“From Intern to Industry Leader: How Mary Diana Built MD Modern Homes into a Real Estate Success Story”
1. Please introduce yourself (age, education and family).
My name is Mary Diana, CEO and Founder of MD Modern Homes.
I am a Passionate Realtor, aged 29 years old and a 3rd born in a family of 5 siblings. I Pursued my undergraduate studies in Bachelors of Mathematics and Applied Statistics at The Technical University of Kenya and graduated end of 2017.
2. Tell us About Your Real Estate Journey
My journey as a realtor started in 2018, this was Upon Completion of my undergraduate where I took an internship at a real estate company in westlands and over time my interest in real estate grew. I later on took up employment as a sales person majorly marketing and selling off plan houses and expanded to sourcing properties to meet the growing need of my client base.
Over time from my exemplary sales performance I moved up the ladder to be a Team leader then later a sales manager, a position which presented the opportunity to hone my skills significantly over the past seven years and nurture upcoming realtors.
My area of expertise is marketing, sourcing property and selling the same to my real estate clientele database.
And am driven by the joy of helping clients find their dream homes and investment options in the Real Estate Industry.
3. When did you establish Modern Homes and how has the journey been?
With over 6yrs experience from my previous employments in the industry and understanding clients needs, I decided to establish MD Morden homes at the beginning of 2022 to help clients identify a variety of properties in the Real estate industry.
At first I was in a dilemma ,felt a bit scared transitioning from employment to entrepreneurship and focusing on my brand. But I am grateful the business picked up well and I was able to penetrate in the industry from the first month and I never looked back. We are doing well and thankful to God.
4. Were there any cost implications in the business when starting?
When I started the major cost implication was basically on Marketing through different avenues,Running adds on social media platforms to get more visibility and digital content creation like posters and also facilitating the whole home ownership process from site visits till one officially owns a property.
5.. What drove you to venture into real estate and not any other venture?
Initially I had never thought of venturing in real estate, it was only after taking an internship that my interest in matters as to real estate grew. I derived satisfaction and motivation in walking the home ownership journey with my clients and eventually meeting their needs and also the demand for real estate is never ending as the property value keeps on appreciating .
6. What are some of your highlights in the Real estate industry.
I have been able to help over 100 clients get their dream homes or invest in property.Walking a successful home ownership process till delivery and seeing them happy getting their title deeds and keys Melts my heart the most , keeps me going, motivated and gives me the urge to learn a wider aspect of real estate and familiarize with upcoming market trends.
Getting several awards from my exemplary sales performance back then when working for brands as being best in sales yearly and monthly consecutively in 2021 &2022 and in 2023 under MD Modern Homes I have been able to get a Recognition from the Kenya Professional Realtor Association (KPRA) as The Realtor of the Year under individual category; I was also able to get a recognition for the Young Entrepreneur Achievement Award from the National Businesses Leadership Award (NABLA) . And this awards encourages me that there is more to learn and achieve in the industry and also give back by nurturing new entrants in the real estate sector.
Mentoring several realtors joining the industry through trainings till they are able to do business on their own. Them emulating from me also gives me morale to keep going.
7. Who do you partner with in this kind of business?
We have partnered with different reputable developers,Land owners,Homeowners and Investors both companies and individuals who have properties for sale or rent and we are able showcase their properties on our platforms and get buyers hence making it easy for potential buyers to identify the available property options in the market.
8. .How are clients able to Reach you?
90% of our clientele database over the years has been derived from my active and consistent social media platforms named MD Modern Homes where we have a big following of over 70,000 followers and we are able to reach a large audience both in Kenya and Diaspora. This includes Facebook YouTube,Instagram linked in ,twitter,TikTok. And our call/whatsapp contact 0702968903 is on all the platforms for easy and prompt communication.
We also get clients through networking,Repetitive clients and referrals from our great customer service.
9. In what way do you partner with different companies and developers?
Our partnership with the Real estate companies and developers is basically to market their properties and identify potential buyers or investors in the market.
10. Is there a team behind the success of MD Modern Homes?
Yes. As much the company is still growing. We have a very cooperative digital and sales team. The digital team helps out when it comes to creating social media advertising posters videos and creative ways to derive a large clientele audience our way as social media has become the heart marketing tool; While the sales team in different localities help in site visits and after client services hence easy to maneuver around. Overtime we intend to expand the team to make the home ownership process seamless for our clients At MD Modern Homes.
11. There are some incidences whereby people have lost money through dubious companies. How do you convince your clients to do business with your company?
I would say consistency , transparency and accountability is key while dealing with clients and with that comes trust. Our initial step even before partnering with property developers and home owners is to conduct due diligence on the properties we are to market and source clients for.
