Pleasanton, CA — May 5, 2020 — NextHome is pleased to announce the newest addition to the franchise, NextHome Right Choice, based in Roanoke, Virginia. The brokerage represents the 10th office location opened in Virginia for the NextHome franchise and the 467th NextHome office opened nationally.
The brokerage is owned by Lori Shultz-Moore and Sonya Dickinson, a real estate powerhouse duo who have more than 45 years of experience between them.
Together, Sonya and Lori will serve clients across Roanoke, Botetourt, Moneta, Union Hall, Smith Mountain Lake, Salem, and the surrounding areas. Located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Roanoke was founded as a railroad town and those rail workers made it blossom so quickly it is sometimes known as “the Magic City.” Over the decades, Roanoke’s reputation for rapid growth has continued and, today, the city’s expanding health care industry attracts home buyers from across America. Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital’s expansion and educational partnership with Virginia Tech is bringing doctors, nurses, educators, and researchers to NextHome Right Choice’s area. With their new office in South Roanoke, close to downtown and the hospital expansion, Sonya and Lori are poised to help with residential relocations.
Lori began her real estate career in Roanoke more than 25 years ago. She obtained her real estate license in 1994 and for the next 16 years she successfully sold in the Roanoke and Smith Mountain Lake areas, including working three years with a developer.
In 2010, Lori joined Wainwright & Company Realtors where she remained until opening NextHome Right Choice.
Although Sonya first obtained her license and began to dabble in real estate more than 20 years ago, her full-time career really blossomed in 2002. With her strong numbers background, she was recruited to Boone & Company. Sonya worked on the mortgage lending side of the business for the small independent office. Eventually, Long & Foster acquired Sonya’s workplace. After a transfer to the company’s Smith Mountain Lake office, Sonya met Lori. The two have been close friends ever since.
“We became great friends right away,” Lori recalled. “Even though we went our separate ways we still kept in touch.”
In 2006, Sonya returned to the selling side of real estate and worked with ReMax Lakefront for the next five years.
“I realized I was more interested in the houses my clients were buying than the mortgage they were getting,” Sonya said. “Although I am good with numbers, the personal side of real estate has always been my passion.”
Then, in 2012, Sonya joined MKB REALTORS® in Roanoke where she was given the opportunity to work in commercial transactions as well as residential sales. Sonya says her years with MKB REALTORS® taught her valuable lessons.
“I’ve developed a strong belief that it doesn’t matter if I’m working with a first-time home buyer or working with someone who is very experienced and who is buying their seventh million-dollar house; they all deserve the same amount of attention.”
Then, one morning at a birthday breakfast for Lori, the friends began discussing the idea of opening their own brokerage.
“I knew I wanted to recreate myself, to climb to the next level in my profession,” Lori recalled. “While I was thinking this over, I read an article about NextHome in REALTOR® Magazine. I was instantly intrigued and began researching the company.”
That morning at breakfast, Lori brought the article and asked Sonya what she thought.
“My immediate response was ‘Let’s do it. I’m with you on this,’” Sonya recalled.
Today, the friends are using NextHome’s tools and technology to bring unparalleled service to the Roanoke area.
“What we saw when we looked into NextHome made us so excited about what we can offer here,” Sonya said. “Every year, I think about how I can be better. This year, I saw an opportunity to elevate my level of service to my clients. To me, it is so important that I give my customers the very best quality that I can give them and NextHome is a fantastic partner for that personal goal.”
With their long-standing reputation for excellence, Lori and Sonya hope to attract professional agents who want to use NextHome’s superior tools to elevate their careers.
“We have the best products out there,” Lori said. “We hope our agents can use these products to make themselves a better agent. We want to use this brokerage to raise them up, to lift them up. We aren’t a brokerage where agents come to be torn down.”
With this level of agent support, NextHome Right Choice is poised to provide unparalleled client service.
“When someone trusts us with the largest purchase they will likely ever make, we want them to look back at the closing table and know that we’ve done the best we possibly could for them,” Lori said. “From beginning to end, we want them to experience the best. We aim to exceed client expectations, not just meet them.”
Both Sonya and Lori are passionate about their communities and enjoy giving back.
Lori enjoys working with dog and cat rescues. Sonya sometimes volunteers as a cook at a local soup kitchen. Following her mom’s struggle with lung cancer, Sonya is also passionate about raising money for cancer research.
Lori and her husband Steve have celebrated 30 years of marriage and together they are the proud parents of two children: Brittany, who works as a REALTOR® at NextHome Right Choice, and Taylor who co-owns Roanoke Mechanical Heating and Air with his Dad, Steve. Lori is also a loving grandmother to Adalynn, who will be three years old in March.
Sonya is the proud mother of one son. Tyler is a paramedic firefighter for the City of Danville.
“I am so very proud of him,” Sonya said.
Please join us in congratulating Lori and Sonya on the opening of NextHome Right Choice in Roanoke, Virginia!
Interested in being a part of the NextHome Real Estate Franchise? Contact VP of Sales Charis Moreno at Charis@NextHome.com.
Each office is an independently owned and operated business.