@ 2021 ORRA – Educator of the Year
Zola moved to the Orlando area from New York City in 2000. Prior to that he was in hospitality management, the profession in which he had earned his degree in his native country of Hungary. His passion for real estate began in his mid-twenties when he purchased his first investment property in Pennsylvania.
Once in Orlando, he discovered real estate was his true calling and since then has energetically built a thriving practice, serving both local and international clients in selling, buying, and investing in beautiful Central Florida or abroad for 14 years.
In 2015, he seized the opportunity to help open up, build and manage a real estate office that has attracted 150 associates in the first two years. And, while he enjoyed the challenges of managing a vibrant brokerage, he found his true calling when he transitioned to his current role in the firm as both a practitioner and the designated coach and mentor to his fellow sales associates. He also coaches individual real estate agents and brokerages for maximum profitability. Zola actively teaches various NAR and REBI designation courses, real estate board leadership and facilitate strategic planning sessions.
Zola is member of both the National Association’s CIPS Faculty and the Florida Realtors® Faculty. An active volunteer leader, he was the 2014 President of the Orlando Regional Realtors® Association and was the 2015 Florida Realtors® District 12 Vice President and is a member of the 2022 NAR Board of Directors. In 2011 he was honored to be named as Orlando’s Realtor® of the Year.
In 2011 he was tapped to chair NAR’s International Local Council Forum and in 2012 was named Chairman of the Florida Realtors® Global Networking Forums and subsequently as its 2014 Global Business Committee Chairman. In 2016 he chaired NAR’s Global Business Alliance committee and was the NAR Global Coordinator for Central/Eastern Europe (2015-2020) where he oversees and directs the efforts of NAR’s representatives to those countries. He is currently serving as 2021 Chairman of REBI Global Alliances Committee and REBI Board of Directors. A past chairman of ORRA’s International Council, he also served as the 2013 Chair for NAR’s CIPS Advisory Board.
A talented and energetic instructor, Zola is a graduate of the Florida Realtors® Instructor Training Institute and has taught numerous NAR certification and designation courses locally, nationally, and internationally. He is currently certified to teach the CIPS, ABR, SRS, CRB, RENE, C-RETS and GRI courses and working with several real estate associations and providing leadership trainings. In addition, he has made numerous presentations, consulting on a variety of topics such as how to organize and grow global councils, local associations abroad and the many cultural variations and challenges faced by today’s practitioners. He has been named the 2021 Educator of the Year Award by Orlando Regional Realtor® Association.
In addition to his professional designations, Zola is a graduate of Orlando Regional Realtor® Association Making of a Leader program, a 2010 graduate of the Florida Realtors® Leadership Academy and a 2011 graduate of NAR’s Leadership Academy. In addition, he completed the Professional Property Management Program through the National College of Appraisal and Property Management Institute.