Amy Garcia

REACHING THE MOUNTAINTOP

By Chris Menezes

Photos by Jacob Harr with harr Creative LLC

Although the life of Amy Garcia could be described as “rags to riches,” a more accurate statement would be “from having nothing to giving everything.” In a short amount of time, she shifted from being in survival mode during her early days in real estate to where she is now — in thriving mode. Her current and main motivation is to help as many people as she can into homes, especially to those who never thought that homeownership was possible.

Amy firmly believes everyone deserves a home — and it’s not because she sells houses. Instead, much of her passion and perspective comes from her time living without a home. “Being homeless gave me a perspective that many people can’t — and shouldn’t — experience, but my motto is that everyone should own a house, and it is my job to find the way to make it happen!” she said.

There were many mountains Amy had to climb to get to where she is today, but with a lot of determination and a little help, she kept moving forward. When she was 14 years old, she met “a very warm and loving person” who helped her navigate through life, even to this day. “She influenced me to do the right thing and reminded me that some things are out of your control, but I should be patient, understanding — and above all — kind,” Amy explained.

Amy went on to earn an associate’s degree in finance from Davenport University and worked in the finance/accounting field for 15 years. However, an education and a good job is often not enough to get ahead. Amy hit a ceiling in her corporate career, living paycheck to paycheck and locked down to working hours, while trying to balance a growing family in need of flexibility. She knew something had to change; she wanted the agency to create the life she wanted for her and her family, which was a longtime dream that she had identified with in real estate. “Real estate has always been a dream of mine,” she said.

Amy started her real estate career on August 5, 2019, with Bellabay Realty. She was Rookie of the Year her first year, hit #1 in transactions with 100 transactions and became Top Agent by generating $25 million in sales in just two years. She has also recruited three agents to the brokerage and continues to train other agents for success as well.

Amy runs her business with her husband, who handles a lot of the administration work, goes to every showing and open house, and is usually the one behind the wheel so Amy can remain accessible to clients 24/7. While Amy’s goals have changed with each milestone, she remains focused on continual growth while showing her clients how smooth and fun a real estate transaction can be.

“My primary goal at first was to get a paycheck,” Amy said, laughing. “Then it was to pay off all debt – which I accomplished. Then I saw how so many buyers and sellers were not being taken care of or were not a priority because they weren’t that ideal conventional loan with 20%-down easy files. I changed my goal to making sure every client felt like they were a priority, regardless of purchase price. My goals nowadays are to start a team in the next few years, enter the short-term rental market and do more flips.”

Out of everything Amy has accomplished and continues to do today, she says the most rewarding thing she does is when she hands keys to first-time homebuyers who had believed that they would have to rent instead of buy. “I love meeting new people and extending my family. Many of my clients are like family to me. I have also built a very good team of lenders behind me who offer many different programs that many don’t know about,” Amy said.

“Extended family” excluded, Amy and her husband have a large, blended family of seven children whose ages range from 3-15 years old, a dog and a cat. When they are all together, the family enjoys climbing trees, bowling, going to Craig’s Cruisers, playing charades and having video game nights. Whenever Amy has a few moments away from real estate, she enjoys golfing with her husband.

Outside of helping people through real estate, Amy enjoys giving back to people who are in need, specifically through GoFundMe campaigns. “Crowdfunding is a great way to help people through a hard time,” she said.

I love meeting new people and extending my and people and extending my family. Many of my clients are like family to me.

RISING STAR Amy Garcia from Bellabay Realty