Meet Tiffany Ryland of ARVO Realty Advisors

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Ryland.

Tiffany, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My father has owned his real estate firm for over 37 years. Initially, after college, I tried to do everything BUT real estate. I tried acting, modeling, cheering for the Atlanta Hawks, working as an international trade analyst at Georgia Pacific, learning to be a financial advisor, etc.

Eventually, I was recruited to work for CBRE one of the top commercial real estate firms in the country. While I was excited and it was a great opportunity, I knew it would not be my last stop. 2017 My mother fell very ill, and I decided to leave everything I built in Atlanta to move home and become a full-time caregiver in Houston (the best decision I ever made). A couple of months after I relocated to Houston, my mother, unfortunately, passed away.

Through depression, I knew that I needed to get up and try to keep moving so I decided to finish my real estate classes and get my license. It took me about a year to fully come out of my dark place; however, once I came to, I began working with my father at his firm. I was presented with an opportunity to work on major assignments early on in my career. Most firms will not present such opportunities to someone one so young and inexperienced.

Within a year of really getting started, I was able to participate in multiple multi-million dollar transactions as well as launch my first commercial real estate campaign. By the second week in 2019 my sales volume exceeded 4.6 million (for the year). This would have never been possible without my team, the trust of my pastor and a phenomenal, inspirational, role model of a father.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Every success story has its bumps along the way. I suffered from deep depression after my mothers passing. I don’t remember a large part of 2017-2018. I can recall small details, but a lot of things are very much so a blur.

Many People get into real estate and believe that it will be quick and easy money. The reality is… that’s not always the case. Every day is a grind. Competition is steep, and you will always have to prove why someone should use you out of thousands of other agents.

My first deal was set to close in the first 90 days of its inception. At the 11th hour, our in house attorney raised a red flag (a very important flag at that), and while I wanted the money, the best thing for my client was for us to pull out of the deal. Had we gone through with the contract, my client would have been on the hook for anywhere between 27k- 41k in unexpected build-out expenses.

That day I was set to bring in about $20,000.00 by 12 pm… by 5 pm that deal was completely dead and I was broke. I struggled with wanting to change and innovate within our organization without first truly understanding our pain points and what we NEEDED as a company. I struggled with wanting to keep my youth and personality while also being respected in the industry.

Being one of the youngest African American women in commercial real estate I take my task of setting the tone and breaking barriers very serious. I want to ensure that the path I create for other women to follow is not tainted before they even get an opportunity to try. The biggest struggle I had was with myself… Self-doubt often crept in, but my father kept me grounded and reminded that failure was not an option.

Please tell us about ARVO Realty Advisors.
ARVO Realty Advisors is a full service commercial real estate firm founded by my father over 37 years ago. We help individuals, companies and government entities buy, sell and lease commercial property across the country. We are one of the top minority-owned commercial real estate firms in the country.

The initiative I am most proud of is IMOC (Invest In My Own Community). We go into underserved underdeveloped communities and teach individuals that live and work there how to create generational wealth through commercial real estate. There are multiple tracks for this program. We have IMOC aspiring- this is for individuals who know nothing about commercial real estate and are interested in learning.

There is IMOC master’s – a program for individuals who have the financial capability and business acumen, however, they don’t have the time or desire for a 5-month class. We incorporate an under-retailed summit and bus tour in which we bring retailers into underserved/underdeveloped communities, put them on a bus, and physically show them the overlooked opportunities. Last but certainly not least our most recent track is IMOC for Athletes and entertainers.

We serve as a resource for athletes and entertainers who are interested in investing back in their communities and need guidance/representation. As an agent, it’s about more than the money for me.

It’s about being able to uplift a community, help small to midsize businesses open their doors, creating a path for more women of color to be considered for C-level positions in commercial real estate, and helping underserved communities create generational wealth that they will directly benefit from.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I had a pretty awesome childhood I don’t know that I can pick just one memory so I’ll say this… my fondest memories are those that include my entire family together… living, laughing and loving each other…. unconditionally.

Contact Info:

• Address: 6161 Savoy Dr. Houston, Tx 77036
• Website: www.ARVORealtyAdvisors.com
• Phone: 713-952-5066 ext 121
• Email: Tiffany.ryland@arvorealtyadvisors.com
• Instagram: Tiffannryland
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiffany.ryland

Image Credit:
Charles Dante, Jessica Dao

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