In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we sat down with Nora Aguirre, affiliated agent of CENTURY 21 Americana, to hear about her empathetic approach to success in Las Vegas real estate.
As of August 2023, Nora leads the No. 1 CENTURY 21® team by both AGC and Units in Nevada and The No.7 Relentless Team by both AGC & Units in the country. Over her years in the real estate industry, Nora has earned several accolades, including winning the 40 Under 40 annual award by the Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS® and the Young Professionals Network of Las Vegas in 2017 and 2019. She has also been named the 2024 President-Elect of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® (NAHREP®).
So, how is this first-generation immigrant from North Las Vegas making such an impact? A big part of it is, of course, hard work and passion. But Nora also credits her amazing mentor, Juan Martinez, and her deep understanding and connection to the Hispanic community.
KEY 1: LOS MENTORES SON INCREÍBLE
Back in 2008, Nora began working as a Sales Manager for Las Vegas real estate legend Juan Martinez. Juan, who would go on to serve as President of NAHREP in 2013, recognized Nora’s potential early and mentored her over the next 5 years. Nora learned how to run an office. How to mentor agents. How to improve conversion ratios and exceed goals. She learned the importance of teamwork, representation and nurturing clients. And perhaps most crucially, giving back to the community that provides you with opportunity. She learned that it feeds her soul — and the bottom line — to help both clients and fellow real estate agents lift themselves up to achieve their dreams.
Today, as a team and industry leader, Nora has made mentorship a standard practice of her business. She ensures every new agent is assigned a mentor and spends a few years learning within a team “to get a 360-degree view and see the bigger picture.” The difference is tangible. Daisy Garcia, one of Nora’s recent Latina recruits shared the impact this approach has made in her own business, “In just one month, I learned more than I had working solo for 2 years…With exposure to so many different scenarios, customers, what their needs are, and how things can be done.”
KEY 2: CONECTATE CON LA COMUNIDAD
Learning together also prepares new agents to address the unique needs of the Hispanic community. “Our Latino clients depend on us a lot”, said Nora, “to dig deeper into their family’s goals, and guide them through the options.” She shares some insights and practices from her clients’ journeys to find the right homes in today’s market:
- Entender la cultura: “To become the owner of your house is a big part of Latino culture.” Familia is a big factor, and Hispanic clients prefer working with agents who understand their specific needs, such as a “multi-generational home” and “a bigger backyard, because we tend to come together in these spaces.” Some first-time Hispanic homebuyers may even extend their search beyond city limits and combine two families into one home.
- Encuentra los socios adecuados: Nora says, “Now’s the time for agents to be really resourceful and align with the right mortgage lenders.” For clients who may lack a significant credit history, she recommends researching out-of-box financing options in your local market, such as rent-to-own, or contracts with options to purchase at no extra cost. A “starter home” condo, townhouse or manufactured housing can also enable first-time homebuyers to build equity.
- Hablar el idioma: Hispanic clients tend to already research financing options online. But “too much information can be confusing and discouraging.” Nora considers it a sign of trust when they look to a real estate agent to “put it all together” — from offering forms or contracts in Spanish, to confirming details like loan rates.
- Conexiones genuinas: Empathy and listening are both crucial to guiding customers patiently, from initial search to sale. In role-plays and scenarios with your mentors and team, you can craft your own rationale for buying a home in today’s market. Nora also recommends having hands-on practical conversations about how interest rates in the U.S. compare to those in their countries of origin, and “doing the math of being a renter versus a homeowner over several years.” Using valid points and comparisons, you can thus re-frame a tough reality in human terms.
- Confianza y confidencia: From a robust Spanish-language real estate website to forms and legal documents across multiple languages, Nora believes there’s no better real estate brand than the CENTURY 21® brand to support her in serving her community. “They know it’s a brand that’s been here for many years, so it puts them at ease and allows them to trust us.”
Nora is extremely proud to be an American while also celebrating her Hispanic heritage. We can all learn from her passion, patience and teamwork to nurture clients in our own markets and communities. As she says, “It’s great to meet customers again years later when they say, ‘I’m so glad you helped me understand my options and buy my first home. And here I am now, with enough equity to buy my second property’.” The CENTURY 21 brand is honored to have people like Nora, who foster such long-term connections with their teams, customers, and communities, as part of its network.