Fidel Delgadillo

The American Dream of home ownership figures prominently in Fidel Delgadillos family narrative. When my dad came here from Mexico, he didnt really have anything, Fidel recalls. He followed the American Dream and came out here for a better life. As a child he would always tell me, Mijo, always save your money and be ready to buy a house as soon as possible. Prices go up, and theres only so much inventory. Everyone wants to come to this state because it is a great place. As soon as you can, buy a house. That stuck with me.Fidel received further prompting from his high school sweetheart, Gabby, who later became his wife. When we started dating, she had the same values as my dad. She said, If youre serious about marrying me, you have to have a house for me.As a young man, Fidel lived at home, worked for a local bank, and saved his money. When he was only 21, he and his future in-laws invested together in a fixer-upper in Rialto. It was a lime green house that stood out in the whole neighborhood. It needed lots of work, but I didnt care. It was a house. I didnt know anything about how to fix houses. I would go to Home Depot and ask questions, and that house taught me so much.Eventually, Fidel and Gabby married and started their family in that same house. Later, they used the equity from the property to help finance their four bedroom dream home on a half-acre lot with a swimming pool. Such is the power of real estate to make dreams come true.Fidel enjoyed a successful first career as a service-sales rep for a medical distribution company, but real estate was never far from his mind. When the company he worked for restructured and gave him the choice to either transfer or take a severance package, Fidel realized it was the opportunity he had been waiting for. Even though I always thought Id be good at real estate, I had a decent job that provided for my family, and I didnt want to risk that. But the severance gave me the reserves I needed to get my foot in the door. I passed the real estate exam and by the time I got my license, I was ready to go.Fidel began working with a high-volume team of listing agents, fielding 40-plus phone calls from potential buyers each day. He opened his first transaction only three weeks later, and he has never had a dry month since. I didnt really know the business yet, but when people called about a property, I made a point of going to meet them in person and showing it to them. My goal was to meet as many people as I could face-to-face. I didnt always know what to say or how to answer a question, but it was the best school I could have received. I was able to build my craft and learn how to listen and deliver.Fidel later joined Realty Masters Associates where he has built a thriving real estate practice representing both buyers and sellers. His ability to listen closely to the needs and desires of his clients has helped him build a large community of repeat and referral clientele over the past 14 years. I dont consider myself a sales person at all. I have a lot of empathy for people, and I understand them. When clients speak, they are trying to tell you something important, so its my job to zip it and listen. I also like to share stories of my own life with them. As theyre making one of the biggest decisions of their lives, they need to know who I am, too.Fidel is one of the rare top-producing agents who works strictly solo, without an assistant. He believes that when clients hire him, they should get him, and that for him to be an effective client advocate, he must be hands-on at every stage of the transaction. I made the decision early on to try to manage my own transactions as much as I can. I think its important because I need to know exactly where each transaction is and what is needed. Once you open escrow, its only half the battle. You have to make sure everything goes smoothly right to the end. There are going to be bumps in the road, and you cant just manage that with an assistant. It needs to be handled by me.By helping other families achieve the American Dream, Fidel is paying forward the legacy begun by his father. I think about him every day. He was my best friend, next to my wife, and this is a way of keeping his memory going. Im so thankful I had a mom and dad to guide me as to what it means to own something that no one else can take away from you. My success comes from the passion I have for helping people with this big dream.