There are many ways to move forward in life, but it can be challenging to know where to start and which path to take.   

 

That’s why it means a lot when you have leaders like Lori Valenti Webb there for you.

 

As a broker/owner with Property Specific Realty, Lori draws upon her experience and expertise to clear the path ahead for those around her.

 

“I am loyal and dedicated, passionate about everything that I do, but especially about helping in anything that I can help with,” Lori emphasizes. “I love to encourage people on their career paths. I believe in people, and I seek out their best talents. I think I’m good at identifying the value they bring.”

 

Lori grew up in Boston. After finishing college, she moved to Los Angeles to work in commercials and television.

 

“I did fairly well out there. I was in my early 20s and getting some residual checks. Instead of being like anyone else and partying, I was always sitting in a corner reading about investing in real estate. I was really obsessed with it,” Lori remembers. “I put aside some money that I made and attended investment seminars to learn how to invest in real estate.”

 

Based on those meetings and her research, Lori became hyper-focused on the  Raleigh and Austin, Texas, markets.

 

“I had taken some money from projects I had done and decided to buy a property in both Austin and Raleigh. That’s what kicked things off. I lined up property managers for both. Upon traveling out to both areas, I fell in love with the Raleigh area overall and purchased my own first home. I met my husband, Chris, when we were both working in the multifamily sector, and we continued to purchase additional investment homes with a focus on adding value and holding for the long term.”

 

As Lori explains it, the skillsets that she and Chris have complement each other, with Chris being skilled in operations and Lori excelling in marketing and sales.

 

“We were working full-time, and we were accumulating properties over 10 years. We got up to about 30 properties, and we held many of them from five to seven years,” she recalls. “During that time, a lot of friends and neighbors asked for our help. In the meantime, we had both gotten our real estate licenses. We started helping neighbors … identifying properties and then being their agents to help them purchase and then manage their rental properties.”

 

What started as a small venture on the side quickly blossomed.

 

Today, Lori and Chris have about 280 properties that they manage, along with their full-service real estate brokerage. They also gained interest in flipping homes and have owned VRBOs and beachfront properties. About four years ago, they even appeared on an HGTV show, with video crews following them through the renovation of a VRBO.

 

As the brokerage has grown, Lori has maintained a strong passion for working with people that are excited, forward-thinking and creative.

 

“I want to help my team achieve their goals in life,” she says. “All of my clients mean the world to me, and I enjoy helping about 60 to 70 families each year.”

 

Lori also started the Moving to Raleigh Facebook page with the goal of offering valuable information to people and educating clients on what they can expect as they move to the area.

 

As team leader, Lori enjoys working with agents to help them market themselves and grow in the business.

 

“I spend a lot of time with them …our culture is very important. We have about 20 active brokers and another five who help in property management,” she explains. “My focus is to specialize our brokerage for a one-stop shop. We have an in-house renovation division, an investment arm with property management, and we also handle commercial to residential work. It’s a one-stop shop with a lot of key partnerships that we have introduced to it.”

 

In their free time, Lori and Chris have enjoyed many aspects of life together.   

 

“We just built a new home and put in a pool, and we like to spend time with our dogs. We also are committed to the community.”

 

As she looks to the future, Lori has plans to become even more engaged in the community, supporting entrepreneurs and helping with internship programs to help teach kids about business in the early years!