“Surround yourself with mentors.”
What makes her special: Sabol is an active advocate of adaptive reuse. She sells in Dayton’s 10 downtown historic districts, with homes dating as far back as the mid-1800s. Because she’s earned a reputation as a historic property specialist, investors often contact her when they’re renovating historic properties. She did $6.6 million in sales during 2002, selling to the city’s urban pioneers.
Her biggest challenges: Most of Dayton’s historic neighborhoods lack services to support residential living, she says. “Properties are harder to sell, prices are lower, and the clientele is smaller than in many suburban markets.”
Sabol’s passion: Despite the challenges, Sabol says, “I prefer to sell properties that have character and history and touch the soul.” Blame it on Chicago. She grew up in that city, home of a rich architectural history shaped by greats such as Daniel Burnham, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Her next goal: Sabol’s trying to bring together key players—developers, architects, and investors—to buy, renovate, and convert industrial structures to residential uses.