A young estate agent breaking the mould: Àlex Soler
Stories that defy expectations and inspire us to look beyond stereotypes.
The story of young Àlex Soler is one of these. Two and a half years ago, José Luis Echeverría, CEO of Monapart, received an email that caught his attention. The sender was Àlex, a 17-year-old with an unusual passion for the real estate sector.
Today, with Àlex already established as an estate agent and accumulating experience from the agency where he works in Vic, we dive into a revealing conversation. This interview not only gives us an insight into Àlex's career, but also offers us a window into what could be the future of the estate agent.
First contact: an email
On 7 April 2021, I received an email saying:
"Distinguished José Luis Echeverría, sHe is very busy and receives a lot of mail, so this one will only take 60 seconds of his time. My name is Àlex Soler and I am passionate about the real estate world".
Beyond the "distinguished", so much in disuse, how not to answer such an email? Then I found out that my interlocutor was 17 years old and I could not "let it go"; partly because of the obvious interest in understanding such a precocious real estate vocation and also, -why not?- for the pleasure of accompanying someone in their first steps in this profession of ours, which far from being a profession for anyone is, in many ways, a profession for chosen people.
Today, two and a half years later, Àlex has been a real estate agent for a full year now, with both sales and acquisitions under his belt. I am very much looking forward to finding out how he is doing and to sharing this interview with you. Perhaps we will begin to get a glimpse of what the estate agent of the future will look like.
The interview, what did we talk about and what did we learn?
We have seen that someone brilliant - perhaps precisely because he is considered brilliant - has to explain himself when he chooses to be an estate agent: to parents, friends, parents of friends, former teachers, "in general everyone is surprised", Alex told us.
We have seen how the habits built and consolidated after years of being a disciplined student and, at the same time, an elite sportsman - with his training discipline, with the development of the necessary mentality to win matches, to come back from behind - have represented a magnificent preparation for Àlex to have in his arsenal as a real estate agent two components that we know to be crucial: mentality and habits.
What do top athletes and good real estate agents have in common: mentality and habits.
We have talked about how a nineteen year old estate agent has to prepare his or her first visits much more than any other agent in order to be taken seriously, so that the likely seller in his or her forties or older will trust the potential seller to sell his or her home.
In short, we have seen, I believe, in how there are people - the best people - who turn a difficulty into an opportunity to exceed expectations. To do this, Àlex not only did all the work to get to know the casuistry of a potential seller or all the characteristics of a property for sale, but during the first months "I studied two or three hours a day to train myself".
Àlex also spoke to us about his references, about those agencies or agents from whom he has learned and who inspire him: Raúl Santos in Vilanova, Frank Sitges and Factor Immobiliari in Sitges, Ryan Serhant in the United States, Monapart ;D and Diza Consultores Inmobiliarios in Madrid.
"Face to face will always be relevant in the real estate sector.
Finally, it is surprising that someone of Àlex's generation assumes that the real estate sector is almost at the end of its journey in terms of service innovation. He assumes that face-to-face will always be relevant, also for his generation, but that the less value-added parts of the process of selling or buying a home will tend to be increasingly digitised. In this sense, we both agree that we are almost there.
Conclusions
Àlex is a rarity; a guy who was an excellent student, federated roller hockey goalkeeper, author of a blog on productivity in the studio... He could have chosen any possibly more conventional destination and has chosen, for the moment, that of an estate agent, which speaks of his determined character and clear vision. Some people start with a plan where most of us end up, sometimes without really knowing how.
This interview is not only a story about the growth and development of a young real estate agent, but also a reflection on how to emerging generations are redefining roles and expectations in the professional world. Àlex is still learning, has qualified as an API and is doing well in the Vic agency where he works. Only time will tell where he ends up, because his first steps could not be more encouraging.
Get to know him better on his website www.alexsoler.net and don't miss his podcast.
