We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marixa Okafor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Marixa , thanks for joining us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? We’d love to hear the backstory the illustrates how you grew the firm.
I started sketching the idea of creating a real estate sorority for women of color in 2019. My focus for Black Women of Real Estate Sorority was to (1) change the image of how society view professional women of color, (2) create a safe place for women to grow professionally and personally by creating a bond through sisterhood, (3) encourage, motivation, support and education with the understanding that there is room for all women to be success and reach their highest potential without envy, competition or fear from others, and (4) join together to reach common goals aligned within our sorority mission.
Marixa , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I started my real estate journey in 2006 in property management. I remained in the industry of property management for 15 years working my way from being a leasing agent to a regional supervisor managing over eight properties at once. I quickly began to identify the needs of our community: (1) educating families about financial literacy, (2) assisting people with understanding credit and its proper use, and (3) teaching generational wealth through owning real estate. The struggles I faced from corporate management was that their system was designed to permanently “handicap” families by raising rents, and not having the option of ownership through renting. My personal mission was colliding with their strategies of bringing in revenue. I believe that renting should only be used as a temporary steppingstone towards reaching their highest potential.
While still employed, I created ways for families to obtain the knowledge needed to pave the way for their future by joining forces with an amazing non-profit ministry “1 Team 1Fight” lead by pastors Calvin and Helen Miller. Together we (1) created computer literacy classes, (2) resume writing courses, (3) financial literacy enrichment, (4) rental assistance programs, (5) coordinated back to school event by providing clothes and school supplies, and (6) developing relationship with area businesses which open door for residents to receive job placement.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Although I began real estate school in 2006, I did not receive my license until 2016 due to the real estate market previously crashing. I knew I could not “take on the world” alone and needed to join forces with likeminded women who believe in my mission. In 2021, I finally developed the courage to launch “Black Women of Real Estate Sorority, Inc.” It’s important for everyone to understand that we are NOT an organization, group, or association. The word “sorority” hold greater meaning. We are a sisterhood with an unbreakable bond. We’re a nationwide real estate sorority for women of color. Our mission is to educate our youth and minority communities in financial literacy, homeownership, investments, and introduce ways to create generational wealth through homeownership. Too often, minorities and our youth fall in “last place.” Our missions are to (1) change the way society views professional women of color, (2) educate our youth at the start of their junior year of high school by making them aware of debt, credit and ways to invest, (3) offer scholarships and open internship positions within the real estate industry which provides our youth with more options towards building a brighter future, (4) teach families about generational wealth through real estate and (5) create financial plans for those who are seeking to live a debt free lifestyle.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
The strong, educated, and ambitious black women in my life is what birthed my strength and courage. My mother is a retired educator and had strong beliefs on what’s needed for a person to be successful; therefore, at the age of 14, she taught me about credit, understanding the meaning of a dollar and how to maneuver through adversity. She didn’t allow me to quite anything as a child and forced me to complete any task that was started. This molded me into the women I am today. I don’t leave “loose ends untied,” and have the mindset that my only competition is self. The attributes built within me as a child is what helped my reputation not only in the real estate market, but life in general. Although I am a real estate agent, I pride myself on understanding all aspects of my profession which includes building, investments, credit, and finances. I believe that knowledge is power and properly educating my clients from credit to close leaving them with a solid financial plan is top priority. Once a client, is always a client. Clients will continue to have questions through the first few years of homeownership, and I make myself very reachable and relatable to all.
Being the founder of “Black Women of Real Estate Sorority” was built based on personal experiences and changes I wanted to see for women within the industry. My reputation as a community activist, mother and realtor serves as a big “melting pot” behind the purpose of BWRE Sorority.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bwresorority.com
- Instagram: blackwomenofrealestatesorority
- Facebook: blackwomenofrealestatesorority
- Other: www.marixaokafor.com
Image Credits
James Martel