Today we’d like to introduce you to Hugo Quintanilla.
Hugo, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Real Estate was never originally on my radar. In 1998, by chance, I briefly worked at a mortgage company with a real estate branch. During that time, I became friends with people who felt I would be a successful real estate salesperson. After some consideration, I decided to get my Real Estate Sales Person License in 2001. I then became a Real Estate Broker in 2006, which allowed me to open my own personal office and Capital Home Sales was born.
Since Capital Home Sales started in 2006, there have been many ups and downs, but we are still going. After being based in an office in Tarzana on Ventura Blvd for several years, Capital Home Sales is now operating out of both Tarzana and Santa Clarita.
The beauty of owning my own business is that I’m also able to work from my home office. I work alongside my wife, Claudia, who is a licensed salesperson that mainly deals with showing properties to clients. Other than running the company, I mostly work on the financing aspect of the real estate transactions under a dba CHS Group (Capital Home Sales Group).
The future for the business looks great, and I am very optimistic. Currently I have a heavy workload, but I get through the day by creating a daily to-do list, which I believe is essential to running a successful business. I also recently decided to promote myself with personalized license plates that read, “L.A. R.E. GUY (Los Angeles Real Estate Guy)” and plate frames that provide my contact information and website, WWW.LAREGUY.NET. I’m excited to see what type of clients this new strategy will bring my way.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has not always been smooth. In 2008, the real estate market collapsed and surviving the business was a great challenge. Many of the regulations implemented after the crash made the business more complicated mainly for the mortgage industry, which is my main focus.
A combination of actions I have practiced since I was a young child prepared me to survive the biggest disruption to the U.S. housing market since the Great Depression. To this day, I prepare for the worst. I did not predict the crash when it happened, but I was conservative with my finances when times were great, which allowed me to have enough savings to weather the storm during that period.
Being honest, professional, respectful and looking out for my clients’ best interests was also the foundation that allowed me to remain in business during that difficult time. With their support of continued business, referrals and word of mouth, I was able to bounce back.
But, most importantly I cannot forget my family. My wife was there to support my decisions as we navigated through the storm, even when she didn’t know what the end result would be. My two daughters were also there as a constant reminder that I had to keep moving forward and overcome the obstacles, and my mother was there to offer advice and constant prayers.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
From first-time homebuyers to seasoned real estate investors, Capital Home Sales works with all types of clients. I have a diverse group of people on staff who are able to cater to English, Spanish, Farsi, German, Romanian, and Russian-speaking clients, who want to buy, sell or finance their homes.
I personally specialize on the financing aspect of the real estate transactions under CHS Group. The type of loans we are able to offer are FHA, VA, Conventional, Jumbo and some portfolio loan products to meet specific client needs. As a wholesale broker company, we work with many banks, so if a particular bank doesn’t have a loan our customer needs to buy the house of their dreams, we will find a product for that client in our list of available lenders.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles with a big family and a lot of friends. Ever since I was a young child, making money and being an entrepreneur was always on my mind. Even when I was in elementary school, I was looking for ways to start my own company. At that age, I happened to find out about the wholesale toys district in Downtown L.A, and I bought different toys that I thought other kids would like. I would play with the toys, and then resell them to my friends for a profit. I learned that saving my profits was essential for an unexpected emergency and important so that I could continue to invest and grow my business.
I was definitely a unique kid. Growing up, most children my age were always thinking of having fun. But, I would often turn down invitations to parties if I felt it interfered with making money, which often got me in trouble with my mother. She would even force me to go to Disneyland, and I would cry on the way there, not feeling too happy. She just wanted me to be a kid.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.capitalhomesales.net
- Phone: 818-708-2100
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Capital-Home-Sales-CHS-Group-438074452946383/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/capitalhomesale
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/capital-home-sales-tarzana
- Other: https://www.zillow.com/agents/
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