Today we’d like to introduce you to Abigail Gonzales.
Abigail, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My journey began in August 2017, one day, as I sat in my cubicle at my ordinary 9-5 job and my mind was just pondering reflecting on what my life had been up to that very day. It suddenly struck me “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life here, I don’t want to retire from this cubicle. Im too young to settle” My husband had planted the idea of me getting my Real Estate license since we own rental properties and we knew there was always money to be made in Real Estate. After much thought, I decided to finally go online and find out how to get licensed. I saved enough money to pay for my courses and cluelessly just jumped in. I was working from 9-5 and would head to school right after work. Finally, I obtained my license however I quickly realized there was so much more to it than just getting your license. There were so many fees associated with being a REALTOR I was not aware of. I was overwhelmed, I felt discouraged. How was I ever going to be able to keep up with everything?! My plan was originally to work Real Estate part time until I could financially afford to quit my stable, steady stream of income from my 9-5 job. With the success rate for a REALTOR in their first year being between 10-20% and the average agent selling three homes in their first year, the negative thoughts began to weigh heavily on me. I thought how on earth am I going to be a successful agent working a full-time job, when will I have time?! Fast forward a couple of days later, as I am sitting at the kitchen table having dinner with my family, my husband says “I’m selling my Supra” (His dream car) I quickly responded in a panic “What?! Why?!” He replied “So, you can quit your job, it will be more than enough money to hold us over for at least six months. While your career takes off.” I was truly in awe, my husband has been my #1 supporter throughout my entire journey. January 5th, 2018, I quit my job and took a leap of faith in myself, risking everything. I was beyond scared but I was also so excited! January 8th I began coming into my office every single day and taking every single class that was offered. KW is ranked #1 by Forbes for their teaching. I was determined to gain as much knowledge as I could while I started building my business. This was all so much fun until it wasn’t. I was now three months in and had not sold any homes. I was panicking worried because at this point our funds were beginning to run low. The pressure and discouragement started settling in again. I had a couple of close colleagues in the office I chatted with on a daily basis, they reminded me every day not to give up and to keep pushing, to them thank you for helping me stay positive and on track every single day. Finally, in April, I closed my first deal the feeling was unbelievable! Something I can’t describe, I was literally on cloud 9, I remember it seemed I was more excited than my clients who were the actual ones purchasing their first home! So, I finally feel like my ball is beginning to start rolling, I am connecting with more people. I am doing Open Houses every single weekend. Vamping up my social media. Finally, I close another deal and then another one by the end of December 2018, I had closed 20 deals and sold more than $3.42 million in volume!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think every successful person would love to be able to say it’s a smooth road but we all know that is far from the truth. Along with success comes a whole lot of sacrifices. Real Estate can consume your life if you allow it to. No one realizes how much work is put in. You have to constantly be available to people and accommodate their schedules. I miss my son’s soccer games. I spend most of my weekends hosting open houses. I spend my evenings showing homes. Overall, most of the days revolve around my clients.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a full-time REALTOR founder of the Catalina Realty Group powered by Keller Williams. I specialize in helping people buy and sell homes. I ensure people stress-free experience throughout their journey. I believe I am most known for my fast responses and great communication skills. What I am most proud of is my rapid growth and that I have been able to build my own team in just 18 months of being in real estate.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in luck, I know I have gotten to where I’m at because of all the hard work, dedication and sacrifices I have made. I wrote down my ideas and goals and work on them every single day. Once I achieve one, I write a new one down. For me, there is no stopping, I make it a daily goal to continue to elevate on both a personal and business level.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3500 Maple Ave #440 Dallas, TX 75219
- Website: https://abigailg.kw.com
- Phone: 972-975-7411
- Email: abigailg@kw.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/abby_the_realtor
- Facebook: facebook.com/abigail.kw/
- Twitter: twitter.com/abby_therealtor
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