August 17, 2020
By: Kirby Lavallee
WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. – Over a decade ago a passion for helping and serving others became a career for local real estate expert, Stella Tornabene Sheridan. An affinity for homes, architecture, and interior design paved the way to where she is today. Most in the area know her as ‘The Wesley Chapel Realtor’, due to her not only serving this local community but living there locally in The Ridge as well. She truly lives out her slogan of – “I live here. I work here. I play here”. When she isn’t working you can typically find Stella out supporting small businesses in her local community while spending time with her 6-year-old daughter, Ella, and her husband, Christopher.
Serving others is a way of life for the Sheridan’s. Stella’s husband of 12 years, Christopher, is a local first responder for a large hospital system in the area and has been saving lives for the last 18 years of his life. COVID-19 has been a trying time on both of their careers, in addition to the extended hours that have become the new norm for many careers around the nation. For Stella the shift was virtual. “Adapting to the new ways of real estate allowed me to serve more clients in a day while keeping everyone safe at the same time”, said Stella. From virtual showings and open houses to completely electronic document management, the new ways of real estate may be here to stay.
As a resident of The Ridge, located in Wesley Chapel, soaking up the sun in the neighborhood while spending family time is something that Stella enjoys greatly. Bunco and hanging out with the neighbors were routine prior to the pandemic. Now you can find Stella juggling virtual means to stay in touch with those she loves as things get back to normal. But that hasn’t stopped her philanthropy, each and every real estate sale she closes she allows her clients to choose a local charity of their choice and she donates $250 in their name.
The Sheridan family has also had their fair share of stress over the years, like many others in the local community. One of the main struggles has been their miscarriages and they are currently dealing with secondary infertility. Stella doesn’t see it as an obstacle though, but more of a way to relate better to the mothers she serves as well as count her blessings each and every day. In addition, her strong faith and calm demeanor is very welcoming to others as she can easily relate to the everyday life struggles we all face. As a Christian who attends Grace Family Church, Stella lives by Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Based on the struggles over the years, the shift in real estate was one that Stella found relatively easy. Over the last several years she had already shifted her real estate business virtual, saving her clients time and money. “Real estate had already shifted to virtually paperless over the past several years, so this was not much of a learning curve for many buyers and sellers when it came time to use technology to complete transactions,” Stella said.
In addition to virtual paperwork, Realtors are now taking advantage of virtual consultations, showings, and open houses. Stella said, “I have clients reach out from out of the state and want to see homes, this is a great way for me to virtually walk them through a home and answer their questions without them having to physically be here.”
The days of jumping in the car and going from house to house just might be over, at least for the near future as things start to open back up.
“Some of my clients are comfortable going in person and others are not. I believe as real estate professionals it’s our job to make our clients feel safe.” As things open back up, it is always great to know there are several options to suit virtually any comfort level.
The Sheridan’s family motto is “The best is yet to come”! They always look at the positive in every aspect of life and feel thankful, grateful, and blessed. Stella is grateful to have such great support from the local community and she looks forward to serving you as your local real estate expert.
If you are interested in connecting with Stella, you can reach her by phone/text at 954-593-8281 or email her at tornabene.stella@gmail.com
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