How did you get into real estate?
As a third-generation Realtor, it was written in the stars for Nicole Lemas Rodriguez to continue the family legacy. Nicole began her career early by sweeping the steps of buildings of her family’s property management business. Years later, she grew to manage the company portfolio of 585 units of multifamily and residential investment properties. She began her real estate sales career in 2014 by focusing on first-time buyers whom she trained to have an investor mindset. She knew firsthand that real estate was the only way to build wealth and it was her kuleana to light the way for others. After reading and analyzing thousands of pages of AOAO condo documents on behalf of her clients, she realized the financial management of these assets lacked long-range vision. So, she took her career into the building management sector of the industry and became an Accredited Residential Manager (ARM), managing high-rises throughout Waikiki. There, she could be in the “belly of the beast” with a front row seat to the orchestration it takes to properly and professionally manage a multifamily condo building. In just three years of her building management career, she was recognized by the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) as a “30 Under 30,” which acknowledges the next generation of real estate management leaders nationally. With this newly found purpose, she is able to come full-circle for those first-time homebuyers who invested in Hawai‘i real estate to protect their future investment for years to come.

What do you love about real estate and your job specifically?
Being in this position comes with a deep sense of responsibility. My clients are looking to me to both paddle and steer them to their future. I feel privileged to be able to listen to their stories and follow clues they provide to craft a way they may have never seen for themselves. My clients often joke, “Who needs a therapist, when we have you?” Being intimately involved in my clients’ and residents’ lives, I pivot from therapist to coach to comedian, depending on the twists and turns of the day or the deal. This gives me so much joy and purpose that I get to use my talents and gifts so naturally to enhance and elevate the people who deserve it most.

What are the best parts of your job…and the hardest?
They are one in the same—two sides of the same coin. While there is no greater feeling than handing the keys to a new homeowner, I can’t help but acknowledge the many who do not have those same keys. The market is like the ocean, watching the tides rise and fall, waiting for that perfect moment. Many are wiped out before they even touch the shores. The hardest part about this position is navigating the power and kuleana I have to my family and friends to ensure they have a place to call home, in our beloved Hawai‘i nei.

What are two of your proudest accomplishments of your career?
In 2014, prior to getting my real estate license, I was working as a Project Developer for Revolusun, Hawai‘i’s #1 residential solar + battery installer in the state. There, I saw the need in the multifamily market with shared roofs being unable to gain access to photovoltaic. Trusting my vision, they supported my strategic and innovative approach to helping our AOAO communities across the island. With the support of our brilliant team, we calculated the common area interest and translated that into power, truly giving power to the people. I worked with the board of directors to amend governing documents and bylaws to legally allow every homeowner to have access to solar. For this herculean effort, I was honored as a “40 Under 40” by Pacific Edge Magazine the following year.

Making buildings smarter is truly my passion, so I was humbled when I received a call earlier this year inviting me to have a seat at the table with the Institute of Real Estate Management’s (IREM) National Board of Directors, under their Sustainability Advisory Board. Here, we certify office, medical office, multifamily, senior housing, retail, and industrial properties with their Certified Sustainable Property (CSP) designation. These properties are recognized for supporting sustainability and planetary health, while identifying the risks and opportunities within their environmental, social and governance (ESG) impact. Again, I feel extremely privileged to be able to use my accrued business acumen alongside my heart for our people and its place to sustain Hawai‘i for generations to come.

What is one thing you know now, that you wished you had known earlier on in your career?
As a visionary, I tend to move quickly. I can “burn the midnight oil” chasing the sun as there never seems to be enough time in the day to move the mountains I need to. Like all millennials, we want to change the world. As I’ve matured, I see that the change I was seeking was already within me. What I know now is this career is a marathon, not a sprint. I now take my time and listen. Follow your na‘au, your na‘au always knows. Change The Way You Look At Things And The Things You Look At Change.

What are some words of advice for our readers?
In this line of work, the stakes are high. The more advanced the deals get, the more complex and complicated the process can seem. Real estate is a true baptism by fire but through the fire, there is new life. Oftentimes change is painful. When what we’ve known to be “true” is no more, it can feel like a death has occured. Yet something must die to make room for the new thing to rise and take its place. Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, I encourage you to dance with this cycle of life knowing what you are seeking is just on the other side. Zig Ziglar said it best: “F-E-A-R has two meanings: ‘Forget Everything And Run’ or ‘Face Everything And Rise.’ The choice is yours.” I choose to rise so that others may too.