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Some of Neyshia Go’s fondest childhood memories center around the open houses her family attended on the weekends, just to see the new homes in and around her hometown of Concord, California. The trips gradually expanded to nearby San Francisco, where Go became enamored by the city’s architecture and abandoned buildings.
“I started seeing a lot of older, derelict buildings with a lot of architectural value,” Go told Inman. “You know, old factories [and] old post offices in the Bay Area. I just got inspired to turn them into lofts or just imagine them as creative spaces.”
“As a 16-year-old, I was pretty forward-thinking,” she added with a laugh.
Go eventually turned her innate passion for real estate into a career, starting with an internship at Hilton & Hyland during her last year at UCLA. The internship was unpaid and included menial tasks, such as picking up coffee and walking dogs. However, Go said the opportunity to study agents such as Aaron Kirman was worth more than a paycheck.
“When I decided to start pursuing real estate I went on countless job interviews, maybe six or seven in one day, and I actually was offered a couple paid positions and as a college student,” she said. “It was really easy to have been tempted by a very solid salary and bonus structure, but when I walked into Hilton & Hyland and felt the presence of Aaron and those types of agents, I made a conscious decision to look at it as an opportunity to further pursue my dreams and help me get to where I wanted to go faster.”
Go’s bet paid off, with her garnering features in The Hollywood Reporter and Variety as one of Los Angeles’ top up-and-coming real estate agents with multi-million dollar deals under the John Aaroe Group and Compass, before launching her own team and moving to Sotheby’s International Realty in December. She also became a regular on CNBC’s Listing Impossible, where she was able to flex her real estate skills while inspiring a new generation of minority and women real estate agents.
“What I loved about the show is it was a real premise, which is visiting sellers whose homes are languishing on the market and giving them very practical and emotional advice to get them through the sales process,” she said. “It wasn’t about drama; it was really about the sales process, and I think people really enjoyed watching it on that business network.”
“With all that being said, I did receive, and I had before but especially with the onset of the show, an outpouring of messages and emails and calls from both men and women alike, but certainly a lot of women,” she added. “I really appreciate getting those messages or emails, and I take the time, even if it’s for five or 10 minutes, to try to give people advice on how to build their businesses, especially for young women.”
Go said it’s important that aspiring real estate agents see people like her — an Asian-American millennial woman — succeed in a segment of the industry that’s traditionally been represented by white men.
“I’m a minority, I’m Asian-American, and in a male-dominated field,” she said. “I think one would say that seeing me as one of the top Realtors in Los Angeles is more of a rarity, but to me, that just goes to show that it doesn’t matter if you’re a woman, it doesn’t matter where you come from — I was a transplant and I built my network up from zero.”
“For me, the overarching message is find your niche that you think you can fill, as far as your selling style [and] the types of clients that you really connect with the most,” she added. “When you’re very honest and sincere, it’s no longer about selling, it’s about connecting to people and then doing a service for them. That’s how to succeed.”
For 2021, Go said she’s excited to continue her career at Sotheby’s International Realty while dedicating more time to her personal life and causes, after surviving a harrowing car accident at the beginning of 2020.
“2020 [was] a really crazy year,” she said. “In late January, I was leaving a listing appointment heading to another meeting, and I got in a really bad car accident on the freeway. [I was driving] 60 miles an hour and my car spun out.”
“Three weeks later, Kobe tragically died, and then a month later COVID happened,” she added. “Within a two month period, it made me realize that life is so short, and we have to really end up doing what we love with clients that we love and respect and want to work with. Our time here is limited, right?”
With that, Go said she’s going into the new year with an extra emphasis on cultivating personal and professional relationships and continuing her philanthropic work with Kiwanis International and Lymphoma Research Foundation all while planning a wedding to her college sweetheart.
“I think everybody [was] out of their comfort zone last year, but change doesn’t have to be a scary or bad thing, it can be a beautiful thing,” she said. “I sent out holiday cards to my clients, and I encouraged everyone to find positivity and growth through this time.”
“I remind myself every single day to be grateful and look at the silver lining.”
Agent Plus is back and we’re continuing to highlight agents with extraordinary stories. Do you know someone who should be highlighted for their work inside and outside of the office? Send your nominations to AgentPlus@inman.com.
