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Young women who become mothers as teenagers face serious difficulties.
According to the Urban Institute, only 38 percent of girls who give birth before age 18 earn a high school diploma by age 22. Two-thirds of teenage mothers who decide to move out of their homes live in poverty.
Sharelle Rosado, broker and CEO of Allure Realty, faced these difficulties head-on and overcame them.
After becoming a mother during her senior year of high school in rural Alabama, Rosado quickly realized how important it was to provide for herself and her children—and the only way she could do that was through hard work and dedication.
“I knew from a young age that I wanted the best,” Rosado told Inman. “As I get older, I want to live a better life. But I do encounter some obstacles.
humble beginnings
Rosado grew up in Phoenix, Alabama, on the border of Alabama and Georgia.
Her single mother raised Rosado and her two siblings on her own, keeping them involved in the local church community. Rosado was very competitive as a child and played various sports. She’s grateful for everything her mom has done for her and her siblings, but still dreams of bigger things.
“My mom worked very hard for us, but I didn’t have the best education like most people who become business owners,” Rosado said.
Rosado’s mindset changed when she became pregnant during her senior year of high school because she suddenly had another life to take care of. Her goal now is to provide safety for her children and herself.
Build a military career
Rosado’s plans for college were derailed by her pregnancy, so she looked for other opportunities to find stability and a way forward.
She decided to join the U.S. Army, not really knowing what it would entail, but realizing it was the benefit her young family needed.
“Going into the army, I had no plan,” Rosado explained. “I just know I want the benefits.”
For the next 13 years, Rosado worked in the military, including two tours in Afghanistan.
After the tour, Rosado was sent to Germany. However, she was going through a divorce at the time and felt that changing her life by moving to Europe would make her situation more challenging. What she really wanted was a fresh start in a place that had always attracted her: Florida.
“So I called my branch manager and I asked, ‘Are there any openings in Florida?’ It was a running joke — I was like, ‘I want to meet my future husband, Ochocinco.’” , which is funny because I don’t know him [at the time]; He has always been my celebrity crush.
Rosado is now engaged to Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, a former wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Rosado’s manager didn’t have any openings in Miami, where Johnson was playing, but he had an opening in Tampa, so Rosado moved to the Gulf Coast city.
Find real estate
After settling in Florida, Rosado began to consider careers outside of the military. She recalls an interaction with a real estate agent when she was buying her first home that stuck with her.
“I went out to see the house and I loved it,” Rosado said. “The agent at the time said, ‘You’re going to be very successful at this—you’re a people person and you seem passionate about homes.'” That stuck with me.
Rosado’s new position in the military was less burdensome, so she decided to get her real estate license while continuing to work full-time. She eventually started practicing on the weekends, albeit only part-time, but gained momentum as a leading agent in the area.
This seems like a clear sign to transition into real estate as a full-time career. So Rosado gained two years of experience at RE/MAX before deciding she was ready to get her broker’s license and launch her own company, Allure Realty, in 2019.
Growing Pains and Reality Shows
Starting his own brokerage not long after starting his real estate career was a challenge for Rosado.
“I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs,” the agent told Inman. “I thought all it took was marketing. Marketing led to great things and we ended up with a show on Netflix, but at that time I had no basis in agency.
Rosado learned that she had to invest in training her agents so they could build a successful foundation for their careers. She ended up working with real estate coaches and trainers in different areas so that her agents could receive regular training throughout the year. Rosado has also recently partnered with white label firm LPT Realty, which has also allowed her to take a back seat to organizing training and coaching for agents so she can focus on other aspects of the business.
When reality TV producers began contacting Rosado about highlighting their work in a series, she realized she could only participate knowing she had a responsible partner who could showcase the company in the best possible light. Such projects. She eventually reached out to Netflix producers herself, pitched it, and they were interested. The streaming network decided to highlight Allure Realty and its agents in Tampa’s luxury oceanfront market in a show called “Allure Realty.” Sell Tampa.
Season 1 Sell Tampa The film was shot during the pandemic, which made it very challenging, but Rosado said it was all worth it.
“People don’t want cameras and they don’t want a lot of people in their home,” she explained. “It was very difficult for us, but we succeeded and we created something that had never been seen on television, a group of black women involved in luxury goods. [market]”.
“It was an amazing experience,” she added.
There are currently no plans for a second season Sell Tampa, but Rosado is currently filming an entirely separate project. Unfortunately, she couldn’t reveal many details.
“You’re probably going to see a lot of development; you’re probably going to see a lot of real estate,” she joked.
Social media and future plans
Since launching its brokerage in 2019, Rosado has found its niche in luxury goods, new developments, military relocations and government contracts. These niches naturally evolved from her own life experiences and the strengths of the markets she operates in. Allure Realty now serves Tampa, Miami and Charlotte, NC.
Next, Rosado will work with a development company to build affordable housing in Tampa.
“The prices here are crazy,” Rosado said. “So your middle class can’t afford a good house without spending a lot of money. We want to change that.
As an Inman Influencer, Rosado also uses social media to promote her business. Specifically, Rosado uses the tool to give potential clients a sense of her lifestyle and personality so they are more likely to feel comfortable choosing her as their agent.
“Most of my clients like me and they feel they can relate to me, especially on the athlete side, because of my lifestyle,” Rosado said. “I don’t want to overfeed them with just real estate. People don’t want to see that. They want to see what you do, how you live, where you eat, where you shop, where you hang out.
She also uses social media to keep up with trends that her daughter might like, or just to try and brighten someone else’s day.
“The situation in the world today is very serious,” Rosado said. “I will definitely try it out to make fun little scrolls or to keep up with the trend with my daughter.”
Coming to a successful conclusion
Rosado hopes people take away something from her story, which is that anything is possible.
“Never think you can’t do it,” she told Inman. “I grew up in a small town and I never thought I would be where I am today. If you have a dream, no matter how big it is, go for it. Don’t let anyone or anything stop you. If you fall, just go for it. Get up and keep trying.
Rosado told Inman that when she first started her brokerage, she had to rely heavily on her own gumption and determination to get her business off the ground.
But she did in fact have a mentor who she learned from and looked up to—even though he was completely unaware of the influence he had on Rosado.
“The crazy thing is, before I opened my brokerage, I learned from Ryan Serhant,” Rosado revealed. “He didn’t know this, but he was a huge mentor to me. I signed up for his masterminding course and I just took everything he put out there. As a young agent new to the industry, I was really Revered him and still do to this day.
The difference is that today, Rosado can call himself Serhant’s counterpart, because in a moment that can only be described as coming full circle, Rosado now finds himself tied with Ryan Serhant in the same annual 2nd Inman Influencer Category.
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Email Lillian Dixon
