A group of rising young REALTORS® is taking advantage of renewed optimism in housing and commercial real estate markets to champion their client’s buying, selling and investing goals and advance their real estate careers. This year’s REALTOR® Magazine “30 Under 30” honorees are hardworking young professionals who understand the importance of building strong customer and community relationships.
“I am consistently amazed by the skills, accomplishments and ingenuity of the “30 Under 30″ honorees,” says National Association of REALTORS® President Steve Brown.
“What impresses me most about this year’s class is their commitment to making a difference in the lives of others. They demonstrate a passion for helping people achieve homeownership and a dedication to NAR’s core values of honesty, professionalism and integrity. I am excited to see what new and innovative ideas they will bring to the industry.”
The 2014 “30 Under 30” honorees, who are featured in the May/June issue of REALTOR® Magazine, are a mix of  broker-owners/managers and salespeople, representing all sectors of the market from commercial real estate to rental property management. They work in a variety of specialties and niches across the U.S., and for the first time also in Canada. Several honorees come from real estate families and always knew they would become REALTORS®, while others were advancing on a different career path when they were called to real estate.
No matter their background or experience level, all of this year’s honorees are passionate about helping their clients and the industry. Honoree Ivan Estrada, a salesperson in Los Angles began working in real estate after realizing he was unfulfilled in his career as an accountant. “I never felt like I was making a difference in my community,” says Estrada. “My skills were not being focused toward something meaningful.”
He began his real estate career in 2010 and one month later, after he closed his first deal, Estrada knew he had found his dream job. “When I handed those keys to my first-time buyer, the first thing I noticed were the tears that filled her eyes. At that instant, I was so overcome with emotion and completely humbled by the whole experience, and I knew that this was my calling,” says Estrada.
A common trait among this year’s “30 Under 30” class is pride in volunteering in their community. Brett Henry, with Simple Choice Real Estate in Orem, Utah, is a volunteer with Utah County Search and Rescue and has completed more than 100 missions helping fire and police departments to help find missing persons or rescue those in distress.
“Helping people is a big deal to me, whether I’m saving them from a short sale or helping them down a mountain,” says Henry. He has also been known to save his clients from buying more house than they can afford. “The best piece of advice from my dad, who has sold real estate for over 40 years, was to put your clients first and your commission second.”
REALTOS®Magazine readers had the opportunity to vote for their favorite “30 Under 30” honoree in the Web Choice competition in late March. This year’s winner, Ginger Vereen, a salesperson in Raleigh, N.C., received 3,014 votes. Vereen secured her win using some
savvy marketing efforts; she planned and implemented a weeklong e-mail, social media and video campaign to clients and friends to ask for their votes.
“The videos and e-mails created were both humorous and sincere, meant to inform everyone just how much I appreciate them and also to thank my clients, friends, contacts, and coworkers for their recognition of my work.” Vereen says. “The fact that people took time out of their busy schedules to vote for me is humbling and extremely overwhelming. I am graced, fortunate, and privileged to have received this amount of support.”
This year marks the 14th anniversary of RealtorR Magazine’s “30 Under 30” program. Over the years, 450 rising young stars have been recognized for their commitment and dedication to the real estate industry. In addition to the excerpts in the May/June issue of REALTOR® Magazine, full profiles on each of the “30 Under 30” honorees can be found at www.realtormag.realtor.org/30-under-30.