Rebecca Donatelli named Lake, Geauga Area Association of Realtors’ president, a path not

A few years ago, Rebecca Donatelli never thought she’d follow a career path into real estate, much less ever take a leadership role in a real estate organization.

However, at 31, Donatelli is the youngest woman president in the history of the Lake & Geauga Area Association of Realtors, having been elected for the role for 2022.

“This is not about me at all. I’ve been influenced by so many people and for me, it’s all about the people I surround myself with and our members,” said Donatelli, whose journey began 6 1/2 years ago at McDowell Homes Real Estate Services. “We all work together as a team to make this association as strong as possible and make the industry as strong as possible for our communities. That is something I’m really excited about.”

LGAAR, out of Concord Township, is the seventh-largest local realtor association in Ohio and represents more than 1,100 Realtors and affiliate members in the real estate profession. The nonprofit trade organization originally was chartered in 1929 by the National Association of Realtors. The Geauga County Board of Realtors was chartered in 1946.

Donatelli said being inspired by people and the voice of LGAAR has made her want to give more. Prior to becoming president, she continued to volunteer her time, serving on committees on the local, state and national levels and investing in the Realtor’s Political Action Committee.

“I never saw myself serving as president. I was never student body president, and I didn’t fit in any clubs,” she said. “It’s fun looking back at the path. It’s been rewarding, and it’s opened my eyes to many things both in the real estate world and with our clients, members and our community. I love being a part of this movement of getting new people involved and some younger voices too.

They have all been the reason I want to do this.”

The opportunities within the industry have been rewarding for Donatelli.

“I feel incredibly grateful, and they’ve all influenced me to want to step up, do more and give more to our industry,” she said. “Everybody — the team, our board of directors, committee chairs — plays an equal role.

“We also have a wonderful leadership academy program,” she added. “We’re actually picking our class for that this week, and those are going to be Realtor members who are wanting to see more of what we do, how we operate and also build themselves as leaders and have stronger voices.”

Donatelli has lived in Cleveland her whole life and originally attended John Carroll University to become a high school math teacher. During her senior year of college, Donatelli switched to a major in English.

“It’s so funny because typically if you’re in the math side of things, you’ll switch to science, psychology or something in that world,” Donatelli said. “I went to the other side of campus. I graduated as an English major, and I did end up using it down the road.”

When she worked as an assistant store manager in retail, Donatelli thought about getting into sales. After her mother suggested real estate, Donatelli decided to take a chance.

“I don’t have any family in the business, and I didn’t even know realtors,” she said. “I ended up getting linked with my broker. Leaving the doors open to begin with, much less getting involved with the board — there are so many things that led to 6 1/2 years later.”

She said political advocacy in real estate was never her thing.

“I was the person in college who waited to take political science until the very last minute I could, and here I am investing in RPAC,” she said. “I’m passionate about making our industry better, protecting private property rights and homeownership. We’re not just here to sell houses.”

The housing market over the past two years has been “crazy” in many different aspects, Donatelli said, but it has also been strong. Inventory levels have been low, but the prices of homes continue to rise, which provides stability, she said.

“We were at a point earlier this year and at the end of last year where it was heightened, and we’ve seen that stabilize a little bit,” she said. “The inventory has picked up toward the second half into the last quarter, which is great. We’re still seeing housing prices that are higher, so it’s still been a very strong market. We’re predicting to see that into next year.”

Donatelli’s passion for advocacy and RPAC will continue into the new year.

“We are able to have a voice within our industry, and (want to make) our members here at Lake and Geauga more aware of that,” she said. “We can do things like have an influence on a city point of sale or they were trying to tax our individual commission checks. The money we’re investing, as well as a voice and a seat at the table — if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu and with the RPAC world, that’s true. I’m passionate about bringing that awareness to our members.”

Donatelli also finds importance in promoting diversity.

“That is something we need to be more aware of and, as realtor members, need to be constantly promoting,” she said. “When I think of next year, I think of collaborating, advocating and making the area stronger.”