Getting Started In Real Estate, A Founder’s Story with Ashley Sylvestro

I am Ashley Sylvestro, I have a passion for selling the reality of becoming a homeowner in St. Pete/Tampa area. I am a Realtor with RealtyONE Group Sunshine and eat, breathe, sleep Real Estate. When I’m not working with my amazing clients, I take advantage of all that St. Pete has to offer. In other words, I spend most of my time on the stunning Gulf Beaches nearby, or downtown St. Pete with my 8-year-old Maltese pup, Cow!

I grew up in a small town in Morris County, New Jersey with 2 wonderful parents who are still very happily married, six dogs, and 3 siblings. I’m the oldest of 4 and am very close with my family.

Prior to joining the Real Estate industry, I was working at a very steady company, from 9-5 with a great salary. I was un-wise with the usage of credit cards and racked up a ton of debt. 60K to be exact. Don’t ask me how – to this day, I blame the food. I tried for years to get out of debt, and one day came to the realization that I should invest in something that would help me achieve freedom from monthly, never-ending credit card debt. I purchased my first home, with a whole lot of faith, and renovated it to make a profit. That house catapulted me into the best decision that I could have made for my career and that was to become a realtor. Not only did I completely get myself out of debt, I turned a profit to help me leave my 9-5 salary job and start a commission-based job in the midst of a pandemic and now a recession. In addition to that, I even had enough funds to invest in another property to continue building wealth. My greatest passion is helping those who think the dream of home ownership isn’t attainable due to debts or other struggles and making their dream a reality. I genuinely care about my clients well being and want to see every one of them be successful.

My advice to new or aspiring Realtors is that Real Estate isn’t always as glamorous as “Selling Sunset” or “Selling Tampa”. There are many days you will eat in your car, get your heels or dress shoes dirty put out signs, cleaning dust off fans, and put lots of miles on your car. There will be months you won’t know when or where your next check will be coming from, so it’s important to budget and stick with it, and don’t be afraid to pick up secondary forms of income when you first get started. It’s all worth it in the end!