As a child growing up in the Philippines, I remember living in different houses - some had dirt floors and some were so tiny our living room became a bedroom at night. Eventually they saved and bought a house. And later, they became landlords and owned rental properties. My dad is a “Man of Principles”. One of his principles, that I will never forget is “It’s okay if you’re born poor but it’s not
okay if you die poor” and he proved that to me. He’s my inspiration and I respect both of my parents’ hard work. They sacrificed and worked hard to get our first home and support four kids through University as they only finished High School and they want to make sure we have better education. I was the first in my family to attend university where I got degrees in BS in Management and Accountancy. But I never worked as an Accountant, as I discovered my true passion is people: listening to their stories and understanding their points of view. I discovered sales and loved it. I worked with Nissan where I started as a Sales Agent and then became Sales and Marketing Manager handling 2 Nissan Dealerships. After that I worked with Megaworld Corporation which is the biggest property developer in the Philippines as a Property Consultant which I found more fulfilling. I moved to New Zealand in 2007, and as a new immigrant it was hard for me to find a job, not having experience locally. I was desperate, so I applied for everything and ended up in a café as a barista and soon I was managing cafes. Not knowing anything about coffee I learned to love what I did and be passionate about it. My Dad said this to me once “Be the best at whatever you do”. The Hospitality Industry, taught me that people come to a café not only because of good food or good coffee but because of good service and a caring attitude. Now, stepping back into real estate, I made sure that I chose a company that is well respected for giving the best service, not only to their customers, but to their community - and that’s Harcourts Cooper & Co. I have so much respect for homeowners and to those who are looking to buy their first home, as I saw how my parents sacrificed and worked hard to get our first home. People deserve respect and the best service possible. That’s what I provide and I love it.
