Selvedina Nuhanovic: Realtor is giving back to community that welcomed her
By MARIA KUIPER – Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa (TNS)
CEDAR FALLS — The Cedar Valley welcomed Selvedina Nuhanovic with open arms.
Now she’s returning that community embrace.
Nuhanovic, 32, is a real estate agent at Vine Valley Real Estate and an overall “people person.” Her family came to the area in 1998 when she was 5 years old from Bosnia to escape the aftermath of the country’s civil war. Waterloo and Cedar Falls saw an influx of Bosnian immigrants hoping to secure factory jobs.
Tears filled her eyes when describing what the area has given to Bosnians.
“There were so many volunteers in this community that would take us to appointments, help us, you know, apply for jobs, get new or better jobs, that I feel I’m able to give back to this community,” she said. “I love to travel, and I love to explore, but I think this always just feels like home.”
She, along with her parents and sister, came to the U.S. with only two bags between them.
20 Under 40 vertical 2024
Her father needed medical attention when they arrived, bringing nurse Ann Kline into her house every day.
“She became like my American grandma,” Nuhanovic said. “(She) kind of encouraged me and showed me that there were better opportunities.”
Along with Kline, she was inspired by her hardworking mother, Hata, who still lives in the area.
Hata was supporting her entire family of four, as well as Selvedina’s brother who stayed in Bosnia because he was of military age.
Nuhanovic began working at 14 in the dietary department for the former Ridgeway Place. She also worked at Sears, Village Inn and other restaurants. She started at Veridian Credit Union in 2011 and worked there for nearly 10 years before getting her Realtor’s license.
While working at Veridian, she also worked at Village Inn. After leaving the waitressing job, she went to school full time while also working at Veridian full time.
Selvedina Nuhanovic
Selvedina Nuhanovic is among those chosen for The Courier’s 2024 20 Under 40 recognition.
“Then I graduated college and I was like ‘Hmm, I’m only working 40 hours a week, I feel like I can do something else to fill up my time,’” she said, joking. “Then I decided to get my real estate license.”
Getting that license paid off. In seven years, she’s sold 131 houses. She was recently named The Courier’s 2024 Best of the Best realtor.
Real estate is now the only job Nuhanovic does, but she keeps herself busy with multiple nonprofit organizations and volunteering.
She’s an associate director at Veridian Credit Union; the secretary of the Black Hawk County Gaming Association; a board member at Leader in Me, which teaches K-12 students about leadership; holds seminars on housing with 24/7 BLAC and the Waterloo Housing Authority; and volunteers with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program.
She was previously the president of the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley board of directors.
“In my job and the boards that I serve on … I care so deeply about the success of this community and the success of my clients,” she said. “I think if I can do anything to help the community and my clients, I’m always up for that.”
Some of her favorite volunteer opportunities are ones that teach people the kinds of things that would have benefited her family.
20 Under 40 horizontal 2024
“There’s just so much misinformation regarding the home-buying process. It’s so scary if you’ve never done it, and you don’t know anyone that’s done it,” she said. “I purchased my first home when I was 22, and my mom had never purchased a property before.”
She said as a woman, as well as an immigrant, she can provide a different perspective to people she helps.
Lauren Finke, who nominated Nuhanovic, agrees.
“Born in Bosnia and having immigrated to the Cedar Valley at a young age has grown her resiliency as well as her comfort in stepping outside the boundaries and taking the next step,” she said.
Nuhanovic is also celebrating her new marriage to Dzenan Samardzic and lives with her 11-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel and poodle mix, Milo.
PHOTOS: The Courier’s 2024 20 Under 40 winners
Photos of the people chosen for The Courier’s 2024 20 Under 40 recognition.
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