Ria grew up in a family that was invested in real estate ventures. Her great grandparents purchased a 3 unit building in the Woodlawn community in the late 1930s and encouraged their descendants to own their homes as well as income property. Ria's parents bought their home in the Calumet Heights neighborhood in 1970 and purchased income properties in South Shore, Chatham and Ashburn over the next 10 years.

After graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Ria did not immediately get involved in real estate; she started her law enforcement career instead. After her father died, Ria pitched in to assist her mother with maintaining the income properties that her family still owned. Doing that kindled her latent passion for real estate so she decided to get her real estate license in 2017. Ria went on to become licensed in Indiana, earn her Managing Broker's licenses in both Illinois and Indiana and is also a licensed Broker in Punta Cana.

Ria is a Resort and Second Home Property Specialist, an Accredited Buyer's Representative and a Senior Real Estate Specialist. She is also a Homes for Heroes Real Estate Specialist through the Homes for Heroes Program that benefits teachers, health care professionals, firefighters, EMTs, military and law enforcement (active, reserves, retired, widows & widowers). Her clients are both repeat buyers and sellers, first time homebuyers and seasoned real estate professionals, those looking to downsize and those looking to upsize. Her motto is "live a life from which you don't need a vacation" and helping her clients have the home of their dreams plays a big part in that philosophy