February 7, 2024 • 33 mins
Jennifer Coa of Coa Realty shares her inspiring journey from humble beginnings to becoming a beacon of hope and a catalyst for homeownership within the Latino community. Through her personal narrative and professional insights, Jennifer sheds light on the barriers to homeownership, such as financial literacy, access to affordable financing, and the importance of community support and political advocacy in overcoming these obstacles.
The conversation delves into the significant impact of digital platforms and social media in educating and engaging potential homebuyers, particularly among younger, tech-savvy generations. Jennifer emphasizes the importance of tailored financial solutions, such as down payment assistance and educational workshops, to demystify the home buying process and make the dream of homeownership a reality for more people. This episode not only celebrates the strides made towards inclusivity in real estate but also underscores the ongoing challenges and the critical need for continued advocacy and innovation to ensure equitable access to housing opportunities.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:21):
Live from the hottest real estate market in America, Tampa Bay, Florida.
This is the real estate leads podcast with the CEO
and founder of the Olga system. Your host, Lisa Carter.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Wow,
70.6% Latinos who purchased homes in the last few years
are under the age of 45. Now, I knew that
in terms of the fastest growing demographic in the United
States was um
Latino millennials and their purchasing power being huge as a demographic,
(00:58):
Latinos are representing like a trillion dollars of spending power
and a lot of that being driven by millennials, which
is awesome but had no idea that they were purchasing homes,
which is great. I love to hear young people being
first time home buyers um here to talk to us
more about that. Jen Coa Jennifer coa from Coa Realty
um in the Merrimack Valley area of Massachusetts and now
(01:20):
in New Hampshire. Good morning, Jen.
Good morning, Lisa. Great to be here. I'm so glad
I now I know you're a little bit under the weather,
but you as always showed up and will help us
navigate um this unique demographic that is super powerful when
it comes to spending, but also um we, we can
(01:41):
celebrate um the fact that understanding and making home ownership
a prior uh priority um the demographic. So,
um you know, no, no, um
no mistake stake here that you guys um contribute to
a lot of the education and home ownership um goals
(02:05):
of many of the uh Latino residents and population in
the North Shore, Massachusetts, Merrimack Valley area. Um But I
first want to talk about
how you became this expert. So first, why did you
become a real estate agent? I'm now celebrating the fact
that home ownership is such an important part of the
(02:26):
DNA of the Latino community. But um why did you
become a real estate agent?
Um I, I think it has to do with
perhaps my upbringing and, you know, I grew up, my
mom immigrated um from, from Puerto Rico here. And although
we are a commonwealth, you know, it's a completely different
(02:48):
life and um she was a single mother and she, she,
we lived in housing and we, you know, we had
welfare and we, we just came from very humble beginnings
and I remember looking around me and I just,
no one around us talked about homeownership. I didn't see
any examples of anyone around us graduating from housing to homeownership.
(03:10):
Um And honestly, it wasn't until I, I went on
a field trip with our church to um a member's
home in handover
that I actually was in a single family home and
I was able to see what having a private yard
looked like.
And I remember talking to her about how did she
(03:31):
do it? And I feel like that experience stayed with me.
And I thought, wow, there's something outside of, of this,
you know, environment that I grew up in. And as
I grew older,
um I started to, I, I work in property management
so I worked in housing people in housing communities, right?
And so I was sort of perpetuating what I, what
(03:52):
I grew up in and just helping people who were
like us trying to find housing and homes, affordable homes.
And then from there, as I became a professional and
I got a higher education, I started to realize that
I could also inspire people to get into the housing
market and to actually buy their homes. And one of
(04:13):
the things that we learned very quickly is that the
reason a lot of people weren't buying homes is because
they didn't have the right resources
uh financially or the right education. They didn't know how
to do it. Now, you mentioned a really good point, like,
how do you do it? So now that, you know,
you went from a childhood friend or um you know,
(04:35):
a church member telling you how they did it, do
you do you? Is that that journey of their experience
becoming a homeowner? Are you hearing that over and over again?
Or are there new, you know, journeys um for
um folks coming from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Cuba, the
um is the journey very similar? Are we still having
(04:57):
that journey? Um or are there new challenges to the
journey um for um someone who's coming to this country
migrating to this country? You know, and you bring up
a good point, you're a commonwealth, you know, and then
you got here, you and your family and you realize
that as a commonwealth, the experience is very different um
than the mainlanders,
(05:17):
right? I think it's definitely there is a huge adjustment
when you're moving into a new country. Um I think
that we have adopted a, a lot of, a lot
of the people who migrate into this area do migrate
into communities that are populated mostly by people like the
Hispanic community. Uh Lawrence is one of these gateway cities
(05:39):
that we have worked in. He has become
slowly but surely um has been added to that gateway community,
Methuen uh Lowell. And so as these gateway communities grow,
the community members feel more comfortable and apt to buy,
they have better resources in their languages that they can,
(06:01):
you know, use to get into the home buying process.
Um So I think it might be easier for the
people coming into our country now,
then for those who came in back in the seventies
and eighties. Um As far as resources are concerned, I
think there's still a lot of work to do. But
we have as a co as a country come a
(06:22):
long way in providing the right resources financially and educationally for,
for minorities in our community.
You mentioned cities like Lawrence, Massachusetts and there's many others
across the country that are these gateway communities. Um Sometimes
they get a bad rap, the gateway communities from other
(06:42):
members of the population, but they really do serve as
a hub that people can make that transition. Um For,
for a couple of reasons. What do you think is
the top reason
that a, a city like Lawrence is really pivotal in
getting people started in their journey um to um live
in the mainland and also be resources and, and start
(07:06):
to build wealth. Um What do you think the number
one or or two reasons why these gateway cities are
really important to populations coming in and wanting to um
grow their wealth and, and build a family um in, in,
in uh the mainland US.
II, I have to say that in the city of
Lawrence
and then some of these gateways to this, it is
(07:27):
incredibly important
um to have political backing. And I feel like because
our mayors in these cities are Hispanic and they come
from the same immigration background. Uh They are, they've gone
through the process of home ownership of getting jobs of
all these things that we have to do to get
(07:48):
to that goal. I feel like the political representation in
these communities is is essential. It is so key
because the these are the people that bring programs to
the community. These are people that make the connections with
the financing institutions, you know, with government to ensure that
the policies are in place that allow for minorities to
(08:10):
buy homes. And you know, I worked for Lawrence community work,
I actually managed their um rental affordable housing communities uh
for a better part of seven years. And,
you know, that is an organization within the city of
Lawrence that's very involved, not just politically but also a
grassroots connections to the community. And they believe very strongly
(08:32):
in developing affordable housing and, you know, giving first time
home buyer opportunities. So they literally buy abandoned buildings, pick
them up and sell them to low income families and they,
they connect with lenders and banks that are willing to
provide financing.
