Zola is a seasoned real estate professional with a passion for helping clients buy, sell, and invest in beautiful Central Florida and beyond. Originally from Hungary, Zola’s journey in real estate began when he purchased his first investment property in Pennsylvania. After moving to Orlando in 2000, he quickly realized that real estate was his true calling.

With over 14 years of experience, Zola has built a thriving practice, serving both local and international clients. In 2015, he took on the challenge of helping open and manage a successful real estate office, attracting 150 associates within the first two years. However, Zola found his true calling when he transitioned to his current role as a practitioner, coach, and mentor to his fellow sales associates.

Zola is actively involved in teaching various courses for the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the Real Estate Business Institute (REBI). He is a member of both the NAR’s CIPS Faculty and the Florida Realtors® Faculty. As a volunteer leader, Zola has held prestigious positions such as President of the Orlando Regional Realtors® Association in 2014 and Vice President of Florida Realtors® District 12 in 2015. He is currently a member of the NAR Board of Directors.

In addition to his teaching and leadership roles, Zola has chaired several committees and forums focused on international real estate and global business. He is highly regarded for his expertise in cultural variations and challenges faced by real estate practitioners. Zola’s dedication to education has earned him the 2021 Educator of the Year Award from the Orlando Regional Realtor® Association.

 Giselle Abadi is the co-founder and CTO of Realtyna Inc. She’s a visionary technical leader with an intense passion for the innovation and design of intricate systems. Her unwavering persistence, paired with her motto “Continual Improvement,” has positioned Realtyna distinctively in the proptech market, offering the most comprehensive suite of tools and services for the real estate industry across various platforms and for all levels.

To better understand how common home improvement loans are, LendingTree analyzed the latest housing data to determine where the most home improvement loans are originated. Specifically, we looked at the number of first- and second-lien mortgages used to pay for home improvements for every 100,000 owner-occupied homes in each state. Here's what we found. 

• Across the 50 states, an average of 361 home improvement loans are originated for every 100,000 owner-occupied houses.
• Relative to the number of owner-occupied housing units, the most home improvement loans are originated in Utah, Idaho and Rhode Island. The fewest are originated in Alaska, Louisiana and Mississippi. 
• On average, 77.8% of new home improvement loans across the 50 states are second-lien mortgages. In other words, homeowners are more likely to choose options like home equity loans or home equity lines of credit than cash-out refinances.
• First-lien mortgages (like cash-out refinances) used for home improvements are much less common than their second-lien counterparts. On average, 22.2% of newly originated home improvement loans are first-lien. 
• Home improvement loan amounts are highest in Hawaii, California and Massachusetts. The average home improvement loan amounts in these states are $213,373, $193,150 and $145,965, respectively. In contrast, home improvement loan amounts are lowest in Iowa, North Dakota and Nebraska, averaging $65,579, $71,460 and $72,211, respectively.

You can check out our full report here: https://www.lendingtree.com/home/mortgage/home-improvement-loans-study/

LendingTree's Senior Economist and report author, Jacob Channel, had this to say:

"Though they aren’t without drawbacks, home improvement loans can help qualified and responsible homeowners keep their homes in good shape and otherwise easy to live in. That said, homeowners shouldn’t rush to get a home improvement loan until they fully understand what they’re getting themselves into and are reasonably certain that they can pay back whatever they borrow.”