Please allow us to introduce one of our incredible new homes agents, Nalishma Carvelho! Nalishma has been a proud member of our team for a few years now, and in that time she has played a key role in major W Marketing milestones and moments. We are proud to say Nalishma has helped us to successfully sell out several new home communities, as well as do her part for her fellow neighbors when she hit the ground running to help families get a fresh start after the devastating wildfires. Through her experiences, Nalishma has gained a unique understanding of what it takes to find a client their perfect place to call home. We are proud to have her on our team! Keep reading to learn more about Nalishma!
What is your favorite part about being a new homes agent?
Having one of the key roles in building a community. A lot goes into building a brand new home and going through the process with builder clients and buyers brings a different experience with each subdivision and each transaction. Each one just as important as the next.
You get to know families, people who will likely become future life long friends. Our communities bring together people from all walks of life together with one common goal, homeownership; a goal that I feel privileged to help facilitate.
What made you choose a career in real estate?
Being an immigrant, homeownership to me always represented the ultimate American dream, it’s a dream my parents worked very hard to achieve and a dream I can now help others turn into reality.
What was the first thing on your to-do list today?
If I’m being honest, making a “to-do list”. I like to map out my day first thing in the morning, which means going through my phone calendar plugging appointments and blocking out time for high priority tasks.
Journaling is the first thing on the on my to-do list. I started journaling this year and found that it helps me consciously set the tone of how I would like my day to go. The Five Minute Journal has been my go to. I would like to say, journaling is followed by working out or meditation on my to do list, but it was checking emails while my kids are asleep.
If you could only give your clients one piece of advice when searching for a home, what would it be?
Trust the process. This is probably the most expensive decision you’ll ever make and it can come with its shares of highs and lows. All of this is part of the process and something you’ll be grateful to have experienced even if it doesn’t seem that way at the time.
What are your must-have items for an open house at one of the projects you are selling?
Waters come in handy and people appreciate it. My handy pepper spray and Construction Site Waivers for good measure.
I never leave the house without ______ ?
My laptop, fully charged. A real estate emergency is usually right around the corner.
What’s your favorite style of home and why? (Craftsman vs. Farmhouse, etc.)
This is a tough one because there are clearly so many good ones out there, but a plantation style mansion is my all time fave. My husband and I spent a few years residing in Santa Rosa’s historic McDonald neighborhood, where he grew up. I’ve been inside a few of the homes in this neighborhood and they are absolutely gorgeous and so rich with history. The plantation style, in my humble opinion, remains in a class of its own. Grand in stature, opulent in style and sometimes a bit mysterious, each one different with so much character.
What interior design trend do you hope to see catch on in 2022?
Mixed metals, textures and COLOR, lots of color! As a realtor, I appreciate a black and white canvas, a clean modern concept that gives you the freedom to change decor often, keeping things fresh; and as a millennial, I am instinctively drawn to desert chic (limestone, terracotta, stone sculptures, etc); however, your personal space should have character, a place that reflects all aspects of your vibrant life. Less curated, more authentic.
What’s one thing you’re most excited about this year?
Professionally, I am excited about the launch of additional W Marketing communities currently in the works, as well as the new communities we have launched within the past year. This has been by far the busiest year, something I fully embrace.
Personally, this year has been by far the best. My husband and I welcomed our baby girl, and with her big brother, our hearts (and home) have never been so full. I look forward to a lot of memorable firsts as a family of four.
If you could buy a house anywhere in the world, where would it be?
This is an easy one. I would definitely buy my grandparents home in Fiji. I have so many happy childhood memories there. It’s the home my dad and his siblings grew up in and a place I always think of when I look back at the joyful times in my adolescent life.
What was the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
If it doesn’t resonate with you, it won’t work. Not in business, not in life.
Tell us about a memorable transaction you were a part of.
Like many of my colleagues, I helped a great number of families during the aftermath of the 2017 Tubbs fire. So many faces come to mind, one family definitely made an impression.
Chris, a Henry1 pilot and his first responder wife Deanna. Chris gave his family the news of losing their Parkerhill home as he flew over their neighborhood on the night of the Tubbs fire, while assisting the first responders on ground.
I met Deanna and Chris’s parents the next day at Rincon Place, a new community I was selling at that time. Chris was still on duty and we finally met a week later. The day met Deanna and Chris’s parents, they were dressed in the same clothes that they evacuated in. Spending just a few minutes with them, one thing was evident, although they lost their home, they were hopeful for what was ahead.
A few years later, I turned on the news and saw a Henry1 pilot rescue two firefighters surrounded by an active fire and it was Chris. When told he was hero, to no surprise he humbly responded he was just doing his job.
The grace and courage that Chris and Deanna demonstrated during one of the most difficult times is something I’ll always remember about them.
If you could sell a home to one person, who would it be and why? (Think along the lines of the “who’s the one person dead or alive you’d like to have dinner with?”)
Oprah, hands down. Her Santa Barbara home is one of my dreams realized, so house hunting with O would be an absolute treat!