And so I think that, you know, having a political
(08:52):
representation and having organizations within the community that are passionate
about giving minorities an opportunity is, is really important for
the growth of, of minorities advocacy um for every group
is really, really important advocacy um
has really um not been as transparent or available to
(09:16):
all groups um in this country. And when people ask me,
you know, what's the difference between, you know, um a
Latino company uh uh um uh um a Latino family
or an Asian family or a Black family, being able
to acquire the same things um as their
um white counterparts, you know, what's the, you know, everybody
has the same opportunity. That's not necessarily true. Um A
(09:39):
lot of the opportunities that are available are here because
someone advocated for that group, someone advocated for that uh
region
uh to get things done. It's, it's um it, it
shouldn't be as political or um a as, as it is,
but it really, it does start with advocating for yourself,
advocating for your community. Um And a, you know, advocating
(10:00):
for your family um to be able to get the
things done. Resources are not just there for us to
your point. I'm glad, so glad that you worked in
the community. Um Do you think that uh your community work,
Jen helped you understand,
not only your own challenges and your, and your, and
your family uh and generations um that you saw come through,
(10:20):
but um the greater population um folks other than uh
Puerto Ricans coming through um M Massachusetts, your work with
the community. How did it help you really formulate? Wow.
You know, there are some solutions here and I can
really be a community advocate.
I think it's important to connect yourself with, you know,
(10:42):
like with the resources that are around you. And I,
and I feel for me just being a part or
just being around, you know, people like the Northeast Association
of Realtors also being around Lawrence. Community work of the
National Association of Hispanic Real estate Professionals. These are all
organizations that really care deeply about uh minorities. And I
(11:06):
feel like my
being involved by being in sort of the trenches with
them and growing the, the real estate market for our
community has certainly, you know, helped me become more appreciative
of the work that has been done to get to
where we are today. And like I said before, there's
certainly much more that we could be doing my way of,
(11:28):
you know, equitable household income. I think that we're still
lagging there a little bit.
Um access to credit, you know, is, is something that
we could improve on as well. Um And so I
think an education is always really important. So I'm a
huge advocate for education. I think people need to learn
about home ownership and, and, and what it brings to
(11:51):
your life because I think there's a,
there is a misconception still within our community about getting
into home ownership. And then two, what happens once you
become an owner, you know, we have to remember that
when the housing crisis um took place back in 2005,
85 and 67. it was, you know, 1 million Hispanic
(12:13):
or minorities lost their homes to foreclosure to predatory lending.
And that left a really bad taste in people's mouths.
And so we as the real estate professionals who speak
the language who understand our culture. We really need to
reconnect with our community and, and dispel some of the
misconceptions that were brought on by that experience, you and
(12:34):
your team are doing um a great job with that
education piece, right? So there's advocacy,
then there's education. If you think about those pillars um
of being able to connect with your community. Talk to
me a little bit about what you're finding in your
home ownership, um home buying workshops, you know, that we
(12:54):
assume that everyone's asking about rates. But there's problem,
a couple other things that you're finding that are consistent
trends with uh home buyers, whether they're first time home
buyers or home buyers just trying to navigate the market
um in, in as Chao as it is right now. What,
what are you hearing? What are you seeing in terms
of trends?
(13:16):
So, one of the things that we hear a lot
at our seminars is, you know, how much money do
and that's what we
if, if we cannot, if we cannot give a low
down payment, mortgage financing programs to minorities, it's very difficult
for them to come up with 20%
(13:38):
of having to come up with, you know, your down payment,
plus your closing costs and prepaid plus your home inspection fee,
plus your appraisal fee. It's a very costly process. So
a lot of them come into it saying, OK, I
make this money,
but this must save up and you know how much
more do I need? And I feel like there's a
real question around, you know, can I afford this? Can
(14:02):
I afford not just paying the monthly mortgage, but also,
you know,
money, do I need to come to this? Because let's
face it right there. There's, you know, the working class
has the jobs. It's the, it has the income. It
is because of the inflation and day to day expenses.
It's hard to be liquid. Right. It's hard to have
(14:23):
a savings for planning for the future.
Uh, the, the incomes are there. Um, we have, you know, uh,
a fairly decent wages but with inflation, it's eating away
at any of the savings uh that the average American can, can,
can have. So if you're planning for a large purchase
like a home,
(14:44):
having the liquidity to be able to, to put money away, um,
to be able to afford those closing costs, the down
payment and other fees that are associated with actually finalizing
a purchase become, um, uh, uh, um, unachievable.
Right. Right. And that's why they largely depend on reliable
(15:04):
access to mortgages that require minimum down payment of 5%
or less because that's the only way they're gonna be
able to buy into these, these properties. And now with
the interest rate being what it is, you know, it, it,
it's a very daunting process from a financial standpoint. Um,
a lot of people are saving, you know, 35 years
worth of, of, you know,
income tax returns or whatever it is that they're doing
(15:27):
just to apply for a mortgage and, you know, they, it's, it's,
it's a long process for them. It's not as easy. Um,
we've seen with minorities
to, to get there. So when they come to the
table and they're ready to buy, you know, they, they
put a lot of work, a lot of work into this,
a lot of work into their credit. Uh because that's
another thing that we lack in our community is the
(15:49):
education around credit and how credit works and how to
improve your credit and how to keep it healthy, right?
So that you're not having issues later on with your
interest rates or with anything else. And so,
you know, I think um just making sure that people
are educated on credit and, and having access to these,
you know,
(16:10):
you know, low mortgage or down payment mortgages is, is
key for minorities. So when you're working with um the
minority population, ethnic minority population in this country as a
real realtor and real estate professional, are you now having
a longer lead time
um for the process uh when you're committed to having
(16:32):
this segment of the population, a niche, you mentioned a
few barriers to getting to close. Um You mentioned credit scores,
you could mention down payment um availability. So the average
time that you're working with a first time home buyer,
are you dig your team digging in a year ahead
of time, knowing that within 12 months they'll be ready
(16:54):
or is it a shorter lead time? Now?
