Enrique Lizarazu, owner of Lizarazu & Associates Inc. (a registered real estate agent for Podley Properties of Pasadena), represents buyers and sellers looking for residential and investment opportunities along the 210 Foothill Corridor from Sunland to Glendora. With over 34 years of experience in the housing market as a real estate agent/broker, investor and developer, Enrique has always challenged himself to accomplish what others may think is too difficult or downright impossible. While serving on the Pasadena Development Commission, Enrique was named the “Real Estate Guru” by city officials for his overall knowledge about the housing industry. With both an expertise and a passion to help those with even complex financial issues, Enrique has helped many property owners and investors build a nest egg, and in some case, an empire.
Far from being a typical agent that just sells houses, Enrique has always taken on an active role in helping his clients solve issues that stand in the way of building their property portfolios. In the 1980s, when many homeowners had difficulty finding financing, Enrique began acting as an advocate for his clients to help them expand their investments by seeking solutions to their financial challenges. To this day, he continues to find solutions to the different challenges that arise for his clients in the ever-changing housing market.
Born in Bogota, Colombia, Enrique moved to Pasadena with his family as a child. While still in high school, he began working as a Transaction Coordinator with his mother, a Realtor® with Bona Real Estate. In fact, Enrique was one of the first Transaction Coordinators in the local real estate industry where he served as liaison between all parties from buyers and sellers to the title companies, escrow companies and the lenders.
While attending Pasadena Community College and Cal Poly Pomona, Enrique worked as a part-time agent for the residential real estate brokerage earning referral fees and commissions. Armed with a drive to succeed, Enrique’s commissions began to exceed what his college professors were then earning, leading him to choose a full-time career in real estate after graduating. In 1979, he became a licensed real estate agent and In 1984, he earned his Brokers License.
In 1993, Enrique’s expertise was recognized by others in the housing industry when he was appointed to a four-year term on the Pasadena Community Development Commission. In 1995 and 1996, he additionally chaired the Affordable Housing Committee, an offshoot of the PCDC, which created affordable housing in Pasadena by marrying government programs with local, county and state programs.
From the mid 1990s to 2007, Enrique got further involved in the housing market as an investor and a developer of 25 affordable, single-family residences in the Pasadena area. In 2003, he founded Lizarazu and Associates, Inc., a Pasadena realty that provided property management and representation for residential income properties, residential and multi-family apartment complex sales. Over the next 18 years, built the realty’s reputation by successfully closing transactions ranging from $45,000 to $3.4 million.
During this time, he also began investing in luxury housing and income properties in Los Angeles. From his work in both areas, he acquired in depth knowledge of development standards, guidelines and entitlements, which today, sets him apart from other agents/brokers by providing expertise to advise his clients on a wide range of housing-related issues.
Since joining Podley Properties’ 65-agent Pasadena office in 2011, Enrique and Lizarazu & Associates Inc., has set a new standard for excellence in the local real estate market. In 2012, he was named to the Top Ten Agents List and in the first half of 2013, he rose to Number One Sales Agent in that office.
As a bi-lingual Broker/Agent, Enrique uses the tools of education to reach prospective home buyers, speaking at First-Time Buyer Fairs and on programs sponsored by different city and county agencies to promote housing. In addition to possessing a very clear understanding of the different neighborhoods and communities that make up the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys, his 34 years of in-depth experience across the housing market provides a level of expertise that comes from personal experience.
Enrique Lizarazu holds the designations of GRI (Graduate Realtors Institute) and CRS (Certified Residential Specialist). He serves on the board of the Pasadena Foothill Association of Realtors (2010-2013) and is a member of the California Association of Realtors and the National Association of Hispanic Realtors. He is also a past board member of the YMCA of Pasadena.
For more information, Enrique can be contacted by phone at: (626) 818-0980 or email at: [email protected]. Visit Lizarazu Realty at: www.lizarazurealty.com.