2019 Rising Stars
Zhane Dikes
The Agency
A former Professional Basketball Player and A San Francisco Resident for over 7 years, Zhane Dikes brings a passion, fire, and sense of competitiveness to the San Francisco office at The Agency.
Having played basketball professionally abroad playing for our country and also in China, Germany, and Poland Zhane has extensive experience serving people from all walks of life all over the world. Zhane also has experience throughout some of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods including Noe Valley, Hayes Valley, Duboce Triangle, Mission Bay, and Mission Dolores making her a good fit for our San Francisco office.
Zhane joins The Agency from her professional basketball career abroad which ended in 2016. Zhane is apart of The Swann Group working alongside one of San Francisco’s Top Producers Rachel Swann. Their team has been recognized for their industry knowledge, expert negotiation skills, and track record for generating superior results for a discerning clientele. Zhane understands that purchasing or selling a home in San Francisco is likely one of the biggest financial decisions a person will make and thrives to ensure this process is as enjoyable as possible. Combining her customer excellence, competitiveness, and savvy negotiation skills Zhane thoroughly enjoys making this experience seamless and unforgettable.
Born and Raised in Las Vegas, Nevada Zhane moved to San Francisco to Study Business Entrepreneurship and Innovation and play basketball at The University of San Francisco. After finishing her studies she went on to play professionally all over the world. Zhane growing up in a household with a mother as a lender and a father as an appraiser, she knew it was only a matter of time to pursue her Real Estate Career. After falling in love with the city’s culturally diverse atmosphere, unique architecture, and one of a kind residences she knew San Francisco was the place for her to embark on her Real Estate journey.
A food and sports connoisseur, when she’s not serving her clients in real estate, Zhane enjoys catching all of the professional sports games the Bay Area has to offer, trying the city’s newest restaurants, working out, spending time with her family, snowboarding, and traveling. She donates her time and resources to a number of causes she holds close to her heart including Empower Me Academy, Northern Light Ambassador, Noe Valley Merchants, ICA Work Study Program, and numerous groups at her alma mater at The University of San Francisco.
Michael Ferl
W Real Estate
Michael Ferl is the founder of Hiraeth Homes, the number one team at W Real Estate. After receiving Rookie of the Year and Top Agent of Year, Michael wanted to provide the skills, resources, and tools to help others around him achieve their goals while delivering a higher level of service to buyers and sellers in the community. Through hard work, empathy, integrity, and reliability, Michael and his team strive to elevate not only their client’s real estate experience but also their personal lives as well. Every month, the Hiraeth Home’s Team volunteers their time to serve the community they live in with the belief that each of us can make a difference.
Hiraeth Homes is one of the North Bay’s most trusted real estate teams with over 40 individuals and families served in 2018 and the goal of 100 in 2019. They also received the Diamonds Club Award in 2018 reflecting over $24,000,000 in sales in 2018.
A Sonoma County native, Michael graduated from Sonoma State University. After 10 years of working his way up to General Sales Manager at a local BMW Center, Michael transitioned to real estate to have greater flexibility to spend time with his family. When he isn’t meeting with clients, you can find Michael building homes out of Legos with his 4-year-old son Hudson, giving piggyback rides to his 2- year-old daughter Presley, or traveling with his wife Amber. Michael is passionate about self-improvement and inspiring others to be the best version of themselves so they can get the most of life while improving the lives around them.
Bliss Katopothis
Intero Real Estate Services
Bliss Katopothis is a native of Silicon Valley. Bliss’ family settled in Los Gatos in the late 50’s and most still reside in the Valley. Passionate about helping people build security and wealth; Real Estate was a natural fit for her. Bliss leverages her deep connections, extensive knowledge of the area and her genuine desire to help people.
Her vast experience in strategic planning, negotiating and goal setting instills confidence in her clients. With a unique ability to balance strong negotiating skills with her ability to connect with people, Bliss is able to perform at an elevated level. Her dynamic approach contributes to her clients success in building wealth through RE. Bliss prides herself on taking a collaborative and relational approach to Real Estate.
Bliss enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She is an avid traveler seeking adventures around the globe. She strives daily to be truly present by appreciating the diversity and culture around her that makes living in the Silicon Valley an incredible place to call home.
Nader Kazemi
Zephyr Real Estate
Nader grew up in Marin County and has been a San Francisco resident for the past 15 years. He broke into the real estate industry in May 2018, joining Zephyr Real Estate’s Pacific Heights office as a residential sales agent.
With his Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Sonoma State University, his early years were spent in the corporate world working in Finance and Accounting for some of San Francisco’s elite companies, such as KPMG LLP., tech start-up Eventbrite, and as a member of the front office for the three-time World Series Champion San Francisco Giants
His passion for the business started at an early age, as both of his parents spent many years as real estate agents, leading to his adolescence days being spent touring homes. It was when Nader purchased his first home in 2015, where he officially caught the “real estate bug” and knew he had to make a career change.
