Homeownership Series | Insights and Resources

Nora Aguirre is an associate with Century 21 Americana. She has been in the real estate profession for 16 years, rapidly growing her business to become one of the top agents in the country.

As a first-generation immigrant from Mexico, she is passionate about educating buyers about real estate and helping them find their next forever home. She has a unique ability to connect with home buyers and bring comfort to the home buying process. Her customer base is unique for a REALTOR® with a large transactional volume. Her customers are traditional home buyers looking to make a purchase of a primary residence.

Ms. Aguirre has grown her business to more than 200 transactions per year resulting in an average of $1.5 million in gross commissions. In 2006, Ms. Aguirre joined Juan Martinez at RE/MAX Executives shortly after launching her career. Nora led the buyer’s team for seven years and then ventured out to create her own business and has had amazing success. She has become an inspiration to others and an incredible leader.

In early 2019, after six years of operating on her own, she and Juan Martinez collaborated to create a dynamic partnership at Century 21 Americana. Here, she lends her influence and passion for mentoring real estate professionals to build capacity and provide exceptional service.

Nationally recognized, Ms. Aguirre has earned a number of honors: Top 25 Most Influential Women in Real Estate four years in a row, third Top Millennial Team, Top 25 Latino Team, and winner of the NAHREP Top 250 Latino Agents three years in a row. In 2018, she was recognized as #1 Female Agent in Nevada.

Ms. Aguirre is passionate about sharing her knowledge and expertise of real estate. For the past five years, she has hosted “Real Estate with Nora,” a 30-minute radio program on La Verdad Radio 95.9 FM Las Vegas which airs daily during the week covering topics that demystify the real estate market.

A member of NAHREP® since 2008, Ms. Aguirre founded the Greater Las Vegas Chapter in 2017 and served as its founding president. She also serves as a coach and mentor to new professionals in the field.

Ms. Aguirre served in the Nevada Army National Guard for six years where she was a drill instructor for at-risk youth in Southern Nevada. She frequently volunteers her time for veteran’s groups and other causes close to her heart. She lives with her family in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Valeria Esparza-Chavez is Vice President and Head of Home Lending Hispanic Segment at Wells Fargo Bank. In this role, she is responsible for:
• Developing and executing data driven strategies to increase lending to Hispanic families nationwide.
• Representing Wells Fargo externally with advocacy groups and industry stakeholders to advance Hispanic homeownership.
• Partnering with leaders across Wells Fargo to grow the business with diverse consumers.
Valeria has spent most of her 18-year financial services career in consumer lending and has deep experience in developing, leading, and activating bank strategies to drive customer growth. She sits on the Corporate Board of Governors of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals.

She is also active in her community and sits on the boards of Family Service of El Paso and Ciudad Nueva, nonprofits dedicated to empowering youth and families in the southern border community.

Valeria is a native Spanish speaker, first-generation American, and first-generation college graduate. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin and has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

She currently resides in El Paso, TX with her husband and family.

Chantal Camarillo is the Diverse Segments Senior Business Strategy Consultant supporting the Southern California Metro Team covering Los Angeles County, Orange County and the Inland Empire.

As a Diverse Segments Senior Business Strategy Consultant at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Chantal implements and executes national strategies to advance sustainable homeownership for our minority communities and first-time homebuyers. She does so by educating, advocating and collaborating with our retail sales team, housing non-profits, multi-cultural trades organizations and union locals. Chantal has 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry, and she believes homeownership is a fundamental right. Chantal is passionate about executing homeownership solutions to create economic stability for families and close the wealth gap within in our  underserved communities. Chantal currently is a member of the National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America. She sits on the board for the Union Contractors Council for the Building Industry Association of Southern CA,  and previously served as 2013 President of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals – Los Angeles Chapter.

Martin Sanchez is a vice president, Mortgage Sustainability, for Wells Fargo based in Los Angeles, CA.  The Mortgage Sustainability team operates as the link between the company, stakeholders, and the communities it serves within the Home Lending group.

Sanchez joined Wells Fargo in 2013.  Before joining Wells Fargo, he was Senior Financial Analyst at IndyMac Bank, supporting Secondary Marketing & Correspondent Lending, and Homeownership Advisor at JPMorgan Chase, working with customers to provide home retention options.

Sanchez currently serves as a board chair of NeighborWorks Orange County, a housing non-profit in Orange, CA.

A native Angeleno, he graduated from Santa Clara University, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Spanish. He also earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Pepperdine University.

Sahara Garcia is currently the AVP of Community Impact at NeighborWorks Orange County (NWOC) with a twenty-year experience comprised of funding, leadership, teaching and developing curricula with a mission to transition families toward financial self-sufficiency and wealth building through homeownership.

Sahara introduced Bank on Santa Ana Initiative in 2009 to Orange County strengthening the involvement and partnership of eight financial institutions; community based organizations and the City of Santa Ana. She also initiated a financial literacy education train-the-trainer concept in 2009 with Consumer Action, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and CCCS-OC.

Prior to NeighborWorks Orange County, she helped low-income families secure housing at Orange County Community Housing Corporation (OCCHC) and was at Orange County United Way for four years helping expand financial stability by funding non-profit partners. She has been with NWOC in a various capacities since 2013. She is a former President and Board Member of the National Hispanic Business Women Association (NHBWA) and is a  HUD Certified Housing Counselor. 

Sahara Garcia was recognized as one of the inaugural 2005 OC Latino 100 for her passion to help others and volunteerism in the community, recipient of the 2009 Grizzly Award from the office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a 2010 recipient of Women Making a Difference from the office of Senator Lou Correa (34th District),  guest panel speaker at the first National Financial Empowerment Conference in 2010 in partnership with Experian and Consumer Action, and recognized with the 2012 Community Pillar Award by State Assemblyman Jose Solorio (69^th District), panel speaker at the 2013 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Debt Collection & Latino Community Roundtable at Long Beach State University, and guest panel speaker at the 2014 Congressional Hispanic Caucasus Institute in Washington DC.