New Orleans Real Estate Investors Association

Nicolas Zepeda - President

Nicolas Zepeda is a multifaceted professional in the real estate industry, excelling as an investor, realtor, landlord, builder, and licensed contractor. As a landlord Nicolas demonstrates his commitment to providing quality housing and managing properties effectively. His expertise in identifying profitable investment opportunities has allowed him to build a robust portfolio, showcasing his strategic market insight. As a realtor, he leverages his deep understanding of market dynamics to facilitate smooth transactions and provide exceptional service to his clients, consistently closing over a 1 million dollars in real estate a year, for his clients.

His meticulous attention to detail and commitment to quality shine through in his work as a builder and licensed contractor. Currently, Nicolas serves as the president of the New Orleans Real Estate Investors Association and is a board member for the local Home builders association (HBAGNO), the Louisiana (LHBA) and National Home Builders Associations and he is helping shape the building needs both here in Louisiana and Nationally. His diverse expertise and leadership roles highlight his dedication to the real estate industry and his ability to deliver excellence across multiple facets of the field.

Contact: Nicolas Zepeda
Construction: www.right4uconstruction.com
Real Estate: www.dazrealestate.com

Linda Locascio - Vice President

Linda Locascio is the Owner and Broker of Linda Lane Realty and the owner of Millionaire Investments, Inc. She has been investing in real estate about 13 years - since 2003 and ownes several investment properties. Linda specializes in buying houses "subject to" the existing mortgage and selling those properties on Lease Options. Linda is the past President of NOREIA and was the 1st female President of the Association. Linda invests primarily on the Northshore and is very involved in the Hammond community where she serves as the current President of the Hammond/Ponchatoula Rotary Club and serves on the board of the Hammond Chamber of Commerce.

Betsy Birdsong- Treasurer

Betsy have been active in the real estate arena for 20 years starting as an investor buying and renovating houses. Over ten years ago, she decided to become a Realtor full-time and to build a unique company based on the Team concept and bring a greater degree of professionalism to the Real Estate industry

She started The Birdsong Group because she believes that she is called to be Expert Advisors in our community and to provide customer satisfaction and service above the rest!

The Birdsong Group Brokered by EXP Realty:
www.findneworleansareahomes.com
www.thebirdsonggroup.com

David Birdsong - Legal Counsel

David Birdsong, Attorney and Notary Public, has been involved in the real estate business as a real estate agent, real estate law instructor, title examiner and notary public for over 20 years. David graduated from Loyola University of New Orleans with degrees in Political Science and Law. He currently or in the past has served on the board of several non-profit organizations including Westbank Redevelopment Corporation, Christian Health Ministries and the New Orleans Real Estate Investors Association. David has appeared as legal counsel in various legal proceedings relating to questions regarding succession, redhibition, real estate title issues and the actions of real estate agents. David also enjoys working with real estate investors and realtors taking on the role of mentor to help them reach the next level in their business.

Title Company: Gulf South Title Corp.

Jessica Manzella -  Local Vendors

Jessica initially became interested in buy and hold investments, which led her to join NOREIA. Her path, however, led her in the opposite direction as opportunities presented themselves for rehabs, mid- and short-term rentals, notes, and wholesaling. Jessica is interested in many facets of real estate investing and enjoys learning new strategies. She is interested in pursuing development and apartment investing in the future. She joined the board of NOREIA in 2018 and has worked in both marketing and growing the vendor membership. She is also a Realtor, brokered with Epique Realty, and is licensed in Louisiana and Mississippi. Jessica believes networking is one of the most important aspects of real estate investing and she co-hosts Cocktail Time, a social meeting for NOREIA. Feel free to reach out to her. She loves to talk real estate!

Realtor: jessicamanzella.epiquerealty.com

Jason Cole -  National Member Benefits

Jason received an education through doing as a teenager and young adult by framing houses, doing roofing, and drainage projects. He began investing in 1998, when he was 19 years old, and acquired an extensive rental portfolio. He has also done dozens of flips, which allowed him to hone his project management skills. In 2019, Jason established Debonnaire Construction, LLC a residential construction company specializing in roofing, remodeling, and land clearing projects. Debonnaire Construction is Fortified certified for roofing in the wind/hail and hurricane categories. He can also help you with any solar installations and has in depth knowledge of how to properly set up a solar system in Louisiana. Jason’s expertise in estimating, construction, and project management allows him to work closely with investors, offering invaluable insight. He joined the board at NOREIA in 2023. He is currently working to expand his licensure into other states and is eager to delve into larger projects, including apartments and development.

Construction: Debonnaire Construction

Konstantin Ginzburg -  Marketing

After graduating with a bachelor of science degree in geology from the University of Pittsburgh, I moved down to Louisiana to pursue a career in the oil and gas industry. I've remained within that industry for the last 15 years and have began a side business within real estate for the previous 4 years built around ownership and management of rental properties. Within the last 4 years, I had built a portfolio of rental properties within Louisiana using both short and long term rental business models. Over that time, I had also gone back to school to complete a Masters of Business Administration degree with a concentration in entrepreneurship.

Personal Blog: www.ts67photography.com

Stephanie Woodside -  Membership

Stephanie Woodside is the Owner and Broker of Blueprint Real Estate Group, a firm dedicated to serving buyers, sellers, and investors in the Greater New Orleans area. With a genuine passion for real estate, Stephanie has been immersed in the industry since 1999. She became a Realtor in 2004 and established Blueprint Real Estate Group in 2009. To this day, she remains enthusiastic about all things real estate.

Carol Logreco - Community Outreach

Carol is a Commercial Sales and leasing agent and a native New Orleanian who is a 5th generation Real Estate Investor and has been involved in new construction as V.P. of Sales and Marketing for a local Home Building Company as well as renovations and 20 years property management experience.

Jack Sternberg - Programming

Jack Sternberg is a native New Orleanian and is the Publisher Emeritus of The NoteWorthy Newsletter. NoteWorthy is the national, 35 year old, largest and oldest trade association in the private finance/note world.  Jack is an extremely experienced real estate and note investor himself. As the “gurus’ guru”, he is well known by the national professional real estate community as “Obi-Wan Kenobi”. Having been a full time investor since the mid 1970's, Jack has bought, sold and financed in excess of 1,500 single family homes and 4,000 apartment units and participated in more than 90 million dollars of both institutional and private financing. Additionally, he has owned almost a million square feet of commercial space, both retail and office, and light industrial property. He has built new homes, remodeled existing ones, created, packaged and sold hundreds of mortgage notes and operated a full service property management company as well as both a mortgage corporation and a title company. He is an expert in finance and real estate. With over 48 years of full time investing experience, Jack has a depth of experience few can match.

His website is at www.localREiTools.com or text him to comment and review transactions at 504-833-5201.

Angela Kindermann -  Executive Assistant to NOREIA Board

Angela serves as the Executive Assistant to the NOREIA Board.