Meet Steven Fernandes of Substantia Realty in West Houston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Fernandes.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Steven. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was fortunate to be exposed to real estate and investments through my family at an early age. While I was obtaining my bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Houston- Downtown I simultaneously became a licensed realtor. I was able to grow my family’s real estate portfolio and used this experience to assist other investors and earned my SFR for Short- sale and Foreclosure Designation. I began my career with Trend Setter Realty where I was able grow my business by focusing on first-time homebuyers and the Millennial market. I saw the opportunity in the Houston market to have a boutique real estate experience focused on high-level white glove service. In 2016, I earned by broker’s license and founded Substantia Realty. In 2017, we grew to 5 agents and did $10 million in sales. My goal is to bring on 3 new agents in 2018 and also bring our sale volume up to 20 million. We want Substantia Realty to be synonymous with professional agents, cutting edge technology and excellent customer service.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In my personal professional experiences the biggest challenge for me was overcoming the perception of not being knowledgeable because of my age. The challenge as a company in a large market is to differentiate yourself as a firm. We have been fortunate to have great professional partners and a solid referral base from our clients. Our goal for 2018 is to have our firm have a very positive and respectable name in the industry.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Substantia Realty – what should we know?
As a firm there are several things that we are very proud of. In our first years we have been very diligent about partnering with great lenders, title companies and other professionals. This has allowed us to better serve our clients and make our transactions more smooth. Our deals are all over Houston and we have a specialization in the Central and Western areas of Houston. We have a very team oriented culture that is very supportive of each other. Lastly, we are also very proud of our community involvement, our sponsorship of local schools and high school athletes and our participation in professional trade organizations.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The first mentor that pushed me into the Real Estate industry was my Aunt Della Hudson. She would take me around looking at properties with her and her Realtor when I was just 17 years old. She also helped me get my license and was my first client. My second mentor would be Charles Mansour. Charles is a Real Estate Attorney based out of Houston. Not only is he a great attorney, but he has also helped guide me as a young businessman. My other two largest supporters who deserve credit are my management staff Brian Roe and Erin Deshon. Brian is our Business Development Manager, and Erin is our Director of Marketing. I consider both to be my right hands in all things Substantia Realty. I lean on both of them to help discuss decisions that will affect the vision and direction of the whole company.

Contact Info:

• Address: 16360 Park Ten Pl #110
  Houston, TX, 77084
• Website: www.substantiarealty.com
• Phone: 281-944-9063
• Email: steven@substantiarealty.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sfernandes91
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sfernandes91

Image Credit:
Alvin Jr Photography

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