The Alimond Show
Welcome to The Alimond Show --join us as we share our entrepreneurial guests' stories, uncover their secrets to success, and explore the unique paths they've taken to build thriving businesses in our community.
In each episode, our host, Aliyah Dastour, sits down with a diverse group of local business owners, from the corner cafe to the boutique shop, from tech startups to family-run enterprises. We peel back the curtain to reveal the trials, triumphs, and transformational moments that have shaped their entrepreneurial journey.
Discover the passion, perseverance, and innovative thinking that fuels these businesses, as well as the challenges they've overcome along the way. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur seeking inspiration or simply a curious listener interested in the stories behind your favorite local spots, The Alimond Show has something for everyone.
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Join us every week as we celebrate the unsung heroes of our local business community and explore the vibrant tapestry of entrepreneurship in our area. Tune in to The Alimond Show and get ready to be inspired, informed, and motivated to support and nurture the businesses that make our community thrive.
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The Alimond Show
Rey Gomez of Shepherd Homes Group - From Teen Startup to Real Estate Excellence: Mastering Client Service, Leveraging Market Insights, and Building a Community-Focused Brand
Unlock the secrets of real estate success with Rey Gomez, a leading realtor from Samson Properties and a pivotal member of the Shepherd Homes Group. Ever wonder how some realtors excel while others struggle? Rey shares his journey from starting his career at just 19, deeply influenced by his entrepreneurial family and his father’s passion for real estate. You'll gain insights into the concierge-level services his team offers, designed to make the buying and selling process seamless for clients. Rey’s dedication to continuous learning through mentorship, training, and market trend analysis reveals the commitment required to thrive in this competitive industry.
Discover how to craft a personal brand that resonates and inspires with Rey’s unique marketing strategies. Learn how maintaining a high visibility through social media and sharing industry insights can attract clients. The dynamic growth in Northern Virginia not only fuels Rey’s motivation but also instills a sense of responsibility as he guides clients through significant life decisions. With a remarkable team of 26 agents aiming to help over 400 families this year, Rey’s story is a testament to the profound impact a dedicated team can have on their community.
Experience the richness of cultural diversity that Rey’s team brings to the table, highlighting the advantages of being bilingual and multicultural in serving a diverse clientele. Balancing professional and personal life, Rey integrates fitness and health into his daily routine, fostering stronger community relationships including those at the gym. Celebrate the success of their recent client appreciation event, which saw over a thousand attendees, reflecting the strong community support. Rey’s unwavering passion, determination, and pride in his work, inspired by his father’s wisdom, are lessons in achieving one’s dreams and professional success. Join us for an episode filled with invaluable insights for anyone aspiring to succeed in real estate.
My name is Ray Gomez. I'm a realtor with Samson Properties and I'm also part of the Shepard Homes Group. We're a leading team real estate team in the DMV, which includes Maryland, dc and Virginia, and the majority of my work is mostly listings. So I work a lot with sellers. Seventy percent of my business is with sellers and we are a full one-stop concierge real estate team. We provide all kinds of services from before you decide to buy or sell to after and beyond. So we basically do it all.
Speaker 2:Okay, love that. And you guys, when you say you do it all, does that mean like residential and commercial, or just one in particular?
Speaker 1:We stick to our craft, which is residential real estate, and so we've really honed our systems and processes to really cater to the residential aspect, residential real estate. And so we've really honed our systems and processes to really cater to the residential aspect of real estate, and we provide services that typically exceed the expectation of our clients, because we know that when it comes to helping people buy or sell real estate, there's a lot of moving parts. It can be a little complex, but our mission statement really is to guide and protect the clients and basically uncomplicate everything for them. And the best way that we feel that we address that is by having all the tools and resources needed to be able to ensure that everything goes smoothly without a hitch, which is what we aim for. And then, obviously, the total satisfaction of our clients, which is what we aim for. And then, obviously, the total satisfaction of our clients, which is what we strive for every time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, love that, love that. I would like to know a background about yourself, like tell me a little bit of history about you and how you got into your real estate career and what led you here.
