Today we’d like to introduce you to Ivonne Martinez.
Hi Ivonne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am originally from Colombia. I came for a summer vacation and I fell in love with Miami so when I returned to my country, I informed my father that Miami is where I was going to study once I finished High School.
My father is an attorney in Colombia and my mother worked for an American petroleum company so I was raised by two career-oriented individuals who see education as a priority.
I finished High School, and I came to live with my aunt in Miami. I started at a local college but soon met someone and got married. At the time, I was so young and naïve that I could never have imagined the aftermath of such a decision. I suffered domestic violence and a lot of abuse. For a while, I did not know what to do; then my son was born and that became the catalyst in my decision to end such an abusive cycle.
Having moved past that traumatic experience, I went back to school as a young single mom. For the most part, while going to school, I held a full-time and part-time job(s) at night or weekends to be able to take care of my son and to make ends meet. Eventually things starting to pay off. This is where I began escalating professionally into the corporate world.
I was able to finish a master’s degree at the University of Miami. I became the youngest Director while being a Hispanic woman for a capital firm from New York which started doing Real Estate Developments here in Florida.
I soon realized that while I had a great salary and a respected title, which is what one usually looks to achieve in a corporate career, achieving this came with a cost; there were long work hours and it started affecting my son’s performance at school, while I was climbing the corporate ladder, I was sacrificing my life outside of work.
In 2012, I decided to get my real estate license in order to have more freedom and be present for my son. Little did I know a whole different world was about to be revealed to me. In 2015, I obtained my real estate broker license and I currently own PropertyDeco, a real estate company.
I specialize in commercial real estate with emphasis in small businesses and investors. My past experience as a financial analyst, and later with large real estate developers in South Florida, helped me to gain the experience in handling complex real estate transactions from pre-construction, conversion developments and commercial projects.
I love seeing businesses thrive and obtaining the right assets for my investor’s portfolios.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been neither easy nor smooth at all. From being a single mom for years, working a full-time job while getting an education and raising my son, nothing was easy. I think what kept me going was the love for education. I love to learn and I wanted a successful career, those were always my focus. I sacrificed a lot to finish my schooling. I implemented a date night with my son to compensate for me not being with him as much as I wanted to. Many times we would go to the movies, and I would fall asleep as well. I believe that good things in life require sacrifice and being able to adjust and look at things from a different perspective help in those moments in which you feel like it is too much to handle. I also believe that the focus should always be on long-term goals and not instant gratification.
We’ve been impressed with PropertyDeco, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
PropertyDeco is a thriving real estate firm in South Florida. I think what sets me apart from others is my experience when it comes to real estate and finance. I am not your regular realtor who will simply show you a space for a business, present you with a multifamily project without doing my due diligence first. I analyze what works best for my clients. This includes assessing the type of business, the size of the enterprise as well as analyzing the cap rate for investors. I put my brain to work long before I present deals to the clients. I want the clients to feel that they are my priority. I believe in quality over quantity, and my clients always return for consulting and/or assistance with new businesses.
My sales team is more residential oriented and is well-educated in the industry. I want people to know my brand as professionals who are extremely knowledgeable and experts in the industry, and not just another agent looking for a paycheck.
What matters most to you? Why?
Family would have to be what matters the most especially after everything I have gone through. My son is a young adult who is starting to make his way professionally. I try to live my life as ethically as possible. I want people to see me as someone who strives for excellence, is honest and trustworthy and holds personal values as being of the utmost importance.
Pricing:
- Consulting Fees start at $350/hour but we have packages as well.
- Processing Fees per transaction run between $350-$495
Contact Info:
- Website: www.propertydeco.com
- Instagram: @propertydeco
- Facebook: @onsitecommercialre
