Community Highlights: Meet Andrew Schwinger of Century 21 Arizona Foothills

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Schwinger.

Hi Andrew, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.

I grew up in Philadelphia and central New Jersey. I attended the USNA Naval Academy for one year and a half with an initial goal of becoming a career naval officer, but after a death in the immediate family left to deal with family issues and change schools. I graduated with a Finance degree and also studied the Japanese language. After interning as a stock exchange floor trader relocated to Tokyo, Japan, to take on a role as a multi-asset execution trader for BGI Japan, the asset management unit of Barclays Bank at the time. During this time, I was also active on the board of the Chartered Financial Analysts Society of Japan. After almost eight years in Japan, I took a sabbatical year to study the Mandarin language in Shanghai, Mainland China. Subsequently, briefly working in Hong Kong and spending time in Korea and Thailand for extended periods. Eventually temporarily relocating back to the USA before returning to Tokyo to establish a financial research consulting business focusing on ESG Environment, Social, and Governance factor customized surveys. Was also collaborating in business development for a global digital consultant and software developer EGO Creative Innovations on some east Asian market business. Most recently returned to the USA and settled in the East Valley of Phoenix, obtained my Arizona State Real Estate Sales license and joined the team of Century 21 Arizona Foothills. I am also a member and getting more active within the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations, my local school board, and the local Chartered Financial Analyst Society in Phoenix.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

The road was a jagged course with ups and downs. One thing I am proud of was my ability to take calculated risks that ended up paying off. One was the challenge of getting a floor trading role and accepting a 100% profit split payout and not taking a salary. The second was relocating to Japan before the offer came in. The third was taking the year off to study Mandarin Chinese, and the final risk was moving back to the United Stated States without any job waiting for me and pursuing my current real estate career. I also had to manage having to young children along the way.

All of these moves were challenging. Particularly difficult was adjusting to the working life in Tokyo, working within an investment management firm and adapting to the culture and requirements.

However, I believe these periods allowed me to grow professionally and personally and become a more interesting person all around.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?

We are a greater Phoenix metropolitan area real estate agency that spans residential, commercial, property management, and relocation services with multi-lingual staff and agents. We have over 30 years of experience in the Phoenix market. We have state-of-the-art technology resources for operations and marketing.

Within my own personal specialty, I am carving out a niche area of expertise within the “relocation market” and the “first time home buyer.” I host a YouTube channel called “ArizonaHomeCastConnect” which takes you on virtual house tours and talks a little about the area in terms of distinguishing features. I plan to manage a first-time home buyer in-house in this capacity as well.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?

In my case, Century 21 provides a lot of mentoring. Outside of that my view is that if you are assertive in your networking then the mentoring takes care of itself because you naturally meet like-minded people with more experience that you can learn from. Experienced people tend to like to help those who put the extra effort in. The word “networking” should mean creating more “trusted relationships,” not merely knowing more people’s names and faces. By this way of thinking, I would prioritize joining groups where your input makes a difference and you become valuable within a team. For example, joining a school board might be prioritized over just joining a gym or going to Starbucks and saying hi to people. However, trusted relationships can be formed anywhere, anytime so this is the reason to be open-minded when meeting new people and do not limit yourself to one or two methods of networking.

Contact Info:

• Email: andrew@schwingeraz.com
• Website: https://schwingeraz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schwingeraz/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/schwingeraz
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/schwingeraz
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_WtPEHrbM81U-NLHUdfg7g

Image Credits
These pictures are all my personal property. Photographger is Lillian L. Schwinger