For nine years, Josue and Rebecca Soto ran their own independent brokerage in Orlando, Florida. They had a few agents but operated primarily as a husband and wife team. Their desire to expand was met with a few challenges, including the need for technology, training, and support.
Once the Sotos learned that eXp Realty could give them everything they needed to grow, they closed their brokerage and joined eXp in July 2019.
“We realized that we needed to align ourselves with an innovative company that would be able to lead us into the next 20 years,” said Rebecca. “A company that is not just great in technology and education but could offer so much more to each agent. With eXp being agent-centric, we found a warm family, surrounded with top producers and began learning from the best in the industry.”
Sotos Lacked Support in Being an Independent Brokerage
The Sotos are no strangers to hard work. Prior to real estate, Josue was in the trucking industry and Rebecca was a dental assistant. They met 23 years ago and recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary this past April while quarantined. Over time, they knew they wanted to change their careers to assist families and build generational wealth through real estate. In 2006, they became real estate agents, but still kept their “day jobs,” juggling dual careers and working nights and weekends until they could comfortably immerse themselves fulltime.
In 2019, they completed 49 sales for a total of $12 million and are delighted to have genuine collaboration with other eXp agents.
“Being an independent brokerage, we felt alone. Who could we go to for support?” asked Rebecca. “We had done some coaching but felt like we needed a community to bounce ideas, collaborate and support one another. With eXp, we found partners that committed to opening their hearts and playbooks to us. We are committed to each other to lift each other up. Joining eXp is the best decision we’ve made.”
Servicing Spanish-speaking Clientele a Huge Need Sotos Are Filling
The Sotos are also dedicated to providing classes in Spanish where many clients and agents in Central Florida speak little to no English.
“It’s a huge need in Florida,” said Rebecca. “Our lead-generating programs for only Spanish speakers are doing well. It’s an underserved demographic and you’re going to see a lot of teams focus on Spanish-speaking clients over the next few years.”
They are both mentors in eXp’s Mentorship Program and are passionate about helping others grow and build their business. Rebecca and Josue are active members of ONE eXp’s diversity groups, including eXp Latino and the Black eXp Network (BEN).
Josue and Rebecca are both leaders in the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) organization, where Josue is on the board and Rebecca represents Florida on the National Advocacy Committee (NAC). Together they take pride in volunteering to advocate for sustainable Hispanic homeownership and advocating for policies that affect Latino communities.
“We love our NAHREP familia and have found it to be a close family atmosphere and we feel blessed to have found that same affection with eXp as well,” says Rebecca.
Sotos Able to Thrive Despite COVID-19 Outbreak
Rebecca marvels that the COVID-19 outbreak did not slow down their business due to eXp’s innovative technology.
Josue says, “We survived the economic downturn of 2008 and have learned to shift with the changing markets through the years. Aligning ourselves with eXp has been a stepping stone to greater growth.”
The Sotos have a book coming out soon (“Married In Real Estate”), along with a workshop and podcast highlighting married couples thriving in the real estate industry.
The couple is close to reaching ICON Agent status and is excited about their decision to join eXp. “We feel so good about where we are right now and where we are headed,” said Rebecca. “There’s no stopping us now!”
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