Women Leaders Of Real Estate: “We cannot succeed in this industry if we don’t adapt to the way consumers are behaving” Veronica Figueroa of The Figueroa Team
Most people think their only option is to buy or sell. Sometimes, renting for a year in between homes might be the best option for someone.
Agents believe our industry is static and there’s only one way to sell a house, and that’s not the case. Our generation is evolving and technology is changing everything. Agents need to be more nimble and adapt to the new way of virtual home buying and selling.
This industry depends heavily on the consumer and the way they’re buying and selling homes. We cannot have a successful industry if we don’t adapt to the way consumers are behaving.
As a part of my series about strong women leaders of the Real Estate industry I had the pleasure of interviewing Veronica Figueroa.
Veronica Figueroa of the Figueroa Team is a vibrant, passionate and experienced real estate agent based in Orlando, FL. She started her business in 2005 with a passion for selling real estate. 15 years later, she’s turned it into a highly respected organization where agents can develop their careers and people can achieve their dreams of home ownership. Veronica cares deeply about leading her team with heart and about being a light that represents her industry and community. She stands for women in real estate, single moms and hispanic women who want to help their world grow. She is also one of only 20 agents in the nation who is a Zillow Agent Advisory Board Member and has experience in many aspects of real estate.
Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to the Real Estate industry?
My purpose has always been rooted in a passion for helping people. Career-wise, my real first choice, at least I thought, was human resources. I thought that was how I could help people grow, develop and connect with a company personally. Within HR, I worked at a resort in Puerto Rico, got into timeshares and even dabbled in the medical field; my goal has always been to help. A friend convinced me to get my real estate license right out of college. Now, she’s one of my top-selling agents. My first client was actually my mom! When I realized I couldn’t do real estate just part time anymore, I went all in and decided to learn everything I could about the industry. 15 years later, I couldn’t be happier helping both my clients and agents achieve their dreams.
I love working with people and helping them grow. I’ve broken a lot of barriers for single moms, latina women and just women in real estate in general. I’ve always looked at my business from multiple angles and have taken many different approaches, putting my own spin on the traditional way of doing things. My message to my team has always been, ‘If I can, you can.’ I don’t just want to be a real estate agent who sells a lot of homes. I want to be a beacon of light for business owners and women in my community.
Can you share with our readers the most interesting or amusing story that occured to you in your career so far? Can you share the lesson or take away you took out of that story?
I’ll never forget speaking in front of over 2,500 top real estate agents at a Zillow conference in 2016. Standing in front of the very people who inspired and mentored me in real estate and speaking my truth was an incredibly powerful experience. I never thought my career would lead me to that moment. It was an experience that opened so many career opportunities for me, including accepting a seat on Zillow’s Advisory Board. The core of this industry is great leaders that have big hearts and want to help people. My advice is to put yourself in those moments of opportunity and show up to the conversation.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I’m working on finishing my first book, ‘The Queen of Teams.’ It’s a road map of our journey through real estate at the Figueroa Team. I discuss the things we did right, the things we did wrong, some of the mistakes we made and lessons we learned along the way. There are stories throughout from different people who have been part of our journey. I hope it will be a great resource that inspires other professionals who want to launch their team into success and profitability with a true, clear mission and purpose.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
We’re more than just real estate at Figueroa Team; we’re a movement. We embody this fierce mindset. We’re ok with being different and going against the status quo. We have fearless tenacity and are willing to outwork anyone. In a time where people are letting go and making cuts, we’re recruiting and doubling down on our marketing effort. We’re providing even more resources to our clients to go through this process virtually.
Diversity is at our team’s core. We represent a unique community coming together to have a positive impact in this world. We have each other’s backs, and we have a lot of trust. Our team of agents trust each other, and our clients can trust that our agents will come through for them. We work with people from all walks of life, not just luxury clients. Whether the seller has a ten thousand dollar lot or a million dollar property, it’s about helping people through their individual journey.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There are so many! I’m grateful for all of the people who trusted my crazy vision and who believed in me at all stages of my career. I remember their names and their faces. I remember the person who helped me write my very first contract, and the very first agent I had on my team. So many people have poured themselves into me that didn’t have to help me. Those people, and the impact they had on me personally and professionally, have stuck with me for life. Their kindness motivates me and makes me want to do the same for others.
I have to give credit to my husband, Anthony. He has been a huge support system for me over the past 15 years of us working together. Being married and having five kids in a very demanding industry was not easy. It feels awesome to look back and see how far we’ve come and how much Figueroa Team has grown. As our broker associate, he’s been my partner through this, and we lead our team with the same passion. Running a real estate business together has come with its share of challenges, but we’ve grown together and overcome more than I ever imagined we could.
Ok. Thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. The Real Estate industry, like the Veterinarian, Nursing and Public Relations fields, is a women dominated industry. Yet despite this, less than 20 percent of senior positions in Real Estate companies are held by women. In your opinion or experience, what do you think is the cause of this imbalance?
This is a topic that really hits home for me. I’ve had the opportunity to sit at a lot of important tables throughout my career, but for the majority of them, I was the only woman in the room. It’s not a secret that women are underrepresented in leadership within the real estate industry. It’s a huge issue in our culture and society, and this industry is behind the curve like many others. It’s not just women who are underrepresented, there’s also a huge lack of cultural representation throughout the industry. I’m a champion for women, and I’m on a mission to bring more women and women of color to the table.
