January 2012

Loretta Alonzo: Living The American Dream

The story of Loretta Alonzo, CRB, GRI, president of the Illinois Association of REALTORS®, is the quintessential American success story. The granddaughter of an immigrant who came to this country with little, she’s made a name for herself in real estate and risen to the top of her field as a leader.

Those leadership skills will come into play this year as she leads the Illinois Association of REALTORS® (IAR) as its 2012 and first Hispanic president. Alonzo is the owner of Century 21 Alonzo & Associates in La Grange Park.
As Alonzo looks to the year, she is reminded of one of her father’s favorite quotes, “Never say the words, I can’t.” The industry will face challenges but it is important to be open to embrace and help shape the opportunities that lie ahead.

Family Heritage

Alonzo’s grandfather emigrated from Guadalajara in Mexico and found work with the railroad, building track from Texas through the west. Along the way he met the woman who would become his wife and they made their way to Chicago, where they would settle, finding a place to call home and build a new life.

Although they would never have the opportunity to realize the dream of homeownership themselves, every one of their six children became homeowners as well as all 26 grandchildren, of which Alonzo is one.

Alonzo is proud of her Mexican heritage and travels back to Mexico quite often on vacations. She loves to cook the traditional dishes she learned working alongside her mother and grandmother who taught her basics of Mexican cooking.

Her heritage has also shaped her professionally. In 1980, she helped found the Mexican-American Business and Professional Women’s Club of Chicago and in 1984 was honored as Business Woman of the Year. She is active in the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals and was the first Hispanic president of the former West Towns Board of REALTORS®, a position she held for two terms. She was honored as West Towns REALTOR® of the Year six times.

The Road to Real Estate

Real estate wasn’t Alonzo’s first career but one to which she later found herself drawn. She was working as a paralegal for a Chicago law firm that was also involved in rehabbing and developing properties in the city’s Old Town and Lincoln Park neighborhoods. Alonzo’s experience working on those projects inspired her to get her real estate license in 1976.

She worked for several real estate offices before joining with a partner and opening a Century 21 office in North Riverside. In 1996, she branched off on her own, opening Century 21 Alonzo and Associates in La Grange Park where today she manages 30 agents.

Her management style is one that favors coaching and mentoring. She doesn’t train agents by making them sit in a classroom but instead helps them gain hands-on experience by working on a specific project. As they work through the situation, she helps them rehearse and practice scenarios.

Getting Involved

Alonzo has a long history of being involved and giving back to the REALTOR® Association at the local, state and national levels. It all started in 1979 when her local association asked if she would be in charge of getting raffle prizes for their Christmas party. She took the task seriously and surprised everyone by coming back with two carloads of gifts.

“I always had a philosophy that if I was going to volunteer for something I would put all my efforts into it,” she says.
It’s a mindset that can be seen in the countless hours she has spent lending her time and expertise to the issues important to the industry.

At the state level, she has chaired a variety of committees and working groups including finance, strategic planning and professional development to name a few. She was president of the Illinois Real Estate Educational Foundation in 2002 and received IAR’s Distinguished Service Award in 2006 for her contributions to the association and her community.

At the federal level, she’s shown a keen interest in housing opportunity and housing policy issues.
Alonzo’s commitment to being involved is far-reaching. She is a past president of the Century 21 Chicagoland and NW Indiana Broker Council as well as the West Suburban Chapter of the Women’s Council of REALTORS®. She also is a past president of the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, now known as Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC (MRED).

Looking Ahead

The theme of the 2011 IAR Convention was “Vision of the Future: How Today’s Challenges Bring Tomorrow’s Opportunities” and it is an idea Alonzo says she will carry through in the year ahead.

Today’s housing market is challenging with short sales, foreclosures and other issues but it is important to keep a positive attitude and focus on the future. It’s a lesson that was reinforced in 2004 after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was during the months of radiation and chemotherapy treatments that Alonzo realized how powerful a positive mental attitude can be. She kept working, often going into the office after treatments. She has been cancer free ever since and credits staying positive as the key.

“The whole time I knew I was not going to let it get me,” she says.

Being positive and proactive are lessons that translate to real estate. In today’s market you have to look at where it is going and make sure people are ready to go there. You have to be ready to change, Alonzo says.

“You can’t do real estate the same way you did 20 years ago. You have to reinvent yourself. It will always be like that,” she said.

As a licensed continuing education instructor, education has always been a priority and one of Alonzo’s primary goals as president is to ensure that every REALTOR® makes a smooth transition to the requirements under the new license law. 

The momentum is building and IAR provides educational materials, legal webinars and other resources at its website, www.IARlicenselaw.org.  The IAR License Transition and Proficiency Hotline at 877-538-5861 answers questions about license transitioning, including the steps needed to take to transition from salesperson to broker, broker choosing to stay a broker, and broker to managing broker.

Herself a sustaining “Crystal R” and a member of the President’s Circle,  Alonzo also wants to stress the importance of the REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) and the importance of making sure the REALTOR® voice is heard.

There are challenges facing the industry from government budgetary issues to increased regulatory encroachment on the industry and local taxation issues. It is important that REALTORS® do all they can to help more people achieve and maintain the dream of homeownership. 

2012 Officers of the Illinois Association of REALTORS® >