Cover Story

By Margaret Pennock

Photos by Maggie Sweets Photography

Makeup by American Beauty SD | Hair by Tonasha

As a little girl growing up in an apartment in Los Angeles, Araceli had big dreams to someday own her own house. Today, she and her husband Ignacio have built themselves a small real estate empire spanning from California to Iowa. A real life ‘Flip or Flop’ success story, Araceli has found her place in the real estate investment world that all started in Sioux Falls.

Born in Mexico, her widowed mother moved her family to Los Angeles to support her family. Araceli shares, “My mother was a very brave and courageous women when she decided to move our family which included five kids by herself when father passed away when I was three. She’s my hero to this day.”

She recalls the challenges of moving back to Mexico at 10, returning to California when she was 12. “When we moved back to Mexico it was a whole new experience for me. In the Mexican village where we lived we didn’t have necessities like modern plumbing and bathrooms.” She continues, “It was hard at the beginning because I was used to living with privileges such as transportation, education and running water. I’m grateful that my mom made the decision to move and that she moved us back to see the difference. We are more than blessed to be part of this country.”

At just 21 years old, Araceli and her husband Ignacio along with their youngest son Alex were living in northern California when her brother encouraged her to join him in Sioux Falls. “My brother followed his girlfriend home to Sioux Falls because she missed her family and wanted to return to them. When he got here he saw a lot of opportunities for everyone because of the low unemployment plus housing was affordable so I thought, ‘Why not?’”

Melissa Nicholson Breit, Attorney at Law

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4201 S. Minnesota Ave., Ste. 113 Sioux Falls, SD 57105 605.335.7100 www.nicholsonandnicholson.com

Alex, Miranda, Jimena, Ignacio and Araceli

After talking Ignacio into committing to move for six months, they made the trek across the country to South Dakota. Leaving the balmy California weather to experience one of South Dakota’s nastiest winters on record in November of 1996 was a shock. “After two months I wanted to move back home but Ignacio reminded me that we needed to give it six months,” Araceli laughs.

As a young, inexperienced and fearless couple, Araceli and Ignacio jumped into the real estate market without a backward glance. She shares, “We had nothing to lose but everything to gain. Our first real estate investment was a property we purchased for $2,500 that had to be moved, without a plan as to where to move it to. We ended up finding a lot for $30,000 and Ignacio offered the owner $18,000, which is all we had in savings. The owner asked why that amount and we said it was what we had and he sold it to us.” She laughs, “With that we made money but we gained so much experience. We were young and willing to risk it.”

Twenty-seven years later, the Hernandez’s have made a place and a home for themselves in Sioux Falls and have given their son Alex siblings Jimena and Miranda. In addition to owning rental properties in California, Texas, South Dakota and Iowa they also flip executive level homes. On top of this both work in financial services with Araceli specializing as a Mortgage Loan Officer with Reliabank. “I started as a consumer services rep and now I’m a loan officer. Having this background experience helps me to guide my clients better and I can help them get to where they want to be to qualify for the home of their dreams.”

In addition to working and investing, Araceli is committed to helping her community through volunteering. She is a member of the Cinco De Mayo Committee and Caminando Juntos, an organization and ministry that helps the Latino community by welcoming new immigrants and helping them to achieve success in Sioux Falls. “I want to help the Hispanic community, and being a good citizen means helping others accomplish what they have dreamed of.”

Having exceeded her goals more than she could have hoped or dreamed, Araceli has made new ones. “I want to start building homes, that’s my next step as a developer. I think that would be a neat, new experience and what I have in mind. My husband and I are a really good team with good ideas and I’m hoping that my kids will want to work for me. We talk about the industry with them and we hope they want to work hard to be a part of this with us.” n