Nora Elbedour: How A Howard Grad Turned Curiosity Into A Real Estate Career

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
My name's Nora Alvador.
I'm a realtor with Compass, theNASA group of Compass.
Um, I'm also a project engineerat Prodigy Builders, um more so
like real estate development.
And I serve uh mainly northernVirginia area, but now I'm I'm
working in DC as well.

SPEAKER_00 (00:18):
Awesome.
I can't wait to learn more abouteverything you do.
So take me back to how you gotstarted in all of this.
Tell me how you got to where youare today.

SPEAKER_01 (00:28):
So I began um as an intern with the Nassar group.
I had reached out to Sam Nassar,who's also the CEO of the Nassar
Group.
And um I kind of just asked him,I said, I don't know anything
about real estate, and I reallyjust want to learn more about
the industry and get my feet inthe water.
And he was very kind about itall.

(00:48):
And he was just like, Yeah, likeI see you growing in this
industry and we want you to joinour team.
So I started off doing um justthe social media and marketing
for the NASA group.
And then that same summer, Ireally loved, I learned that I
really loved real estate, and soI got my Virginia real estate
license.
And um, from there, I justfinished off my studies at

(01:11):
Howard University.
I got my BBA, and then I gotoffered a full-time job with
them.
So I was working as a realtorand I got licensed in DC as
well.
Um, and then I I served as theirexecutive relations coordinator.
So I was just in charge of likecontracts and the operations of
it.

(01:31):
And so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (01:33):
Wow, that's awesome.
It seems like you kind of have awide range of different areas in
this.
Yeah.
Very cool.
So you said your goal is tocreate meaningful connections
with clients.
What does that look like in yourday-to-day work?

SPEAKER_01 (01:47):
I always, I mean, I've always been a people's
person.
So I I feel like I can make arelationship with anybody like
that I meet, you know, even onthe street.
But with clients, I mean, I tendto not think of it as like a
transaction, like I'm just hereto help you find your house.
Like even after we close, likeI'm still checking up on you.

(02:10):
I'm still like, you know,texting you on the holidays and
meeting up with you guys.
And um, and matter of fact,actually, one of my clients,
like how I keep therelationship, like she felt so
comfortable with me and like sheloved my service, like me and my
team, that she felt comfortablewith me coming to water her
plants when she was out of town.

(02:31):
So I I did it and I was justlike, it really warms my heart
because you just make newfriends and you make like no
matter the age, no matter thelike background.
And it's just really interestingto meet all those different
people.

SPEAKER_00 (02:43):
Absolutely.
Having that client relationshipis everything.
And like you said, that is justso heartwarming that they want
to just keep in touch and belike, hey, come water my plant.
Right.
It's so sweet.
Cool.
So, how does your background inbusiness management kind of help
you approach clientrelationships strategically and
compassionately?

SPEAKER_01 (03:04):
I would say definitely from what I learned
is just keeping track ofeverything.
Um, I'm very organized, youknow, naturally, but studying at
Howard University, they taughtme really to keep track of all
your transactions, all of yourfinancials, all of your client,

(03:24):
your database, and just keep itorganized so that you can follow
up on them and have them in yoursystem, as well as um just
relationships and clientconnections as well.
Just referrals are veryimportant in our business.
Um, a lot of our clients comefrom referrals.
So just really going to likenetworking events and Howard

(03:46):
really, you know, they taught usfrom like year one to take us to
like networking events andreally like fix your resume and
have your social profiles outthere just so you can be
recruited by and looked at bymany companies.
So I feel like that's whathelped me the most with that.
And so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (04:05):
I love the point you made about networking,
especially in a field like this.
I feel like it's everything.
Yes.
As someone who truly lovesNorthern Virginia, how does your
passion for the communityinfluence the way you support
clients?

