Today we’d like to introduce you to Omar Morales
Hi Omar, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born in San Pedro Sula, Honduras to teenage parents who did not graduate high school. They are the best teachers life has given me. They made the entrepreneurial decision to leave their comfort zone and move to Miami with two kids for better opportunities and a better upbringing for my brother and i.
I moved to Miami when i was 10 years old. As I was applying for colleges, my father got cancer and so i denied the opportunities i had out of state to stay in Miami close to my father and family—staying in Miami turned out to be the best thing that couldve happened to me.
I was the first in my family to graduate college and i was fortunate to stumble upon an internship at a hedge fund in Miami when i was a senior in college at Florida International University.
This internship changed my life and set my ambitions higher than ever before.
I went from working at the hedge fund to then getting a full time job as an investment analyst at a real estate private equity firm that invested in multifamily properties. Then i transitioned to the brokering side of the real estate business to instead start selling the multifamily properties that the private equity firm taught me to understand.
I’ve been brokering land and multifamily properties in South Florida now for 7 years. I have sold over $3 billion dollars-worth of properties and I find great joy in meeting people and helping them buy and invest in South Florida.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As I mentioned, my father had cancer as I was deciding whether to stay or leave for college. I decided to stay to be closer to him during that difficult time. In hindsight, staying in Miami is one of the best things I could’ve ever done for both my personal and professional life. My father is healthy now and I have been able to grow my career without sacrificing weekends with the family.
Another obstacle i had was breaking into the real estate private equity world. Despite having an internship at a hedge fund, there weren’t many private equity firms in Miami at the time (2016) that were hiring. If they were hiring, they would typically hire ivy league school graduates with experience as investment bankers in New York.
I spent 6 months calling and emailing every firm and person I would read about in The Real Deal. I would ask everyone out for coffee or a quick 15-minute phone call. Most importantly, I took everyone’s advice seriously and followed up weeks later to tell them I read the book they recommended or met the person they suggested I reach out to. Following up is key. There is someone you can be following up with right now that can supercharge your life.
Ultimately, I landed an interview at a real estate private equity firm that wasn’t even looking to hire. When they finally told me that they loved my enthusiasm and persistency but that they unfortunately weren’t looking to hire anyone at the time, I pointed at an empty desk on the way out of their office and told them I would work there for free and prove that I could add value to the organization if they just gave me a shot.
The CEO loved the approach and gave me a desk. A few weeks later they gave me a salary and the rest is history! Breaking into real estate private equity was hard without the necessary background but if you want something enough, you will find a way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I sell land and multifamily properties across South Florida. I am a broker at a company called Berkadia. If you can picture someone selling a $500,000 home, I do the same but for $100,000,000 dollar investment properties. Winning listings and marketing the investments can get a lot more complicated but the fundamentals are the same: work hard, be responsive, and go the extra mile for your clients. Our largest deal was for $355,000,000 and our smallest has been for $4,100,000.
What sets me apart is my social media presence. I get over 5 million impressions a month across platforms talking about real estate in South Florida. My instagram and twitter handle is @omarmora1es .
Typically brokers in my shoes doing 100 million dollar deals tend to be more corporate and “by the book.” I instead have leaned into social media to market myself and my team to help grow our business and to get the properties we are selling in front of more potential buyers.
We once sold a property for $108 million dollars to an investor that DM’d me on Twitter, for example. His name is Max Sharkansky and we actually just recorded a podcast episode together where we talked about this deal coming together. My podcast is called Real Estate Dealmakers.
Follow me on instagram at @omarmora1es and say hi!
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I think AI is going to play a much bigger role more quickly than people expect. Brokers are going to lean on AI agents to help drive sales and white collar professionals like legal teams are going to lean into AI to work more effectively.
At the property level i think you’re going to start seeing much more hospitality-like services across asset classes. You’re already seeing it in condos as they get more and more amenities and you’re going to start seeing it in offices next in order to get people back and motivated to go to work. We’re going to start seeing office buildings that are more similar to hotels and a zen-like experience.
Lastly, I think modular construction is going to take off. Construction technology is going to allow homes to be built faster and more feasibly than ever before.
Pricing:
- If you own land or a multifamily property, we will analyze the deal and send you a Broker Opinion of Value for free!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omarmora1es
- Twitter: https://x.com/omarmora1es
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OmarMora1es
