Today we’d like to introduce you to Anita Aguilar.
Anita, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have lived in San Diego all of my life, and I have been in the real estate space for all my life. My father invested in real estate in San Diego seeing it as an opportunity to create long-term wealth for our family. As a small child, I would go to my family’s apartment complex with my mom to the laundry room to help take out the quarters (I think they might have been dimes, and that dates me for sure!). I’d sit in my mom’s family room with my brother counting the coins and then we would then take them to the bank to deposit to the appropriate bank account.
After my dad passed as a young child, my mom became the go-to person who ran all of our family’s rentals. My mom would also take us to each rental property where my brother and I would have to knock and collect the tenants’ rent for the month. She also had me sit down and write out all of her checks and how to reconcile the books for each property to make sure the bills were paid. Side note: I can’t tell you how many people these days don’t know how to write a check or balance a checkbook! Seeing her as a woman at this time taking charge and managing everything inspired me to be able to run my own business someday.
My original career path was going to be Real Estate Law. I attended Loyola Marymount University in L.A., and after graduating in 3 years with a double major in Business Administration and Spanish, as well as a minor in Hispanic Business, I needed a quick break back home to recharge and regroup.
I had an offer in hand for a Financial Advisor position at one of the “Big Three” firms out there, but I felt a tug in my heart to keep looking for a place where I could incorporate my rich roots in real estate. Entering into the real estate space was actually something I got into on my own.
Paving my own path in the real estate industry as a young and inexperienced college grad forced me to find ways to set myself apart from the rest of the pack. I found that the only way to properly service my clients was to throw myself into learning every loan guideline possible. I literally sat and read through all of the FHA/VA Loan handbooks in my free time, researched online, read books, and attended any training possible so that I could run circles around my competition.
Has it been a smooth road?
My journey was definitely bumpy, but I was dedicated to paving my own path. Entering into the industry almost 15 years ago was tough because it was a male-dominated space where there were very few companies open to training someone with no experience. I was lucky to have someone believe in me and my vision to help future home buyers and instill financial prudence to those already in homes.
I am also thankful that this road I embarked upon on my own also led me to my husband, who is my business partner at my local branch of Cardinal Financial.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Cardinal Financial – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am a Mortgage Advisor aka Loan Officer aka the person who gets you the money to buy a home or refinance your current home. While my local branch of Cardinal Financial has just about every loan program under the sun to offer, my specialties are in the Golden State Finance Authority’s (GSFA) First-Time Home Buyer programs as well as their other offerings that assist moderate-income individuals who are not first-time homebuyers in getting into a home.
Nothing makes me happier than assisting people who might not think they are able to buy a home buy one. And, I am honored that I have been able to help enough first-time homebuyers to be named a top GSFA lender in both San Diego and statewide in California.
As a native San Diegan, I also have a passion for helping the servicemen and women of our community with VA loans. I have been fortunate enough to have enough Veterans entrust me with their home financing to also be recognized as one of the top VA lenders in San Diego.
I love my team and might be a little biased when I say they are nothing short of amazing. Cardinal Financial has given us the tools to expedite the loan process through tech, which has in turn given us more time to focus on our clients, learning their stories, and their “why’s” for homeownership. It makes me proud to have past clients who become personal friends come back to us and refer us out to other people based on our hard work, communication, and integrity exhibited throughout the home loan process.
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc.?
The future (of homebuying) is female! The main shift that has me excited is in female home buyers. According to recent data from the National Association of Realtors, single female home buyers now account for nearly a fifth of all home sales — outnumbering their single male counterparts two to one.
Aside from the women, especially single women, slowly making a dent in the real estate industry, another trend I see coming along has to do with tech. Although the majority of upcoming home buyers are shopping online (50% off all homebuyers find their house online) and are seeking high tech solutions, I think that the other aspect that goes unnoticed is the high-touch experience and the long-term planning. I craft an individual short-term and long-term plan for every client and check on them at least annually to ensure that they are on track. I coach my clients throughout the upfront and post-closing process to ensure that they are clear on their role in the process and my role in the process. Many clients search the internet and find outdated or incorrect information even when calculating payments- I tell them that I am their human calculator until they have keys in hands and I take pride in making sure that they not only know the steps but also feel confident about the numbers and the process.
The next big shift is going to be the industry is going to be a difficulty in finding good Mortgage Advisers who do not let a high tech world compromise the personal experience with a client. I can’t tell you how many times I find out a client never even knew their mortgage payment before making an offer. These Mortgage Advisors assume that clients should figure it out on their own and clients are getting savvier, but this mentality makes it easy to leave personal advice on the cutting room floor. There are many online lenders becoming the juggernauts of the mortgage industry, but not every client is able to work with an online lender. You can’t tell your “STORY” or your “WHY” to a computer.
I find a lot of clients have struggles in communicating their expectations of what they need in a lender. I would encourage clients to set the expectations up front with their lender and research their previous experience and find any client reviews possible.
It doesn’t surprise me when clients come to me mid-escrow and tell me their horror story and I go to look up that advisor’s experience and see that they are just shy of 4 months in the industry. I get it everyone starts somewhere, but when I first started, I had a great mentor that would never let me fail; I never ran transactions on my own until I had enough assisted experiences under my belt.
I love being able to help people all throughout San Diego purchase their dream homes with my experience. It is a really beautiful thing to see the hard work and dues you pay benefit other people in tangible ways. If you or anyone you know is interested in purchasing, give me a call!
Contact Info:
- Address: Cardinal Financial
600 B Street Suite 300
San Diego, CA 92101 - Website: https://cardinalfinancial.com/anitaaguilar/
- Phone: 858-382-0030
- Email: anita@anitahomeloan.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/anitaaguilar
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anita.g.aguilar
- Other: http://reach150.com/cardinalfinancial/review/2093/anita-aguilar
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
