Sherri Conrad Interview: Leading Atlanta Fine Homes North Atlanta Office and Living in Alpharetta
As Senior Vice President and Managing Broker of Atlanta Fine Homes’ North Atlanta office, Sherri Conrad leads one of the top-producing real estate offices in Georgia. A former top producer and Life Member of the Atlanta REALTORS® Association Top Producers, she has spent nearly a decade in brokerage leadership after building her own successful real estate business.
A Milton High School graduate who grew up watching this area transform, Sherri now leads and mentors real estate agents while helping them navigate an industry that never stops changing.
The Alpharetta.com team had the opportunity to speak with Sherri about her transition from top-producing agent to brokerage leadership, how she prepares her agents for success, and what’s next for the Alpharetta real estate market.
You’ve achieved massive success in the real estate industry. Looking back, what initially attracted you to start your career in real estate?
“My love for real estate actually started as a hobby. I bought my first condominium in Buckhead at 20 years old, and by the time I was 30, I had bought four houses. The love started by looking at model homes with my parents at a young age. Then, after remodeling my first home I just loved the process of walking into a home and figuring out how to transform the design and colors into something completely new.
Your house is your sanctuary away from everything, and I never thought that hobby would become my career. I’ve reinvented myself a few times over the years, but looking back, the lesson is always the same: follow what you really love. I took real estate and turned it into something I do every single day, and I still love walking in here every day.
The real estate industry is so cyclical and always changing. There are so many different facets to real estate, and that’s one of the biggest reasons I love this industry.”
Can you talk about the process of transitioning from a top producer to brokerage leadership and what factors influenced this decision?
“Before real estate, I ran several successful businesses and I had not worked for anyone else since I was 20. I was very fortunate to have a strong first year in real estate, largely because I grew up here and already had a deep network of relationships.
Real estate is all about relationships. People feel comfortable to work with people they like, know, and trust. I leaned into social media early, which really allowed me to expand my network of people in the area.
About three years into my business, after surpassing $30 million in sales, Jenny Pruitt and David Boehmig approached me about joining their leadership team. I was humbled as Jenny was a real estate icon in Atlanta, and I already believed in aligning myself with their amazing brokerage.
Real estate can be a lonely business as a 1099 contractor, so aligning with a supportive brokerage with real training and education mattered to me. I already loved mentoring agents, and watching a newly license agent come in and, several years later, land on our Top Performers list is such a great feeling.
I started as an agent at this very office, and I’ve now been in management for about nine and a half years. I interviewed at Atlanta Fine Homes first, went to another brokerage for about eight months because I felt I needed more education, and then came back for good. Real estate can be difficult, but it’s such a rewarding business.”
When a new agent joins Atlanta Fine Homes, how does your office prepare them for the expectations of the luxury market?
“People think luxury means a high price point. However, luxury isn’t a price point; it’s a level of service. Whether someone’s buying a $500,000 home or a $5 million home, the expectation, preparation, and communication should be the same.
A $200,000 client could very easily become a $2 million client down the road, so we make sure agents understand that from day one. We’ve perfected our onboarding process for both newly licensed agents and experienced agents bringing over an established real estate business. We have so many tools to offer and I say that it’s like drinking from a fire hose for the first three months, but we support you every step of the way.
For a top-producing agent there is never at a great point in their business to move to a new brokerage, so we walk them through every step to ensure there’s no interruption to their business. For us, the real work starts after they are onboarded, because recruiting an agent is just the first step.
Our goal is to re-recruit our agents on a daily basis, sitting down with them to look at their business and figure out how they can grow it further. Agents, myself included, are not fond of change, but the things that make you most uncomfortable are usually exactly where you need to put your focus and lean in.
We hold sales meetings every Tuesday, broker roundtables and master mind groups weekly, where agents can bring their questions, struggles and successes so we can problem-solve together as a group. Collaboration is truly the best!
I tell new agents to go to every class and training they can, and to do it in person whenever possible. The real learning often comes from the conversations in the room, not just the topic on the agenda. If we don’t have a real process to set our agents up for success, we’re doing them a disservice.”
With AI technology constantly evolving, how do you help your agents adapt and actually learn to use these new tools in their business?
“The biggest thing I’ve learned is that the quality and context of what you prompt AI with determines the quality of your result. If you’re just using it like a search engine and typing one line, you’re not leveraging what it can actually do for you. It is important to give it real direction: who I want it to sound like (it’s role), have it ask me questions, and what I want it to accomplish
I treat AI as a thought partner, not a place to find an answer. I never want the technology to talk for me. When I use AI to help me draft emails, I tell it what to say. I also use AI to challenge my assumptions and point out what I might not be considering before walking into a meeting.
I spend a lot of time in my car going to meetings, so now I hit the microphone button, verbalize everything I want to cover and have it compiled into a Word document by the time I’m back at my desk. I still add my own personality to it, but it saves me an enormous amount of time.
