2016 Women in Real Estate: Theresa Garelli

Theresa Garelli, Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company

Name: Theresa Garelli

Title: Counsel

Company Name: Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company, New York Land Division

Email: [email protected]  

Years in real estate: 33

Telephone: 212.692.8788

How did you get your start in real estate?

As a law clerk in a law firm in South Florida, I started reading abstracts, preparing the title report, all closing documents and conducting closings.

What real estate associations or organizations are you a member of?

CREW NY

What recent project or transaction are you most proud of?

We close tremendous deals in our company. Within the last month we have closed two major multi-site transactions for the largest REITs in the country. Dealing with our clients, their law firms, lenders, their counsel, and the volume of sites, local professionals and the financial magnitude of the transactions, often in the hundreds of millions of dollars and billion dollars, presents tremendous challenges. Navigating through the process, resolving the problems and getting to a successful closing is very satisfying.

What recent honor, achievement or recognition has meant the most to you and why?

To be nominated and chosen as the president of CREW NY is a tremendous honor. To lead an organization comprised of highly successful, commercial real estate professionals is a privilege, affording me the opportunity to develop significant relationships with our senior women as well as work with our young leaders in commercial real estate.

What have been some of the benefits of being a mentor or having a mentor?

As an Adjunct Professor at Baruch and at New York Law School, as well as a member of CREW NY, my interaction with students and younger real estate professionals is positive and inspirational for me. We learn as we teach. Most young women do not consider Commercial Real Estate as a viable career path. Exposing the students to the potential to be an engineer, architect or other commercial real estate professional is important for these individuals and for the industry. Making even the smallest positive impact on another person is tremendously gratifying.

Who or what has been the strongest influence on your career and why?

My daughters have been my primary motivation to strive for success in my career: to support them over the years and since they are grown, to demonstrate to them that hard work, dedication and determination will lead to success in whatever they choose to do in life.

What time management strategies do you find to be the most effective for you?

Limiting email attention to blocks of time to allow for substantive, uninterrupted attention to discrete tasks is most helpful.

What is the best advice you have received and who was it from?

My uncle, a successful corporate executive, told me that everyone in a firm has value and contributes to its success (or failure), from the CEO to the mail clerk and maintenance staff and everyone is entitled to respect.