Momentum, impetus, drive- they are words that mill around the same central concept, the same central truth. They are used when referring to a specific natural phenomenon, a force that lives within nature. It’s the force that pushes the weed through a crack in the concrete, the force that inspires the salmon to swim upstream to create new life, the force that motivates the infant to stand again and again, no matter how many times they fall, until they can walk. It is the force of forward motion, and it’s the only way Miguel Herrera knows. 

 

Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Miguel was ambitious from the start. Attending American schools throughout his childhood and teenage years, he quickly adopted the entrepreneurial attitude of the U.S. and began working as soon as he could to start saving to get stateside. Well versed in English, he had his father sign a document allowing him to work prior to the legal age and was hired at a local travel agency as the “Intro Guy”- “Hi, welcome to Peru!”

 

He was always looking for an edge and a way to save a buck, and by 17 had saved enough for a one-way ticket to Los Angeles to continue his education. In his 20s, with school behind him and the future ahead, he decided to stick with what he knew by opening a chain of travel agencies across the country. After the attacks on September 11th, however, the industry shifted severely, so he sold his business and turned his sights to the next venture- San Antonio.

 

He chose San Antonio after doing a search for the top growing cities in the country and hearing from a friend in Mexico that San Antonio was a majorly appealing destination for him and his countrymen. Miguel chose real estate because a growing city is going to have a lot of influx and a lot of land to offer. So 15 years ago, once again, he purchased a one way ticket, this time to San Antonio where he didn’t know a soul. Hindsight 20-20, he chose right.

 

Now, success doesn’t come to just anyone and it certainly doesn’t come overnight, especially during market crashes and the like. A major component of Miguel’s success is his personable nature and desire to prioritize people. Coming of age in an international hotbed in Lima, combined with the melting pot of LA, as well as his years of soccer in highschool and college, helped build Miguel an international rolodex of friends and acquaintances. So when American buyers went cold, he was changing lives for families in Mexico by putting them in homes. He even began hosting monthly seminars in Mexico City to educate the successful on home purchasing and owning in the United States where he’d offer business owners the whole package, every piece of the puzzle required to purchase an American home.

 

Today, Miguel is a top 5 agent in the city and the #1 international agent in South Texas, though he now sells more to American buyers than to the international market. 

 

“You see, I sell luxury at every price point,” Miguel said in an interview, “because to every buyer, that new home, that is luxury.”

 

Whether it’s a first time buyer or a client in the midst of their real estate journey, Miguel understands the investment, but more importantly, the growth that comes along with these monumental decisions. He wants to see your life improve, and more so, he wants to see it’s continuous approval, which is why he’s one of the few agents who will reach back out to a client years down the line and say, “you’ve accrued enough equity to reach the next level, you ready?”

 

Perhaps it’s this approach and philosophy that has also raised the status of those that come from under his tutelage, He currently has former agents of his on the top 25 list, and though they no longer share a building, he’s proud to see their trajectory knowing there’s something special about being able to “grow together.” 

 

“In order to grow, you have to truly have your clients best interest in mind,” he advises, “Be yourself, be ethical, save money and invest in you.”

Miguel appreciates San Antonio for all the right reasons. It was his land of opportunity and the place his children grew up. It’s a big, cultural city, one of the largest in the nation, and yet somehow retains a small town feel. And as Miguel continues to move forward, fueled by the momentum he’s built year in and year out, he can honestly say that moving to San Antonio was the best decision of his life. 

 

With Miguel’s guidance, the next move you make could be the best decision of yours too.