Four years ago, Daisy Lopez-Cid submitted an application for the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® (NAHREP®) Top 250 Latino Agents award. She was up against hundreds of agents for a spot on the trade organization’s first annual list. When the list was released, she was thrilled to find herself ranked as the ninth agent out of the 250. “It was an honor to be recognized on the list among trail-blazing agents,” says Lopez-Cid.
The Top 250 Award program has grown to be one of the most prestigious distinctions in the housing industry for Hispanic professionals. It was established with the top-producing agent award and expanded to include an award that honors leading mortgage originators. “The Top 250 program highlights people who work every day in their markets to fulfill NAHREP’s mission of increasing homeownership in Latino communities,” states Gary Acosta, NAHREP CEO & co-founder. A consistent Top 10 agent, Lopez-Cid has become an advocate for the program, encouraging her team of agents to nominate themselves every year. “Recognition on the Top 250 list gave me the opportunity to grow my business into the most successful RE/MAX franchise in Osceola County,” comments Lopez-Cid. “The expansion of the program to include mortgage originators also gives me an opportunity to nominate colleagues of mine in other areas of real estate who serve the Latino community.” In 2015, after the release of the rankings, Lopez-Cid received a personal letter congratulating her for her spot as the No. 3 agent from the Governor of Florida. The growing prestige of the award is evident via increasing recognition of the top producers in the media, by leading real estate franchise groups and local elected officials. “We work every day to make homeownership a reality for families. To be recognized by NAHREP, elected officials and other community leaders for our passion of homeownership is so humbling,” she adds.
Each class of Top 250 honorees is invited to participate in the NAHREP Icons mastermind group, a peer-to-peer experience where previous and current honorees gather to exchange best practices and learn long-term wealth creation strategies from experts. “The NAHREP Icons group gave me the opportunity to learn from other top producers in different markets across the country who have achieved great results using methods different from my own,” says Lopez-Cid. “There is no real opportunity outside of the mastermind group for me to network with successful agents from Seattle or Chicago and to learn their personal methods of success, and NAHREP has provided a space in which I am able to do just that.”
Nominations for the 2016 Top 250 Latino Agents and Mortgage Originators Awards opened in January. The association is accepting self-nominations through April 29, 2016. The Top 250 honorees will each receive special distinction at the 2016 NAHREP National Convention & Latin Music Festival, and the Top 10 agents will be publicly recognized at an awards ceremony at the convention. Learn more about the award and nominate yourself or a distinguished real estate professional at www.nahrep.org/top250.
For more information, visit www.nahrep.org.