It, it really depends on the client when we do
our consultations with our clients and we bring in our
preferred lenders just to give us quotes and estimates on
where these people are. You know, we give them, it's
either you're ready today or we have a three month
process or a six month or one year. And in
(17:16):
that process, we're always looking to, to pair them with
grants that are available in the communities that they're looking
to buy. Um, any, any free money that we could
get them,
um, that will help them with down payment assistance or
with closing costs. It, it's just, it helps them keep
some more money in their pocket and, um, have some
(17:37):
kind of a reserve for their properties
um, as they move forward with their purchase. But yeah, I,
I guess what it, it depends on the individual, I
think more recently people because there is more education out there. Um, they,
they kind of self screen and they come to us
and they're like, all right. Well, listen, I already have the,
the 25 or $30,000 that I think I need to buy.
(17:58):
I, I think I'm ready to go and then we
have our, our consultation. Um, we're not seeing as many,
I have no money saved up. My credit is shot
and I want to buy a house. So we're not
seeing as many of those anymore because I feel like
the the community is more educated in that regard. But we, um,
don't turn away anyone that has that, that dream and
(18:20):
we just put them on the path of homeownership. At
that point, it could be a 361 year, two year plan.
But you know, the point the goal is to get
them there. It's funny you mentioned that, that um
by the time they come to you guys, they've done
their research. And one of the things that um we
noticed from our insights and research team is particularly uh
Latino millennials are very digital uh centric. Um So how
(18:44):
are you, how is your team using uh digital to
get uh some of this information out about home ownership
and home buying process?
You know, I honestly love it. I, you know, a
lot of agents um I, I'm from the old school. I, I,
we used to do faxes. OK? I might be, we
have to back in the day fax, back in the
day fax or you have to go carry your offer
(19:06):
over to the next office. You know, that's how we
did it. Um I, I love, I love that our
consumers have access to information. I think that that's really important.
Um And I think it makes us as real estate
professionals better
because we need to know our stuff. We need to
be on top of our game. We need to know
what's going on in our market because we are working with,
(19:26):
you know, uh more educated and, and better versed, you know,
buyers in this market. I think it's great. I think
that they come to, to the picture with an understanding.
I think we also need to dispel some ideas and,
you know, information that they get that's incorrect. But I
think it's, I think it's great and I think that
the millennials, especially
(19:47):
uh they come into it with a really good, a
broad mindset, you know, they, they know that there are
a lot of resources uh where before people just weren't
um willing or,
you know, to, to accept grants or, or, you know,
other types of, of lending um options that, that are
(20:07):
out there for you. And so I think that it's great.
I think that the digital uh world that we're in
is very favorable for the consumer. And I think that,
you know, we as realtors need to adapt and adopt
and uh and just keep working with them and just
help them navigate through the process because it, it is
an information overload. I feel sometimes. But, you know, if
(20:28):
you know what you're doing
and you can, you can guide your clients properly, I
think you can work within, you know, the digital world
for sure. So give us a sense of, of um
the top three platforms that you think that you are
able to reach um particularly this, this um Hispanic millennial
buyer um that's in the market, they're under 45. Um
(20:51):
They have tons of spending power and they put digital first,
which which platforms are you on where you're able to
reach that home buyer.
So Instagram is definitely one of the, the platforms that
we use quite heavily. Also Facebook um is one of
the platforms that we use pretty heavily and we're merging
into tiktok. I feel tiktok is one of those up
(21:12):
and coming. Um It's
we have to change the way we market ourselves in our,
in our business because people's attention span nowadays are so short,
you know, you have to be able, yeah, you gotta
be able to grab them and then if they're interested,
they might go to your youtube page and, and look
(21:33):
at what else you have to offer. Um But yeah,
primarily we do Facebook. I love Facebook because there's a
community based situation there where you can tag other
um and people who are in those communities can forward
your information out to other people. We really love Facebook. It's,
it's really powerful uh searching for us for social media
(21:55):
just uh Instagram is great. But like I said, those
short post, hey grab attention. We love using it for
our seminars. Anything that we have educational projects that we
have going on, any community events that we're participating in.
Um, those are really fun to use and then tiktok
is just a great way to connect with the younger
generation who are, you know, looking into homeownership who are
(22:18):
maybe thinking about it and it's a great way to
connect with them and sort of plant that seed, um,
of homeownership in the near future.
I think that, I think you're, you're absolutely spot on, um,
Facebook offers, uh, the groups which you can get in
and there's a lot of groups um based on ethnic
backgrounds and, and uh lifestyles. Um So that's awesome. And then,
(22:38):
like you said, Instagram and tiktok are very um young and,
and uh and, and generate lots of interest from um
millennials and now this up
Gen Z. So you guys are on those uh strategically
and um those definitely are aware of this, this sector
set sits, let's talk a little bit about the home
seller um today in the market. Um very challenged um
(23:02):
challenged with uh coming off of COVID having decide whether
to retire early, um or to kind of lay low
and then interest rates start to rise. And
it's sort of like, um there are many that are
sort of prisoners of their own home at this point,
um just sitting on the sidelines. Um But I think you,
(23:23):
you know, you and I have talked and that's not
necessarily the right thing for everybody. Um When would it
be the opportunity you know, what would indicate that you
probably should explore, um, putting the home on the market.
I mean, there are so many reasons why people sell,
sell their homes. You know, some, some are selling because
(23:44):
they've outgrown the home. Some are selling it to pull
equity out. Some are selling it because they're going through
a divorce. Some are selling it because the owner passed
away and it's an estate sale. You know, there are
so many reasons, it's such a personal, it is such
a personal personal um thing that um the sellers have
to decide for themselves. I think,
(24:06):
I think right now what we're seeing in our market
are sellers
um who are looking to
move into the 55 plus or assisted living community. That
is the big one that we're seeing um some, some
activity on uh we're also seeing
um some activity with uh sellers who are looking to
(24:29):
make a profit and maybe move south somewhere where it's
a little warmer, a little cheaper. So we're seeing some
of that going on. But like you said, Lisa, a
lot of people are just staying put, the market has
been pretty volatile in the past few years. You know,
whether it's on the price point, on the price, you know,
point or on the interest rate. We've just kind of
(24:50):
been all over the place and people are just looking
for some normal.
We'll see they want to see that. All right, if
we're gonna be at 7%. We're at seven. I don't care,
I'll sell it, but I just want to make sure
we're at seven consistently for at least a year, you know.
And so, and that's what we're getting. Right. We're, they're saying, listen,
I don't, I don't mind buying it at 7%. Shoot,
I used to, I used to, I remember when I
(25:12):
paid 12% for mine, you know, or 9% for mine
back when I bought it and whatever, you know, and
if you have a credit card today, you're paying 26%
if not. Right.
