By Catherine Bungabong
Kishin Advani has more than 21 years of real estate experience. He started his real estate journey in residential appraisal while he was a finance and economics student at the University of Guam. When he entered his first internship at a financial advisory firm, he knew right away that becoming a financial advisor was not the path he wanted to pursue. Advani was a working student at the time and the internship did not fit in with his vision for his future.
Wanting to learn something new, he took advantage of taking bank and real estate classes when the university had offered the courses. That led him to an opportunity he really enjoyed at Micronesian Appraisal Associates Inc. After graduating with his bachelor’s in business in 1996, he continued to work for the company and was a licensed appraiser for six years.
“The beauty of appraisals is that you don’t have to go and look for a job,” Advani said. “Work was always coming in.”
Working with one of the largest and respected appraisal companies, he gained a wealth of experience in the real estate business — but said he still wanted to enter the sales field.
In 2002, he moved to ERA Guam Realty. After obtaining his real estate license, he realized that real estate was not an easy profession. “In the first five to six months, I had only made about $500. I almost quit 100 times,” Advani says.
His mentor, Ken Uyehara, had been the instructor of the real estate classes he took at UOG and was also the president and owner of MAA and ERA. Advani says Uyehara inspired him to continue to pursue a career in real estate and provided him helpful resources that taught Advani the tricks to the business.
“I learned about what types of questions to ask — certain things I need to learn and from there on, every year everything got better.”
He became persistent and motivated, Advani says. “There’s nothing else I’d want to do.”
Advani’s real estate designation includes Certified Residential Specialist and Certified International Property Specialist. After ERA dissolved in 2003, he joined a colleague, Christopher Murphy, who had founded The Real Estate Professionals.
“There’s no typical day in real estate; you juggle so much. You have to stay in contact with your clients, follow up, do contracts, update listings — [its] almost like playing an orchestra.”
It’s the customers that inspire him, he says. “I enjoy helping people. I love seeing the excitement in their eyes. When I give that key, they’re so happy.”
Building relationships with clients is one thing he truly enjoys about his career. He says he has made many friends in the process.
Advani is a member of the Guam Association of Realtors, where he has been the state/local director since 2015. He has served in the nominating, technology, education, and community affairs committees during his time with the association since 2006. He is also a member of the Pacific Association of Professional Real Estate Appraisers, was the vice president from 2012 to 2015, a director from 2007 to 2011, and is a member of the National Association of Realtors and the Guam Chamber of Commerce.
In his free time Advani enjoys running and going to the gym to provide a balance to work life. “It’s mental therapy. To do well in business, you have to stay mentally strong.
Kishin Advani
Realtor
The Real Estate Professionals