Today we’d like to introduce you to Steeven Alvarez.
Hi Steeven, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I am a first-generation American. My parents came from Guatemala to provide a better life for my siblings and me. My parents struggled and did their absolute best to give us the best life that they could. Like most of us know, there is no guidebook to parenting, you kinda just learn as you go. That was my parent’s journey. They took all that they learned from moving into this new country and instilled it in us.
We were taught that we had to go to school and get a good job and start a family and buy a home and that was “The American Dream”. As I grew up, I always had a desire to want more. I was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, and moved to Layton, Utah when I was 12 years old. It was definitely a culture shock. I grew up watching kids living in huge houses, going on vacations, and always having the latest and greatest.
We lived in apartments most of my childhood until my parents were finally able to purchase their own homes. That’s where I got the taste of real estate at 14 years old. As I started growing up and asking questions and seeing what others did I quickly realized college wasn’t for me and I started on my own journey trying to find out my purpose. I started to learn how to budget and save money and work on my credit among other things.
And at the age of 22, I bought my first home. I had no idea how or what I got myself into, but I was proud of myself. 2 years later I decided to sell my first home to move closer to my family and friends. I called my old realtor, sold the home and that was it. I realized during that transaction that I had no idea how real estate worked and the different options that I had as a young 24-year-old within a fast-growing market.
Because of the lack of education I had and wasn’t given I decided to get my real estate license and decided to immerse myself. I got my Real Estate license in 2016 and from that point forward I vowed to myself that I would help any buyer/seller and thoroughly teach them and show them all the options they had. My job is to help people create a real estate portfolio and build wealth.
That mentality has paid off, I have been able to partner up with my business partner and great friend Jairo Gomez and we have taken on the task of building other agents to provide the same level of service. We do everything from residential, to commercial/multi-family.
Through our efforts and tenacity to win and want more out of life, we have been able to accomplish great things in this competitive market.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road.
The real estate world is a very tight-knit market. I compare it to high school in a way where everyone has their groups and some do not like outsiders to come in and change things up. As a Hispanic male in a field where there aren’t many of us, it can be difficult because people do look at you differently because of the color of your skin.
I’ve been asked numerous times at different showings “If I really am the agent?” or get watched to see if I am an agent who has access to key boxes to show homes and until they see me access it and they leave. It’s a profession where you have to be mentally strong and confident in yourself and in how you run a business.
Before I would take the approach of not saying anything about these experiences to not make others uncomfortable, but I realized that in turn, I was choosing to let myself be uncomfortable. Growth and education do not come from silence so now I’m vocal about change and awareness.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We have our own Real Estate team, The DreamChasers Real Estate Group, brokered by Refined Real Estate. We specialize in buying, selling, investing, & property management.
We have all licensed Real Estate Agents in Utah and Jairo and myself are also Life Producer licensed where we also help our clients protect themselves and prepare for retirement. We are truly a full-service Real Estate team that will help you past the closing table.
We turn all of our clients into lifelong friends!
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
The biggest advice I can give to anyone starting out is to find their why. Your why will carry you through the hardest most difficult times.
Do things from a genuine place in your heart and never look at anyone as only a paycheck or a number. Read self-help books to strengthen your mentality and surround yourself with others who want more in life.
Your network determines your net worth. Become a resource and show your value, don’t just do the bare minimum. You will survive any market if you become the greatest resource to your clients.
Contact Info:
- Email: steevenalvarez@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steeven_alvarez/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steevenalvarez23/
- Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdX3TgaN/