During his first official year at Zephyr, Nader won their Rookie of the Year award and has not looked back since. He credits his early success to his ability to mix his analytical skills with his interpersonal skills and strong desire to help others.
Haley Tone
Vanguard Properties
Haley is an energetic and experienced real estate agent working in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. As a native of Marin County and San Francisco home-owner herself, Haley’s first-hand knowledge and perspective on residential real estate is invaluable. She is immensely thorough in her research and evaluations, and she will advocate on your behalf to find the right home for you and your family.
Haley partners with sellers to prepare their homes for sale, utilizing her prior experience in real estate marketing to create engaging collateral, and her visual sense to manage any property prep-work that is required. By ensuring a smooth sales process for all parties, Haley has built her business entirely on referrals from family, friends and coworkers. She has closed over $50,000,000 in transactions in only a few short years as an agent, and Haley was named the Vanguard Properties Rookie of the Year for 2017, and a Top Producer for 2018.
Prior to joining Vanguard, Haley worked for Equity Office, a commercial landlord holding over 50 million square feet of office and retail space in the Bay Area and nationwide. Most recently, Haley managed leasing at the Ferry Building, working with the Marketplace’s artisan tenants to expand offerings and create community at one of San Francisco’s iconic destinations for residents and tourists alike. Additionally, Haley specialized in leasing and marketing numerous office properties between Silicon Valley and Marin County.
Haley graduated from Williams College with a BA in Art History and Environmental Studies, and currently volunteers for the college as the Head Agent for fundraising for her graduating class. Haley also serves as the President of the Board of Trustees for Marin Ballet, a non-profit ballet school in San Rafael, and lives in NoPA with her family.
Laura Zeidan
The Grubb Company
Laura truly believes that family and home are two of the most important underpinnings of happiness. Being from a tight knit family, and a family of real estate entrepreneurs, becoming a Realtor was the natural next step towards finding her career path. Now with years in the business and success in helping people find their dream home, Laura is certain this was her passion all along.
In her day-to-day practice, her keen attention to detail and boundless energy help to ensure that each client receives the attention needed to ensure a successful real estate experience. Laura delivers an unparalleled level of enthusiasm and energy to serving her clients. She understands that buying or selling a home is not only a huge fiscal investment, it’s an emotional one as well. Her personalized client service and commitment to business integrity are her priority.
As a Head-Royce School alumnus, Laura grew up exploring Oakland and all it has to offer. With friends living across the Bay Area, from Berkeley to San Leandro, as well as through the tunnel to the East Bay, finding new neighborhoods and exploring the vibrancy of each locale was always exciting to her. After finishing her studies at the University of Houston, majoring in Education, she made her way back home, knowing the Bay Area was where she was meant to be. As a lifelong soccer player, team work is a large part of her business practice. Working effectively together with her clients, Laura loves using her education background to help her clients navigate this market, by problem solving, exploring possibilities and coming together with her clients to achieve the common goal of buying or selling a home.
When she’s not meeting clients, showing homes or holding a Sunday Open House, Laura can be found exploring local hiking trails, camping around California with her boyfriend and dog, or searching for new Ramen shops. She is an accomplished photographer (at least her friends say so) and loves to travel. Her favorite places include the Hawaiian Islands, Istanbul, Guatemala and Southern France, but she’s always up for new adventures and travel suggestions!
Venus Zheng
Coldwell Banker
Venus specializes in residential and multi-family investment properties. Her passion for her work in the real estate market stems from her focus to impact the community around her in the most positive and substantial way. She sees the purchase of a home as an investment not only in the financial future of individuals, but also as an investment in their livelihoods and development of the community around them. Her sense of service and determination to go the extra mile for her clients comes from a long lineage of Venus’ history. Ever since she was 10 years old, she was raised in the service industry. These values and traditions have become a part of her philosophy in both her personal and professional approach to life.
With over 7 years of professional sales experience, Venus has worked with clients in many industries across the United States as well as internationally. She obtained her degrees in Finance and Chinese at the Rutgers Business School of New Brunswick and proceeded to explore and expand her expertise in a broad range of industries including finance, technology, retail, and hospitality. After engaging in a spectrum of diverse trades, Venus has honed her ability to understand each of her clients’ individual desires — which allows her to address their needs at an empathetic level and gives her a business sense that allows for proper planning, managing expectations, and precise execution. She is a forward thinker and a problem solver, which aids in her ability to resolve problems and always achieve and exceed her and her client’s goals. Additionally, her fluency in Mandarin and Cantonese allows her to serve a multicultural and diverse combination of clienteles.
In her spare time, Venus enjoys traveling, staying active with yoga, rock climbing, hiking the beautiful trails around the bay area, and — of course — eating all of the wonderful foods the world has to offer.