We recently had the chance to connect with Laura Lerman and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Laura , we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
As a mom of six, one of my proudest accomplishments has been raising our children into confident, capable, kind adults. This year marks a major milestone for our family — our youngest is a senior in high school, and we’re officially stepping into the “empty nest” chapter of life. Over the past decade, we’ve launched five of our kids into the world, and watching each of them chase their dreams, overcome challenges, and find their own way has brought me so much joy.
There’s something incredibly rewarding about seeing your kids not just survive but truly thrive — knowing that all the sleepless nights, school projects, carpool runs, and heart-to-hearts actually led to something meaningful. They’re becoming people I deeply admire.
As we step into this next season, I find myself filled with gratitude — and a fresh sense of purpose. With more time and space opening up in my life, I’m excited to pour even more energy into my business and the clients I serve. Real estate has always been a passion of mine, but now I have the bandwidth to go even deeper — to educate, to guide, and to walk alongside families as they navigate their own transitions and milestones.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I started in real estate 10 years ago, and from day one, my mission has been to create a space where clients feel seen, heard, and truly cared for. Buying or selling a home isn’t one-size-fits-all. Every person, every family, every story is different — and we honor that. A home is often the biggest purchase someone will ever make, and that’s not something we take lightly.
Our team takes great pride in listening first, really listening, so we can tailor a plan that meets your specific needs and goals. Whether you’re buying your very first home, upgrading for a growing family, or navigating the emotional process of selling a loved one’s estate, we’re here to guide you with patience, experience, and care.
We use a data-driven approach to stay ahead of market trends, so we can give our clients real, honest insight into the best time to buy or sell. When you’re selling, we start with a detailed walkthrough and focus only on improvements that will actually add value. From there, we connect you with trusted vendors and roll out a powerful, strategic marketing plan designed to get your home sold quickly and for the best price.
For buyers, we help you cut through the noise and focus on the homes that truly match your lifestyle and goals. We don’t want you to feel overwhelmed. We want you to feel confident, prepared, and excited.
Whether it’s helping you make a move, updating your kitchen, or just answering your real estate questions years down the road — we’re here. Our clients become part of our extended family, and our goal is always to be your safe place to land when you need guidance, answers, or support.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I wish I had a glamorous story about how I became a Realtor. Some movie-worthy moment of inspiration. My journey into real estate was more about survival than strategy.
In my early twenties, I had no real direction. I dropped out of college and was waiting tables, trying to figure out what came next. What I learned the hard way was that if you don’t have a plan, life will create one for you.
At 28, I found myself a single mom of two babies — no money, no college degree, and no one to pick up the pieces for me. The first few years of single motherhood, I wasn’t honest with myself. I kept pushing forward in a business that I knew deep down wasn’t the right fit. But I was stubborn, and sometimes, when you won’t see the truth for yourself, life finds a way to show you.
After eight years of barely getting by, enough income for one person but not for two partners, I hit a breaking point. I stepped away. I prayed, I panicked, I lost sleep. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t see what the next move was. I was terrified of ending up back on food stamps. But in that stillness, in that surrender, something shifted.
Real estate kept showing up, in conversations, in quiet moments, in opportunities. So I jumped in with both feet, and I’ve never looked back.
Before I was told who I had to be, before life’s pressure and fear made decisions for me, I was a dreamer. A little wild, a little lost, but full of hope. And what I’ve learned is that sometimes, finding your way back to yourself doesn’t look like a straight line. It looks like surviving. It looks like starting over. And it’s the most beautiful kind of beginning.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Even after stepping up and being honest with myself, I still found I could get knocked down pretty easily. There were people in my life who still had way too much power over me. They could take a good day and turn it bad with just a look or a comment. Some didn’t even have to say anything, just had to be in the room.
One night, sitting around a Boy Scout campfire, a friend was comparing each of us to superheroes. I didn’t grow up watching those movies or reading the comics, so I didn’t know much. But I laughed and followed along as he went around the circle, naming heroes for each person and explaining why.
Then he got to me.
He called me Phoenix.
I had no idea who that was. I remember thinking, What movie is she even from? But as he talked, he described her power—and how most of the time, it was so strong it became uncontrollable. Later that night, I crawled into my tent, looked her up on my phone, and read all about her. She was one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel universe… but her power was so intense, it ended up destroying her.
For years, I hated that comparison. Out of all the heroes, why was I the one who couldn’t control the very thing that made her special? Why couldn’t I just be Wonder Woman—put-together, in charge, with a happy ending?
I even packed up the Phoenix poster he gave me, intending to throw it away.
A few years ago, I found that poster again, and this time, I saw it differently. I realized what he saw in me wasn’t chaos—it was potential. He truly believed that if I ever learned to harness my own strength, to get focused and clear on what I wanted, no one could stop me.
That was the moment everything shifted. I stopped wishing I was someone else and started becoming who I already was. I took back control—of my emotions, of my choices, of my life. I stopped letting other people dictate how I felt or where I was headed. I realized the power I had wasn’t something to fear—it was something to own.
And once I did, everything changed.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
As a Realtor and mentor to other agents, one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that truly understanding the market is what separates professionals from people just chasing a fad. I hear questions all the time like, “How do I get this difficult buyer (or seller) to the closing table?” And when I dig in, the problem is rarely the client. It’s usually one of two things.
First, the agent doesn’t actually know why their client is making a move. They haven’t uncovered the client’s true motivation or timeline. So they end up showing homes to a buyer who’s not ready, or listing a home for someone who’s not committed to selling. That’s not strategy. Telling a client what they want to hear leads to client frustration.
Second, many agents aren’t doing a full market analysis. They’re just pulling comps. But pricing a home without understanding market trends, where things are headed, not just where they’ve been, is a huge mistake. That’s how homes end up sitting with no offers, even in what feels like a strong market.
Fads are surface-level. Real market shifts come from deeper patterns, interest rates, inventory levels, buyer behavior, and economic indicators. My job is to stay ahead of that data so I can help my clients move with the market, not against it. Whether I’m working with a buyer or seller, knowing the real numbers allows us to negotiate from a place of strength from day one.
At the end of the day, fads create confusion. Real market knowledge creates confidence. Confidence is what I want for every client.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
As I continue to build my real estate business, there’s no doubt in my mind: this is what I was born to do. I absolutely love what I do and who I get to do it with. Every part of the real estate journey. From the high-stakes negotiations to the quiet, emotional moments, has a place in my life and in my heart.
This work isn’t just about houses. It’s about people, stories, and transitions. I’ve had the privilege of helping clients make some of the biggest decisions of their lives, and the trust they place in me and my team means everything. That trust often goes far beyond the transaction. My clients become part of my extended family, and we walk through life together.
Of course, I get calls to help with buying or selling homes, but I also get calls for things like renovation advice, investment strategies, or recommendations for a good plumber. I’ve helped clients update their kitchens, navigate inheritance questions, find the right school district — even settle into new chapters after loss or divorce.
I like to think of myself as a problem solver, someone who brings value, steadiness, and support wherever it’s needed. I don’t take that lightly. I wasn’t told to do this. I chose it. And in choosing it, I found my purpose.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lermanteam.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laura_lerman_/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraemccloskey/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laura.lermanteam/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Laura_Lerman