SPEAKER_01 (04:19):
I would say, especially for clients
relocating to Virginia, becauseI was born and raised there in
um Kingstown, Virginia.
So a lot of the clients that Imeet, they tend to want to move
more into that area, Kingstownand like, you know, McLean,
Alexandria.
And so I feel like I always liketo show them all of what

(04:43):
Virginia has to offer.
I mean, you can be in the cityone second, and then you can be
in Great Falls on a hike in theother minute.
So it's really diverse, andthat's what I love about it.
And so I feel like I'm very goodat just showcasing what Virginia
has to offer because it reallydoes have so much.
Especially your the proximity toDC.

(05:04):
I mean, you can you can reallygo through it all in one day,
all three states, Maryland,Virginia, and DC.
So yeah, I like to take out myclients to like coffee shops or
like if you go out on a hikewith them on the weekends.
Especially, I had someinternational clients recently
from Australia, and so I tookthem to Mosaic the Fall

(05:25):
Festival, and they really lovedit.
Like I really love justshowcasing all the different
events and everything.

SPEAKER_00 (05:32):
That's amazing.
We have such a beautiful areafor that.
I mean, really, like you said,you can be in the city, you can
be out in the country.
Yeah.
You never get bored.
Absolutely.
So you discovered your passionfor real estate during your
internship with the NASA group.
What about that experience madeyou realize that this was your

(05:53):
calling?

SPEAKER_01 (05:55):
I would say mainly because I don't really see
myself in an office all day.
That's just not my personality.
Honestly, in in college, like upuntil when I wanted to dive into
real estate, I didn't know whatI wanted to do.
So I just I knew I wanted to bein business, but like I never

(06:16):
found my true like calling untilI met the Nassar group.
And what I loved about it themost is that every day you're in
a different place.
Like someday, like the first daythat I started, I remember
Shadia Nassar, she's the vicepresident of the Nassar group.
She took me to one of the mostbeautiful homes in Great Falls,
Virginia.
And I didn't even know like wehad those types of like mansions

(06:39):
in Virginia.
I was really clueless.
And that's what made me fall inlove with it.
Just every day, like you'reeither at a house or like in DC,
walking the streets or taking aclient out, or some days you're
in the office.
I just love the diversity of itbecause I just can't sit in one
space.
And I love meeting people aswell.
So just meeting different agentsas well, and meeting different

(07:04):
lenders and the clients, ofcourse.

SPEAKER_00 (07:06):
Absolutely.
It's really fascinating, justall the different people and all
the moving parts that go onbehind it.
Yeah, yeah.
You recently graduated fromHoward University.
Congratulations, by the way.
What lessons from your timethere?
And I know we already kind oftouched on this a little bit,
but if we could dig in deepdeeper, have impacted the way
you approach your career today.

SPEAKER_01 (07:28):
I would say probably I joined the real estate club in
Howard University, but I mean Ididn't go to every meeting, but
I when I did go and I saw thestudents, I feel like the
students at Howard Universitywere just different because I I

(07:51):
know a lot of my friends, theywould go to different
universities like Tech or Mason,and they never really like had
the same experience as mebecause Howard, as I said, the
connections that they give totheir students is just
unbelievable because thestudents had just like
businesses already in incollege, and like they were

(08:13):
already like they knew what theywanted to do, they had the
drive, they had the motivation.
So it was very inspirational tobe around those types of people.
Because, you know, like again,it's connections as well as it's
giving you motivation to what doyou want to do with your life?
So I feel like that's whatHoward helped the most, really.

SPEAKER_00 (08:31):
That's great being able to be in an immersive
experience like that with peoplethat are like-minded.
Yeah.
I like to say great great mindsthink alike.
Yeah, like the sky is the limit.
That's what they taught me,really.
So, what's your favorite part ofworking behind the scenes?
Helping organize, market, andcommunicate during a
transaction.
What's my favorite part?

