MARCO M. BENITEZ: Former UAAP Basketball Player

Note:  Marco is our first featured broker   for the year.  The last  one was Sweetie Gardiner-Manez (Former TV Host) in November 2010.

The parents of  Marco must be  very proud of him— among his other qualities, he is an achiever in more ways than one. 

Marco was a  member of the  Ateneo  Blue Eagles that won the 2002 UAAP Basketball Championship—a credential that   helped him clinch the position of  Assistant Coach to the Ateneo Blue Eaglets Juniors Basketball Team.

After completing his degree in Management Engineering—one of the most  academically demanding  courses at  Ateneo de Manila, he  joined Nestle Philippines  as a Management Trainee and later assumed the position of  Regional Field  Operations Executive.  Along the way, he also finished his MBA from the Ateneo Graduate  School of Business.

In 2007,  upon the encouragement of his father , Marco   took up the  Comprehensive Real Estate Seminar or CRESAR.    He passed the broker’s exam,   got his license and  eventually  joined the Pasay Makati Realtors Board.

Marco  shifted to real estate to join   his father in  running the   family businesses that include Chiron Development Inc..
    

Read more about Marco here.

• What is your educational background?  What were you considering as a career when you were in high school or in college? Grade school and High School from PAREF Southridge School in Hillsborough, Muntinlupa.  Graduated BS Management Engineering from Ateneo De Manila, also Graduated with an MBA degree from Ateneo Graduate School for Business. While I was in high school and college, I did not really have a definite career path planned out, like some of my classmates who wanted to become a doctor or a lawyer or an architect. I guess it just fell under the general category of businessman, because that's what my dad was. Aside from that, I'd also considered a career in the corporate world, working for multinationals like Procter and Gamble, Unilever, Nestle, etc. 

• What was your job prior to your shift to real estate? After college I managed a badminton center some friends of mine put up along C-5. That was when badminton was a big fad back then. Then I was an assistant coach with the Ateneo Blue Eaglets UAAP Juniors Basketball team, being a member of the 2002 Champion Blue Eagles. Right now, though I don't coach full time, I still manage the Blue Eaglets, been doing so the past 3 years. I also had a 2 and a half year stint with Nestle Phils. as Management Trainee and then Regional Field Operations Executive. One of the things I treasure most from Nestle was heading the team that organized the annual National Sales Kickoff. In 2007, upon the encouragement of my late father, I reviewed and took the real estate broker's exam, as our family was involved in the real estate business.

• What were you reasons for shifting to real estate? The main reason I shifted to the real estate business was because this is the business my family was involved in; and although I had delved into other industries in the past, I guess it was inevitable that I would end up here. I think it would be a tremendous waste to turn my back on something my father had built for the sake of pursuing a career elsewhere.

• How did  you prepare for your shift? I really took the time to review for the broker's exam back in 2008. Also I'd accompany my late father during his visits to the site and where our projects are located and had started to learn the ropes from there

• What would you consider to be your major achievement or most memorable experience in  your real estate practice? So far my biggest achievement, together with our team, has been consolidating about 40 hectares of agricultural land for the purpose of developing into a residential subdivision. It's a project that has been ongoing for a few years (started with my late father in 2007) and has been quite challenging, particularly in terms of negotiations, documentation and settling various issues that make the consolidation quite complicated. Thankfully though, with a lot of patience, hard work, and prayers, our team has been able to consolidate that big an area so far.

• What would be  one major  piece of advice  you would want to share with someone who is considering to shift to real estate?I guess the best piece of advice I could give would be to have genuine love or passion for what it is you are doing, whether it is selling, appraising, consolidating, or what have you. Because only by having a true passion for your work will you excel in it. It is what will drive you to really know your stuff - what it is you're selling, the important details of the transaction, such as taxes, expenses, etc. The real estate business is all about convincing people to believe in the product or service that you are selling; and the only way to sound convincing is if you yourself know what it is you are talking about. It can't just be a general idea of the product, you really have to know the details. Since transactions involve significant sums of money, you can be sure that both the buyer and the seller will be very particular about details, because you can lose a lot of money in the details. This passion is also what will drive you to show real concern for each and every transaction, every client, and every realtor you come across, whether you are able to close a deal or not. This business hinges a lot on trust and reputation, and the only way to build a good reputation other people can depend on is by treating each individual you deal with with integrity and respect.

• What other  details about yourself  would you like your fellow brokers and your clients to know? Aside from Real Estate, I'm also involved in complementary businesses such as Security and Manpower Services. These also belong to our family's group of companies, which I believe are important corollary businesses because by nature, properties need to be kept secure and maintained. Outside of work, I like to engage in sports, particularly basketball and golf, because I've been doing these since I was a kid, and more so because they drive you to continually improve yourself. 

 
 
    Marco M. Benitez, 30, Apr. 24, 3 years of real estate practice.