You may know Tasha Lyons from her work on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Potomac as a hairstylist to TV personality Monique Samuels, but Tasha can also be credited with contributions to editorial publications, other celebrity clients, fashion shows, and a host of other events showcasing her talent. Tasha also owned and operated her salon Taja’Ly Studio of Hair.
Born in Capitol Heights, Maryland, Tasha graduated in 2000 from Bladensburg High School. She ventured into the real estate arena in 2015 and became a top-producing agent after one year in the industry. She formed her own real estate team in 2019, The Lyons Den Group of EXIT Community Realty. This team now comprises her husband, Neil Lyons, and daughter JaNeil Lyons. They assist families all over the DMV with their real estate needs.
Tasha made her debut on the big screen in 2022 as a cast member on the reality TV show Love and Marriage: DC on the OWN Network. Since that show, her love for modeling and acting has emerged. She’s been featured in TV series and short films and is excited to expand her acting roles into feature films.
What first caught my attention was Tasha’s daring looks and style on Instagram. We’re talking reality TV, Love & Marriage D.C., and real estate below. Dig in!
Fancy: What was the process like for being cast on Love & Marriage: D.C.?
Tasha: So, first of all, going back to The Real Housewives of Potomac, I was doing the hair for Monique Samuels. I was one of her hairstylists, her main one. That’s how I got to know Monique. Our friendship stemmed from that, from me doing her hair for the show. She called me one day, and she was like, “What do you feel about being on a reality TV show? My initial thought was I don’t know because that’s not something that I ever set out to do. Reality TV? No. So I said it just depends on what kind of show it is, the nature of the show, what it is promoting, and what it is because I don’t do all the catty stuff. That’s not me. And so she told me, Love & Marriage: D.C., like Love and Marriage Huntsville. They’re bringing it to D.C.
I’m like, okay, cool, because I’m familiar with Love and Marriage Huntsville. I’ve seen how they promoted businesses, Black excellence, and marriages. I’m like, that’s something that I would love to be a part of. Neil, my husband, was down for it. We did an interview with Carlos King, and no, we did an interview with someone else first. I guess they liked what they saw, and they asked us, did we want to be friends of the show. And that’s how it happened.
Fancy: Cool. So you were conscious of how you were portrayed on the show. I know people often talk about how they were portrayed after the fact. Was there anything that you tried to be mindful of throughout the filming process?
Tasha: Absolutely! It’s like a million things going through your mind while filming. I did want to stay true to myself. I did not want to be anything other than authentically Tasha. I think that was kind of my downfall. Well, I’m not going to say my downfall. That was why I wasn’t shown a lot, I believe, because I was the voice of reasoning. I told people when I thought that they were wrong, or I had conversations with a lot of the cast members. I even got into a conflict with one of the other cast members. They didn’t show that. I just wanted to stay true to myself and to who I was still being me. Still, I’m not a raw catty type of person, but if drama comes to me, then I’m going to give it back. But I’m not going to just be raw just for cameras. Know what I’m saying?
It’s a lot of things that play on your mind. When you’re filming a reality TV show, you’re thinking, “Okay, if I say this, then the viewers are going to think that, or they are going to think this.” I think when you have that kind of mentality, you go into reality TV trying to be something that you’re not, or you’re trying to please everybody before it even comes out. I just wanted to stay true to who I was as Tasha.
Fancy: So, now, switching gears. You were a cosmetologist, and then you went into real estate. What was that pivot like for you?
Tasha: It was crazy because real estate was nothing that was on my radar. Same as reality TV. Some of these things, like in my life’s journey, kind of just fell into certain things. With real estate, I had a girlfriend who was in real estate, and she was a realtor. She was phenomenal in the business. Another young lady and I were helping her with her business and were helping her so much to the point where she was just like, “You all should get your licenses.” I’m like, “Okay, I’ll try it out.” Took the course, took the test, passed it, and got my license. I’m nosey going into houses and seeing what it’s all about. I like seeing the different architectural aspects and the characteristics of homes and stuff like that. I was always intrigued by going into homes. I don’t know, it became a passion of mine.
It’s like my eighth year now. Along the way, like my first year, I did really well. I was a top producer after my second year. With that, I formed my real estate team, The Lyons Group. At first, I had other members in my group, but that really didn’t work out. I told my husband and my daughter, you guys are helping me anyway. When it comes to real estate, they hear the lingo that I’m speaking, they hear me doing day-to-day real estate business, and so they were helping me out. The same thing as the young lady had asked us, I asked them. “Why don’t you get your license?”
So that’s what they did. My daughter got her license at like 19. She didn’t know what she really wanted to do after school. She’s very creative, and she’s very all over the place. I told her when you get out of school, you have to have some type of direction. It was kind of up in the air. I said, “Well, get your license. At least, you’ll have that to fall back on.” I advocate for trades and taking them up in high school or at least having a trade coming out of high school. That was my cosmetology- I took that up in high school. From my experience, that’s something that you should have coming out. So I told her to get her license. She took the test. Got her license after 13 tries. Poor child- it’s a hard test. But she got it, and then my husband got his license. So that’s what we’re doing. We are a family business, doing real estate together and helping families build wealth through real estate.
