Describe a decision you made in the past that helped you learn or grow.

In 2010, I came close to quitting real estate. 6 months in, I hadn’t closed a single sale. The U.S. housing crisis was in full swing, and it also has affected our main prospects: balikbayans and OFW’s ( Overseas Filipino Workers ). Each passing week without results filled me with doubt.  My savings we’re slowly disappearing and the idea of starting over, maybe working in a call center felt more realistic than continuing in a career that wasn’t paying off.

Then, an unexpected opportunity came. A colleague invited me to help with a rental transaction. She was working with the lessees and I was working on the lessor side. 

I told myself, this is it. Make or break, whatever happens here will decide my future.

The deal initially involved 12 units, which already felt like a big break. But after showing the properties, the client’s interest grew, and the inquiry expanded to 23 units. What followed was a long, nerve-wracking process. Meetings stretched across weeks, then months, involving multiple decision-makers. From the workers who will occupy the units to the managers, the Vice President and of course the President of the company. 

Each day brought new anxiety. what if it falls through?especially as my expenses continued to rise.

But after two months, everything finally came together. Prior to closing the deal, I have to borrow P 10000.00 pesos from a friend to notarize 23 contracts and other expenses such as gas and food and promise that I will pay him back after 2 days. 

The deal closed. Even after completing the paperwork, it didn’t feel real. It wasn’t until I received the commission that it truly sank in. 

The next day, I found myself overwhelmed with gratitude—I screamed in excitement like a rabid dog. I thanked God and reflected on how close I had been to walking away.

That moment changed everything. 

It gave me the confidence to stay, reset my strategy, and keep building my career in real estate. Looking back, if I had quit, my life would have taken a completely different path.

Today, I continue to grow in this field from closing deals as an International Realtor in the USA and helping the original company that I found, by introducing them to my clients based in USA so that they can grow their inventory and add more units to offer with the tenants ( www.abbarealty.com.ph ),