting firm and then as an Investment Manager for a commercial real estate firm. In addition, I’ve purchased and managed several of my own investment properties so I can better help my clients whether they are buying or selling a home or seeking an investment property.