So, exactly. So a lot of these sellers, they're smart,
you know, they're, they're just fighting their time. Um but
when someone needs to sell, they do it, it's, it's the,
the interest rate and the prices don't really matter too much.
(25:35):
I think also the sellers are starting to realize
that because the interest rates are so high or not
so high. But, you know, the interest rates are what
they are because they are not so high. Let's be
real in the past six years. This is not the
so high of it. But um they're starting to realize
that just putting their properties out there for a really
(25:56):
exuberant amount, it's just not fair to the consumer.
And I think the sellers are starting to reconcile that,
you know, what we need to put our, we need
to price our homes fairly and we need to work
with the consumer and meet them where they're at.
And I think a lot of fellows are starting to
come to that place where they're like, you know what?
We don't need to freaking make an extra $200,000 on this.
(26:18):
We can walk away with this much, you know, and
be happy and I hope that's the case that that
would be great. Um There definitely is a lot of
pri price gouging and unrealistic uh expectations from you as
a real estate agent of what that home will purchase for.
We're still, you know, still in the mindset of COVID
where there was a frenzy.
Right. Right. Th are those days, are those days gone?
(26:39):
Are you still getting um multiple offers?
We are still getting multiple offers on the listing? I
don't know that people are going, you know, so we
were getting offers Lisa that there were 100,000 over asking
and they would offer a $100,000 appraisal gap because they
were pulling money from their 401 Ks or wherever they
(27:00):
were pulling money from to cover the gap if the
bank didn't appraise the property at what they were offering.
And so these owners were making crazy money on these houses,
but I think COVID had a lot to do with that.
People were, were homebound, they couldn't go anywhere and home
took on a different meaning for people.
And I think it still does nowadays, even post COVID
(27:22):
home is, has just taken a different meaning in our lives.
And so I think, um, you know, people were just
willing to do it where now we're back to almost
normal and we're not, people are not willing to go
that high, but they are willing to, you know, put
their money where their mouth is. The, the environment is
different too when I was growing up. You always, you know,
(27:43):
the little old lady down the street when she passed away,
there was a new young family that will move into
that home
and that's how the generations in the community just kept going.
Um Now that little old lady down the street, she's
living a lot longer than 3040 years ago. So, um
it's interesting you talk about the 55 and over communities
(28:03):
because those communities are thriving um because people are living longer,
they're more active longer. Um
And they, they want to be in a community where
they have the similar lifestyles. So I, you know, we
have been reading that a lot of the home uh
inventory issues um were already there just because the community
(28:23):
members are living longer. Um
But I love what you guys are doing in the community.
Um I think, um you know, your home buying seminars
are just been fantastic for the community, for all community members.
And then again, focusing on those who may be left behind.
Um You know, you guys making that one of your
(28:45):
niches and, and DNA of your um
of your, of your business is great work just, you know,
in closing, what does it feel like? Right. We said
they come to you with uh with education, uh the,
the uh home buy and the home seller, they're, they're
educated already on what they need and, and, and where
they are in the process and then finally it's able
(29:06):
to be happened. What does that feel like? What do you,
you know, how do you guys feel um when you're
able to take them all the way to the finish line?
I mean, it feels amazing. I it doesn't get old.
I'll tell you this, Lisa. I, I can't even, I
don't even know how many transactions I've closed. I've been
at this since 2005
and it doesn't get old. You know, we just spoke
(29:28):
um last month with a gentleman who attended our seminar
in February. We connected him with a lender. He was
kind of wishy washy. He wasn't sure he was gonna
buy or if he was ready, we connected him with
a cross country mortgage. They got him, he bought in
Manchester New Hampshire.
And so they got him all the grants that Manchester
(29:49):
New Hampshire is offering, which by the way, great, great
place to see. You need an advocate. So you need
an advocate. You need someone saying, look, I know exactly
how we can fill this problem and this golf. Absolutely.
And that's what we, we do. We know enough, we
know we're connected well enough also in the industry that
we can connect you with the right resources so that
(30:10):
you have a successful transaction.
And I mean, this guy and his wife six months
after the seminar closed on their property. And I, we
went out for that and we did Lisa, we, we
saw 75 homes
and we put, I think it was 16 offers.
(30:30):
He was not willing to waive his home inspection, good
for him for him. So, and, and you guys and
you guys were advocating for that point. Correct? Yeah. Right.
We're like, listen, it's OK, whatever, it's not meant to be,
you know, I, I'm not gonna have you wait, especially
on multi family and things like that, you know, which
is what they bought and um they closed on their
(30:51):
property and we were out for breakfast and he was
just telling us
like he couldn't believe it. He's like, I, I never
in my wildest dream thought in six months, I would
be a homeowner and he actually went to the seminar
we hosted this weekend and he talked to the p
you know, to the uh the folks that, that showed
up and, and, and he was saying what a great
experience it had been
uh because it was, it, it wasn't a transactional feel.
(31:15):
We don't, we try not to be transactional with our clients.
We want you to know that we do deeply care
about your success. We want you to have not one home,
not two homes when you have three of them. And
then we want entrepreneur and start a business and you know,
really start making some real impact in our community. Um
And I think that that translates in the work that
(31:37):
we do and we love it. We love what we do.
My husband and I Moses and I,
we're a husband and wife team. We have an amazing
team of 54 other agents. Two of three of us
are licensed in New Hampshire. We have Paula Franco, Kathy Mac,
we have Johanny UO and um and we have a
great team of auxiliaries like Yana Peta and Paul Fitzpatrick.
(31:59):
Uh They help us run the day to day in
our office and we're just very fortunate, Dari Ali, she's
our transaction coordinator. She kills it, making sure that your
deals close on time. Your Escrows are protected.
And so, you know, it's, it's a family affair. We,
we love what we do and we love serving our
community for sure. That is wonderful. Listen, you guys have
the tenacity based on what you just outlay in the process.
(32:22):
You hang in there. You also come from the community.
And so you understand the unique challenges and problems that, that,
that uh in order to serve uh your, your community
the best. Um and then
um the, the high home buying and home selling process
um including a real estate agent or realtor is under
fire right now. But Jen, you just laid it out,
(32:43):
you just laid it out that value that you had
um to number one, starting with the education of that
particular uh buyer that you mentioned six months out helping
them through 75 properties
having a wavering opinion about the inspection um and then
helping them through the closing process. If anyone ever challenged
(33:05):
the value of a real estate professional, you just laid
it out, lady. So I thank you so much for that.
And um I'm gonna have you and Moses on next
time because we're gonna talk about having a family owned
business and working with your husband.
That's awesome. How much time do you have for that? Exactly.
