Sonya Edwards

Sonya Edwards is the Principal Broker and Executive Director of Branches Real Estate. A native of Windham, Ohio, Sonya became a real estate salesperson in 1996 and has worked in various capacities throughout her years in the industry. She joined Empowering and Strengthening Ohio’s People (ESOP), a community organizing-focused nonprofit organization, in 2012 after having worked through the 2008 real estate market crash and witnessing firsthand the disproportionately large and disastrous effects it had on vulnerable populations such as senior citizens. From 2012-2014 she worked as a Foreclosure Prevention Advocate whom with ESOP has helped over 65,000 homeowners prevent foreclosure. In 2013, she became the Director of Financial Counseling for ESOP, during which she launched the Real Estate division of the organization, ESOP Realty. Following a 2021 rebranding campaign, ESOP Realty began doing business as Branches Real Estate.

Sonya holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Northwestern Ohio. Her expertise, training, and designations are as follows:

• Senior Real Estate Specialist: handling real estate transactions for clients that are age 50 or older
• Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR®) designation:  working directly with buyer-clients at every stage of the home-buying process.
• Short Sale and Foreclosure Specialist: assisting sellers and buyers through short sales, foreclosure, and REO properties
• Certified New Home Co-Broker: assisting builders and buyers through the new construction process
• Cleveland Crain’s 2021 Top Residential Real Estate Agents
• Member of the Greater Cleveland Home Builder Association

Sonya’s strong background in real estate, financial counseling, and community organizing were paramount to the launch of ESOP Realty DBA Branches Real Estate. She had the foresight to bring a diverse group of community revitalization practitioners, affordable housing developers, nonprofit administrators, financial counselors, attorneys, and salespeople together to create Branches Real Estate, Ohio’s first full-service, nonprofit real estate agency.