Black women who want to make their place in real estate

MISE À DAY

In order to demystify their field and prove that it is accessible to everyone, six real estate brokers have joined forces to show their reality, through a web series.&nbsp ;

“Through my career in real estate, I met other black women in the industry, and I realized that we were living in similar situations”, explained to the QMI Agency Kipola Wakilongo, who had the idea of ​​the “Selling Montreal” web series to highlight these issues.

While her white colleagues usually start from scratch with new clients, she herself often feels like she is starting to “minus 10”.

“My story and the stories of my colleagues who are not black, I don't think it's the same. There are a lot of things that we have to take into consideration more than the others,” she confided.

As an example of this, she mentions her hair. The way to present them was a hassle when he started in the field. “I didn't think having braids was professional”, she illustrated.

Magalie Nlandu remembers for her part having experienced a lot of inequalities when she started in real estate, there are eight years. Situations due to both her sex and the color of her skin, and for which she had to build a “shell”.

“The beauty of it today is that there is a renewal. It's a beautiful thing, because it wasn't like that eight years ago,” she said. five years now. “When I started, I didn't really see other people, in the office or in my career, who looked like me. Sometimes it can be intimidating,” she said.

She recalls having “quite special” experiences with other brokers, sometimes being prejudiced, or on other occasions that were awkward “without bad intentions”.

“That's why that this project, “Selling Montreal”, is very close to my heart, because it is through this project that I have been able to meet other women who look like me in the field”, confided Ms. Charles, who hopes that the web series can inspire other women.

Vendre Montréal

It is to show their reality that Ms. Wakilongo set up the web series “Selling Montreal”, which follows the daily life of six black women in the field of real estate. The title is a nod to “Selling Sunset” and its spin-off “Selling the OC”, two Netflix reality shows.

“I thought to myself that I wanted something for us. I wanted to be able to speak openly and share our reality,” said Ms. Wakilongo. Appearing on screen, she is also the producer. An idea in which she believed so much that she decided to invest out of her own pocket to make it happen.

By the same token, she also wants to be able to answer the questions she is frequently asked about her field. , considering that there would be a lack of information on this subject. “I had the impression that the behind the scenes were missing, on what it takes to become a broker and what you really do on a daily basis,” added Ms. Wakilongo.

She hopes thereby being able to inspire other women to achieve their dreams.

The “Selling Montreal” web series is broadcast on YouTube every Monday.