Lauren Forbes and John Corrales of Coldwell Banker

South Bay Digs: How did you get into real estate? 

Lauren Forbes: I had gotten out of law because it was too time-consuming and there was too much travel. I had small children at home, and I wanted to do something that kept me close to home.  

John Corrales: I worked for a REIT. I loved real estate and wanted to sell hotels, but it’s not as sexy as it sounds. Basically, you start off selling large brands, and once you do one, you’ve seen them all. I was living here, so it made sense to do real estate here. I think the properties here are very exciting.

SBD: Would you say you have a particular niche? 

Lauren Forbes: We do represent a lot of high-end properties and luxury homes, but we like to work with people so we do a lot of everything. Right now we’re doing more business in the Palos Verdes area and we’re excited about it; it enables us to work the entire South Bay.

SBD: Your website is translated into several languages. Do you do a lot of international business? 

John Corrales: Yes, as a matter of fact, we did a transaction in Chinese this morning. The client is Chinese and we had to have two translators. That’s just one example. A lot of the buyers are coming in from other countries and a lot of our sellers live out of the country. 

SBD: What sets you apart in your field? 

Lauren Forbes: We have a team that we’ve hand-picked. It’s a strong team, and there are four licensed agents. Ted Walloff is a licensed agent, Erin Blakeslee is our office manager and handles communications, and there’s a summer intern, Nick Mansfield, a student at Bowdoin College who specializes in advertising and marketing. As for what sets us apart, I would say it’s our attention to detail and our creativity. 

John Corrales: The team aspect certainly helps. When we were doing it on our own, it was virtually impossible to do the kind of volume that we do consistently throughout the year without getting exhausted. Having the team there allows us to perform at the highest level consistently. 

Lauren Forbes: It also allows us to have a lot more fun doing it; we have more time for each client. 

SBD: What has been your biggest challenge? 

Lauren Forbes: That’s a tough question. I think the career itself is challenging, but I’ve been extremely blessed to have had so many people support me and trust me as I was growing the business. About 80-plus percent of the business is referrals. I honestly don’t remember bad things, just the good things! I look at where we are now in the business and I’m pleased with how it’s going.

John Corrales: Getting started here the first three years was tough because I’m not from the area—I’m from Stockton. But I’m grateful that the market did allow me to make it. Now I’m able to do it really well. You always hear people say it’s so busy and so tough, but it’s not if you don’t look at it that way. It’s about adopting the right mindset. 

SBD: How has working for Coldwell Banker affected your career?

John Corrales: Coldwell has given us a lot of resources we couldn’t find anywhere else. 

SBD: Can you elaborate?

John Corrales: We can’t talk about the resources because that’s our secret sauce! (Laughter)

Lauren Forbes: We have an extremely supportive manager and office staff. That makes our life easier.  

SBD: What do you do when you’re not working? 

Lauren Forbes: I’m taking up golf. That’s the most challenging thing right now! (Laughter) But I love being outdoors and we live in such a great place. I’m so glad to live here.

John Corrales: I surf. That’s what originally brought me here. 

SBD: Any particular place you like to surf?

John Corrales: El Porto is just the blue-chip, go-to place. 

Lauren Forbes: As long as there are no sharks! 

Photography by Kieron McKay