Welcome to another episode of our serious SLG meetups by Super Luxury Group, where we connect with some of the most interesting players in the luxury market. My name is Avaro and today we'll be having with us a very special guest. Her name is Mariana Nero and she is the Executive Director of Luxury Sales at Douglas Elemand, becoming top 2% producer, country-wide, with over $110 million in sales in Florida. Mariana will be talking about her unique background and how she became a successful real estate agent coming all the way from Brazil.
She also shares with us the latest trends on Miami's market and gives us a tour on one of the most iconic properties in Hibiscus Island, with a value over $25 million. Great conversation and insights on Mariana's personal and professional life and how she turned her dream lifestyle into reality. I hope you enjoy it. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another SLG meetup.
We are here today at Hibiscus Island with Mariana Nero, real estate superstar here in Miami, working for Douglas Elemand as one of the top producers. She was ranked 2% top producer for the company in the whole country, with over $100 million worth of real estate sold. And today we're sitting here in this incredible property, so thank you for having us today. Thank you.
It's an honor to be here and to have this interview. That's a little bit about you and how did you transform yourself into such a successful real estate agent here in Miami. Okay. Well, to start, I think that what counts a lot is my background.
I come from 15 years in the financial market. I think that that makes a difference as a realtor. Once you talk to a client, you talk to also another level. It's not only the emotional side of it, because everybody wants to buy a beautiful house, a beautiful apartment.
But what makes, in my opinion, what makes them really buy purchase is to make a good deal. Everybody wants to see the numbers. You know, that they're buying well, you know. Also I say a real estate is an asset that is not so liquid.
It's not like a stock that you just put out there and yourself. So you really need to know where you're buying. And if you have a good realtor, because most of the people that I work with, they're from Brazil or from outside. So they don't know really the areas in Miami.
And it can be really tricky. Miami, we call everything Miami, but each area has a completely different lifestyle. So it's really important to have a good realtor. They're really screens, the family, the purchase, the buyer, and help you to achieve the goal to get like exactly what they're looking for.
Amazing. And where are we exactly today? We are in Creme de la Creme for Miami. You know, this is a private, I mean, it's a very exclusive island.
It's a gated island. In the middle, very well located, you're like only five minutes away from south of Fiff, where you have the best restaurants and you have the beach. You are five minutes away from Breco, downtown, design district, Windwood. So it's, and at the same time, you're very private.
Oh, besides that, I wanted to tell you, you come from obviously different countries, big Portuguese. So tell us a little bit about your background and how has that helped you, you know, narrow down into this niche audience? Okay. I think Brazilians, I realize they like to do business with Brazilians.
I would say maybe Colombia, Colombia, you know, but especially Brazilians, they like to do business with Brazilians. Also because I know the culture, I know their taste, I know if they're going to like something or not. So it makes it easier and also the communication. So I mean, too, once you're going to buy your property, it's completely different.
The steps to purchase a property in Miami, United States versus in Brazil. So I need to educate them since step one, two, three, how it works. And so it's very important to speak the language. They feel more comfortable.
Exactly. So where do you see the highest demand coming from right now? Now definitely, well, at the beginning of the COVID, the pandemic, definitely from New York. A lot of people from New York, Boston, from the north of the country.
Now it's all over, but we have a lot coming from California, a lace on Francisco area in Chicago. You know, right now with the pandemic and obviously it's been a rough 2020, but for us, luckily here in Miami, we've seen higher demand than usual, but also for the business itself, I'm sure that it's been a lot of adjustments. So what are some of the areas that you and your team have been adjusting? Definitely, I tell, like we need to be, we need it to be very creative and to learn how to do videos because we sold a lot of properties only by videos.
So these skills, you know, like to film the properties, you can not go, you couldn't go so fast, so edit, put it in the Instagram. My Instagram is practically new. I never posted so much. Now I'm posting a lot because that's the only way my clients in Brazil can see the properties.
So these, what else, the masks, the distance, I mean, it's not easy. But as you said, the demand is so high, we haven't stopped. I think real estate was one of the few industries that since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been out there selling something and not only real estate in Florida, I say like I'm very blessed because it's not only the industry, but the state because if you're a realtor in New York, it's not the same. Any other state is not the same.
Florida, it's everybody's on the ice. I say in the eyes of everybody and everybody's like wants to get to know more about Miami, you know? That's true. And it's funny because as I was walking in here today, you were telling me, oh my God, I just got off the phone, I was doing a FaceTime and you know, Zoom call with one of the clients that cannot come.
So it is really happening. And we need to take advantage of the technology that is giving us to us today. Now, another thing that I would like to touch face because we were talking about social media, you know, we're doing some of these interviews here, then we can showcase it on all these platforms. So the way that you expose yourself to larger audience, it has never been so easy and accessible, right?
So how important is it for you? Because I will bring something into the conversation which is very incredible about the magazine, but before we jump into it, how has it been for you, the transition of traditional marketing to now more digital? Okay. It's, I think it's challenging, but I realized, this is a very curious question.
Because I started having like an Instagram professional and a personal. And I realized that the people wants to see the personal. They want to know Mariana Niro, they want to see not only my properties, my work, but they want to see a little bit, they want to know a little bit about me, maybe because of the trust that they are, once they, once you hire a real estate agent, I mean, it's like a doctor. You're like trusting, it's like a financial advisor.
And that's why it's very important to make them feel comfortable with the language, with the numbers, with you that you are honestly giving your best advice, you know? And so I had to get rid of the professional Instagram and it's only the personal. So I share some of my hobbies, some of my family or, you know, my personal life. I think that, you know, this industry has become really interesting because it's basically a combination of your personal and professional life, you turn it into your lifestyle.
