With the median cost of a home in New York City coming in at around $750K, real estate professionals in this market can make a killing. However; one realtor is turning her attention to a market that is often overlooked. MonaLesa D. Brackett, New York Licensed  Real Estate Salesperson (REALTOR®), specializes in assisting homeless clients with housing vouchers lease their own units. In a niche market, voucher holders are often illegally discriminated against by realtors, landlords, and other tenants. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, the actress turned REALTOR® has always had a passion for charity and has found her niche in helping the homeless find safe housing to improve their quality of life.

Can you tell our readers about your background? 

Born and raised in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, I received her Bachelor’s Degree in Television Production at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. After a five-year career in the TV/Film industry in Atlanta, Georgia, I returned to NYC and focused on another interest; Real Estate. After finding out housing voucher holders were heavily discriminated against by tenants, landlords, and many licensed real estate salespersons it was then that I knew this would become my focus. It was always my goal as an actress and screenwriter to make enough money to develop transitional housing for the homeless. However, once I got into working with clients with housing vouchers I quickly learned that a large percentage of voucher holders are in fact homeless. It was then that I decided to fully center my business around assisting those with housing vouchers, specifically the homeless with finding safe housing and I started my business; The Real Estate Fairy, LLC.

What inspired you to start your business? 

I started my business after seeing the need for advocacy in the NYC real estate rental market for clients looking to lease apartments with housing vouchers. A looming discriminatory stigma has been placed on voucher holders that assumes voucher holders are “bad” tenants for various reasons. In my own experience I find this to be untrue. Many of the clients I work with are great people and have received housing vouchers after falling on hard times just as any of us can. Housing voucher or not, there is no way to 100% know if someone will be a “good” tenant or not.

Where is your business based?

I am currently licensed in New York State and actively pursuing my license in New Jersey. I look to further expand in the future with a license in Georgia.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Just as any other Licensed Real Estate Salesperson, I started this journey by attending real estate school, passing my state licensing test, and signing with a brokerage. The only possible difference in my journey is that I entered the business clear on my niche of servicing voucher holders. Therefore, I did not have to spend time figuring out my focus once I got into the business.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business? 

As a female in a business where most revenue is generated by deals closed with strangers, for my safety, I generally stick to referral-based clientele only. I do great work with my landlord clients and they in turn refer me to their landlord friends. I have also built relationships with Housing Specialists, Case Workers, and other Human Resource advocates who refer potential lessees. And of course, clients who lease with me also refer their friends and family with housing vouchers as well.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? 

To date, my biggest obstacle still remains unfair bias and discrimination against renters using housing vouchers. I combat this by highlighting all of the benefits there are to renting to clients with housing vouchers, dispelling uninformed assumptions, and politely reminding the discriminate that housing voucher discrimination is illegal under the Fair Housing Act.

How do you stay focused?

I think the better question is how can I not stay focused. I am proud to be doing important and valuable work. What I do in real estate is very much so needed and for this reason, people reach out to me daily for assistance. My phone will never stop ringing long enough for me to lose focus.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition? 

Honestly, because the demographic I serve is so heavily discriminated against, there are not many licensed real estate salespersons looking to do my type of work. On the contrary, I would love for more to join in on my effort of housing the homeless and taking on the challenge of assisting renters who use housing vouchers.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business? 

Though a large percentage of my business is referral-based, I find that marketing on Facebook and Instagram has brought new eyes to my cause and helped my business grow.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs? 

I would advise aspiring entrepreneurs to figure out who they want to be and what they want out of life and find a career that will keep them fulfilled while providing the quality of life they desire. I knew early on from watching my mother help others that I was meant to help people and I have always felt the urge to find a way to help homeless people transition into independent living. As a REALTOR® I am able to ensure my paycheck comes with making a difference and fulfilling my purpose.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

As a REALTOR® I am able to create my own schedule which has allowed me to indulge in yet another one of my passions; travel. I find myself most often using Instagram and engaging with travel blog pages. I have even had a few of my own voyages featured on these pages. When it comes to books, I generally find myself reading biographies of successful people and self-help/motivational content. I am also no stranger to books that teach investing and building wealth. I believe that traveling is the best education but it can be expensive which is where financial knowledge is beneficial.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

The biggest tool and resource I use for both my business and life is mentorship. I believe in the motto “Each One Teach One.” I have figured many things out on my own in life but I am grateful for the shortcuts along my journey as a result of guidance from knowledgeable mentors who have already achieved success and know the best practices to reach my goals. I am also grateful to now be in the position to mentor and guide those coming up behind me. I believe it is our “success tax” to teach those coming up behind us.

Who is your business role model? Why? 

Strangely, I do not have a specific business role model. I read a lot of books and watch documentaries about successful people. I take a few lessons from all of the people who model most closely what I believe in and hope to accomplish in the various stages of my life. Some of my favorite people are Mike Tyson, Elon Musk, Tyler Perry, Bernie Mac, Jeff Bezos, Robert Kiyosaki, Vivica Fox, and Tracey Baker-Simmons to name a few.

How do you balance work and life? 

I am actually balancing graduate school, an internship, work, and life. Scheduling and time management is my savior. I do not have the luxury of procrastination. As soon as a task comes I complete it immediately so that I am free to focus on the next tasks as they come in. I schedule my days, weeks, and sometimes months in advance so I don’t miss anything. But more important than all, I take care of myself. I try to fit in nine hours of sleep nightly, make time for lunches/dinners with friends, and squeeze in quick vacations as often as possible.

What’s your favorite way to decompress? 

Traveling the world is my favorite way to decompress. I love trying different foods, meeting different people and animals, and going on action packed excursions. From time to time I take more calm trips and indulge in the beach and pina coladas. Filled with thrills or relaxed, whenever time and funding permits, I leave the country even if only for a few days.

What do you have planned for the next six months? 

In the next six months I will be expanding my business to New Jersey and possibly Georgia. I plan to do more marketing to bring more eyes to my work in an effort to attract more landlords so that I can assist more homeless with finding apartments with housing vouchers. After completing grad school in May and receiving my Master’s Degree I am hoping to do more traveling and see more of Africa and Europe (maybe even some of Asia).

How can our readers connect with you?

Readers are welcomed to follow me on Instagram on my business page @MonaLesaTheRealEstateFairy or on my personal page @DontCallMeMona or on Facebook as The Real Estate Fairy. I am always open to questions and new business relationships.