Today we’d like to introduce you to Paulina Hurtado.
Hi Paulina, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador. My family migrated to the US when I was 18 years old. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a vision of starting my own business and becoming an entrepreneur. My career originally started in banking. After some time as a banker, I began exploring the idea of getting my mortgage license. However, during that time, my dad had persisted and convinced me to explore the real estate side of the industry as well – and thank God for him and his relentless ways. Without him, I don’t know where I would be today.
In 2010, and in the midst of an economic collapse, I was opening up my real estate brokerage. Many people expressed their concerns of taking on this business at that challenging time, but I knew it was the perfect opportunity to build on. I worked tirelessly and found my niche in Short Sales. Being able to educate and help homeowners understand the benefits of selling to avoid a foreclosure was one of the most rewarding aspects of the job for me in those times. Most of those clients are financially secure today and are extremely grateful for my work with them. Many of them have become great friends and long term clients purchasing multiple properties with me throughout the years since the Great Recession of ’08.
I’ve always been keen on helping others. It’s actually one of my biggest passions and has really transformed into a mission for me with my company. I’d love nothing more than to help people become financially independent through real estate. This stems from my own experience. I was determined not to live paycheck to paycheck. Establishing that security was a huge priority; so, at the age of 18, I purchased my first property. Now, I focus on helping others realize the same financial security by buying, investing, and selling real estate.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Opening up a business in the middle of a market slowdown was certainly not the only challenge I had to overcome. I’m a young, Hispanic woman working a male-dominated industry. It was hard getting people to take me seriously under these circumstances – especially when dealing with one of the biggest, if not the biggest, asset of their lives.
Nonetheless, I didn’t allow any of that to stop me.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Spending the better part of a decade on expanding my business as an independent brokerage, I have nurtured and led a successful group of over 40 REALTORS® who believe in me and my company vision. My company and my agents are my biggest professional accomplishment yet.
Something I practice that has helped me become such a resilient leader is allowing myself 24 hours to process any setbacks. It’s what I jokingly refer to as a “24-hour funeral.” Real estate is a tough business; and I know to be successful, you have to dust yourself off and get back out there.
I’m not a leader only with my own agents, but to those in the Hispanic community and across the real estate industry. I began volunteering with Latinas Power in 2017, which aims to empower 100 Latina women to take their business to the next level. Through this organization, I formed a close bond and friendship with another leader who declared that I would soon become a board member for the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) Fort Lauderdale chapter. Nevermind the fact that my first meeting was a week after giving birth, I only had one dress that fit, and by the time I got to the meeting, that dress had stains on it.
Getting involved with NAHREP had one of the biggest impacts in my career. I was the membership director in 2018 and 2019. When I started, our chapter was in the hole financially and had 0 members. By the time my term was up, we had a positive balance and nearly 300 members.
That experience opened the door for other opportunities. I got involved with the Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors® association, where I applied to become a 2020 board of director. I recall going to the interview and my mind drawing a blank. Feeling heartbroken and defeated, I called one of my fellow agents to vent but was instead given the confidence I needed to return for a second shot at the interview and to properly vocalize my past accomplishments with NAHREP. This allowed me to adequately explain why they should accept me onto their board; and well, it worked!
How do you think about happiness?
Being the owner of CENTURY 21 Global Connections Realty, as well as helping others become financially independent and to leave a legacy for my daughters.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://c21gcr.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Century21GCR/#
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Century21GCR
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Century21GCR
- Twitter: https://x.com/Century21GCR
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Century21GCR
