Our apartment locators achieve success every day at AptAmigo. To uncover the secrets behind their accomplishments, we interviewed some of our best and brightest to help you make informed decisions about your career, whether you’re considering real estate for the first time, or are a seasoned professional. Below, learn about Crystal Jaramillo’s journey to a more lucrative real estate career.
How Crystal Jaramillo Became More Successful as an Apartment Locator
What did you do before you came to AptAmigo?
Before AptAmigo, I spent time in traditional and investment real estate. My real estate career really started to blossom when I took a position at a discount brokerage. Despite all the warnings I received prior, my team did a large number of transactions, which equaled LOTS of knowledge and experience. This experience landed me a salaried position at another company, where I made a comfortable living. I thought that was it, my career was set, and it would be smooth sailing from here on out! That was not the case; the market shifted, and I was laid off.
Unready to give up on my dream of being a successful real estate agent, I transitioned into investment real estate. I loved this side of real estate and all the new challenges and learning experiences it brought. Unfortunately, some of these challenges involved a super-saturated market and financial demands that, as a single mom, I could not afford.
Why apartment locating and why now?
I was still not ready to leave the world of real estate, so I began to look once again at my options. After working with both investors and traditional buyers, the words rent and lease kept popping up. Right now, many people simply cannot afford to purchase a home and are renting instead, indicating that more opportunity lies in that sector. Plus, I needed a way to continue to work on my real estate goals and support my family while building this dream.
What about AptAmigo appealed to you?
AptAmigo has an amazing reputation and a passion for growth and development. They also work with a large number of buildings, creating great opportunities for agents. I interviewed with other locating companies as well, but felt that AptAmigo has the level of professionalism I was looking for. It was also very important to me that I be able to continue doing retail and investment real estate. AptAmigo has allowed me to continue to grow my clientele base both now and in the future.
What’s your favorite part about this job?
I love meeting new people, touring buildings, and developing relationships with clients and property management alike. Finding someone their dream place and having a great time in the process feels less like work and more like a good time!
I also love the support. Everyone here, whether fellow locators, our touring agents, or our operations team is here to help ensure success.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in apartment locating?
My advice would be to remember you will get out what you put in. AptAmigo offers great training and resources for its team, setting every locator up for success, but at the end of the day, how successful you are is up to you. Be consistent, keep a positive attitude, and always be open to learning and growing.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in this job, and how did you overcome it?
For me, the biggest challenge is achieving work-life balance, especially when first starting out. I put a lot of pressure on myself, and that often meant late nights, early mornings, every weekend, and all the time in between. This struggle has been an issue for me in general as a real estate agent. Now that I am locating, I have been able to set personal goals, and when I reach these goals I give myself breaks. It has been easier to do that given the volume of sales I am able to do here at AptAmigo.
Describe your biggest accomplishment since beginning this position, or a time when you felt really successful. What did that experience mean to you?
I had set a goal of doing a certain number of leases during my first month here, and I reached that goal. Plus, in addition to this accomplishment, I was also able to go under contract on a buy/sell deal in 24 hours. Being successful at locating, while still growing my real estate career has been like a dream. I absolutely love real estate and had no idea how much I would love luxury locating. My biggest regret was not joining AptAmigo sooner!
Up Next: How to Deal with Difficult Clients in Real Estate
Interested in Working for AptAmigo?
We’re rapidly disrupting the rental real estate industry, and we’re always looking for highly motivated individuals to join our team and grow with us. Click below to view all open positions, or learn more about our company culture.
AptAmigo is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and does not discriminate based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law, in connection with any aspect of employment at AptAmigo.
Karrie Fuller earned her PhD in English from the University of Notre Dame. After a decade of teaching college-level writing and English courses, she brings a wealth of expertise about writing, editing, and content management to AptAmigo's marketing team.
