Daniel Gurzhiev didn’t need years to figure out what he wanted. He knew before he even graduated high school.

 

“The traditional path of going to college and picking up a 9-5 was not in my DNA,” Daniel says. “Before I even graduated high school, I knew that real estate was my path.”

 

He was so ready to begin that he graduated a semester early, eager to get his license and start building. But before he could fully step into that future, Daniel had to convince his parents that skipping college and going all-in on real estate was not just a dream, but a decision he was prepared to back up.

 

It didn’t take long. At 18 years old, shortly after getting licensed, Daniel closed his first transaction, a million-dollar deal where he negotiated $400,000 off the purchase price. His commission check was $32,000, and he proudly showed it to his parents.

 

“Any doubt of my chosen path was immediately handled,” he recalls. “Then, the next day, I went back to work and got another deal.”

 

Thirteen years later, Daniel is the Broker/Owner of Fixed Rate Real Estate, with more than $500 million in career volume and a business model built around the same mindset that launched his career in the first place: trust your instincts, move with purpose, and do things your own way.

 

“I got into real estate because I knew I was meant for it,” Daniel says. “I knew while sitting in class as a high school student that I was meant to create my own business. There was no doubt in my mind about it.”

 

That certainty didn’t come out of nowhere. Daniel credits his parents with shaping the mindset that still drives him today. They taught him to never give up, to think differently, and to use creativity as an advantage. Real estate gave him the arena to do it.

 

From the moment he entered the business, Daniel approached it with intensity. He was not interested in simply closing deals. He wanted to understand the industry, improve his systems, and serve clients with more precision. That drive eventually led him to launch Fixed Rate Real Estate in 2015.

 

The idea behind the company was simple but bold: offer full-service real estate at a flat fee. Daniel knew it went against the grain of what many expected from a brokerage, but that was part of the point. He saw a need in the market and wanted to create a model that allowed sellers to keep more of their equity without sacrificing service.

 

“It’s a fact that not everyone can afford to pay 6-7%+ in a real estate transaction,” Daniel says. “I’m proud to say that I’m allowing more people to play in the game, rather than feeling stuck and like they can’t participate at all.”

 

For Daniel, Fixed Rate Real Estate is not a criticism of how other agents run their businesses. It is simply the model he chose, built around a problem he wanted to solve.

 

“There’s plenty of business for everyone,” he emphasizes.

 

Daniel loves the industry because it keeps moving. Every day brings a new conversation, a new problem to solve, or a new opportunity he did not see coming.

 

That same energy carries into the way he thinks about the future. Daniel dreams of building a large portfolio of estates, rentals, flips, and developments. To him, real estate is full of possibility, with a never-ending list of things to learn and new opportunities to pursue.

 

Outside of real estate, Daniel is drawn to stories, especially memoirs and autobiographies. Music is also a constant in his life, playing from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to sleep. “Business is my motivator, but music is my meditation,” he says.

 

Daniel also supports causes connected to breast cancer and childhood leukemia. His grandmother fought breast cancer, and making a meaningful impact in that space is a long-term goal. He has even considered starting his own foundation in the future.

 

When Daniel thinks about success, his definition is clear: daily progress toward intentional goals. His advice to newer agents is earned: “Educate yourself about the business as much as possible and hold a high standard for yourself and for your own business,” he says. “You will either be your own bottleneck or breakthrough. It’s your choice.”

 

For Daniel, that choice has always been clear. Trust the instinct. Do the work. Keep building. And when the idea is bold enough to draw both criticism and excitement, decide which voices matter.

 

“If you’ve got an idea, run with it,” he says. “The best voice to listen to is yours.”