Sara Lavagnino is an avid singer-songwriter and musician who has performed at venues all over Nashville, TN. Her and her identical twin sisters perform in the singing duo "The Lava Girls." In April 2013 she starred on the complete first season of NBC’s new reality television show called “Ready for Love," a matchmaking competition program produced by Eva Longoria. Sara was the 1st runner up to win Tim Lopez's- a member of the band "The Plain White T's"- heart.

Sara is currently an affiliate broker for The Southern Land Company in Franklin, TN and moved from the Eastern Sierra Mountains of Mammoth Lakes California to Nashville in 2000. She became certified as a REALTOR? in 2006.

Interview Q & A

Q. When you first moved to Nashville, how did you become involved in the music industry?
A. My sister and I moved here from a small town in California when we were 19. We came to Nashville because we had visited friends here for a week and fell in love with the culture and the whole music side of it. At first, I had a job in a doctor’s office and she had a job in a dentist’s office- but they were right in the same building. Because we literally drove down here, we only had one car, so it was a lot easier to go to work at the same place every day. We started “The Lava Girls,” and just started performing anywhere we could. I personally believe that if you want something enough, it will pay off in the end.

Q. You were literally discovered while singing with “The Lava Girls” and invited to star on an NBC reality TV show. How did that happen?
A. Yes, it was crazy! Someone came to a little concert one night and I guess made a video of the song I was singing. I lost my husband, whom I met while working at the real estate agency Westhaven Realty to cancer about a year before, and the song I was singing that night was about our love. The person who recorded the video knew someone who was involved with the TV show “Ready For Love,” and that week I got a call asking me to fly down to Los Angeles for a meeting with the producers of the show.

Q. NBC’s “Ready For Love,” is a matchmaking reality TV show. What was it like working with huge stars like Eva Longoria, Bill Rancic?
A. It was surreal. I knew who Eva and Bill were before I met with them. At first, I didn’t want to have anything to do with the show because I felt like they were using my story and what happened to me as a punch line and I refused every single time NBC called to set up a meeting. It wasn’t until they personally assured me that I would be able to have control over what happens on the show in terms of my own background story that I signed on. Those wounds were still very fresh and didn’t want to get my feelings hurt.

Q. Tim Lopez, your co-star on “Ready For Love,” is a member of the band “The Plain White T’s.” Did you know coming into the show how famous he was?
A. No, not at all. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of the band, and so I assumed that it wasn’t really a big thing. He’s so sweet and down-to-earth and I really got to know him for the person he really is. It was insane, walking down the street while we were filming, how many girls started screaming all of the time! I guess he was used to it but I was so surprised when all of a sudden twenty people run up to get autographs. Tim’s just a really genuine person and cares about all of his fans. No matter what we were doing, he always took the time to talk to everyone and take pictures while he could.

Q. You’re also a Realtor® for Southern Land Company, the developer of numerous local communities such as Laurelbrook and Westhaven. Were you allowed to leave to film the show?
A. I’ve been working for Westhaven Realty since almost the very beginning of the community- since 2006. I was very fortunate because everyone in the company is really like family and, at first- I had no idea whether if I left for the show, if I’d be able to come back. What do people do when they film reality shows? I really don’t know how they’re able to figure it out with their work, but I was very fortunate to be able to come back as soon as filming was done.

Q. You take everything you endeavor seriously- what do you think the key is to being a successful real estate agent?
A. I think the key to being a successful real estate agent would be loving what you do and loving people. Selling real estate is all about building connections with others, and this is one of the biggest decisions they are ever going to make in their lives. If you make your clients feel comfortable, they will continue to use you and they will continue to tell all of their friends. I mean, if you love your job it’s going to show, and I think that if you make your clients feel comfortable- that’s the most important thing.