SPEAKER_01 (08:53):
Um, I think I would say my favorite part in terms of
like transactions is keeping itall organized.
I just love organization andefficiency.
I I love finding ways to justmake a business kind of better
and more efficient and moreeffective for our clients and
try to give them the bestexperience that they can ever

(09:15):
have.
And and I feel like it's workingwith the techniques that we're
using because a lot of ourclients are coming back and
saying, you know, you guysreally killed it.
So I love hearing like words ofaffirmation like that, knowing
that your techniques are workingand absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 (09:33):
And so, kind of going into that, the NASA group
with Compass is known forexcellence in client care.
How do you and the team worktogether to create such a
high-level experience forclients?

SPEAKER_01 (09:44):
We go, I would say above and beyond, and not even
speaking on myself, I'm speakingon all of the team.
I've seen it, Sam and Adam andSusu and Shadia, like all of
them go way beyond likeexpectations, you know, like and
I've seen it before where it'sjust like you start the

(10:06):
transaction, it's just strictlybusiness.
With them, it's like you'rereaching out, you're having
housewarming parties, you'rehosting them on the weekends,
you're hosting them on holidays,and just really maintaining that
relationship.
You're really showing them thatI j didn't need you just for
business, you know, like I wantto keep that relationship going.

(10:26):
And um, that's what I I reallynoticed with them, and um, as
well as just professionalism,just always remaining
level-headed, calm, andexplaining different parts of a
transaction to, for example,like a first-time home buyer who
they're gonna have a lot ofquestions about the process.

(10:46):
And we answer every singlequestion, we we walk it through
each time.
Like each one of us will answerthe phone.
Like, if one of us doesn'tanswer, like the rest will
answer.

SPEAKER_00 (10:56):
Somebody will.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (10:58):
So, like, and that's another thing.
We're always like on the phone.
Like, even if it's at midnightor something, if there's an
emergency, like you can text us,you can call us, like we're very
responsive.
So I'd say that.

SPEAKER_00 (11:10):
Super reassuring that.
What role does social media anddigital storytelling play in
connecting clients with theirdream homes today?

SPEAKER_01 (11:20):
This is a big one because I love marketing.
Like, I love, I think marketingis just one of the most
important factors in yourbusiness.
Cause nowadays, like everyone ison social media, whether it's
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, andanyone can go viral for really
anything, just like afive-second clip.

(11:41):
So I feel like showcasing ourhomes, at least, the ones that
we put on the market, and justshowing people who we are, even
if it's like bloopers or justlike little funny videos that
gain that traction, that's whatour clients love to see because
you're showing them that likeyou're real people, you know,
like we're gonna be taking careof you and we make mistakes too,

(12:04):
and you know, we're gonna bewalking you through the whole
process.
So I feel like with those typesof videos as well as just
professional videos as well,just like educational on again,
first-time home buyers orinvestors, I feel like it really
gains like a client's trust.

SPEAKER_00 (12:22):
Absolutely.
Having that online presence iskey in today's world, especially
with the younger generationstoo.
What do you think makes the NASAgroup stand out in such a
competitive Northern Virginiareal estate market?

SPEAKER_01 (12:38):
I would say I would say I I just want to say like
for the best, but like I wouldsay as it is, right?
I would say probably again,their professionalism, just with

(12:59):
any client, like it doesn'tmatter who comes up to us, like
we will have open arms foranybody who comes to us with any
of their problems.
Even if, you know, you just havea random real estate question
like about the market oranything, we're more than happy
to answer anything that comes toyour mind.
Or if you need help with justunderstanding a process in real

(13:20):
estate, we're also here to helpand we're always going to be.
You know, we're always verydependable.
So I would say that as well asagain, we're we're very
hospitable.
So um I feel like also with likeour background, so we're all

(13:40):
like we're all Arab.
So we're very naturally justlike we love having open arms to
everybody and just likewelcoming them with food and and
taking them in.
And really we treat our clientshonestly like they're our
family.
That's how we like to treat ourclients.

SPEAKER_00 (13:56):
I love the culture aspect that you brought up in
that because when you have thatkind of relationship and it they
just feel like a family member,it just makes everything so much
more magical and this bigmilestone in their life.