So people want to see that lifestyle. They want to really trust the person that is behind your name. You know, they just don't want to see what you do for real estate, but what's, you know, how you. So I have here a really cool magazine in Miami with Mariana Niro.
So about this magazine, I was very impressed because one of the things that we do here in Superlaxxry Group is we connect with some of the most interesting brands in the luxury lifestyle and also with the predominant CEOs and owners of these companies. And you've done it in a very interesting way because you've been doing that and combining those stories into this magazine. So tell us a little bit about it. Okay.
The magazine is, it has the same concept as your Instagram. That's why I really was very honored and a lot of the idea of this interview because I believe it's like, it's a way of everybody helping each other. So we don't compete. It's like everybody that don't compete that works with this luxury clientele.
If you sell helicopters, cars, yacht, jewelry, anything that is luxury or service is not only products, we can work together. So let's help this client that maybe is my client that needs your yacht or maybe is your client that needs to buy a house. So if we do this cross selling of this mailing, everybody, it's good for everyone. That's really the concept behind what we're doing.
And I love it because this is that synergy. You know, we're, we were discussing about how to really enhance the open house, how to build a better experience for the customer. Something that it will be remembered. You know, it's not just coming into a property and see a beautiful home, but what is really offered, you know, what's the experience behind and how you can bring so many brands together where everybody wins.
Yeah. You know, it's not a competition. I won't give you a new brand towards a really high end clientele. There's different ways of synergy and collaboration.
And now with what we have with technology and all this social media platform, the moment that your brand is exposed in someone else's platform, and vice versa, everybody's winning. You know, so I really like this concept. Obviously we're trying to leverage it even more with the digital, you know, platforms that we have, but this is great. So I definitely look forward to working on some of the opportunities that exist by collaborating.
Yeah. But before we jump into more the feature story of this amazing property, I would like to ask you something more personal, you know, because there is something really important about who you are and how you present yourself and you are always so happy, so positive. And this is something that when you talk to people and you have specially clients coming in to see your properties, it's so important, you know, and they feel it and your passion. So what have you done?
What are some of your routines in the morning that keeps you going? Oh, no, the morning is like my day is crazy. I think for every realtor, we don't know until one night before, I mean, I can say tomorrow I haven't, okay, day, I don't have any showings. One night before phone calls, you were here and we got, we got a show we request for today.
I mean, we cannot go. So it's very crazy. People don't have any idea. But many times I think imagine if we were doing like a life, like, you know, showing my day, I don't have lunch.
We don't have time for lunch. We don't have time for anything. It's just like, go, go, go, go, go. But about the personality that you said, this is me.
I've been always like that. And I think that this is important because I don't pretend. I don't fake it. And again, the client is going to buy with somebody that he feels comfortable.
So forget about the commission. Forget about everything. Think long term. Think like, how can I assist the client and it's going to come?
If he doesn't buy this, he's going to buy another one, but he's going to be your client forever. And another thing, I don't treat client as a client. They become friends. It's a family that you're building.
It's a relationship building. So I'm very informal. I respect everybody, of course. There's always a lot of respect, but it's very informal.
I'm a playful person. As you know, so I'm always like, easy. Again, you have to feel when the client gives you the opportunity and the open is to play or not. But my younger is like this.
And I think I get the client like that. Like their trust, like that. Beautiful. I love that.
And you know, you were telling me before something about your background and you overcame some of some difficult challenges, you know? So those are the things that sometimes when the audience hears it. It's like very inspirational, you know, because we all have gone through difficult times. Like now with pandemic everybody, you know, it's been put to the ground and we have to lift ourselves up.
But seeing you overcoming some of the challenges and become the successful real estate agent that you are today is an amazing thing and especially doing it by collaborating and keeping that positive because this industry is very competitive. Yes. And to maintain that mindset of wanting to collaborate and work with others, it's always a blessing. So that's definitely a great thing.
I don't know if you have any takeaways or recommendations for any aspiring real estate agents or any clients that are listening. What will it be? Ah, to keep trying again is like we receive a lot of news. It's not only what we post Instagram is always like just told.
We don't post just lost it. Just lost the deal. We just don't have that. But we have.
It happens. But you have to keep trying and talking and do the follow-ups, you know, because clients, they like to see that you're really into it, that you really want to work their property or that you know that they want to purchase. Maybe it's not now the moment, but you have them there. And what I tell all my people that work with me is our networking is everything.
So you need to prepare your database, your clients, your friends, your friends from high school, your friends from university. And everybody needs to know that you work with real estate in Miami. Eventually they're going to think of you to buy or they're going to think about somebody to refer to you. And if you do and they want another thing that I think the most important is this.
Don't do only your job. Go beyond, you know, because real estate, you could do this. And you really only get the clients if you do, for example, most of my clients are foreigners. I receive furniture for them, anything I pay bills for them.
I help them to open accounts and banks, anything they need, anything they need. So high schools now, they have recommendations. So if you really help them, you're going to have them forever. As you said, building a relationship that is going to be long term.
So now this is great. I think that's the direction. Obviously we're hearing it from somebody that obviously have made it. So very, very thankful for the opportunity to be sitting down here with you today.
Well, I will put on the comments and everything about Mariana. So make sure that you follow her and ask her if you have any questions, especially about this beautiful property that we're going to go see in a minute. And also this great magazine, which, you know, I'll put also some details in there. But I'm very excited about how we can take this magazine even further.
So thank you again, Mariana. It was a pleasure. Let's go see this amazing property. Let's go.
Let's do it. Thank you guys. And thanks again for everybody tuning in today. We hope you enjoyed it.
I remember Embrace it's beautiful success in life. My name is Alvaro and I'll see you next time.