Marco Peregrina's grandmother once told him that their family's last name meant "pilgrim."
Born in Mexico City, Peregrina, 30, grew up in Puebla and earned a degree in Mexico in electronics at his local community college. He began working at a computer-assembly factory, where he noticed that bilingual employees were receiving a higher rate of pay.
Peregrina said he enrolled in an English class, but he felt that he could learn English more readily by immersing himself in it. He decided to move to New York, where he had friends, for a year to learn English better.
"In New York, I found I didn't need to speak English at all. Parts felt like I was still in Mexico and others like I was in the Middle East. It (learning English) was not working that well. I could go anywhere and find someone that spoke Spanish instead of English," Peregrina said.
He wound up moving to the Winston-Salem area, where his brother was living. Peregrina's goal of fully learning English was complicated again.
"In North Carolina it was a little more difficult because of the Southern accent,'' he said. "Three years ago I tried to lose my accent and finally said, ‘Forget it.'"
His one-year stay here stretched to 10 years, and Peregrina became a legal resident.
He discovered that his electronics degree did not transfer to the United States, and he took a variety of jobs, including busing tables. He also got married and became a father.
"I realized I needed a career for a better life," Peregrina said.
He went to school to obtain his real-estate license and discovered a new life and passion.
"I love it. I thought I was in love with electronics. Real estate took me by surprise. Everything about it attracts me,'' he said. "There is no limit. You can be a Trump or just make a nice living. You can sell one house a year or 300. That kind of thinking appeals to me. You can do whatever you want."
Now an agent with Keller Williams Realty in Kernersville, Peregrina has found that being bilingual has paid off, but in ways he never imagined. How many Realtors can explain fideicomiso, or escrow, in Spanish? For his Spanish-speaking clients, Peregrina has become as much of an educator as he is a real-estate agent.
"It can be a very confusing process. Like adjustable-rate mortgages really confused a lot of people, and agents had to use young children to translate during the complicated process of buying house," Peregrina said.
He noted that in the Mexican culture most people do not go into debt to buy their homes. They start to build their houses and then stop until they get the money to complete the construction process, sometimes taking two to three years to finish.
"In Mexico we have no mortgages. People come here and hear ‘30 years' and freak out,'' he said. "They don't like debt. That is probably why people rent when they come here. They don't like the idea of being in debt for 30 years."
He also hears from his Hispanic customers that they want to pay off their mortgage in five years.
He spends much of his time educating about the way the American housing and mortgage industry works.
"I don't think any Hispanic (real estate) agents are doing enough. We are not working together, but I have found out referrals and word-of-mouth advertising to be my biggest strength. People I have helped refer me to their family and friends," he said.
He did not expect for rewards to go beyond monetary. When clients have expressed gratitude for making their American dream come true, Peregrina has experienced an unexpected feeling of satisfaction.
"I never thought it would mean so much. They come not speaking the language to give their children a better life," said Peregrina, whose own goal is to apply for citizenship.
In his spare time, Peregrina enjoys watching boxing, going to movies and eating out with friends. Real estate, though, consumes most of his time.
"I love it. I spend my time reading about real estate millionaires," he said with a smile.
■ Monica Young can be reached at cyoung9@triad.rr.com.
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