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Top Women in Real Estate

HEN MOST OF US THINK does not have the financial ended abruptly when she had was one fact that Gloria never
Wof a real estate transac- means to support the home, an injury at work, and her boss expected, she hated dentistry.
tion, there is excitement and she and her children may end fired her because she could After working as a dental assis-
anticipation, not to mention up homeless. I come in before no longer do the job to his tant for a year and a half, she
the thrill of redecorating a decisions such as these are satisfaction. Gloria had no idea found herself confused as to
new home, but not all real made, to work with the family of her rights at the time, so she what to do with her future. Up
estate transactions are met and their legal counsel, to be was now without a job and to this point, the only field she
with the same emotions. There sure that all facts are consid- soon to be homeless. Luckily had considered was dentistry.
are times when a home must ered before a choice is made.” Gloria had a friend who lived She continued working as a
be sold due to a dissolution Gloria knows how import- in San Diego, and knowing of dental assistant but also took
of marriage or a passing of a ant stability is for a child hav- her predicament invited her to on a job as a waitress to sub-
loved one. This, I must admit, ing come from less than stable come to stay with her. “I didn’t sidize her income. One of her
is an area of real estate that regulars at her waitressing job
I never really thought much in La Jolla noticed her sales
about before, until I had the ability and offered her a job
great pleasure of meeting and working for him in car sales.
getting to know Gloria Roma. "This was a really big turning
Gloria is probably one of the point in my life. I worked in
most compassionate women the finance department and
I have had the pleasure of suddenly I was making a lot of
interviewing over the 13 years money. I worked my way up in
of our magazine's existence. the finance department to the
In addition to the two top job as Director of Finance.
important areas of real estate The reality, however, was that I
that I mentioned above, Gloria was making a great salary, but
also spent many years helping I still hated what I was doing."
military families with reloca- Along the way, Gloria
tion and still does some of this had felt intrigued by the Real
today. "I've been working in Estate field and had studied
real estate since 1998, so many and obtained her license, so
of my original clients are into not knowing what to do, she
buying their second or third quit her job at the Car dealer-
homes, but many of them are ship and started working in
also faced with a loved one Real Estate. In the meantime,
dying or needing to move into Gloria had met the man of her
an assisted living situation, or Gloria Roma dreams, had gotten married,
sometimes the dissolution of and life was good. She was at
a marriage. This leaves families her new job in real estate for
burdened and unsure how to By Judith A. Habert two weeks when she found
handle the property that is out that she was expecting her
often at the center of these life Photos courtesy of Gloria Roma first child. "My husband at the
events.” time had just started a new
Gloria understands the beginnings. Gloria left home know her that well and wasn’t job, and the money wasn't
ramifications that can be a at the age of 12, due to an sure if I should take her up on great in the beginning, so I
result of taking the wrong abusive situation and ended the offer, but at the time it was knew I had no option but to
path when dealing with these up in foster care. Unfortunate- my only option, so I moved succeed in Real Estate. Unsure
events. "Sometimes, during ly, her luck was no better in from Northern California, if I could bring myself to leave
a dissolution of marriage, the foster homes to which she where I grew up, to San Diego.” my newborn, I knew that I had
the wife may be dead set on was sent, and at the age of 17, Gloria worked at various nine months to sell as many
keeping the house to allow she was emancipated. So, if jobs saving up to attend homes as I could. Luckily, I was
her children's lives to remain anyone knows how important college. She had decided she immensely successful in those
as unaffected as possible by a stable home is to a family, it wanted to become a den- nine months."
the divorce. They may strong- is Gloria. tist, so she enrolled at Mesa Gloria hired a nanny and
ly advocate for keeping the At the age of 17, Gloria College where she earned her remained active in real estate.
family home. The reality of went on to obtain a string of AS degree, then transferred to Her business grew consid-
doing so, may, in fact, be their jobs aimed at simply sup- Point Loma Nazarene and fi- erably every year. Things
worst decisions. If the woman porting herself. A waitress job nally ended up at SDSU. There were going great until she

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