Diana Gomez

First, having a background in engineering helps in so many things. I lived in 5 different countries, so I know how to adapt myself to different cultures. I speak English and Spanish, and I can defend myself in French. I'm really goal-oriented - when I decided that I needed to migrate, I looked for the countries where I needed to migrate, and I made a plan. I studied French and English, got my degrees, did all the paperwork that I had to do, saved money, and even traveled and worked in Mexico in order to save enough money to be able to move to Canada. You have to plan, you have to have a north, a GPS, that you have to adjust all the time. There will always be obstacles, there will be hiccups, and you have to pivot. Real estate has showed me that the market can change overnight, and you have to adapt. You have to educate not only your clients, you have to educate yourself. You cannot stay stuck being the victim. You cannot stop - the world keeps going. You have to adapt, you have to move, you have to be on the move. You have to adapt to the changing times.

The best career advice I have ever received was from my Productivity Coach, who reminded me that you never know what life may bring, so it is important to be prepared and intentional about your journey. She encouraged me to treat my career like a business by creating a clear plan, setting goals, and regularly evaluating my direction. One question that has stayed with me is, “What is your GPS, and where are you going?” This advice has helped me stay focused, adaptable, and purposeful in making decisions that align with my long-term vision.

First, what do you want to do? What do you see yourself doing? What's your long-term, 1 to 5 to 10 year plan? Because sometimes, if you don't have a plan, you don't know where you're going, and you don't have a motivation every morning to wake up and to do a job that nobody's telling you to do. You have to make a plan, you have to have a vision, and it has to be a vision in your work and in your personal lives. Do you want to travel someplace? Are there any things that you want to do, countries that you want to visit? Do you see yourself doing just regular real estate? Do you want to do luxury? Do you want to do commercial? Do you want to do investors? You don't have to decide everything right away, because life can make you change. If you already have a passion, maybe we can start from that, and we can introduce you and make you connect with people that can help you open those doors for you. As I said, have a business, make a plan. Yes, you will have to make adjustments along the way, because that's how life is. You cannot control everything. But having a business requires that you have to be able to adapt. If you have a plan, you know where you're going.

The biggest challenge right now is the high interest rates and all the confusing information that is on the TV and in the social networks. People are confused, they don't know what to do or how to do it. Sometimes, right now, everybody's saying that they can learn with 1-minute or 20-second videos, and that's not how you should make a decision to invest a huge amount of money. I think one of the biggest challenges is the economical situation combined with a lack of education. The biggest opportunities right now - as we like to educate our buyers, we help them choose what will be the best way for them to start their path. The decision is going to come from them. We also explain to them the advantages of new construction versus pre-owned homes, and the ending of what their vision is for their future, because we talk with our clients about the future, what we want. It's to create wealth for ourselves. I have clients that are already on the second home or the second investment, and they never thought they were going to be able to do it.

It's family - it goes above everything. Faith. I'm not talking about the religion itself, but I do believe in God and Jesus Christ, and I think that's important that you are good and kind and truthful to people. And education. We do seminars for first-time home buyers, and we do it even if only one person shows up - we go through the whole thing. We have lenders, we have credit repair people, we have a lot of people involved in these events, and we do them every quarter. The idea is to educate the Hispanic community, because every time I talk to someone that has been scammed or abused in a real estate transaction because they don't understand the language or the agent just didn't care what was going on, it really gets to me. Patience and compassion are also important in how we work. Even though the compensation is not the same for a $150,000 mobile home versus a million dollar home, you have to do the job for your client. You have to explain everything, and you have to treat them respectfully. Because for them, it's their biggest investment in their life.