Austin Hill Realty welcomed a new sales associate this month to its team of renowned Savannah-area Realtors. The family-owned agency is one of the longest running in Savannah, boasting over 40 years of real estate marketing, sales and development experience.

New sales associate Tomi Nelsen expects her experience and business background will serve her well in her role, in which she’ll primarily focus on real estate buyers and sellers in the Isle of Hope, Dutch Island and Burnside Island areas. Previously, Nelsen worked in sales, marketing and business development for a semi-conductor company based in Silicon Valley. When that company was purchased by a global semi-conductor operation headquartered in Europe, Nelsen amassed a wealth of knowledge about foreign business markets. The time she spent communicating with and supervising people across a range of cultures makes Nelsen’s segue into real estate a natural path and gives her insight into how to interact with clients whose needs and ideas vary greatly.

“I covered all of Europe, Asia and the U.S. in my previous position. It involved extensive travel, and I even lived in Taiwan for two years to be closer to the manufacturers in Asia, whom I was spending about three weeks of every month with at that time,” Nelsen said. “I had to deal with people in every culture. I had employees and customers all over the world and, in instances like that, I had to interact with each person differently. So, I had to put on a different hat with just about every call or trip that I took.”

Though she’s prepared to serve certain geographical segments of Savannah as a Realtor, Nelsen’s diverse background and time spent living in different local neighborhoods have given her a knack for finding properties that meet her clients’ visions and needs. She and her family have lived in Historic Downtown Savannah, Ardsley Park, and are now residents on Isle of Hope.

Nelsen and her husband, Peter, first moved to Savannah from California in 2004, though she is originally from North Dakota. She attended college in California, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University in Long Beach. Nelsen has been around the real estate industry nearly all her life and feels her new company is a perfect fit for her.

“My grandparents owned a real estate company in Oregon and my husband has been in the business for 15 years. My husband has been with three different agencies in Savannah and I’ve gotten to know them quite well through his affiliation,” Nelsen said. “Austin Hill Realty is the right fit for me. I like the dynamic, the communication within the office, and the professionalism.”

Nelsen’s favorite components of her new job is staging and design; she enjoys “making a house a home,” and has a special interest in architecture.

 “I have a knack for design and the ability to visualize potential in homes, which is helpful,” she said.

When she’s not helping her clients buy and sell homes, Nelsen enjoys spending time with her family and focusing on her daughter’s education and extracurricular activities. She’s also active in the Savannah community, having served on the Savannah Philharmonic’s Board of Directors as Special Events Chair, and on event and fundraising committees for the Telfair Museum of Art, Historic Savannah Foundation, and Savannah Speech and Hearing. Nelsen has a few favorite locations from her traveling days, including Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Hong Kong, and Bali, Indonesia.

Austin Hill is happy to welcome Nelsen to his agency.

“We’re excited that Tomi has signed on with us,” Hill said. “Understanding the intricacies and diverse nature of the Savannah real estate market is one of Tomi’s greatest strengths. She is focused, driven and will be an asset to the team at Austin Hill Realty.”