Voyage MIA Magazine introduces Terra Group top sales executive, Rosa Canao. 2019 president of NAHREP and founding member of Fort Lauderdale Chapter, Rosa, talks about her journey on her real state career, her latest project: Botaniko Weston, and how she became one of the leading agents in Florida.
Today we’d like to introduce you to Rosa Canao.
By VoyageMIA
Rosa, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Several years ago, I came to the US from Venezuela, where I graduated as a Bachelor in Business Administration. I worked there as a consultant in commercial departments for different multinational companies such as Banesco, Cargill, Polar and Nestle. Those jobs gave me invaluable interpersonal and communication skills that allowed me to really understand peoples needs that would prove to be extremely useful later on in my real estate career.
I decided to move to Orlando after visiting my brother to meet my newborn niece. I loved the idea of moving close to my family. When I arrived, I didn´t even speak English so I began to study very hard to improve myself. My first job in the US was as a Marketing manager in the International sales department at the Hilton. My boss at the time, who worked in real estate, introduced me to that world, so I decided to obtain my license.
From the beginning, I fell in love with real estate business because I can help people to buy their home, their security. I was fascinated to sell properties because my father worked in construction and I used to visit the locations with him. I was so intrigued by real estate that from the very beginning, I began to buy investment properties and grew my investment portfolio over the years and continue to do so. The idea to be able to grow wealth through real estate is very attractive to me so this job more than a business it´s a passion for me.
I started to work in real estate for some top developers. Nine years ago, I began to sell properties for Terra Group which has been an amazing experience for me. Today, I am so honored that I have represented them in many of their projects and became their top sales executive. My latest project is Botaniko Weston, that is a masterpiece. It is a modern single-family community designed by two award-winning architectures.
When I arrived in the US, I didn’t know anyone. Today I’m amazed that I part of different associations and organizations in the real estate industry and I´m proud to say one of the leading agents in Florida. As a specialist in International Luxury Properties, I’ve been helping professionals, luxury buyers, and foreign investors to acquire and sell properties in Florida, selling over $100 million dollars in real estate. I am very proud of that achievement and I continue everyday working to improve my career. I believe I succeeded in this environment by being a self-starter, self-motivated and a creative person.
Last year I became president of NAHREP and founding member of the Ft Lauderdale chapter. I believe as Latin Americans, we have the opportunity to help each other and make the best of all the opportunities here in US. I want to continue traveling to increase my knowledge about people around the world. I also continue to investment in properties and am growing my portfolio and I would like to help people to do the same.
Recently I have taken a great interest in impacting women’s lives in a positive way through my support of Latina-focused nonprofit organizations and other charitable foundations in Miami. I think women have to help each other. I love to be surrounded by women, especially Latina ones, because we relate so much in the way we express our emotions and who we are. My greatest desire is to support women to achieve economic independence. My two nieces are the daughters I don´t have and I would like to open up for them away where their efforts can fairly rewarded.
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
When I first came to the United States, I did not speaking English and was entering a market I was not familiar with at all. For me, this meant that I really had to apply myself and I worked every single day to familiarize myself with the market and my industry. People would see me at a networking event in the morning and then another one in the afternoon and maybe sometimes the evening. I knew I had to apply myself if I was going to make this work.
I believe no pathway is easy if you want to grow and make a difference. It takes a lot of dedication and care. That is what I did: give my best. I’m a fighter, just as my grandmother was, and I believe in family values. I´m a descendant of Portuguese parents, who decided to leave their country, so I knew how to adjust to changes. Every day I challenged myself about the way to be a better person and how I can give thanks for the blessings I received from God.
In the real estate business, I learned every day from the clients. I paid close attention to their culture and their needs so I can offer them the best possible option. For years, I have traveled through Latin America, Europe and other countries, interested in the way the people lived and developed in the nations I’ve visited where I built key relationships and also established international networks to promote South Florida real estate. These journeys gave me the skills to understand what my clients require, even if they couldn’t say it with words. Determined to learn the language I did and then I went from not being able to communicate to speaking three languages fluently, Spanish, English and Portuguese, which opened up a whole world to me. Back then and still today the challenge is to grow my real estate business beyond a place I can imagine.
Life can have several ups and downs and you can even touch the floor, but the important thing is that when you fall allowing it to encourage you to achieve the goals you have set for yourself without allowing anything to stop you.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
My passion for helping people, my perseverance and tenacity guide my clients into a deeper understanding of how the housing market works. I always wanted to be part of something so much greater than myself and during the last year, I served the real estate industry by being President of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) of the Fort Lauderdale chapter, which I was a founding member of. This is a role I described as being a challenge, an honor and blessing.
During my presidency, this chapter grew from 0 to 300 members in one year. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many people who are leaders in their own right who want to impact the Hispanic community. I participate as a member in other associations such as Miami Realtors, Women’s Council Realtors, Latinas Power USA, always collaborating to improve the quality of life for the community. I have certifications in Luxury Homes Marketing and as an International Property Specialist as well as many others.
I am also proud of the awards and acknowledgements I have received. In 2019: Top ten successful women in the Miami world of Real Estate and Business by “Women of High-Level III” and my most recent award “The Top 250 Latino Agents” in two categories: #33 as an individual by volume and #77 for South Florida granted by NAHREP.
Contact Info:
Website: www.rosacanao.com
Phone: Cell/ Wapp 407-760-7103
Email: rcanao@terrarealtyllc.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canaorosa/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/canaorosa
Twitter: https://twitter.com/canaorosa
Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/canaorosa
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