“What drives me is to be the best I can possibly be”
From Merchant Marine ship captain to a successful career in real estate, Natalie’s life has most definitely been interesting! Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Natalie enrolled at the Texas Maritime Academy aged 17, and spent the next 18 years sailing the world. She advanced from the lowest ship’s officer rank to becoming Captain of her own ship. “I’ve done stuff,” Natalie laughs. “As Master I managed multicultural crews, people from different ethnicities, religions, and customs — literally a tinderbox, and my job was to make sure no fuses were lit …while making money for the company of course.”
Natalie’s interest in real estate came from buying and selling properties in various locales while she was on shore leave. So it was the natural choice when she decided to transition to working on land. “In my prior career, work was not a personal thing — I was fulfilling my duty to a company. By contrast, helping people to buy or sell their home is deeply personal and it is incredibly rewarding. What is typically the largest transaction in a person’s life deserves respect as well as confidence, trust, and particular attention. The core of what I do is to keep people happy and comfortable while anticipating what will come next so they aren’t taken by surprise.
For me, it’s not about having a million transactions, it’s about ensuring that all the transactions I take on all go smoothly and according to plan, whether it is 10, 50 or 100. I never want to lose sight of what’s important to the individual in the transaction.”
Barker Realty is a perfect complement to Natalie’s goals. “I simply wouldn’t be able to be successful or grow my business as efficiently if I weren’t here. Plus, these are people who live and breathe their community, care about how it’s affected and consistently work to improve the lives of Santa Feans in housing, yes, but also philanthropically. We truly care.”
Natalie and her husband are both passionate about giving back to their community and have chosen to work with St. Elizabeth’s Shelter. “As my husband says, ‘You live and thrive in this community. What are you doing for it in return?’ Every day he inspires me to want to be better,” she says thoughtfully. Natalie’s husband, an attorney, runs the St. E’s legal clinic. She joined him on the Board of Directors earlier this year and is focusing her efforts on fundraising, awareness, and outreach. She goes on, “What drives me in life is to be the best I can possibly be at what I do, in everything I do.”
The support the company provides and its collaborative environment have led to impressive results. “Just look at the numbers from 2017! Barker Realty has the highest production per broker, the highest list to sales price, and the lowest days on market averages of the top firms in Santa Fe. This is the team I want to be associated with.”