Speaker 1:Sure, I come from a family of entrepreneurs. What led you here? Sure, I come from a family of entrepreneurs and my father was really, really interested in investing in real estate. Since I can remember, we moved around quite a lot because he would always look at different investment opportunities in real estate and we would move to be closer to those opportunities. So we moved a lot and I got a little taste of what it was to work in the real estate industry by just helping my father with his business. So when it came time to decide on what career I wanted, naturally I wanted to try something different. However, my passion for working with people, through the experience I gained with working with my father, led me to the world of real estate, and I started real estate when I was 19 years old.
Speaker 2:Oh, wow.
Speaker 1:So yeah, 22 years ago and never looked back. I mean, it's something that I feel has fulfilled me, continues to inspire me and I continue to learn. It's something that I appreciate so much because it's one of the few industries where literally every day is different, every client is different, every experience is different, and so for me that's kind of like. The fun factor of this industry is that you get to meet so many people from all walks of life and, at the end of the day, you're here to solve their problems, which is what I love to do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I love that. Thank you for sharing that. My next question is how do you stay up to date on the latest trends and developments in the real estate market, and what resources do you like to rely on?
Speaker 1:Absolutely so. Luckily, I work at, or I'm part of, samson Properties, and so one of the things that our brokerage is known for is for having exceptional training. We get training multiple times a week that are offered to all the agents, so I really take advantage of that, as well as my team leader, jason Shepardak, who is a very inspiring and very knowledgeable agent, and so I get my information from those different sources as well as what might be available online. I like to stay on top of the trends and knowing where the market is headed, where it's going, and for someone who's been in the industry for as long as I have, I can kind of anticipate what might happen. Yeah, so I have that unique advantage where I can kind of like anticipate what might happen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I have that unique advantage where I can kind of already see where things are going. So I know it's easier for me to adapt to the ever-changing market. And again, it goes back to one of the things that's the coolest part of being in this industry being part of this industry and being a realtor is that things change at such a high pace that it keeps everything interesting. It keeps you on your toes, and so if you're not getting the training from reliable sources and from direct sources that really care about your education and about your training, then you could easily be misled into the wrong path. But for me, I stick to self-help books, information that the broker provides, my own personal experience and what I've learned reading a lot I read quite a lot and then also getting information from my team leader, who is someone who I absolutely trust to help my business grow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, love that. When you were 19 and just starting out, did you have eventually like a coach or a mentor?
Speaker 1:Yes, and what's funny is that my current team leader. I met him for the first time about three years ago and I remember I was just looking at my notebook yesterday how ironic of that first time that I met my team leader and one of the very first things that he wrote that led to his success was having a coach, and it immediately made me think back to when I was 19 years old. I had the best mentor and coach that I could possibly have ever had access to at that age and with that level of minimum experience in the industry.
Speaker 2:What was his name?
Speaker 1:Her name is Valerie Moss.
Speaker 2:Bold of me to assume it was a guy. I'm sorry. No, it's all right.
Speaker 1:Valerie Moss. She is an agent that she's probably the most generous, most humble and most amazing agent that I've ever had the opportunity to work with humble and most amazing agent that I've ever had the opportunity to work with and she taught me actually quite a lot of what I still carry till this day in my business plan and the way that I handle my business, the way that I work with clients, the way that I treat my appointments. I learned quite a lot from her. We still stay in touch and I was actually part of her team for the first 10 years of my real estate career.
Speaker 2:Yeah, wow, that is so cool and it is ironic the fact that we're touching on this subject and you saw that on your notebook.
Speaker 1:Literally just yesterday I opened my notebook and I was like wait a second. This is from three years ago.
Speaker 2:Came in handy. That's awesome. What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the real estate industry in the next few years and how do you think they can be addressed?
