2022 Women in Commercial Real Estate: Chanelle DiBiase, DiBiase Homes

What advice would you offer to women getting into the CRE industry? Be confident and present yourself as an asset and valued team member of your organization. Take advantage of new opportunities by being proactive and taking the initiative. Learn what motivates your co-workers and employees and how best to relate to them. Cultivate and maintain long-lasting relationships with influential professionals within the industry as you can never have too many resources. Lastly, don’t be fearful of asking questions, as even the most experienced professional has room for growth and development.

What has been your biggest challenge and how have you faced it? When I first joined the family business, I was transitioning from an industry that was very different from real estate development. Although I had many professional attributes that added to the continued success of our business, I had little experience in residential construction. Fast forward a few months, and our industry faced uncertainties due to the pandemic. I chose to surround myself with professionals who could mentor me in my new career as I maneuvered through the challenging times. With the support of my team, I successfully ended that year by producing and delivering 20 new homes.