My advice is to lean in and not be intimidated by it, but pick a tool and stick with it for a while so you can learn it, don’t fall into paralysis by analysis.”
Atlanta Fine Homes recently relocated their North Atlanta office to Avalon. What was the driving force behind choosing this mixed-use destination as your new home base?
“Our old office served us well for a long time, but it felt a little detached from everything. When our lease came up, we decided to start looking for a new location but wanted to stay in the general area. Since we are fortunate enough to be the number one office in volume with the highest market share in Alpharetta and Milton, this location at Avalon made the most sense.
We wanted our office to be somewhere our advisors, clients and community actually live their lives. Avalon is not simply somewhere people shop. People live here, work here, meet friends here and spend time with their families here. As a locally owned and operated company that is globally powered by Sotheby’s International Realty, I think the location fits us incredibly well.
We’re deeply connected to the community here. I’m on the board of directors for the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce and part of the newly formed North Atlanta Economic Alliance. This helps me bring real, current information back to our agents about where this area is growing.”
Alpharetta has completely transformed in recent years. In the next 5-10 years, how do you see the residential real estate market in Alpharetta fundamentally shifting?
“The growth here is going to keep pushing outward since we don’t have a lot of undeveloped land left. However, there’s still high demand to be close and walkable to downtown Alpharetta and Avalon, so you are seeing a lot of tear downs and renovations. We’re also watching the revitalization of North Point Mall area unfold, and I think that’s going to reshape a big part of this corridor.
If I had a magic wand, I would love to see a little more architectural consistency across the area. You can drive down some of our streets and see a beautiful English Colonial home next to a completely different architectural style, which can make the streetscape feel less cohesive. I really admire what Milton has done through its zoning and design standards to help preserve a sense of character while still allowing for a variety of beautiful homes.
During COVID, we saw a big exodus from down in Atlanta as people wanted more land, and that demand drove prices up in this area. I still see that growth in this area continuing to sprawl outward towards Forsyth and Dawsonville.
Needs in this area are also shifting. Boomers still want a nice home with upgrades, but not necessarily a large footprint. The verticality of the new townhomes is really limiting a lot of people, especially boomers as they are getting older. We’re also seeing interest from high-profile buyers, entertainers, and athletes who want privacy but close enough to Buckhead without actually living intown.
Through all of this growth, keeping Alpharetta’s character intact matters a lot to me. Leaders like David Belle Isle helped build this area into what it is while keeping it from feeling sterile or cold, and I think protecting that feeling is what keeps Alpharetta such a special place to live.”
If a real estate agent is getting their license in 2026, what is your biggest piece of advice for breaking into this industry?
“It’s not as easy as it looks from the outside. Our industry can look very glamorous on social media, but building a sustainable real estate career takes real time. It doesn’t happen overnight, and it takes an enormous amount of work, dedication, and a lot of “no”s before you achieve success in real estate.
Also, consistency is everything. Being consistent on social media really helped me build my business. By the time I walked into someone’s home, I rarely had to sell my business and what I could do because they had already been watching my work.
Real estate isn’t done the way it was 10 or 15 years ago. Clients aren’t calling and asking what’s on the market anymore. They’re calling with specific homes they’ve already found online. Your value as a real estate advisor now comes from knowing the finer details: your market area, architectural trends, design trends, and how to invest $10,000 in a home to make it $50,000 more marketable.
You have to truly know your specific micro-market. What’s happening in Alpharetta isn’t what’s happening in Milton, Cumming, or in Atlanta. Agents need to lock into their specific markets rather than trying to cover the entire Atlanta metropolitan area.
Show up, keep learning, and remember that your database includes other agents, not just your own clients. Protect your reputation and never burn a bridge. The average person knows 12 real estate agents, so it’s crucial to set yourself apart from the other 11.”
Outside of work, what are some of your top spots in the Alpharetta area for dining?
“I love trying new places. Right now, I enjoy visiting Little Alley Steakhouse for a great steak. Also, the new Italian restaurant in Downtown Alpharetta, Tre Fratelli, is amazing. I visit Rumi’s Kitchen all the time, and our team loves the staff there, we are regulars.
I have always believed in supporting locally owned and operated businesses because there is a different level of connection and accountability when decisions are made right here in the community. That is something I value deeply about Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty. We are locally owned by David Boehmig and powered by the strength and global reach of the Sotheby’s International Realty brand, which gives us the best of both worlds: local leadership and decision-making backed by an extraordinary international network.
That local connection is also part of what makes this area so special to me. I still remember when Taco Bell and Hardee’s were basically the only restaurants around, so it has been incredible to watch the area grow and welcome so many new businesses while still maintaining that comfortable, community-centered feel that has always made it feel like home.”