SANTO DOMINGO – Reyna Echenique grew up surrounded by laughter and nature in the municipality of La Descubierta, a corner of the southern Dominican Republic known as “The Bride of the Border,” in Independencia province. Her childhood unfolded amidst the simple routines that shape the rural life of every girl: she played freely, rode her bicycle along dirt roads, learned to swim in the town pool, and studied crafts at a convent school.
Among the memories that still resonate in his heart are the moments he shared with his beloved mother, Lourdes Moncita Romero. Although she is no longer physically with us, her legacy lives on in all its essence.
Doña Lourdes was a passionate teacher, but above all, a devoted mother who lovingly nurtured her daughter at every stage of her life. She was the one who taught her to read and write, and who patiently helped her overcome her stutter.
“Read quickly, out loud and clearly, so I can hear,” Reyna recalls fondly. Encouraged by her mother, she learned to do a little bit of everything: she embroidered, made flowers, and liqueurs from corn and rice. In her youth, she cultivated a love for sports, mainly volleyball and martial arts.
No one can mention the words güira and tambora without starting to dance – for real. Her mother was the one who encouraged her to take classes in mangulina, carabiné, merengue típico and even singing.
“She shaped me into the woman who serves others today. She taught me to commit to excellence and that dreams are achieved by working on them, not by giving up on them or believing that good things can be achieved with the law of least effort,” she said as tears streamed down her face.
Inspired by her father
If their story were shared on TikTok, it would fit perfectly with the When Two Worlds Collide trend, reflecting what they inherited from both parents.
Her father, Manuel Echenique, a lawyer and avid reader, was a source of inspiration for her to choose law as her second career. Before that, she had decided to train as a primary school teacher.
Around 1994, while she was studying to be a teacher, her father was pursuing a degree in Law. Her love for this new profession arose as he shared with her everything he was learning during his studies.
“Law came to me through vocation and inspiration. I always saw how my father’s eyes lit up when he learned something new in his career,” he said.
It was then that the bond between father and daughter was strengthened. “I used to say, 'When I finish my teaching degree, I'm going to study to be a lawyer just like my father,' and that's what I did,” she explained.
For the "Queen of Real Estate," as she is best known, being a lawyer is something that runs in her veins, since her grandfather also practiced this profession as a notary.
Entry into the real estate sector
Her entry into the real estate market was 20 years ago. The speaker and real estate expert describes that beginning as a "beautiful" experience, not only for completing her first sale, but also for the human approach that the transaction involved.
Her goal wasn't limited to simply assisting her client, who wanted to acquire a two-story house to house her two businesses, but also focused on the tenant: an 85-year-old widow who had lived there for 65 years. She ensured that her move was handled with dignity, taking care of both her emotional and physical well-being.
“That entire mentoring process led me to combine law with real estate. Being able to serve and help, from my position as a lawyer, allowed me to bring together the best of those worlds to serve others,” said Echenique, who serves as secretary of the board of directors of the Association of Real Estate Agents and Companies (AEI).
A start from scratch
The lawyer, specializing in real estate legal security, began working from a studio in her sister-in-law's house, where she lived. She didn't even have a desktop computer. She did her legal work and drafted contracts at an internet café located in a well-known plaza in Santo Domingo East.
“Today, the internet café where I used to do those jobs is my office neighbor. I have my own place in the same plaza where I was born and used to have meetings with clients in the food court because I didn't have anywhere else to meet,” he revealed.
2009 marked a turning point in her life, as she launched her own business. At that time, she decided to borrow RD$3,000 from a friend to buy her own computer and sign a rental agreement.
When she won the plus-one commission, she paid off the debt she had just acquired. “Then I moved my workplace to a room in a rented apartment, with nothing, no money, no one, no family… Just me and my dream,” she said.
As a woman, mother, and entrepreneur, “there have been many breaking points,” she admitted. During her student days, she recalled university days when she had to choose between saving money for bus fare or buying food. Sometimes, Reyna chose to eat, which meant walking home from Máximo Gómez to Los Mina.
Each of her experiences shaped her fighting spirit and propelled her to persevere, both for her goals and for the well-being of her daughter, whom she raised alone. She says that many only see the tip of the iceberg—that visible 10%—but few know the 90% that remains hidden beneath the surface. That part of her beginnings, where the experiences that "rebuilt" her accumulated.
That girl who was born in the deep south and who one day left her family to get ahead, now leads several brands within the sector: Echenique Group, Echenique Real Estate and Echenique Academy.
Reyna, who has received various awards, including "The first Camila of the year", "The Queen of Content" and the "Medal for Real Estate Success", is the author of the book "Real Estate from a Legal Point of View" - a pioneering work in the Dominican Republic that talks about the legal aspects within the field.
Throughout her journey as a businesswoman, there is a calm and firm voice that says: There is still more to do, more to serve and more to help others achieve their dreams, homes, investments and developments.
“There’s still a lot of work to do and a lot to learn. You never truly finish growing,” she said with strength. That’s Reyna: the “queen” her mother, Doña Lourdes, raised with sacrifice and integrity so that her path would pave the way. And so it is: her steps are leaving their mark within the industry.