We have to have you guys back so he can
(33:26):
defend himself.
We love you guys. We love the work you're doing
in the community. Um You stay true. You're authentic and
your value proposition um on what you just uh uh
gave us an example um is at the highest level.
So we thank you and other professionals out there that
are working hard uh to support homeownership with underserved communities. Hey, Jen,
(33:48):
we'll have you back. We'll have Moses back. Thank you
and have a wonderful day.
Live from the hottest real estate market in America, Tampa Bay, Florida.
This is the real estate leads podcast with the CEO
and founder of the Olga system. Your host, Lisa Carter.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Wow,
70.6% Latinos who purchased homes in the last few years
are under the age of 45. Now, I knew that
in terms of the fastest growing demographic in the United
States was um
Latino millennials and their purchasing power being huge as a demographic,
(00:58):
Latinos are representing like a trillion dollars of spending power
and a lot of that being driven by millennials, which
is awesome but had no idea that they were purchasing homes,
which is great. I love to hear young people being
first time home buyers um here to talk to us
more about that. Jen Coa Jennifer coa from Coa Realty
um in the Merrimack Valley area of Massachusetts and now
(01:20):
in New Hampshire. Good morning, Jen.
Good morning, Lisa. Great to be here. I'm so glad
I now I know you're a little bit under the weather,
but you as always showed up and will help us
navigate um this unique demographic that is super powerful when
it comes to spending, but also um we, we can
(01:41):
celebrate um the fact that understanding and making home ownership
a prior uh priority um the demographic. So,
um you know, no, no, um
no mistake stake here that you guys um contribute to
a lot of the education and home ownership um goals
(02:05):
of many of the uh Latino residents and population in
the North Shore, Massachusetts, Merrimack Valley area. Um But I
first want to talk about
how you became this expert. So first, why did you
become a real estate agent? I'm now celebrating the fact
that home ownership is such an important part of the
(02:26):
DNA of the Latino community. But um why did you
become a real estate agent?
Um I, I think it has to do with
perhaps my upbringing and, you know, I grew up, my
mom immigrated um from, from Puerto Rico here. And although
we are a commonwealth, you know, it's a completely different
(02:48):
life and um she was a single mother and she, she,
we lived in housing and we, you know, we had
welfare and we, we just came from very humble beginnings
and I remember looking around me and I just,
no one around us talked about homeownership. I didn't see
any examples of anyone around us graduating from housing to homeownership.
(03:10):
Um And honestly, it wasn't until I, I went on
a field trip with our church to um a member's
home in handover
that I actually was in a single family home and
I was able to see what having a private yard
looked like.
And I remember talking to her about how did she
(03:31):
do it? And I feel like that experience stayed with me.
And I thought, wow, there's something outside of, of this,
you know, environment that I grew up in. And as
I grew older,
um I started to, I, I work in property management
so I worked in housing people in housing communities, right?
And so I was sort of perpetuating what I, what
(03:52):
I grew up in and just helping people who were
like us trying to find housing and homes, affordable homes.
And then from there, as I became a professional and
I got a higher education, I started to realize that
I could also inspire people to get into the housing
market and to actually buy their homes. And one of
(04:13):
the things that we learned very quickly is that the
reason a lot of people weren't buying homes is because
they didn't have the right resources
uh financially or the right education. They didn't know how
to do it. Now, you mentioned a really good point, like,
how do you do it? So now that, you know,
you went from a childhood friend or um you know,
(04:35):
a church member telling you how they did it, do
you do you? Is that that journey of their experience
becoming a homeowner? Are you hearing that over and over again?
Or are there new, you know, journeys um for
um folks coming from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Cuba, the
um is the journey very similar? Are we still having
(04:57):
that journey? Um or are there new challenges to the
journey um for um someone who's coming to this country
migrating to this country? You know, and you bring up
a good point, you're a commonwealth, you know, and then
you got here, you and your family and you realize
that as a commonwealth, the experience is very different um
than the mainlanders,
(05:17):
right? I think it's definitely there is a huge adjustment
when you're moving into a new country. Um I think
that we have adopted a, a lot of, a lot
of the people who migrate into this area do migrate
into communities that are populated mostly by people like the
Hispanic community. Uh Lawrence is one of these gateway cities
(05:39):
that we have worked in. He has become
slowly but surely um has been added to that gateway community,
Methuen uh Lowell. And so as these gateway communities grow,
the community members feel more comfortable and apt to buy,
they have better resources in their languages that they can,
(06:01):
you know, use to get into the home buying process.
Um So I think it might be easier for the
people coming into our country now,
then for those who came in back in the seventies
and eighties. Um As far as resources are concerned, I
think there's still a lot of work to do. But
we have as a co as a country come a
(06:22):
long way in providing the right resources financially and educationally for,
for minorities in our community.
You mentioned cities like Lawrence, Massachusetts and there's many others
across the country that are these gateway communities. Um Sometimes
they get a bad rap, the gateway communities from other
(06:42):
members of the population, but they really do serve as
a hub that people can make that transition. Um For,
for a couple of reasons. What do you think is
the top reason
that a, a city like Lawrence is really pivotal in
getting people started in their journey um to um live
in the mainland and also be resources and, and start
(07:06):
to build wealth. Um What do you think the number
one or or two reasons why these gateway cities are
really important to populations coming in and wanting to um
grow their wealth and, and build a family um in, in,
in uh the mainland US.
II, I have to say that in the city of
Lawrence
and then some of these gateways to this, it is
(07:27):
incredibly important
um to have political backing. And I feel like because
our mayors in these cities are Hispanic and they come
from the same immigration background. Uh They are, they've gone
through the process of home ownership of getting jobs of
all these things that we have to do to get
(07:48):
to that goal. I feel like the political representation in
these communities is is essential. It is so key
because the these are the people that bring programs to
the community. These are people that make the connections with
the financing institutions, you know, with government to ensure that
the policies are in place that allow for minorities to
(08:10):
buy homes. And you know, I worked for Lawrence community work,
I actually managed their um rental affordable housing communities uh
for a better part of seven years. And,
you know, that is an organization within the city of
Lawrence that's very involved, not just politically but also a
grassroots connections to the community. And they believe very strongly
(08:32):
in developing affordable housing and, you know, giving first time
home buyer opportunities. So they literally buy abandoned buildings, pick
them up and sell them to low income families and they,
they connect with lenders and banks that are willing to
provide financing.
