Residential Properties president and CEO finds the balance between the family room and the office

Sally Lapides says she has built her life and Residential Properties, the company she co-founded, to resonate with the key Jewish values she learned as a child. She adds that she strives to incorporate honesty, hard work, justice, acceptance, giving back to the community and equality in everything she does. She acknowledges her mentors – mother Myrna Rosen and grandmother Ethel Yale – and adheres to their advice and wisdom. They taught her to work hard for her beliefs, treat everyone with dignity and look for the good in everything. Putting theory into practice, Lapides remarked she chooses to see each day as an opportunity for accomplishment. 

Lapides shares that she stumbled onto her 40-year career by chance. Awaiting the start of a graduate program in art history, she found work in a gallery. When the place went out of business, her mother suggested she follow in her footsteps and obtain a real estate license. Lapides’ foray into graduate school never materialized as, she says, she had found her calling. She reveals she absolutely loved what she was doing and was thriving immediately after venturing into the new field. 

However, Lapides’ ability to close a deal is likely not the only factor in her success. In addition to prizing honesty above all, Lapides chooses to stand out among competitors by favoring a different approach. She says that Residential Properties has always prided itself in “thinking outside the box” when marketing the properties they represent. Pioneer in the use of Internet, the company continues striving to be a leader in technology. Lapides thinks that their current web, marketing and relocation plans demonstrate the extraordinary talent of their team. 

Collaborating with these young professionals on novel ventures challenges and excites her. A huge believer in investing in relationships, Lapides is certain that they hold the key to success in the business. She first learned that lesson from her father and uncle, Phil and Harvey Lapides, while working for her family’s clothing store, Harvey Ltd. Residential Properties’ growth from the firm she co-started in 1981 into the largest independent real estate company in Rhode Island indicates that their strategy has merit. 

Lapides’ impressive career, however, did not just fall into her lap; she worked hard to be where she is. While dedicated to her job, Lapides sees the work-life balance as a challenge. She has been able to achieve that balance by devising innovative solutions that allow her to avoid sacrificing important aspects of her life to her career. One example is hiring a babysitter for her children when they were young. Later, she became their house manager. Lapides says, “I can’t imagine being able to do my work without support from her.” 

Another trick is combining business and pleasure. For example, lunch is a perfect opportunity to catch up with a friend or have a meeting. Lapides says, “I never eat alone.” Always up for a creative solution to a problem, she finds the time to volunteer and be with her family by networking while traveling with her husband, Art Solomon. 

In addition to referring friends and clients to real estate partners, Lapides participates in local politics and serves as the vice chair on the Board of Governors at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. The former chair of the board at The Gordon School, a mentor at Year Up Providence and a member of the Head’s Advisory Council, she keeps busy. Her hobbies include biking, watching baseball and knitting. 

In addition to her first love, art history, Lapides is passionate about the radio. She discovered that she enjoys being the host of Real Estate Insight, the weekly radio show. In fact, her prowess in the role creates a competition for real estate. Lapides says, “Had I known that I would be good on the air, I would have chosen that as my profession.”

Lapides says that the possibilities are endless when you are “smart, hungry, work more hours than you ever thought you were capable of working, invest in your community, have the need to be an expert in the field and understand the importance or the meaning or the expression ‘You get from giving.’ ” She devoted her life to tikun olam and feels inspired when she’s among people who are intent on making the world a better place. In fact, one of her favorite quotes, by Winston Churchill, pinpoints the crux of her message. “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” 

IRINA MISSIURO is a writer and editorial consultant for The Jewish Voice.