Fancy: What is the housing market like in general and in D.C. especially? You see so much in the news, but I know you’re actually out there, so what’s going on.
Tasha: Yeah, right now, the market is kind of stabilizing. A year or two ago, we saw crazy numbers regarding the housing market and sellers. It was definitely a seller’s market, and people were paying well over market value for houses. Now houses are typically sitting on the market longer. We’re not in a rat race. Buyers have the upper hand when it comes to negotiating prices and getting closing help from sellers. The only difference is the interest rates are higher than they were before. I always tell buyers, don’t let that scare you because the interest rates that we’re seeing now, like, everybody’s saying, “Oh, the interest rates are so high!” These are normal interest rates. We were just spoiled after getting the lower interest rates. That was abnormal. The rates that we’re seeing now are normal rates.
I just feel like you’ll never have that perfect market when people ask, “Well, is this a good time to buy it?” It’s never going to be perfect. It’s either going to be high-interest rates with low prices of homes or vice versa. It’s never going to be that perfect time. I just feel like if you’re in a situation where you want to purchase, then purchase. There are ways that we can get you closing help. There are ways and programs out. There’s just so much that goes into real estate and buying a home that I just feel like buyers need to be educated on. That’s why we’re here, to educate buyers on which route to go when it comes to purchasing.
Fancy: I understand. Why are you so passionate about helping first-time home buyers?
Tasha: Oh, my God. I love it because, like I just said, I love the education part of it. Once I finish with my first-time home buyers, I want them to feel like they can do this a million times or they can get their real estate license because I like to educate them on why they’re doing something. Yeah, you want to purchase a home, but why do you want one? Why are we doing this? Why are we going this route? What is the EMD (Earnest Money Deposit)? I’m not just going to say you need an EMD to put in your offer letter. What is the EMD? I want to explain everything to them because building wealth through real estate is the number one way of gaining wealth. First-time home buyers have this misconception that they have to have all this money in the bank, they have to take a note, and credit.
It’s just a lot of myths. Many people say, “I don’t think I can do it. That’s not something that I can achieve.” I’m very passionate about letting them know, yes, you can. I can’t afford a mortgage. Yes, you can. You are paying somebody else’s mortgage right now while you’re renting. You’re paying a mortgage, but you’re just not paying your own. Don’t say that you can’t because you are. You’re most definitely doing it. You’re even paying mortgages while you’re renting an apartment. With those prices of apartments, you can own a home. I’m just very passionate about that. I love first-time home buyers. That’s just my thing.
Fancy: That brings me to my next question because I was going to ask you to share two tips for those who might be pursuing a home purchase this year.
Tasha: I would be happy to do that! Absolutely. The number one thing is to check and go with a realtor who has your best interest at heart. Often, realtors only like working with people who are ready to buy. I’m the type of realtor who, if you’re not ready, will get you there. Let’s see where you stand. That’s the number one tip, which is to see where you stand. If you feel like you want to purchase a home, then see where you stand. Go to a realtor, and have them point you in the direction of a great loan officer who can pull your credit, see your income, and let you know, “Well, based on your income and based off of your credit score, you are in a position to purchase,” or if you’re not, “These are the things that you need to do in order to purchase.” Not just send them on their way with just, “Okay, you’re not ready right now.” Let’s put a plan in place to get you to where you need to be able to purchase. I would say that my number one tip is to just figure out where it is that you stand at the moment so we can get you okay.
Fancy: This is going to be good for our viewers. You’ve been making a lot of moves since you entered the reality TV world. What other ventures can you discuss? Do you have any other projects or anything in the works?
Tasha: I do. It’s so crazy because, like I said before, I didn’t set out to do reality TV. It’s like once I got used to the cameras in my face, I was like, “I can get used to this. I like this.” I used to take up theater and drama back in school, so it kind of awakened that passion again for that. I went into acting. I did some background acting. I started in September. It’s so crazy because everything is just like flowing. It’s crazy! I did some background work for a TV series called Swagger. I just finished one up called Lioness, that’s with Zoe Saldana.
I also did some commercials. Mind you, this has been since September, and this is without any agent or representation. This has just been on my own. Which I am just extremely excited about. I just got a supporting role for a TV show series for a pilot. We filmed that in Philly. I was super excited. I actually have lines now, background work. I started my acting classes, and I’m excited about that journey. That’s why I say everything happens for a reason. Me and my husband did not get asked back for another season of Love & Marriage DC, which is fine, I’m cool with that.
I do believe things happen for a reason. I was on that platform for a reason. It was a stepping stone in my journey to go in another direction. So I’m grateful for that opportunity. I’m grateful for the people that I met on the show because we’re really cool friends now. I didn’t know them before, so life’s journey is just crazy. You never know what doors will open up. You never know what doors close and the reason why they close. I’m a very firm believer that things happen for a reason. I’m just grateful for my journey and grateful for the opportunities that are happening and are on their way.
Connect with Tasha on Instagram at @tajaly.
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