And so I think that, you know, having a political
(08:52):
representation and having organizations within the community that are passionate
about giving minorities an opportunity is, is really important for
the growth of, of minorities advocacy um for every group
is really, really important advocacy um
has really um not been as transparent or available to
(09:16):
all groups um in this country. And when people ask me,
you know, what's the difference between, you know, um a
Latino company uh uh um uh um a Latino family
or an Asian family or a Black family, being able
to acquire the same things um as their
um white counterparts, you know, what's the, you know, everybody
has the same opportunity. That's not necessarily true. Um A
(09:39):
lot of the opportunities that are available are here because
someone advocated for that group, someone advocated for that uh
region
uh to get things done. It's, it's um it, it
shouldn't be as political or um a as, as it is,
but it really, it does start with advocating for yourself,
advocating for your community. Um And a, you know, advocating
(10:00):
for your family um to be able to get the
things done. Resources are not just there for us to
your point. I'm glad, so glad that you worked in
the community. Um Do you think that uh your community work,
Jen helped you understand,
not only your own challenges and your, and your, and
your family uh and generations um that you saw come through,
(10:20):
but um the greater population um folks other than uh
Puerto Ricans coming through um M Massachusetts, your work with
the community. How did it help you really formulate? Wow.
You know, there are some solutions here and I can
really be a community advocate.
I think it's important to connect yourself with, you know,
(10:42):
like with the resources that are around you. And I,
and I feel for me just being a part or
just being around, you know, people like the Northeast Association
of Realtors also being around Lawrence. Community work of the
National Association of Hispanic Real estate Professionals. These are all
organizations that really care deeply about uh minorities. And I
(11:06):
feel like my
being involved by being in sort of the trenches with
them and growing the, the real estate market for our
community has certainly, you know, helped me become more appreciative
of the work that has been done to get to
where we are today. And like I said before, there's
certainly much more that we could be doing my way of,
(11:28):
you know, equitable household income. I think that we're still
lagging there a little bit.
Um access to credit, you know, is, is something that
we could improve on as well. Um And so I
think an education is always really important. So I'm a
huge advocate for education. I think people need to learn
about home ownership and, and, and what it brings to
(11:51):
your life because I think there's a,
there is a misconception still within our community about getting
into home ownership. And then two, what happens once you
become an owner, you know, we have to remember that
when the housing crisis um took place back in 2005,
85 and 67. it was, you know, 1 million Hispanic
(12:13):
or minorities lost their homes to foreclosure to predatory lending.
And that left a really bad taste in people's mouths.
And so we as the real estate professionals who speak
the language who understand our culture. We really need to
reconnect with our community and, and dispel some of the
misconceptions that were brought on by that experience, you and
(12:34):
your team are doing um a great job with that
education piece, right? So there's advocacy,
then there's education. If you think about those pillars um
of being able to connect with your community. Talk to
me a little bit about what you're finding in your
home ownership, um home buying workshops, you know, that we
(12:54):
assume that everyone's asking about rates. But there's problem,
a couple other things that you're finding that are consistent
trends with uh home buyers, whether they're first time home
buyers or home buyers just trying to navigate the market
um in, in as Chao as it is right now. What,
what are you hearing? What are you seeing in terms
of trends?
(13:16):
So, one of the things that we hear a lot
at our seminars is, you know, how much money do
and that's what we
if, if we cannot, if we cannot give a low
down payment, mortgage financing programs to minorities, it's very difficult
for them to come up with 20%
(13:38):
of having to come up with, you know, your down payment,
plus your closing costs and prepaid plus your home inspection fee,
plus your appraisal fee. It's a very costly process. So
a lot of them come into it saying, OK, I
make this money,
but this must save up and you know how much
more do I need? And I feel like there's a
real question around, you know, can I afford this? Can
(14:02):
I afford not just paying the monthly mortgage, but also,
you know,
money, do I need to come to this? Because let's
face it right there. There's, you know, the working class
has the jobs. It's the, it has the income. It
is because of the inflation and day to day expenses.
It's hard to be liquid. Right. It's hard to have
(14:23):
a savings for planning for the future.
Uh, the, the incomes are there. Um, we have, you know, uh,
a fairly decent wages but with inflation, it's eating away
at any of the savings uh that the average American can, can,
can have. So if you're planning for a large purchase
like a home,
(14:44):
having the liquidity to be able to, to put money away, um,
to be able to afford those closing costs, the down
payment and other fees that are associated with actually finalizing
a purchase become, um, uh, uh, um, unachievable.
Right. Right. And that's why they largely depend on reliable
(15:04):
access to mortgages that require minimum down payment of 5%
or less because that's the only way they're gonna be
able to buy into these, these properties. And now with
the interest rate being what it is, you know, it, it,
it's a very daunting process from a financial standpoint. Um,
a lot of people are saving, you know, 35 years
worth of, of, you know,
income tax returns or whatever it is that they're doing
(15:27):
just to apply for a mortgage and, you know, they, it's, it's,
it's a long process for them. It's not as easy. Um,
we've seen with minorities
to, to get there. So when they come to the
table and they're ready to buy, you know, they, they
put a lot of work, a lot of work into this,
a lot of work into their credit. Uh because that's
another thing that we lack in our community is the
(15:49):
education around credit and how credit works and how to
improve your credit and how to keep it healthy, right?
So that you're not having issues later on with your
interest rates or with anything else. And so,
you know, I think um just making sure that people
are educated on credit and, and having access to these,
you know,
(16:10):
you know, low mortgage or down payment mortgages is, is
key for minorities. So when you're working with um the
minority population, ethnic minority population in this country as a
real realtor and real estate professional, are you now having
a longer lead time
um for the process uh when you're committed to having
(16:32):
this segment of the population, a niche, you mentioned a
few barriers to getting to close. Um You mentioned credit scores,
you could mention down payment um availability. So the average
time that you're working with a first time home buyer,
are you dig your team digging in a year ahead
of time, knowing that within 12 months they'll be ready
(16:54):
or is it a shorter lead time? Now?
It, it really depends on the client when we do
our consultations with our clients and we bring in our
preferred lenders just to give us quotes and estimates on
where these people are. You know, we give them, it's
either you're ready today or we have a three month
process or a six month or one year. And in
(17:16):
that process, we're always looking to, to pair them with
grants that are available in the communities that they're looking
to buy. Um, any, any free money that we could
get them,
um, that will help them with down payment assistance or
with closing costs. It, it's just, it helps them keep
some more money in their pocket and, um, have some
(17:37):
kind of a reserve for their properties
um, as they move forward with their purchase. But yeah, I,
I guess what it, it depends on the individual, I
think more recently people because there is more education out there. Um, they,
they kind of self screen and they come to us
and they're like, all right. Well, listen, I already have the,
the 25 or $30,000 that I think I need to buy.
