- Karen Colbert
Ms. Colbert is a Real Estate Turn-around Specialist with expertise in finance and credit. Her company, Rent2Own reaches out to those who have been impacted by the recent credit crisis and are looking for a way to do a lease/purchase while improving their credit.
Karen received her Bachelor’s degree in Economics and History at California State University, Northridge. She then pursued her Master’s degree in at the University of Southern California, specializing in the Growth and Development of Cities. Her research has taken her throughout the Western World studying real estate development in London, Gibraltar, Barcelona, Tel Aviv, Ajaccio in Corsica, as well as many major cities in the United States.
Ms Colbert has been a successful loan officer in the Atlanta area since 1988. Her expertise and knowledge, acquired though her placement of some 2200 loans have provided her with a unique position in today’s difficult credit environment. She has worked for and with major financial institutions including Suntrust Bank (Formerly Trust Company) Chase-Manhattan Bank, Flagstar Bank and Remax North Atlanta where she was the in-house lender. More recently Karen has been associated with Amtrust Mortgage which was recognized as one of the fastest growing lenders in the Atlanta market by The Atlanta Business Chronicle.
She originated her Rent2Own program in 2005, More information on her company can be found on the world –wide web at www.LifeChangeLending.com. In August, 2008, Karen was featured on 11 Alive News being interviewed about purchasing properties at auction for her Rent2Own program.
Karen is an able instructor and has taught strategies in Real Estate Investment to such groups as: The Georgia Real Estate Investors Organization, the Harvard Alumni Real Estate Group as well as numerous individual investors.
Recognizing the importance of knowing every possible detail about a very complicated industry, Karen became recertified in FHA lending on September 23, 2008.
Determined to maintain her success in placing performing loans, Karen continues to work with her current and past clients to make certain that they meet the criteria to assure a successful home ownership experience. Karen’s expertise is in solving problems and a conservative approach to making loans happen during difficult market environments.
Andrea Oki
Wasdin & Oki Law LLC is a law firm that focuses on estate planning for families. Attorneys and founders of Wasdin & Oki Law LLC, Nancy Wasdin & Andrea Oki, offer experience, compassion and personalized service to every client.
Too often, couples and parents overlook estate planning, an important aspect of providing for their loved ones, out of the mistaken beliefs that only the wealthy need wills, or that hiring an attorney will be a major hassle and expense. But those mistaken beliefs can cause big problems and cost big money for the very people you most want to protect.
Andrea has been a practicing attorney for over 10 years. She co-founded Wasdin & Oki Law in 2007. Born in Summit, NJ, Andrea completed her undergraduate studies at Hollins College (BA in Psychology, 1990) in Roanoke, Virginia and earned her Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School in 1996. While at Brooklyn Law she served as a Citation Clerk for the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division.
Upon her graduation from Brooklyn Law, Andrea began her professional career as a Claims Associate at Zurich-American Insurance Group, analyzing coverage and managing litigation on medical malpractice matters, before joining New York-based law firms Braunstein & Chase, LLP. Andrea and her husband moved to Atlanta in 1999, where they started a family. In 2005 she joined O’Kelley and Sorohan LLC to practice Real Estate and Transactional Law.
She is a member of the Bar in Georgia (Fiduciary and Elder Law sections), New Jersey and New York. Andrea lives in Dunwoody with her husband and three children.
We’ll have featured members from time to time.