Meet Emmanuel Guarino and Bekah Guarino of The Assisted Living Agents

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emmanuel Guarino and Bekah Guarino.

Emmanuel and Bekah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Emmanuel: Around 5 years ago I realized that what I was learning in college was not for me. I realized it was more of a business transaction than a quality education I was receiving. At that point, I started to realize I needed to do something. Around that same time my father started to teach me about being an entrepreneur and being my own boss. I realized that this was what I needed to do. I eventually went on to graduate from Arizona State but I realized that it was just going to be a feather in my cap and not what I would do with my life.

I had always had a passion for homes. I would always get excited when I would get to go to a new friend’s home and see the layout and the designs. I realized from an early age that if I loved what I did then I would not have to work a day in my life. Now 5 years later I work with my wife from home and I have not had to go to an office and punch a clock. My wife/business partner, Bekah and I are very blessed to get to work together. She handles a lot of the behinds the scene works and I handle speaking with clients and closing the deals. We are very proud that in the past year we were able to double our sales from the previous year. At this point we are looking to expand and possibly move into other states.

Bekah: Since joining the team, we have been able to increase sales dramatically. Last year we sold or had in contract 10 million dollars worth of assisted living homes alone in Arizona. It began with a couple assisted living sales, and we have grown it to be our full time focus. Increasing automation and creating a road map for where we are going and being specific about what qualifications must be met for us to take on a listing has been extremely helpful in getting us to where we are today. We are very passionate about this industry and the freedom that it can provide those who choose to get involved. Our specified knowledge, and now extensive experience in handling these transactions has given us the tools to keep growing our business.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Emmanuel: During the beginning, it was tough. My friends did not understand what I was trying to accomplish. I would stay in and work on my craft. Even on Saturdays I would make cold calls to homes and try to get my name out there. I had to learn by trial and error. My entire life I have never been able to pick something up right away. It has always taken me time and effort to get good. I consider this weakness to be my biggest strength. I never get down on myself for not being good at something right away. This attitude has helped me to master many skills and I love teaching on that principle whenever I can.

My wife was so supportive of all of my efforts she knew that I could do whatever I set my mind to. So even when it didn’t look like we were getting anywhere she believed in me and that helped me keep moving forward even in the toughest times. My first commission check was for 15 thousand dollars which was more money I had made the entire last year working in a restaurant working hard and late hours. Once I started to see my efforts pay off I realized that I was going down the right path.

Bekah: It was such a privilege getting to watch Emmanuel get started in real estate. We had just started dating when he was studying for his real estate license exam. He approached that exam with such tenacity. I came to know how diligent of a worker he is and how focused he is on being successful at whatever he puts his mind to. I knew from that point that he was an all-in kind of person and someone I wanted to grow with for the rest of my life. It was not always easy overcoming obstacles, and dealing with tough situations that often present themselves in a real estate transaction. I tried my best to be there for Emmanuel when sticky situations came around and talk through what the best course of action was.

The main struggle was learning how to allocate time wisely, and staying calm in situations. Sometimes the right decision is not taking on the deal, and it took us time to realize that. Before long, he had grown the business to be more work than one person could really handle effectively and at that point, I decided it was the right fit to get my license and help him increase organization and efficiency. We make a great team in and out of the office. I love handling the marketing, financing, contracts and our schedules so that together we are able to bring excellent service to our buyers and sellers in the assisted living field.

Please tell us about The Assisted Living Agents.
We call ourselves the Assisted Living Agents. You can find us at www.assistedlivingagents.com. We are licensed real estate agents working at N.B. Andrews & Associates. We are a husband and wife team who lead the Arizona market in sales of Residential Assisted Living homes. We specialize in selling luxury assisted livings that are licensed for 10 residents with majority private rooms and above average rates.

What sets us apart is our knowledge of this business. Our family runs three of these homes here in Arizona, and we personally help teach real estate investors how to get started in this industry. We know the inner workings of the industry and how to effectively evaluate these very niche businesses, which has quickly helped us grow to be the top sellers of care homes. A regular business broker may have just sold a gas station and use the same method to sell a client’s care home, which is comparing apples to oranges.

A residential realtor will often evaluate the business wrong and just be happy to have a listing. The thing we are most proud of is that our reputation is one of professionalism, honesty, and integrity. We work hard and are willing to go the extra mile to get the deal closed. It is such a rewarding industry to work in, as we get to see just how many lives are touched when we help our clients buy and sell their assisted living homes and provide an amazing service to seniors who need a comfortable home to stay in with loving caregivers.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Emmanuel: My favorite memories from childhood would be making others laugh. My motto in life is to have fun and to work hard. Even when times are tough you can still laugh during the process. I remember the first job I worked at a Jamba Juice. I told the guy working next to me that won’t this be funny when we look back when we are big timers and we say remember when we use to work at that juice shop.

I believe that we can learn from all things that happen to us. My father would always give me the best advice he would tell me to have fun and enjoy the process. I take those words and use them as my motto. When my time is up on this planet I want to know that I made a difference in this world. I don’t just want to make a bunch of money or do something that won’t last. I want to make sure that I can set an example of how to work hard and have fun for future generations.

Bekah: There are many fond memories I have from my childhood but none more so than enjoying time with my family whether that was over dinner, on vacation, playing games or talking over life. We both have large families, Emmanuel has 3 siblings and I have 4 older sisters. We are extremely close to both of our families. It is important for us to be able to set ourselves up financially so that when we decide to grow our family we are able to expand and have more freedom with our time to spend quality time with our family, and have thriving businesses.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theassistedlivingagents.com
• Phone: 480-567-8264
• Email: emmanuel@ralacademy.com

Image Credit:
Cora Kingston Photography

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