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The Realtor
By Tina Griego
I jumped into real estate at the worst possible time in Denver -- in the mid-'80s. Almost every block had a blue foreclosure sign on it. It was little harder for me, because there were few Hispanic, female brokers. The market was very tough. Everyone was scraping for a small piece of the pie. There wasn't a lot of support from other Realtors for someone new. I focused on Northwest Denver because I grew up there. I obviously focused on the Hispanic community, and then it just expanded. As Hispanics became more affluent, they obviously started to purchase in other areas. You know, we lived all over. So after that, I never really focused in one geographical area, which a lot of Realtors do. My clients go from first-time and low-income buyers to this: I just sold a $2.4-million condo. I'm listing a $1.7-million house. I do well. In the RE/MAX system I am on the top producer list, and I have always been since I've been with them. That doesn't say anything other than I think I'm a good Realtor. And I don't see it in terms of what the commission brings and whatever. You don't have to walk around with the dollar signs in your eyes. To me it's really about serving people, and if you do it in the right way, you never have to worry about commissions. It's the image that most people get confused. They're assuming that you're a Realtor, you drive a Mercedes and you live in Cherry Hills. I think I could afford to live anyplace in Denver I want, but I choose to live in Northwest Denver. This is really a community. I really admire people who do this with families because, you know, you really have to have a balance. My family is real supportive. My mom and dad sometimes call to make an appointment. You know, they just miss me sometimes, and they know I'm really busy. It's not unusual for me to get 27 invitations for Christmas. Now, they're from title companies, insurance companies, inspectors, friends. I try to meet as many people as possible wherever I go. Maybe they don't have a real estate need, and maybe they never will, but I think people feel more comfortable calling somebody they know rather than just taking a name out of a phone book or off a notepad. I don't send out free calendars. I don't send out magnets. I don't do any of that stuff. I just think people do business with people. This job enables you to take whatever pace you want. There are women in my office who made three-quarters of a million dollars last year. Well, there's no real formula to it. They just work 20 hours a day. If you are willing to sacrifice, I don't think it's any kind of magic technique about making money. It's just how much you want to work. I think I have found a comfortable balance. My parents didn't have a lot of choices when they grew up. The best they could hope for was that I got a government job or a job in a bank, and then you were there 30 years because that's what they did. I think women, particularly Hispanic women, we have choices our mothers never had. So we need to be wise about those choices, but we also need to be grateful that we have them. July 25, 1999
Colorado Millennium 2000
is a yearlong project by the Denver
Rocky Mountain News, NEWS4
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