Claudienne Renee Hibbert-Smith, now known as the founder of the premier Hibbert Group Real Estate Group, has experienced enough to fill many lifetimes. As the last of four children, she lived in two different states and cities before her first birthday. Although she was always one to earn exemplary grades, she struggled with disciplinary actions while in school. She navigated many inter-state moves, three different high schools, and an early pregnancy, all before graduating high school.
“Many who saw doom in my future as a result of my pregnancy, but I knew failure was not an option for me. I made a drastic decision to turn my life around, and began to get involved in school activities and changed the friends I spent time with. At the end of my high school career, I was among the top academic performers and Vice President of my high school graduating class,” Claudienne recalls.
After graduating high school, Claudienne attended The University of Florida, where she also excelled academically, despite the university being ranked highly a the 14th overall of all U.S. public universities by US News and World Report.
Shortly after landing her first job out of college, she transitioned into a real estate professional and partnered with The Keyes Company. Claudienne quickly moved up the charts with her sales volume and as a result, created the Hibbert Group Real Estate Consultants.
In her 20 years of experience in the real estate industry, Claudienne has worked to service buyers and sellers within both the residential and commercial real estate sectors. In addition to her day-to-day, she has served as a realtor for the City of Miami Gardens, Miramar and Pembroke Pines and fulfilled the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). Claudienne also serves on the City of Miami Gardens Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and sits on the City of Opa Locka Planning and Zoning Board.
While she manages to accomplish so much professionally and economically, Claudienne’s image publicly is in fact, rooted in her community service action.
“My foundation is rooted in community service and is the primary reason I give back to the community. I prioritize my time to organize events with my 501 C 3 non-profit organization, Claudy Cares Foundation. As a result of my community involvement, I was honored with the first ever Humanitarian Unsung Hero Award from the company. Even though awards have come, I will always continue to do work for the community,” Claudienne says.
As community and networks are so important to Claudienne and her foundation, it comes as no surprise that her mere introduction to the industry was a result of the community itself. She recalls her interest in the real estate industry being sparked at first when, twenty years ago, a good friend of hers purchased a home. When she discovered the amount of commission the real estate and realtor made on the sale, she knew something was about to change.
“I remember saying, “I make that amount in one year.” I quit my job that next week and went to Real Estate School. So now I am a realtor and I have this crazy idea to start investing – so I purchase my 1st investment property. I started to tell my close friends about the idea of creating passive income by simply purchasing property. I noticed, they were not interested. It was at this moment that I realized I needed to focus on educating my peers,” Claudienne remarks.
By focusing on community and giving back, Claudienne has been able to frame her work in a positive light, set goals that are achievable, and focus on her progress as a realtor. She sees herself not just as a realtor, but as an educator.
To learn more about Claudienne, be sure to visit her website and follow her on Instagram. More information about her real estate career can be found at the Hibbert Group website and Instagram.