(17:58):
I, I think I'm ready to go and then we
have our, our consultation. Um, we're not seeing as many,
I have no money saved up. My credit is shot
and I want to buy a house. So we're not
seeing as many of those anymore because I feel like
the the community is more educated in that regard. But we, um,
don't turn away anyone that has that, that dream and
(18:20):
we just put them on the path of homeownership. At
that point, it could be a 361 year, two year plan.
But you know, the point the goal is to get
them there. It's funny you mentioned that, that um
by the time they come to you guys, they've done
their research. And one of the things that um we
noticed from our insights and research team is particularly uh
Latino millennials are very digital uh centric. Um So how
(18:44):
are you, how is your team using uh digital to
get uh some of this information out about home ownership
and home buying process?
You know, I honestly love it. I, you know, a
lot of agents um I, I'm from the old school. I, I,
we used to do faxes. OK? I might be, we
have to back in the day fax, back in the
day fax or you have to go carry your offer
(19:06):
over to the next office. You know, that's how we
did it. Um I, I love, I love that our
consumers have access to information. I think that that's really important.
Um And I think it makes us as real estate
professionals better
because we need to know our stuff. We need to
be on top of our game. We need to know
what's going on in our market because we are working with,
(19:26):
you know, uh more educated and, and better versed, you know,
buyers in this market. I think it's great. I think
that they come to, to the picture with an understanding.
I think we also need to dispel some ideas and,
you know, information that they get that's incorrect. But I
think it's, I think it's great and I think that
the millennials, especially
(19:47):
uh they come into it with a really good, a
broad mindset, you know, they, they know that there are
a lot of resources uh where before people just weren't
um willing or,
you know, to, to accept grants or, or, you know,
other types of, of lending um options that, that are
(20:07):
out there for you. And so I think that it's great.
I think that the digital uh world that we're in
is very favorable for the consumer. And I think that,
you know, we as realtors need to adapt and adopt
and uh and just keep working with them and just
help them navigate through the process because it, it is
an information overload. I feel sometimes. But, you know, if
(20:28):
you know what you're doing
and you can, you can guide your clients properly, I
think you can work within, you know, the digital world
for sure. So give us a sense of, of um
the top three platforms that you think that you are
able to reach um particularly this, this um Hispanic millennial
buyer um that's in the market, they're under 45. Um
(20:51):
They have tons of spending power and they put digital first,
which which platforms are you on where you're able to
reach that home buyer.
So Instagram is definitely one of the, the platforms that
we use quite heavily. Also Facebook um is one of
the platforms that we use pretty heavily and we're merging
into tiktok. I feel tiktok is one of those up
(21:12):
and coming. Um It's
we have to change the way we market ourselves in our,
in our business because people's attention span nowadays are so short,
you know, you have to be able, yeah, you gotta
be able to grab them and then if they're interested,
they might go to your youtube page and, and look
(21:33):
at what else you have to offer. Um But yeah,
primarily we do Facebook. I love Facebook because there's a
community based situation there where you can tag other
um and people who are in those communities can forward
your information out to other people. We really love Facebook. It's,
it's really powerful uh searching for us for social media
(21:55):
just uh Instagram is great. But like I said, those
short post, hey grab attention. We love using it for
our seminars. Anything that we have educational projects that we
have going on, any community events that we're participating in.
Um, those are really fun to use and then tiktok
is just a great way to connect with the younger
generation who are, you know, looking into homeownership who are
(22:18):
maybe thinking about it and it's a great way to
connect with them and sort of plant that seed, um,
of homeownership in the near future.
I think that, I think you're, you're absolutely spot on, um,
Facebook offers, uh, the groups which you can get in
and there's a lot of groups um based on ethnic
backgrounds and, and uh lifestyles. Um So that's awesome. And then,
(22:38):
like you said, Instagram and tiktok are very um young and,
and uh and, and generate lots of interest from um
millennials and now this up
Gen Z. So you guys are on those uh strategically
and um those definitely are aware of this, this sector
set sits, let's talk a little bit about the home
seller um today in the market. Um very challenged um
(23:02):
challenged with uh coming off of COVID having decide whether
to retire early, um or to kind of lay low
and then interest rates start to rise. And
it's sort of like, um there are many that are
sort of prisoners of their own home at this point,
um just sitting on the sidelines. Um But I think you,
(23:23):
you know, you and I have talked and that's not
necessarily the right thing for everybody. Um When would it
be the opportunity you know, what would indicate that you
probably should explore, um, putting the home on the market.
I mean, there are so many reasons why people sell,
sell their homes. You know, some, some are selling because
(23:44):
they've outgrown the home. Some are selling it to pull
equity out. Some are selling it because they're going through
a divorce. Some are selling it because the owner passed
away and it's an estate sale. You know, there are
so many reasons, it's such a personal, it is such
a personal personal um thing that um the sellers have
to decide for themselves. I think,
(24:06):
I think right now what we're seeing in our market
are sellers
um who are looking to
move into the 55 plus or assisted living community. That
is the big one that we're seeing um some, some
activity on uh we're also seeing
um some activity with uh sellers who are looking to
(24:29):
make a profit and maybe move south somewhere where it's
a little warmer, a little cheaper. So we're seeing some
of that going on. But like you said, Lisa, a
lot of people are just staying put, the market has
been pretty volatile in the past few years. You know,
whether it's on the price point, on the price, you know,
point or on the interest rate. We've just kind of
(24:50):
been all over the place and people are just looking
for some normal.
We'll see they want to see that. All right, if
we're gonna be at 7%. We're at seven. I don't care,
I'll sell it, but I just want to make sure
we're at seven consistently for at least a year, you know.
And so, and that's what we're getting. Right. We're, they're saying, listen,
I don't, I don't mind buying it at 7%. Shoot,
I used to, I used to, I remember when I
(25:12):
paid 12% for mine, you know, or 9% for mine
back when I bought it and whatever, you know, and
if you have a credit card today, you're paying 26%
if not. Right.
So, exactly. So a lot of these sellers, they're smart,
you know, they're, they're just fighting their time. Um but
when someone needs to sell, they do it, it's, it's the,
the interest rate and the prices don't really matter too much.
(25:35):
I think also the sellers are starting to realize
that because the interest rates are so high or not
so high. But, you know, the interest rates are what
they are because they are not so high. Let's be
real in the past six years. This is not the
so high of it. But um they're starting to realize
that just putting their properties out there for a really
(25:56):
exuberant amount, it's just not fair to the consumer.