There’s an idea that this is a man’s industry, despite women having just as many, if not more, natural skill as agents. I believe we still need men in leadership, but it should be a nice blend of diversity. Women need to show up, get involved in local politics, sit on government and agency boards that regulate this industry and help us all break down these barriers. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done, but none of it can happen if we don’t show up and demand opportunity.
What 3 things can be done by a)individuals b)companies and/or c) society to support greater gender balance going forward?
Dream — Know your purpose and find your passion. Then, show up and speak up. Whether it’s real estate, helping stop social inequality, ending homelessness or affordable housing. Whatever you’re passionate about, let people know by showing up and speaking for it.
“Motivate — Be authentic and remember everyone was new to their career at some point. It’s not just the people at the top who should get all the attention. Mentorship and pouring yourself into the next generation of professionals and agents who are going to impact the future of the industry is equally as important.
Inspire — Aim to inspire others and be authentic about it. To me, that’s more valuable than money. I encourage you to inspire and promote the next generation of agents and hire women and diverse candidates in this field so the industry can continue to grow
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women executives that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
There are a lot of assumptions made about women and a lot of stereotypes that hold women back in many industries. Real estate is no exception. Men are called innovative and leaders for bringing new ideas, whereas women are typically second-guessed or called bossy for taking charge. It’s my mission to bring more diverse voices to the table and break that mindset by putting in the work.
Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the Real Estate industry?
When I can instill my passion for real estate in my team, it inspires me to work even harder for them. Inspiring other agents in this industry motivates me every day. Second, helping home buyers and sellers achieve their dreams fuels me. I want to go that extra mile to help them on their journey. Lastly, growing the Figueroa Team and leading with heart alongside my agents makes me so proud and excited about what’s to come.
Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?
I believe there should be a higher barrier to entry in the industry nationwide. Some states require more hours of training and longer course requirements, others require different levels of education. There’s no standard comprehension training for language barriers. The industry is under attack because of how easy it is for some people to get in and be lucrative. That has created a gap in the quality of agents.
There’s a major lack of representation for women at the top of the real estate industry. I’ve had to fight and work extremely hard to get to where I am, nothing was just handed to me. I think there’s a lot of work left to be done for women to achieve equality at the executive level of real estate.
Affordable housing and housing discrimination is a topic that really needs to be addressed. Home buyers participate in it without even realizing they’re doing it by asking to see homes in “safe neighborhoods.” Agents do it by assuming someone wouldn’t be able to search at a desirable price point or in certain areas based on the way they look in person or on paper. Housing affordability and housing discrimination go hand in hand.
What advice would you give to other leaders to help their team to thrive?
There are two books that have really resonated with me as a female leader and a woman in real estate. I recommend any woman looking to build a team or an organization read ‘Rocket Fuel’ by Mark C. Winters and Gino Wickman and ‘The Shadow Effect’ by Debbie Ford, Deepak Chopra and Marianna Williamson. These books discuss how imposter syndrome limits our beliefs and dreams and how any strong leader needs integrators and implementers for their vision. Those two books have really helped me develop professionally and build my team.
Ok, here is the main question of our interview. You are a “Real Estate Insider”. If you had to advise someone about 5 non intuitive things one should know to succeed in the Real Estate industry, what would you say? Can you please give a story or an example for each?
Most people think their only option is to buy or sell. Sometimes, renting for a year in between homes might be the best option for someone.
Agents believe our industry is static and there’s only one way to sell a house, and that’s not the case. Our generation is evolving and technology is changing everything. Agents need to be more nimble and adapt to the new way of virtual home buying and selling.
This industry depends heavily on the consumer and the way they’re buying and selling homes. We cannot have a successful industry if we don’t adapt to the way consumers are behaving.
Social media is so important! The agent who doesn’t have an online presence and who doesn’t adapt to the way consumers are engaging will go extinct. If you want to survive and thrive, you need to put yourself out there.
COVID-19 has changed the traditional way of buying and selling a home. I think even when this passes, we will continue to see this virtual trend. Real estate is based on relationships and connecting with your agent. It’s different now, but at Figueroa Team, we’ve figured out that you can still do that effectively in a virtual setting.
Because of your position, you are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
The empowerment of women is a movement I’m already a part of. I have a passion and obsession with royal history and the era of kingdoms, queens and women who would go to war with their soldiers. Women who fought for what they believed in and who didn’t have to sacrifice love or children to be queens. Women can be so competitive with each other, which can get in the way of lifting each other up. We can all have our ‘queendoms’ and clap for each other. It’s lonely at the top for women in leadership, and there’s a lot of pressure that isn’t talked about. When we speak our truth and our journey, that’s when we are the most empowered. When we can push each other to do better while still being fierce and relentless but soft and vulnerable, that’s when we discover the unique power of women.
How can our readers follow you online?
Follow Veronica online:
http://www.veronicafigueroa.com/
And on social media:
https://twitter.com/figueroateam
https://www.instagram.com/veronicafigueroainspires/
https://www.facebook.com/veronicafigueroainspires/
And check out The Figueroa Team:
https://www.facebook.com/TheFigueroaTeam/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-figueroa-team/
https://www.instagram.com/thefigueroateam/
Women Leaders Of Real Estate: “We cannot succeed in this industry if we don’t adapt to the way… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.