"The bank account has changed because I started with 100 pesos a day, working very limited but determined. The people I can help have changed; I love helping those I can reach, the employees. We have almost 40 on the payroll because we like to help them.".
SANTO DOMINGO – The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) defines attitude as a state of mind manifested in some way, while another definition from the Google dictionary states that it is the way of behaving or acting. Some definitions classify it as positive and negative, and note that body language also reveals your mood.
For this successful real estate agent, there's no such thing as success; he only knows the positive side, the one that drives him to keep his goals ever higher, bold and self-confident. His energy is always soaring, and while he doesn't know the meaning of "fall," he simply lives by the phrase, "It's okay to fall, but you have to get back up.".
He knows that human beings make mistakes and that there are only two possibilities when it comes to processes: things can go well or badly. But he refuses to acknowledge the existence of fears; he crossed a deep pond and surfaced ten years ago when he took a leap that opened new paths for him. He firmly believes in what he does, and his plans aren't short-term, because his limit is the sky.
This man from the capital, named Juan Isidro Estévez Lavandier, is one of the founding leaders of Mr. Home, a solid real estate company that has already secured its place in the history of real estate in the Dominican Republic. He ventured out one rainy May of 2011, along with a group of friends, with a bet whose odds of winning have been proven true over the past decade.
He didn't plan on becoming a real estate agent. He went for an interview at Aldaba, filled out a form, and out of the fourteen interviewees, he was the only one who decided on real estate. He had dropped out of university just as he was finishing his engineering degree, an act he now calls irresponsible, but one he doesn't regret because "it was worth it. I love what I do, I love the industry, the company, and the sales team." So much so that he arrives at his office at 9:30 AM and leaves at 11:00 PM, and even works weekends for management matters.
This warrior, born in April, is affected by lies, betrayal, mediocrity, deceit, and a lack of ethics. And since the boss was killed 60 years ago, he doesn't like that title. "It's one of the reasons why some people even ask about the owners; I understand that I don't need that to shine.".
Now in the early stages of his career, with thirteen years in the market, Estévez Lavandier is no longer bothered when a deal falls through. It's one of the advantages of growth: "It's about accepting that it wasn't right for the client. In the end, when a client says no, my duty is to explain the real reasons why making that purchase is worthwhile, and if the argument isn't valid, then it's not their property.".
A man skilled at speaking and outspoken, the one who coined the phrase "you sell with the truth," he understands that the real estate business tends to be frustrating because it's not the seller's decision but the client's, and "we have to understand that; now our job is to see how we can guide them to their best decision, that's our duty," he points out.
Between the twenty-something who started and the experienced agent of today, many things have changed. “Before, I only saw the sale, not the business. The bank account has changed because I started with 100 pesos a day, working very limited but determined. The people I can help have changed; I love helping those I can reach, the employees—we have almost 40 on the payroll because we like to help them.”.
More highly trained salespeople
Estévez Lavandier believes that real estate agents lack dignity, need to respect their profession more, and fail to understand the importance of what they do, and that in the purchase of a house they can either help or hinder.
“We can favor or disadvantage, that comes down to the fact that we shouldn't accept just any product to sell, or any price, understanding that you have to train yourself, prepare yourself, learn, understand that this is not a business of a percentage, but it is a service with transcendence because the purchase of a property is possibly the biggest purchase that a family can make and if it is done irresponsibly, then we do them harm.”.
Note that the market needs better trained, more capable, professional, educated, and visionary sellers, and where unfair competition is eliminated.
Self-respect, training, ethics, morals, principles, and taking the human being into account are the key that this successful agent understands must be applied to achieve success.