Speaker 1:That's a fantastic question, because I've actually been thinking about that lately, because I've had a lot of agents who are newer to the industry coming to me and asking me questions about that. And what I feel, and what I also see out in the marketplace with our agent community, is that two things are what a lot of agents are struggling with right now Adapting to the changes in our industry and then prioritizing the client and not so much the commission, and so those are two areas that I think I've seen a lot of agents struggle with throughout the years. So what I try to encourage them to do is to think about like why are they in this business? Like, what brought you to, what inspired you to want to take on the immense responsibility that it is to help guide and protect someone through a real estate transaction, which for some people, is the biggest thing that they'll do in a while or have done in a while. And so once you hone down onto what is the motivating factor, then you can sort of realign your priorities and that helps some of the agents to sort of like correct their mindset yeah, center them, correct and center them, and just forget about the money, forget about this, forget about that. Let's focus on the needs of the client and let's focus on providing solutions to the problem at hand. Right, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then the other thing I mentioned earlier was about adapting to the changes in the market. I mean 2002, things were very different in 2002 than they are now. Things were very different in 2002 than they are now and, of course, I've had to see the industry and the market and even our real estate community, just change and adapt in all different directions. And if you're not allowing yourself to adapt and go with those changes, you're going to get stuck behind. And so you run into some people who are still haven't caught up with the changes that the industry has had. And it's very important to stay on top of those changes, because it's what's going to make you competitive. Not only competitive, but also relevant.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, absolutely Like. Change is everything. You've got to be open to it, otherwise it's kind of a sink or swim game there, right?
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:I would like to know a little bit about your marketing. Absolutely, I would like to know a little bit about your marketing. We have some entrepreneurs and business owners who are listening, and some of them perhaps struggle with that aspect. Some people like to hire others to work on their marketing for their brand. I'd like to ask you how you go about marketing Absolutely. Are you avid on social media, youtube, linkedin? Talk to us a little bit about that.
Speaker 1:Sure, and actually currently I do all of my marketing myself. I am in the middle of a rebranding. I'm trying to shift into another direction with what I've already established, but I do harness the power of social media. It's what's really helped me to expand my network and expand my reach in my local community, as well as throughout the country actually. So I harness the power of social media.
Speaker 1:I believe strongly in the fact that, when it comes to marketing, what you want to portray is the type of person that I would want to do business with, right? So the type of person that I would want to do business with is somebody that I can relate to, somebody who looks good fun, knows what they're talking about, takes good care of themselves and things of that nature. So I felt that some of my marketing has been focused more on like health, wealth through real estate. I bring people into my world of health and building wealth through real estate, and so a lot of people see that and they're like wow, like I want to do that, or I want to be a part of that movement or what's going on, and so I get a lot of people that reach out to me based on just that style of marketing.
Speaker 1:However, it can't just all be fun and games.
Speaker 1:You have to also provide value to your base is.
Speaker 1:I also like to incorporate updates, conversations that I have with other real estate and industry professionals, and kind of let people into my world to see what it is that my network looks like, how large it is, how much knowledge there is to share, and I think those are things that provide value to the average consumer. And so when they think real estate, they tend to think of who they can relate to and who they see very often, so staying in front of them as often as I can, you know, trying to do two, three posts a day, I know sometimes it takes a little time, but it's really important because it allows people to see what I'm up to, to see the type of person that I am, and a lot of people can relate to that and it sort of motivates them to reach out to me, and so for me, it is one of my most effective ways of marketing. That's not either print or email campaign or anything like that, but social media, I felt, has been a huge game changer for my business.
Speaker 2:Awesome. Thank you so much for sharing that. How do you stay motivated and inspired in your work as a real estate agent and what keeps you passionate about the industry?
Speaker 1:That's a very good question, because everyone that knows me knows that I'm a person that draws inspiration from anything and everything around me, so I let my environment inspire me, and so one of the things that keeps me inspired is seeing the growth and the change and all the opportunities that are in the Northern Virginia area, having been here for all these years and having seen our population grow, people moving in, people moving out and those are the things that keep me motivated, because I know that there's so much work to do and so much help and guidance and protection to provide to consumers that are looking to invest and make really big decisions.
Speaker 1:And so that's what keeps me inspired and motivated is knowing that the sky's the limit for me.
Speaker 1:Really, I chose this career and this path because I knew that it was my calling to help people and guide people through that process and help protect them and guide them in the right direction. And I think, for me, what keeps me motivated is knowing that I get to be along the journey of other people's journey, yes, and just knowing that they have invited me to be a part of that. I take that responsibility very seriously. That they have invited me to be a part of that. I take that responsibility very seriously and I consider it a privilege to work with people in making such big decisions that will affect them, their family, their generational wealth, their legacy Huge, it's big stuff, and so to know that I have the privilege of working with someone and being part of that journey with them and helping them to achieve that dream or make that goal a reality, I think is one of the things that will always be the most inspirational and motivational things for me to stay in this business.