We are also able conduct educative videos/interviews on Real estate matters ,doing live videos while on sites to keep clients informed,Shairing client testimonials and it becomes easy for them to trust us in the home ownership process.
12. What advice do you give to clients who are intending to purchase a property?
If you are intending to buy a property; take your time to Research and understand the market, Financial planning is key, get to identify the kind of property that interests you, engaging a reliable or Professional Realtor to guide them in making and informed Home Ownership decision , organize for a site visit or if in diaspora send someone to visit on behalf so as to familiarize with the location, amenities ,infrastructure etc and further as a precautionary measure engage your lawyer to conduct due diligence to ensure smooth process.
13. What are some of the challenges that you have experienced in this business?
* Market misinformation regarding realtors, this is in particular due to conmen posing as realtors and hence damaging the reputation of genuine and honest realtors. But being consistent and transparent in your work help clients trust you.
* Demand of Houses is a positive challenge in that clients identity a property they are interested in but unfortunately when they are ready to visit or purchase you find that another client already booked or it’s sold out. Therefore one needs to convenience the client of other options seemingly better than the one they were interested in.
* Another challenge I would say is unforeseen delays in completion of projects let’s say offplan properties leading to clients withdrawing from their projects when they are at advance stages, but through proper communication and updating clients helps to curb anxiety and frustrations that may arise.
•Fluctuation in property value due to high economy which results to increased rates of the construction materials and permits.
* Additionally, the real estate industry is still a grey area in terms of legal regulations and enforcement on commission standards. There are times you meet none cooperating owners who hold back commissions once a buyer has made payment, that is a challenge in itself. One needs to meet the developers and agree on the terms , sign agreement before engaging in their properties.
14. What are some of the processes that a customer should follow when purchasing a plot or land?
The first step is for a customer to identify the property which depends on type, location and budget, afterwards conduct a site visit through a Realtor to ascertain whether the property is in existence. It is after that when the customer can choose a unit then request for a copy of the title deed to conduct a search at the land registry to determine the history of the property whether there are any cautions and encumbrances.
The search can be done individually or through a lawyer. After the search and upon advise from the Advocate on any arising issues the customer go ahead and enter into a sale agreement with the owner.
Upon execution of the sale agreement and paying the agreed purchase price then the property can be transferred to his/her name.
15. Mention some of the places where you have sold property, and others where you have property for sale.
Modern Homes has been able to sell several properties in different places including Ruiru ,Kamakis, juja, kitengela, Syokimau, Joska, Kiambu road, Ngong ,Kikuyu ,Westlands ,Kileleshwa ,Runda
Currently we have more listings in Nairobi and its environs. I.e along kiambu road, Thika road ,Kamakis, Runda ,Mombasa road ,Kangundo road,Ngong road ,Rongai ,Ngong ,Nakuru ,Mombasa , Kajiado, ,Kikuyu, Waiyaki way,LIMURU, Caren ,lower kabete ,,Kitusuru ,,Loresho ,Kakamega, kisumu etc.
These include bungalows,Maisonettes ,Apartments,Land for sale and also Rental properties/Airbnbs.
16. Which other property does your company sell, apart from houses and land?
As of now we majorly deal with houses and land for both residential and commercial purposes. But we also help clients who have their own land and would wish to construct on them get developers, architects and designers who can assist on the same.
17. What advice would you give to those who would like to venture into real estate business?
•I would say one should prioritize client’s satisfaction by understanding their needs and concerns
•be consistent , discipline ,focused and self-driven towards sourcing properties and identifying great partners.
•Networking is also crucial, mainly by attending real estate events/Forums, Homes Expos to meet and interact with potential partners and even identify new projects or opportunities in the industry.
•Invest in Effective marketing and set yourself in the market in a unique way where opportunities can see you especially through the social media platform as it has a wider audience reach.
•Identify the methodology that works for you when it comes to deriving clients your way and maximize your efforts on it.
•Stay informed and Understand the market trends including the appreciating rates ,demographics shifts and economic indicators over time by doing research so that you are able to advise your clients accordingly
•Do research on Real Estate trends, be creative and open to learning from others as learning is a never ending process.
•Use what you have to do what you can!
18. What are your future plans in this business?
Currently my focus is on marketing real estate projects and partnering with home owners-and developers. My long term vision however is to go a top notch higher and be a developer and market my own real estate projects as I get a lot of motivation from the developers I have partnered with. I appreciate them a lot.
To implement this plans I’m particularly adept to creating a bigger team as well as adapting to unforeseen changes and challenges aimed at growing the company.
And I’ll say it is work in progress and as we know a journery worth a thousand miles starts with a single step.
Few units left!
#3br #AllEnsuite #juja ✅8M
Regards,
MaryDiana
Founder MD Modern Homes
