Aaron Gutierrez knows how to work hard and bring his “A” game. As a baseball pitcher for UC Davis, he learned that it’s important to have a good strategy, know your competition and work together as a team to get the best result. After graduating with a degree in political science and a minor in communications, Gutierrez continued on to get a master’s degree from Fresno State’s three-year program and put his education and skills to work to become a REALTOR® with London Properties in August of 2019. By 2021, he was recognized as a C.A.R. Rising Star.
Though young, Gutierrez was no newbie to real estate. From the time Gutierrez was five years old, he began visiting his REALTOR® mother, Elsa Gutierriez, at her office (also at London Properties) in Fresno. “I thought the agents dressed well and had nice cars,” says Gutierrez. It wasn’t always glamorous, though. “Later, I understood that my mom wasn’t just working, she was helping people. But sometimes we would struggle. I remember eight months that were hard. That’s when I learned that real estate can be feast or famine, and that it’s important to build momentum.”
Like many REALTORS®, Gutierrez stayed away from the office for a time early in the pandemic, doing more previewing of properties and working from home. Once things loosened up again, it was time to change strategies. “I discovered that when I’m struggling or down, it’s a good time to go to the office and work. I used to go just two or three days a week. Then my family told me, ‘You’re young! You should be at the office every day.’ So, I decided to go for two weeks straight, every day, seven or eight hours every day. I got five escrows and one listing. It paid off!”
Tiktok for Success
Making Instagram reels and Tiktok videos in Spanish and English has been Gutierrez’s most successful strategy so far. “Social media — especially Tiktok — worked big time for me the last two years. Someone in the office suggested I’d be good at it. I had to get over my shyness and just do it, and it works!”
“I make videos that are informative, funny, and educational. The more videos I do, the more business I get. I don’t even intend to get business, it just comes. I do videos viewing properties and talk about what you need to buy a home. Some clients may not know all that’s involved. It can help to say things that seem simple to experienced homeowners but that not everyone knows, like that in addition to the mortgage, you’ll have water, utility and electricity bills. Some people don’t think of that. So, I show my face and I educate people. People trust you when they get to know you through videos.” Next, he plans to expand onto YouTube.
Advice for New Agents
Gutierrez advises new agents to seek a mentor, especially someone who can help them with the paperwork. “It’s the most important part, and it’s boring. But if you know your paperwork, you can go really far. I was in a deal with an agent who had more years of experience than I did, but because I knew the paperwork better, I ended up teaching her.” Gutierrez credits his mother with teaching him the ins and outs of the paperwork. They work together every day. “She is amazing! She knows her stuff and even if we butt heads sometimes, she gives great advice.” For Gutierrez, the office is a whole-family affair. “My mentors are my mom, my beautiful sister, Jacqueline Gutierrez Lyday, and my smart younger brother, Matthew Gutierrez.”
Gutierrez advises new agents is to treat all clients with the care you would give your own family. “I treat every client as I would want to be treated. Often the next transaction is in the current one. I had one client refer six different family members because of the care I had taken with them.”
Giving closing gifts can help to keep you top of mind. “I like to give something that will last. A nice cutting board with some branding on it will remind them of you for years to come.”
Find Your Own Center
Gutierrez works with a mix of all kinds of clients around Fresno, all races and ethnicities and all income levels. One special group he has worked with are nonresident aliens using ITIN loans. “It can be hard for agricultural workers, especially, having to put 20 percent down.” He recently helped two nonresident families and seven DACA recipients buy homes. (Delayed Action for Childhood Arrivals is an administrative program that protects eligible immigrants who came to the United States as children from being deported and it gives them a work permit.)
Because sales have slowed some recently as interest rates and inflation have risen, Gutierrez found that it helped to focus on buyers with stable jobs. He reassures potential clients that it’s still a good time to buy a home — after all, he just bought a home himself. “I purchased my first home in April. It’s a full remodel, over 90 percent of the house.” He plans to make an office in the home.
Gutierrez looks to his family and community for inspiration. “My entrepreneurial spirit stems from my mom and dad. I also credit my success to hardworking Latinos who have helped make the country what it is today. I treat ALL my clients the way I would like to be treated, every time.”
TikTok: @aaron_gutierrezz
Instagram: @aaronnicholasestate