Hawaii To Brazil: Surfing Tropical Real Estate With David Moyer

Today in our “Meet the Agent” profile we get to know CENTURY 21 franchisor, David Moyer. David lived and worked in Hawaii prior to opening CENTURY 21 Brazil, which just celebrated its third anniversary and the opening of its 100th franchise!

C21: How did you first get into real estate?

DM: I was hired as an executive assistant to commercial real estate broker Scott Mitchell at Colliers Monore Friedlander in Honolulu. Within a few months I earned my real estate sales license and during that year worked on various projects in the industrial properties division of the company.  Although I learned a lot, I yearned for the freedom and income potential of a truly autonomous real estate broker, so I then went into residential sales where I had a very successful and fulfilling 10 year career.

C21: Do you remember your first sale?

DM: I do. It was a one bedroom condo at the Waikiki Pavilion for $189,000.00.  I represented the buyer who, to this day, I remain in contact with (actually, back in March I visited with him in Las Vegas after our convention).

C21: CENTURY 21 Brazil just celebrated its 3rd anniversary and its 100th franchise, congratulations! To what do you attribute this tremendous growth?

DM: Any organization or company is only as good as its people. We have been able to attract some of the best professionals in the Brazilian franchise industry to work with us at CENTURY 21 Brasil. These professionals then attract the best entrepreneurs as our franchisees and they, in turn, attract the best independent sales professionals.  I wholeheartedly agree with Rick Davidson when he talks about the importance of the offices we affiliate with and the professionals we associate with – it’s the key.

C21: Are their specific cities in Brazil that are most attractive to home buyers?

DM: Unlike in the U.S., the Brazilian real estate market has been growing tremendously over the past three years in every part of the country.  As with any country which has stunning coastlines, the more popular areas for foreign investors are in coastal cities, particularly in the north east of Brazil. Rio de Janeiro is always a favorite, but regions such as Salvador in Bahia, Joao Pessoa in Paraiba, and Natal in Rio Grande do Norte have been attracting many investors, particularly from Europe.  In the south of the country cities like Florianopolis in the state of Santa Catarina are also very popular.

C21: When and how did you learn Portuguese?

DM: I started studying Portuguese shortly before I moved to Brazil in 2007 (I signed the master franchise agreement in September and relocated in October).  I have to admit, however, that I’ve been lazy and never took any formal courses.  Instead, by being immersed and exposed constantly to the language I just “picked it up”.  I can still clearly remember the day when I was sitting in a restaurant and suddenly I could understand almost every word of conversation at a neighboring table. That day was only about a year and a half ago.

C21: Prior to opening CENTURY 21 Brazil, you lived and worked in Hawaii. If a buyer is interested in purchasing a vacation home, what do you think is the dream location?

DM: This is always a tricky question because the answer depends on the lifestyle of the buyer.  For me, I love a high energy city with beautiful beaches such as Honolulu or Rio de Janeiro.  However, over the years I’ve had many buyers who come to Hawaii from Los Angeles or New York City and all they want is to retreat to a quite beach house one hour from the city.  Either choice is rewarding and has its own special benefits, but what I always loved about real estate is how it is ultimately a trade-off.

C21: What are the three personality traits or qualities necessary to succeed in real estate?

DM: For me self-confidence is the number one trait necessary for a successful real estate career.  We have to believe in ourselves and what we do in order to wake up each day and face the challenges of prospecting and networking with so many different people and personalities. I think the second most important trait is compassion. I say this because a truly good broker understand that what we do, ultimately, is to help people to solve their problems.  When it comes to real estate those problems are sometimes catastrophic: divorce, death, bankruptcy, etc.  Knowing that I was helping people to solve their problems or, better yet, to build their dreams, was what I loved most about being a broker.  I think that passion for what I did sprang from my compassion towards my fellow man.  Finally, I think the third most important trait is persistence.  Ours is a very difficult profession which challenges even the most energetic and hopeful individuals, yet at the end of the day what I have observed time and time again, both personally and through other brokers, is that success comes to those of us who never give up.

C21: Our company mantra is “Smarter. Bolder. Faster.” How do you embody the mantra in your day-to-day work as a franchisor?

DM: CENTURY 21 Brazil was recently named the number one real estate franchise system in Brazil because we are Smarter, Bolder and Faster than our competition.

We are smarter because during the past three years we have studied the Brazilian real estate market to identify areas of income growth potential for our franchisees and agents and, working with banks and insurance companies, are bringing in additional products and services for the end consumer right at our agencies, essentially becoming the “one stop shop” destination for anything to do with real estate in Brazil inclusive of mortgage and insurance services.

We are bolder because we are doing something revolutionary in Brazil – we are putting our agents first. Each month we recognize our top producing agents in a special half page announcement published in the leading national newspaper.

We are faster because we are investing in a top of the line technology and a website platform designed to help our agents get more client listings and sell more real estate.

C21: When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your free time?

DM: Although this rarely happens anymore, I enjoy sailing and water recreation.  I suppose being born on an island and always living close to the ocean has left its mark on me.  When I’m back home in Hawaii, I also enjoy spending time with my family and friends -  beach BBQs, hiking, and relaxing island style.

C21: Continue the conversation with David on CENTURY 21 Brazil’s website, Facebook page and Twitter account.