Today we’d like to introduce you to Cherlise Forshee.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
2007-Graduated from FAMU 2012- Signed to Def Jam by Dj Khaled and Fat Joe as a R&B artist/songwriter 2012. I left the music industry to open a business of my own. 2012-2017- I spent the next five years working with Fortune 500 companies, training sales teams across the country. After a divorce in 2017, I decided to return to corporate America, where I worked as a real estate agent coach for a virtual brokerage, Owners.com. I was responsible for over 100 agents in Texas, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Mass. It was there that I was Inspired by the drastic increase in sales of my real estate agents so I decided to quit my full-time job and take a chance on myself.
After having great success as a part-time agent, my mentor/broker, Valyn Lyons, encouraged me to pick a date and quit my job and that I did. I took a chance on ME. I applied the sales techniques I’d coached and trained over the last eight years and sold five million within my first few months in real estate. I am inspired by family and helping others realize their goals of homeownership. I was created to serve and I enjoy providing top-tier service to my clients. I keep the “real” in real estate. My goal is to educate my buyers and sellers to the point where they feel like can do my job! That’s when I know I’ve done my job well!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all… I lost my 12-year-old niece to gun violence in 2012, which was by far the most difficult thing I’ve had to deal with. After my divorce in 2017, I was distraught. I closed the doors to my business and moved back to Miami. It was the most humbling experience ever. I went from hiring and training over 100 employees state to state and coaching entrepreneurship to moving in with my parents divorced.
In an effort to keep cash coming until I found a new path, I worked a high school interventionist and drove Uber/Lyft. In 2017, I packed my bags and moved to Atlanta to start a new life. It was there that I returned to corporate America working as an agent coach. It was also in Atlanta where I met my mentor, Valyn Cole Lyons. I inquired about her profession and she told me she had a real estate brokerage. The rest is history.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I work with The Cole Realty Group as The Red Realtor /red/ is associated with energy, ambition, war, strength, power, determination, passion, desire and love. When choosing a name, I wanted to capture the passion and fire I have for this industry and my clients. Homes For Heroes is a cause I am very passionate about. Through this initiative, I work closely with teachers, nurses, firefighters, veterans, and law enforcement. I personally contribute towards their closing costs as a thank you for their sacrifices. I am also a member of Delta Sigma Theta, a sorority associated with the color RED as well. I am originally from Miami, Florida and moved to Atlanta in 2012. I serve as a Realtor and coach to many agents in the industry and pride myself on my ability to connect with my clients and aid them in finding the best home for them!
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I am down to earth, consistent, transparent, and I keep the ‘REAL” in real estate. I find that people appreciate authenticity.
Contact Info:
- Email: cherlise@theredrealtor.net
- Website: www.cherliseforshee.com
- Instagram: @theredrealtor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cherlise
