2018 Women In Real Estate, Professional Services: Sarah Lewis Belcher, Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC

Name: Sarah Lewis Belcher 

Title: Senior Counsel

Company Name: Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC

Real estate association / organization affiliation(s): Real Property Law Section of the New York State Bar Association; Commercial and Industrial Real Estate Brokers, Inc. (CIREB)

What are some of your biggest accomplishments in the last 12 months?

Worked with estate to sell former class 2 hazardous waste site after dry cleaning contamination was removed by the state. During the seven years between owner’s death and closing the sale, handled leasing matters and negotiated purchase and sale agreements with potential purchasers. Represented banks on multimillion dollar loans, some of which were syndicated, used to acquire and/or construct retail power centers; multifamily housing and office buildings; refinance existing loans; or provide bridge funding. Assisted developer purchasing sites to be used to construct retail/residential and self storage projects. 

How important is it for women to create a personal brand?

Establishing a personal brand can be a very important tool to help a woman stand out in a positive professional way, make her more memorable and/or make it easier to connect with her. Branding can be effective for women to be noticed and remembered, but should be pursued in conjunction with other tools for establishing and maintaining connections. 

I believe it’s very important for women to network and get to know others both in their chosen field as well as in related areas who can provide assistance and/or referrals to her. Branding is a useful mechanism to assist with those efforts.

How many messages are in your inbox right now and how do you manage email?

There are currently four messages in my inbox, which is four more than I prefer. I review email as quickly as possible after it comes in and either save it to our document management system, leave it in the inbox as a reminder I need to do something and/or, in true “old school” fashion, print it and put it in a To Do pile.

What do you do like to do for fun?

Walk our two dogs, ski, play golf/tennis, play upright bass (jazz), bake and cook.

In one word, describe yourself:

 Conscientious

What blogs, resources, podcasts or influencers have helped you?

The NYREJ helps me stay current on recent deals and real estate issues/trends. The Real Property Law Section of the New York State Bar Association’s message/discussion board is a useful tool for asking questions and bouncing ideas off other New York real estate attorneys.