SPEAKER_01 (14:08):
Yeah.
And that's what I love the mostabout it.
Just like the end result whenyou know that you helped them
find a home when they werestressing the whole time and
like you had told them it'sgonna be okay, it's gonna, it's
fine.
And just seeing them walk in andand really start moving in, and
then they invite you like amonth after like they close, and

(14:29):
they're all like their furnitureis all up and they made it into
their home.
I think that's one of the mostbeautiful parts because it's
just like you change someone'slife.
Like you just you help them buytheir first home or absolutely,
it's something that they'llnever forget.

SPEAKER_00 (14:44):
Yeah.
How do you hope to inspire otheryoung professionals, especially
women, looking to break into thereal estate industry?

SPEAKER_01 (14:55):
I would say that I hope to inspire them in a way
that I'm young and I justgraduated college, and I know a
lot of people feel this waywhere like you need to have your
life set like right aftercollege.
You need to know what you wantto do for the rest of your life,
and you need to have it alltogether.

(15:17):
But I feel like with me, it'slike I had that mindset as well,
but I realized that you know,everyone is going through the
same thing in life.
You just need to like go throughit, experience different things,
see what you love.
Like it's okay to like quitsomething, it's okay to like try
new things and just reallydiscover what makes you happy in

(15:39):
your job.
And I feel like that's allreally that matters.
If it makes you happy, itdoesn't matter what anyone else
is saying or like if they'retelling you their different
opinions, like just listen toyourself.
And once you find that niche ofyours, really put your all, like
your 100% like work into it,whether it's long nights, long

(16:00):
days, just don't give up.
And it it's okay to like say noto other people if they're
trying to drag you out, likeyour friends trying to drag you
out on a weekend night, and justreally grind on your your
business, I feel like.

SPEAKER_00 (16:15):
Absolutely.
Keeping your head in the game inthis industry is I feel like
it's so important.
Yeah.
So when people think of workingwith Nora in the Nasser group
with Compass, what's the onefeeling or value you want them
to associate with your name?
I would say probably kindness.

SPEAKER_01 (16:44):
Uh, I just always want to be known as like someone
who was just kind throughout thewhole process and very
understanding and just helpfulin any way possible.

SPEAKER_00 (16:55):
And yeah, absolutely.
I like that you said thatbecause it's like we're all
human at the end of the day.
Yeah.
And it's really nice to havesomeone to lean on, especially
when you're going through thingsthat are it can be difficult
going through this process, andyou are there to just make it
easier.
Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 (17:12):
And and you always remember in a such an important
period of time of your life,like when you're buying your
first property, that person whowas like always kind and always
understanding and answering allmy, you know, little questions.
I I feel like I personally Iwould remember that person
forever.

SPEAKER_00 (17:31):
Absolutely.
Well said.
Yeah.
As we wrap up, is there anythingyou'd like to add that I haven't
touched on today?

SPEAKER_01 (17:38):
I would just like to add on to anyone looking to get
into real estate.
I know that a lot of peoplereach out to me like on TikTok
and Instagram, and they'realways trying to like get into
the game and they're just askingme how to do it.
Even though, you know, I'mreally young in this industry
still, like, but I would say thebest piece of advice that I

(18:01):
could give is just starting offlike just making connections and
really just starting with aninternship and seeing how you
like it and just putting yourall into it.
Just don't give up and justreally study the greats and and
kind of just become greater, youknow what I mean?
And just take notes ofeverything.

(18:22):
Everyone just take it in like asponge, you know what I mean?
So even the people who are inthe industry for like 40, 50
years, they're still learning,they're still making mistakes.
So I feel like someone who'sreally young, just be kind on
yourself and don't be too hardon yourself because I always am
hard on myself for making amistake or not knowing
something.
But that's the beauty of it.

(18:43):
Like that's where you'regrowing.
So I would say that.

SPEAKER_00 (18:45):
Giving yourself grace is so important.
Yes.
Yeah.
Nora, thank you so much forjoining me on the podcast today.
It was super inspiring to hearyour story, and I wish you the
best of luck in your future.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.