Laif McClellan

Prior to finding his true calling in Real Estate, at the young age of 19 Laif began a career in construction. He started out as a rough framer and ultimately ended up as a Foreman specializing in residential remodels. Over the next 8 years, he gained invaluable experience in project management and budgets, as well as great insight into homes and their inherent problems. In 2005 he moved to the Bay Area and obtained his real estate license. This was a natural fit due to his experience in contracting, and the fact that he had been raised in Real Estate by his mother, Mary Margaretich, who was always a top producing agent in Santa Cruz. Laif quickly became a top selling agent in his area, and decided in 2009 to become a partner at his Real Estate Brokerage, creating the new branding for the company which was now named "Fohl and McClellan Real Estate." It became a perfect blend of experience and expertise mixed with innovation and technology, which is exactly what Laif believes is needed in today's market. One of the many skills he learned from being a business owner was anticipating the market and adjusting the strategy as needed. During the Real Estate recession, his firm decided to form an investment pool and capitalize on the under priced and blighted homes that were plaguing the market. Their goal was to improve target neighborhoods while making a profit. They started in 2009 and continued until 2011, and during this period Laif helped manage an investor pool of over $5 million and participated in over 80 purchases, rehabs and sales. In 2011, Laif decided to part ways from the company he had helped build and then joined the Sereno Group Real Estate Brokerage in order to better focus on the development side of Real Estate. The blending of his construction knowledge and Real Estate expertise has become his passion and where he excels the most.