Speaker 2:Oh, I love that. I can see the passion through your hands and your smile when you talk about it, for sure. I'd like to go back to talking about your team. How many people are on your team, or do you guys have partners?
Speaker 1:So right now, um, our team has grown quite a lot, uh, lately. Right now, we're at about 26 agents. So we're about 26 agents. Um, we've, uh, we're on track to sell over 400 homes this year, so we're on track to have helped over 400 families and clients achieve their goals.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we're really excited about that. It's one of the things that keeps us the most motivated and the most just alive and thrilled to know that we have the opportunity to make that level of impact in our community, and that's one thing that we take a lot of pride in at our team.
Speaker 2:I love that. And what's the dynamic? Like I'm just curious, like, are you guys like always like hey, what's up? Did you see this? Like? This is the new law that's coming. Got any insight? Could you offer some Like what's that, like that dynamic?
Speaker 1:Well, it's like a. It's like a really big, extended family. We all treat each other like brothers and sisters and family, and we we get along and no one is ever afraid to share their knowledge, or maybe not even knowledge, maybe like hey, I don't know the answer to this question that a client asked me. Does anyone know? I?
Speaker 2:love that.
Speaker 1:And so everybody's always that really rely on each other for our continued success as a team, because it's important that if you're on a team, that you're able to get along with people and you're able to. But on our team we speak 20 different languages. We have people that live out of the DMV area, right in the heart of the DMV, so we are just a cool group of individuals who come together and really work hard to make an impact in our community.
Speaker 2:I love that Speaking of languages. I know you said you have a Lebanese. I know you said you have a Lebanese history background. Do you speak Lebanese?
Speaker 1:No, no, okay, no, I speak only English and Spanish.
Speaker 2:Okay, cool, but if you don't know, he is Puerto Rican.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Puerto Rico Very cool, very, very cool.
Speaker 2:Do you find that having your Lebanese I guess history has helped you or shape your thoughts at all with family, with your clients, or even just being Puerto Rican Like has that given you a background in just all types of people and helping them?
Speaker 1:So being multicultural and being bilingual has definitely given me an edge, and it's been you worded that better than me.
Speaker 2:That's what I wanted to ask you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and being bilingual and being raised in a bilingual household, I think, always gave me that competitive advantage growing up, and so I tap into that advantage quite a lot. I've been able to help all different members of my community, whether they speak English or Spanish or any other language for that matter, to help them make real estate decisions, and for me it's fun to be able to speak a second language fluently and be able to communicate. The same help that I want to provide in English, I can also provide it in Spanish and I can make an impact in a different family and in their goals and in their dreams, and so it allows me to really just expand the amount of people that I get to touch and that I get to assist and guide and protect, and that, for me, I consider it an advantage.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Thank you for sharing that. What do you like to do in your free time, when you're not busy, or if you even have time Because you sound like a busy guy what is it that you like to do to relax, unwind and just refresh yourself?
Speaker 1:Well, besides maybe one or two glasses of wine a week, I do believe strongly in taking care of your body and mind, and that in and of itself is going to help you be an overall, better agent and better person. So I do prioritize quite a lot my fitness and my health. I'm very active in my gym community and I love that aspect of my free time, if you will, because I never really step away from work, because even when I'm at the gym focusing on my health, I get the chance to build a sense of community even at my gym and let people know what I do for a living and have those conversations with them. In fact, I've been able to assist over 20 of my fellow gym members to make their real estate dreams come true in the last two years. So for me it's what I do in my spare time and what.
Speaker 1:I like to do, but I also try to incorporate business into it, because I feel that if you and I can relate by prioritizing our health, then there are other ways that we can also prioritize, like healthy investing, real estate investing and it's funny because most people just come up to me while I'm at the gym training and ask if they can have two minutes and then next thing you know I'm assisting them to make their real estate dreams come true. So it's a really fun part of mixing both my hobbies and what I like to do in my spare time, but also never really stopping that goal and that mission to assist others in any way, shape or form that they may need when it comes to real estate.
Speaker 2:That is so cool. You're just like lifting weights. I'm like sorry.
Speaker 1:I'm like lifting weights and I got to take off my headphones and go yes, so it's fun and I don't mind it at all, and so that's why, if I see somebody going like this or I immediately take off my headphones. But it's fun because we can relate to each other.
