
Education means sales
“Surround yourself with positive and successful colleagues.”
Karina Veliz isn’t just a salesperson. She’s an educator for first-time homebuyers. Veliz draws together lenders, escrow officers, title representatives, and homeowners insurance reps to take renters through the process of buying a home. “Many people don’t realize how easy it is to become a homeowner,” she says.
Her willingness to educate customers and her ability to speak Spanish have earned Veliz a niche in the Hispanic community, says her broker, Daniel Nevarez. She closed nearly $9 million in sales in 2000, her second full year in the business.
“I’ve had some tough deals,” she says, “but there’s a saying, ‘We get by giving.’ When people know you’re giving your all to make a deal happen, they instinctively follow that lead.”
Veliz says salespeople who want to break ground in untapped markets should work with a mentor: “Join an office that will help you. It doesn’t matter whether it’s big or small. You can’t miss if you’re with a broker who motivates and supports you and truly cares about your success.”