ALBUS IN ASHEVILLE

Empathy, Arranger, Communicator, Includer, Developer
I am delighted to be a recent transplant to Asheville (my husband and I moved here several years ago). Growing up in Brooklyn, NY, I fell in love with the Blue Ridge Mountains as a child, spending summers at Camp Judaea in Hendersonville. After graduating with a degree in Drama/Dance from Bard College, I escaped the East Coast for San Francisco. Appreciating the sense of “the big city inside a small town,” I lived there until moving to Asheville – all except for five years in Jerusalem, Israel. My parents had moved to Israel and it became important for me to spend time with them during the final chapter of their lives. I became a real estate agent there, serving a widely diverse clientele, many of whom were buyers from overseas, seeking retirement or vacation properties.
Making people feel at home is one of the joys in my life. And this is what I bring to serving my clients – helping them find the home that will become their nest, their place of celebration, comfort and safety. Or helping sellers prepare their homes for the market, so they can leave the nest for whatever their goals are.
I am proud to be serving as the Real Estate Consultant on the Steering Team of Housing Options for Aging in Place (HOAP), an Age-friendly Buncombe County Initiative. In just a few years, one in five residents of the County will be age 65 or older. The purpose of HOAP is to create a comprehensive, coordinated initiative that knits together diverse stakeholders across multiple domains to effectively work toward a community where older adults have the ability and choice to age in place. Our goals are for the community to recognize and support safe, accessible, affordable housing as a social determinant of health for older adults; to create new and modified policies and practices (both governmental and organizational) which support and promote affordable and accessible housing options.
Upon arrival in Asheville, I became very active in my synagogue community, Congregation Beth Israel. A regular attendee at services, I am a member of the Ritual Committee, and I often step up to volunteer for events and ad hoc committees. I also serve on the Steering Committee for the Center of Jewish Studies at UNC Asheville. You can find me at one of the Asheville’s many superb restaurants (I happily describe myself as a foodie) or fine theaters (you may even find me on stage now and then), and most definitely at Tourists baseball games. Elie and I love adventuring – continuing to explore the areas in and around Asheville – which broadens and deepens my knowledge of my new home. I can’t wait to help you find yours!
We met Sara years ago while visiting Asheville and beginning to contemplate moving there. Every time we visited we would stop in to see Sara. She was always very helpful and offered great advise and information. Once we actually decided to make the move she was there for us. We were not the easiest clients the work with but she was with us through all of our indecision and confusion. She was there as we changed our minds about areas, neighborhoods, and even the type of housing. Always patient, always helpful and always fun. Her advise was extremely helpful as we questioned ourselves. We are out of state clients with limited internet skills and she was very patient as she walked us through the process. We are looking forward to our move and I would highly recommend Sara.
—Zillow Reviewer who bought a home in 28803.
This was my second positive experience working with Sara. I appreciated her patience as I clarified what was most important to me. With her knowledge of the area and the market she was extremely helpful in steering me towards neighborhoods that best met my needs. She was a great advocate for me during the negotiations. And to top it all off, she offered wonderful suggestions that will help me turn the property that I chose into a comfortable home for the next chapter in my life.
—Zillow Reviewer who bought a home in NC 28711.
Sara was great! A fun person to work with, she knows and loves the area, and stuck with me in the buying process through the ins and outs of a natural disaster.
—Zillow Reviewer who bought a home in NC 28791.
We feel so fortunate and delighted to have found Sara Yakira about three years ago when we first inquired about a property in the Asheville area. Being out-of-towners from New York, we didn’t have an agent to help us searching in the local Asheville area and when we were “assigned” Sara, we were quickly impressed with her professionalism, market knowledge and insights, responsiveness, pro-active approach and overall over-and-above approach…not to mention her wonderful personality and sense of humor. It’s not easy to house-hunt from afar, but Sara made this significantly easier for us as she would not hesitate to chase down numerous properties we ‘loved’ online and provide expert guidance and video walkthroughs…even though it literally took years. When we recently found “the one” in Weaverville, Sara held our hands through the offering and settlement processes, making these as easy and stress-free as possible. She seemed to anticipate all of our questions and concerns and provided pro-active information. We are very grateful that we had Sara in our prolonged house-hunting experience and would highly recommend her to anyone searching for or listing a property.Best,David Chimes & Michelle Walker
—Zillow Reviewer who bought a home in 28787.
We have been working with Sara Yakira as our buyer agent for over two years. She quickly understood our lifestyle and expectations, and she is still helping us to find the house that fits our needs. She has never pushed us towards settling for a property that we showed hesitation for and, on several occasions, pointed out drawbacks that we we were not aware of in a certain property. Throughout our dealings with her she has been professional, very knowledgeable “straight shooter” and respectful of our time and needs
—Zillow Reviewer who shopped for a new home in NC.
Sara Yakira
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