And I think the sellers are starting to reconcile that,
you know, what we need to put our, we need
to price our homes fairly and we need to work
with the consumer and meet them where they're at.
And I think a lot of fellows are starting to
come to that place where they're like, you know what?
We don't need to freaking make an extra $200,000 on this.
(26:18):
We can walk away with this much, you know, and
be happy and I hope that's the case that that
would be great. Um There definitely is a lot of
pri price gouging and unrealistic uh expectations from you as
a real estate agent of what that home will purchase for.
We're still, you know, still in the mindset of COVID
where there was a frenzy.
Right. Right. Th are those days, are those days gone?
(26:39):
Are you still getting um multiple offers?
We are still getting multiple offers on the listing? I
don't know that people are going, you know, so we
were getting offers Lisa that there were 100,000 over asking
and they would offer a $100,000 appraisal gap because they
were pulling money from their 401 Ks or wherever they
(27:00):
were pulling money from to cover the gap if the
bank didn't appraise the property at what they were offering.
And so these owners were making crazy money on these houses,
but I think COVID had a lot to do with that.
People were, were homebound, they couldn't go anywhere and home
took on a different meaning for people.
And I think it still does nowadays, even post COVID
(27:22):
home is, has just taken a different meaning in our lives.
And so I think, um, you know, people were just
willing to do it where now we're back to almost
normal and we're not, people are not willing to go
that high, but they are willing to, you know, put
their money where their mouth is. The, the environment is
different too when I was growing up. You always, you know,
(27:43):
the little old lady down the street when she passed away,
there was a new young family that will move into
that home
and that's how the generations in the community just kept going.
Um Now that little old lady down the street, she's
living a lot longer than 3040 years ago. So, um
it's interesting you talk about the 55 and over communities
(28:03):
because those communities are thriving um because people are living longer,
they're more active longer. Um
And they, they want to be in a community where
they have the similar lifestyles. So I, you know, we
have been reading that a lot of the home uh
inventory issues um were already there just because the community
(28:23):
members are living longer. Um
But I love what you guys are doing in the community.
Um I think, um you know, your home buying seminars
are just been fantastic for the community, for all community members.
And then again, focusing on those who may be left behind.
Um You know, you guys making that one of your
(28:45):
niches and, and DNA of your um
of your, of your business is great work just, you know,
in closing, what does it feel like? Right. We said
they come to you with uh with education, uh the,
the uh home buy and the home seller, they're, they're
educated already on what they need and, and, and where
they are in the process and then finally it's able
(29:06):
to be happened. What does that feel like? What do you,
you know, how do you guys feel um when you're
able to take them all the way to the finish line?
I mean, it feels amazing. I it doesn't get old.
I'll tell you this, Lisa. I, I can't even, I
don't even know how many transactions I've closed. I've been
at this since 2005
and it doesn't get old. You know, we just spoke
(29:28):
um last month with a gentleman who attended our seminar
in February. We connected him with a lender. He was
kind of wishy washy. He wasn't sure he was gonna
buy or if he was ready, we connected him with
a cross country mortgage. They got him, he bought in
Manchester New Hampshire.
And so they got him all the grants that Manchester
(29:49):
New Hampshire is offering, which by the way, great, great
place to see. You need an advocate. So you need
an advocate. You need someone saying, look, I know exactly
how we can fill this problem and this golf. Absolutely.
And that's what we, we do. We know enough, we
know we're connected well enough also in the industry that
we can connect you with the right resources so that
(30:10):
you have a successful transaction.
And I mean, this guy and his wife six months
after the seminar closed on their property. And I, we
went out for that and we did Lisa, we, we
saw 75 homes
and we put, I think it was 16 offers.
(30:30):
He was not willing to waive his home inspection, good
for him for him. So, and, and you guys and
you guys were advocating for that point. Correct? Yeah. Right.
We're like, listen, it's OK, whatever, it's not meant to be,
you know, I, I'm not gonna have you wait, especially
on multi family and things like that, you know, which
is what they bought and um they closed on their
(30:51):
property and we were out for breakfast and he was
just telling us
like he couldn't believe it. He's like, I, I never
in my wildest dream thought in six months, I would
be a homeowner and he actually went to the seminar
we hosted this weekend and he talked to the p
you know, to the uh the folks that, that showed
up and, and, and he was saying what a great
experience it had been
uh because it was, it, it wasn't a transactional feel.
(31:15):
We don't, we try not to be transactional with our clients.
We want you to know that we do deeply care
about your success. We want you to have not one home,
not two homes when you have three of them. And
then we want entrepreneur and start a business and you know,
really start making some real impact in our community. Um
And I think that that translates in the work that
(31:37):
we do and we love it. We love what we do.
My husband and I Moses and I,
we're a husband and wife team. We have an amazing
team of 54 other agents. Two of three of us
are licensed in New Hampshire. We have Paula Franco, Kathy Mac,
we have Johanny UO and um and we have a
great team of auxiliaries like Yana Peta and Paul Fitzpatrick.
(31:59):
Uh They help us run the day to day in
our office and we're just very fortunate, Dari Ali, she's
our transaction coordinator. She kills it, making sure that your
deals close on time. Your Escrows are protected.
And so, you know, it's, it's a family affair. We,
we love what we do and we love serving our
community for sure. That is wonderful. Listen, you guys have
the tenacity based on what you just outlay in the process.
(32:22):
You hang in there. You also come from the community.
And so you understand the unique challenges and problems that, that,
that uh in order to serve uh your, your community
the best. Um and then
um the, the high home buying and home selling process
um including a real estate agent or realtor is under
fire right now. But Jen, you just laid it out,
(32:43):
you just laid it out that value that you had
um to number one, starting with the education of that
particular uh buyer that you mentioned six months out helping
them through 75 properties
having a wavering opinion about the inspection um and then
helping them through the closing process. If anyone ever challenged
(33:05):
the value of a real estate professional, you just laid
it out, lady. So I thank you so much for that.
And um I'm gonna have you and Moses on next
time because we're gonna talk about having a family owned
business and working with your husband.
That's awesome. How much time do you have for that? Exactly.
We have to have you guys back so he can
(33:26):
defend himself.
We love you guys. We love the work you're doing
in the community. Um You stay true. You're authentic and
your value proposition um on what you just uh uh
gave us an example um is at the highest level.
So we thank you and other professionals out there that
are working hard uh to support homeownership with underserved communities. Hey, Jen,
(33:48):
we'll have you back. We'll have Moses back. Thank you
and have a wonderful day.
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