Speaker 2:We prioritize our health in that way, build a new relationship.
Speaker 1:We build relationships Absolutely, and it's great to be known as Ray the Realtor at the gym, and so what's good is that I've had such a positive impact on my gym community that now I feel like when they think of real estate, they automatically think of me. And so if they see me at the gym, they're like hey, there you are, let's chat.
Speaker 2:So I like that. Yeah, no, um, is there anything that I have not asked or touched on that you would like for our listeners? To know about since I have you here, could be in regards to yourself, your business life, anything working on a book, any events that you want to talk about, or anything uh, we just had.
Speaker 1:So, unfortunately, we just had our annual client appreciation event at my team, but you do have those. We do have those. We have one next year, so I'll keep you posted, um, but we had over a thousand people show up to our client appreciation event.
Speaker 1:So this was our largest yet to date, um, and we were so blown away by the support that we received from our clients and from our network community, and it was just so inspiring to be there and to see all those people come out and support us and be so thankful for when really we're the ones that are thankful for them. You know, but it was just amazing. So I like to do those. I also like to host networking mixers, where I like to bring local talent together in the same room. Whether you're an agent, whether you're a loan officer for a mortgage company or whether you do anything else that's maybe not even real estate related. I like to bring people together because, you never know, you might make a connection one day where you find someone who's in business that you can relate to and then you can help each other out. So I host those about three times a year.
Speaker 2:My next one is going to be at the beginning of.
Speaker 1:November. Perfect, we didn't miss that one, no, you haven't missed it. And so, and we typically choose a spot that's pretty much central, and then I just bring everybody. We'll either do a happy hour, and if you don't like to drink, you don't have to. It's not mandatory, but it's. It's a great place to relax, chit-chat, network, get to know other people in the community that are also entrepreneurs and just looking for ways to support each other in business, which I think is super important that we do.
Speaker 2:For sure, when can people find the information, like for next year for the client appreciation? For the client appreciation event.
Speaker 1:You can go to my Instagram which is at the real Ray Gomez, and that's our EY. And then also we send out a big Eventbrite invitation to our clients. So if you've worked with us or if you're part of our network, you'd be getting that separately as an Eventbrite. But then we also promote it on our social media platforms to make sure that we get the most engagement possible.
Speaker 2:Awesome. And then for you, for your networking events that you have. That would be my networking events Also.
Speaker 1:I make my own event bright link.
Speaker 2:And I.
Speaker 1:I I promote it on social media Facebook and Instagram Perfect. Or I send direct invitations to the people that I want to know about the event and show up.
Speaker 2:So cool Love. That All right. So my final question is if you could leave our listeners with a parting message, or maybe a saying or a mantra that you like to live your life by, and just share that with us, what would that be?
Speaker 1:Three words. My late father used to always tell me this that if you possess these three things, that you can go as far as you want and you can have anything you want. And those three things are determination, passion and pride. And the reason why that always stuck with me even more so after losing my father was because those three things really do encompass everything that I look forward to doing.
Speaker 1:Determination, because you can never give up on your dreams. You should never give up on your dreams. You should always keep trying, and if at first it doesn't happen, then just keep trying, just be determined. It'll eventually happen at the right timing. So it's not really our timing, it's the timing of the universe that's going to help guide us to that spot. So determination is key.
Speaker 1:Passion If you don't feel passion for what you do, if you're not literally in love with what you do, if you're not willing to die for what you do, then you shouldn't be doing it at all. And so for me, that is real estate and assisting people in those types of decisions and in those transactions and making those dreams come true. I've helped people who have never had home ownership in their entire family in the last two generations finally make that possible, just when they thought it wasn't possible. I was able to help them make it possible, and it was it's my passion for, for that that keeps me moving. And then, of course, pride. You have to be proud of who you are, where you came from and where you're headed, and that's that should always be in the back of your mind, of being proud of who you are, being proud of the impact that you're making to those around you. And I think, just like my father used to tell me, once you possess those three things, you're unstoppable and the sky's the limit.
Speaker 2:I love that. Thank you so much for sharing that your dad's like. This is for you only Okay.
Speaker 1:Just kidding, Pass it on son.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for being here and thank you for sharing all of your stories, your wisdom and your passion for your business being a real estate agent. It shows so much and I can see the passion and feel.