Dan Lopez: A Dedicated Realtor® with a Teacher’s Heart
LAKE MARY, Fla. – “I originally got my real estate license 23 years ago,” recalls Dan Lopez, broker/owner of Legends Realty in Lake Mary. He started out in a career as a medical lab technologist but was not fulfilled by it. However, real estate was always part of his life; his parents were part-time real estate professionals and his grandfather was an investor. In June 2000, he made the bold decision to leave the laboratory behind and dive headfirst into real estate.
“I fell in love with it. Absolutely fell in love. I just knew that that is what I needed to do for my career,” he shares about his change in career.
Lopez is one of 20 Realtors® in the first class to become a Florida Realtors® Board Certified Professional, a new endorsement for Realtors in Florida who have reached the pinnacle of their careers and fulfilled leadership, education and skill-based achievements over the life of their real estate careers.
A significant catalyst in Lopez’s real estate journey was meeting his wife, Tina. “I was looking to become a real estate investor here in Florida. She was doing property management, and she talked me into getting my license,” says Lopez. Together, Dan and Tina began to build Legends Realty, focusing on two primary areas: sales and property management.
A commitment to education
As someone who moved to Florida just two years before obtaining his real estate license, Lopez knew how important networking and education would be for success in the industry. Lopez focuses on the residential sales side of the business, and he knew he need to beef up his sphere of influence.
“I had to work on myself through education. I started taking as much training as was being offered and whatever I could make time for,” he explains. He first earned his Graduate, Realtor® Institute (GRI) designation. Then, within a year, he quickly got his broker's license, signaling his dedication to his profession.
“You never stop learning,” he says. “There are always opportunities to grow, always opportunities to improve, always opportunities to learn more or to learn about changes that are taking place.”
Building a business
Legends Realty has an equal emphasis on both sales and property management. “We treat both of those specialties as equals within the company,” Lopez says. “And if you do it right, the two work well together.”
He notes that it takes a “different mindset” to be a property manager and not all agents are cut out for the role. “Property managers tend to be very detail oriented and motivated to reach goals. Property management is always changing,” he says. The company manages between 400 and 500 “doors” and adds new properties every week.
“My role in the property management side of it is acting as a business developer,” Lopez explains. “I love the business of property management.”
His wife, Tina, loves the daily grind of property management. “She loves that aspect of it. My involvement tends to be finding clients and turning them over to the team,” he says.
The small office comprises nine agents and specializes in managing properties, which Lopez says is “the most profitable part of our business.”
Communication is key
“I don’t consider myself a great communicator, and, because of that, I put more of an effort into communications,” Lopez says. His commitment to communication is apparent in his relationships with his clients. He notes that if he’s working with a seller, he’s communicating a minimum of three times a week, offering showing feedback, giving updates and letting them know what’s going on in the market.
“I think one of the reasons why my customers enjoy working with me– why I have a high percentage of them coming back as repeat customers– is because I explain the process in the simplest terms,” he shares.
His personal tagline, “A dedicated Realtor® servant leader with a teacher’s heart,” speaks volumes about his approach.
Lopez is involved in his local community with the Seminole Chamber of Commerce, where he was on its board of directors and sat on the chamber’s issues and government committees. He says, “I like to attend different events and get involved in any way I can. I was also asked by the city to serve on one of their advisory boards with code enforcement. And I also joined the planning and zoning advisory board. Right now, I’m vice chair of that committee.”
Lopez’s story is a testament to the power of passion, education, communication and collaboration. “I always want to be part of the conversation, part of the solution. It’s very important to me,” he says.
But perhaps it’s his human approach – treating clients, colleagues and everyone he meets with respect, honesty and a “teacher’s heart” – that is key to Lopez’s success.
Florida Realtors® serves as the voice for real estate in Florida. It provides programs, services, continuing education, research, and legislative representation to about 238,000 members in 51 boards/associations. Florida Realtors® Newsroom website is available at floridarealtors.org/newsroom