Ida Abelson obtained a real estate sales agent’s license in 1981 and was invited to join Coldwell Banker’s Montclair/Piedmont office. After an extremely successful sales career, she was approached by a mortgage banking firm to head up their national mortgage origination department. In the mid-1980's she was part of a consulting team working with the Resolution Trust Corporation. As head of their mortgage banking division, she was responsible for bringing the mortgage division of failing Savings & Loans back to health by designing new loan programs, selling off their real estate owned inventory, and rewriting lending policies. She obtained her broker's license in 1998. Ida, whose first career was as a Professor of English literature, has used her writing and teaching skills to educate her clients in the mysteries of real estate, thus arming them with the necessary knowledge to make their own enlightened decisions. This quest, expanded over the years to include the general public, has manifested itself through articles published in professional real estate journals, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Contra Costa Times. She has also been the invited to speak on real estate related issues to various organizations, including AARP, National Mortgage Bankers Association, and Society of Women Engineers.
