Today we’d like to introduce you to Marco Peralta.
Marco, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The most clear memories we have of our childhood are of a single working mom that we could barely spend time with, being bullied for not having a father and a lot of scarcity. We are not saying we didn’t have a good childhood but it certainly wasn’t easy for us to feel that we were alone against the world.
We were born in a mid-size city in Mexico where the standards of being a respectable person come from fitting the mold that religion and society dictate as “the norm”. Well, my brother and I never fit any template except feeling like we were a template of each other. Being an identical twin wasn’t easy either, the constant competition to define our individuality was the hardest thing we ever had to overcome.
At the age of 19 years old, we decided to take our lives to a completely different environment so we came to the United States; Memphis, Tennessee to be specific. It all changed from that moment on, we were challenged to adapt to a new system, new language, new ways of living and thinking. It almost felt like we were Aliens on a new planet that didn’t welcome our kind. However, that feeling of being secluded for the most part allowed us to grow and expand our views and we quickly integrated ourselves into every aspect of our new life.
A year after being in the country, we had enrolled in the University, learned the language and had created good credit. Before we graduated we were hired by the biggest lending institution in the country at the time and became financial consultants for their mortgage department. It took us about a year to master the business and by the time we were 26 both my brother and I were earning over $150K a year each. We were the only bilingual consultants in the state of Tennessee so if you were a Hispanic and needed a loan; we were your guys. At 27, we have become the top producers of Wells Fargo Bank nationwide selling their Emerging Market National Program Mortgage Loan that we helped structured.
We remember that people at the bank used to say “the only reason why they are successful is because they speak Spanish”. It’s funny because we never saw that as an advantage, in fact speaking Spanish, looking Latin and having an accent it was for the most part what always got it in trouble.
Two young Mexican boys driving exotic cars, living in a big home and spending money wasn’t “the Norm” 20 years ago. We would always be asked if we sold drugs or if we were pimps. A few times people asked us to let them in whatever we did; assuming we were drug dealers. We constantly got pulled over by the cops because they thought we had stolen the cars we drove. Simply walking into a Starbucks would freak people out; once the cashier thought I was going to rob the store because of the way I looked. We always felt that our appearance was a reason to be labeled as something we were not.
At some point, we had it and again we made the biggest decision to leave everything; to let go of the good to go for the great, so we moved to Miami. Now, moving to Miami wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be. Everyone here speaks Spanish so in a way, we were not that special. For the first time, we didn’t have a job and the money had run out. We were young and the money we had made we had spent it so by the time we came to Floria we had almost nothing.
Has it been a smooth road?
The ride is never smooth, the ride is meant to be bumpy and have its up and downs. This is the beauty about the ride and why we are here because it’s fun and we get to experience all these craziness. What would be the point of getting into a ride that it’s all smooth and going on a straight line, where is the fun in that?
As for the struggles, they come from your inability to give your best and not from the people or the industry you are in. Most times people blame the economy, the government and even “viruses” for the way they do in life. In a way, people’s struggles come from feeling victimized by outside sources; but once you take responsibility that you are 100% responsible for 100% of your reality then you experience a shift. All of the sudden you take your power back and start to realize who you really are and that no one can define your destiny except you.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Peralta Brothers – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
We have been in the real estate industry for the past 20 years now. We are always creating new ways to innovate this industry and the way things are done. In 2015 we created a web application called pandaidx.com. PANDA is an acronym for “Property Access N’ Detailed Analysis”. PANDA allows for real-time property searches from your mobile device and desktop, it’s a powerful system that provides real estate professionals to have all tools that are essential to immediately access all inventory from the palm of their hands (Sales, Rents, New Developments & Off Market listings).
Real Estate websites are either expensive and beautiful or cheap and ugly. When we created PANDA, we did it with the intention to be both beautiful and accessible to all realtors in South Florida. So if an agent does not have a website, all they have to do is go to pandaidx.com and register. Within minutes they will have a full turnkey website with all capabilities that a very expensive website will offer.
This is what separates us from other companies, we care to offer value to your business rather than a just a website that has your picture on it. We are known for our great design and how we can create an impeccable image for our realtor clients. Most of the people we work with are new in the business and after we are done with their setup that includes (Website, Logo Design, Name Branding & Professional Photography), they look like a million-dollar agent. Perception is everything and that is our goal; that no matter how long you have been in the business, you are perceived as a professional.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Miami is like a country of its own, it is a very competitive city so if you are not willing to earn your place here, you would not last for too long. When I say “earn your place” I mean to prove that you have what it takes to stand out from other people that do the same thing you do. Miami is not an easy place to stand out unless you do things differently, this is the place where you prove to yourself who you truly are and what you are made of.
What are your plans for the future? What are you looking forward to or planning for – any big changes?
For us the future is not a priority, we are focused on what we are doing now. It is now that we are making changes in all aspects of our business. Because of this “sudden” pandemic we had to adjust to change and we did it without feeling victims of the situation. For us this was an opportunity to do things differently and are now offering more webinars and things that before were not a big part of the way we did things.
People are constantly thinking about the future and honestly that is the least of our concerns. We live the moment fully and know that the “future” will take care of itself. That does not mean we don’t have goals; it only means that we develop the future by being and living the present moment. We integrate more than new technologies in our business, we integrate meditation, exercise, a healthy diet and positive thinking. These aspects are as important for your business as your business itself. Growth and advancement are only found in balance so for us in order to feel successful goes beyond finances. If you feel good (physically and mentally); eat right and take care of your spiritual essence, I promise you “you’ll never have a bad day” and your business will flourish in ways you cannot imagine.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3000 NO 190t ST.
Suite 204
Aventura, FL 33180 - Website: pandaidx.com
- Phone: 3059882774
- Email: marco@pandaidx.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_peralta_brothers/
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