Episode 282 – Ines Hegedus Garcia, Avanti Way Director of Strategy & Innovation

Episode Summary:

I am pleased to introduce today's guest Ines Hegedus Garcia, one of the original bloggers on Real Estate, based in Miami, originally from Venezuela.

In this episode, I sit with Ines, writer of the blog "Miamism," and we discuss her journey from Architecture to Real Estate, taking the reins of leadership to effect change one step at a time in the Real Estate Industry.

Top Takeaways:

"There's no place on earth like Miami."

- [Ines Garcia]

"Don't cut traditional methods. They work. The fact is that I found a niche outside those traditional methods."

- [Ines Garcia]

"The times when I focus more on my business, and not other people and helping, is when did the worst in Real Estate."

- [Ines Garcia]

"The only thing that I would tell you that most people are not willing to do is Consistency."

- [Ines Garcia]

"I could sit there and be the agent that would complain daily about what was going wrong in the industry, or I can get involved and try to change one little thing at a time."

- [Ines Garcia]

"Surround yourself with smart people, which is what it boils down to, and that's why I'm here today."

- [Ines Garcia]

"It's crucial to do well in this industry to identify what your strengths and weaknesses are, and not so much, so you know how to market yourself, but so you develop a passion and have fun at it."

- [Ines Garcia]

Episode Highlights:

[00:31] Intro

[01:30] Meet today's guest, Ines Hegedus Garcia.

[03:45] What do you feel is the biggest misconception about Miami?

[05:40] What are two things I can't miss when in Miami?

[09:41] Ines discusses her initial plans to study Architecture.

[13:15] How much time do you spend working your area in Real Life versus Online?

[14:45] Growing Miamism into a strong local brand

[18:00] Is it too late to start a Real Estate blog?

[22:51] What is it so important to you to be involved in giving back to the community?

[27:20] What's on your horizon going forward?

[29:17] advice to new Real Estate agents

[31:11] How to contact Ines

[32:02] Outro

Episode Notes:

Ines shares that the title of her blog, "Miamism," means the Miami way of Life, which describes the inspiration for starting the blog. Addressing one of the major misconceptions that Miami is a dangerous place, Ines explains that Miami is generally a lovely and safe place to live. However, like any other big city in the world, crimes may occur from time to time.

The most outstanding features in Miami include the beach, the beautiful buildings, the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), Wynwood. Ines notes how important it is to pay attention to the universe and be open to opportunities in front of us. She has always been creative and started studying architecture in college, which she wanted right from when she was young, but when the opportunity came to join Real Estate, she seized it. Ines narrates how she started in Real Estate, sharing that she worked as an architect when a relative asked for her help in managing a commercial property in Miami. This was how she started in Commercial Property Management. She then got her license to get commissions but realized Real Estate was a good fit when combined with her passion for architecture.

Ines' business's online aspect is the source of over 80% of her clients; this was hugely beneficial in the pandemic, also because she had learned over time to be comfortable dealing with people online. A pivotal aspect that contributed to the growth of "Miamism" was the sense of community. I discovered through my Mohijo reviews that giving love to other businesses was the secret sauce. It was about helping and promoting other companies to do well.

It's not too late to start a real estate blog. The style of writing is conversational, and as such, not much writing skill is needed. Consistency is critical for success in Real Estate and blogging, and this is where many people are lacking. The advent of Instagram didn't seem like a big deal because she already had a photoblog, so she joined Instagram much later. Nowadays, she uses Flickr as a very well-organized extensive Library.

Explaining why she decided to join leadership in Real Estate, Ines discloses that the industry had always had a bad reputation. Her goal was to try to change the bad things one at a time, and after joining the NAR, she started to get more leadership opportunities to influence issues. Ines recommends people get involved by going to their association, no matter how small they could begin to make a difference.

There is a loss of data control, as many companies make a lot of money from data from agents. Ines shares that this problem is the next move for Real Estate agents.

What one piece of advice would you give a new agent just getting started? It's rare to find someone that comes into the Real Estate world who doesn't have a past from another industry. It is crucial to identify your strengths and weaknesses to develop a passion and have fun at it. Lastly, creating a community around your passion for Real Estate can give you the winning combination.

Resources Mentioned:

Connect:

Find | THE REAL ESTATE SESSIONS

At Tresonline.com

Find | Bill Risser

At bill.risser@ratemyagent.com

On Twitter

On Facebook

On Youtube

Find | Ines Hegedus Garcia

At www.miamism.com

On Facebook