Stunning renovation
The Listing of the Week is an updated two-story home, with more than $70,000 in updates, in the heart of Edmond.
The new Divorce Real Estate Institute has recognized Troy and Denise Schroder, agents with Keller Williams Realty Elite, 5629 N Classen Blvd., as Certified Divorce Real Estate Experts.
The Schroders recently graduated from the institute’s inaugural Master Course at Pomona College in Claremont, California.
The training was the first formal education on the subject of its kind in the real estate business, said Laurel Starks, founder and CEO of the institute, based in Safety Harbor, Florida. She started the institute in January.
“There’s been such a disconnect between the family law profession and the real estate community,” Starks said. “It’s important that we as Realtors bring our tools and knowledge to the family law community as experts and professionals in our field.”
The Schroders received 40 hours of in-person education, observed family court, took a 10-hour online divorce real estate principles course, as well as a 12-week learning lab conducted by attorneys, a family court judge and a certified divorce lending specialist, all of whom serve on DREI’s faculty alongside Starks.
“Divorce listings are so different,” said Starks, author of “The House Matters in Divorce.” “The family law community needs more real estate agents who are trained and versed in family law to minimize conflict, maximize profits, and to do it from a fair, unbiased place.”
The Schroder Group at Keller Williams Elite, 5629 N Classen Blvd., has sold nearly 400 homes in the past five years, about $70 million in real estate. Trailblazing a path in family law came with a conviction to help others, Denise Schroder said.
“Divorce listings are different. We have a streamlined process establishing us as a neutral party to keep the transaction from derailing with all the emotional chaos going on,” she said. “We feel called, after going through divorces of our own, to help others navigate through this period and protect the clients’ equity.”
Professionals in family law need fellow professionals in real estate, she said.
“Oftentimes, the family law community turns to Zillow, Redfin or the county assessor to determine values, which are not accurate or realistic oftentimes,” she said.
Bridging the gap between family law and real estate “is not for the faint of heart, but it is desperately needed,” she said.
Part of the training is preparation for conflict and resolution.
“We meticulously document to be prepared for court-ready reports or testimony,” Denise Schroder said. “We have expectations clearly defined with the clients on an escalation process if one spouse or the other is uncooperative and blocking or hindering the sale. This happens all the time.”
Only a relatively few agents have ventured into divorce real estate, she said.
“No one else (in Oklahoma City) has the designation,” she said. “We were selected out of 18 agents around the country to be a part of the beta group. You have to be selected to take the program, and it is a large financial investment.
“It is for people truly convicted. We have had great success, consistently in the top 1 percent, but helping others navigate this path is a conviction. Normal familial sales are a lot easier. We are up to the challenge.”
It is for people truly convicted. We have had great success, consistently in the top 1 percent, but helping others navigate this path is a conviction. Normal familial sales are a lot easier. We are up to the challenge.” — Denise Schroder