Hello all, welcome to India Parent Magazine. This is Meena Yeggina with another episode in the series of Top 30 Women Real Estate Specialists of the Bay Area in our Homes and Schools Special Editions. If you find our videos informative and interesting, please don't forget to subscribe, like, share and comment so we know what your views are about our series.

Today, I'm introducing to you all one of the most extraordinary persons I met, Stella Benjamin. When I met Stella for the first time, I was thoroughly impressed at how cool and calm she is. At the same time, very affable.

Her simplicity is amazing, considering that she is a top 1 percent agent and a member of Intero Chairman Circle. Her clients are marveled at her commitment to educating them in real estate and find her truly remarkable. From explaining the intricacies of escrow to clarifying the significance of a home's appraisal value, Stella ensures that her clients are well-informed every step of the way.

What sets her apart is her willingness to go beyond her immediate expertise, tirelessly seeking answers even for matters outside her scope, says Ishwaki, one of her clients. Ishwaki continues, Stella's proactive approach turned what could have been a daunting experience into a seamless and enjoyable one. It seems Stella's clients cannot stop praising her.

Says Aditya, “Stella is stellar. We happened to run into Stella in one of the open houses she was hosting and she has helped us since then until we found our first home. She was super quick in responding to any trivial question, even at midnight hours. She was patient with us and truly tried to find the right home for us. She is a live home buyer guide and educated us on what to look into when buying a home.

It's my absolute honor today to introduce to you all Stella Benjamin as one of our top 30 real estate specialists of the Bay Area.

India Parent Magazine (IPM): Hi, Stella. Good morning. Welcome to India Parent Magazine. How are you doing today?
Stella Benjamin (SB): I’m doing well. Thank you, Meena.

India Parent Magazine (IPM): To begin with, Stella, can you tell us please a little bit about yourself, your background?
Stella Benjamin (SB): Sure. So I'll start with I'm a mom and I've had the pleasure of raising two sons. We're a very close family. We love to spend time together and build memory and I've always tried to lead by example. So as a result, I'm extremely proud of both of them. And my sweetest memory with them is them walking me down the aisle about five years ago.
So that was a lot of fun. I'm also a workaholic. I love what I do, extremely passionate about what I do, ultimately become families with every one of my buyers and sellers.
So I always joke and say I have many kids, so I'm either a mom to someone or a sister to somebody or somebody's best friend. And I really get involved in my community and just stay active and try to help people.

India Parent Magazine (IPM): Excellent. Thank you, Stella, for sharing that information. And I remember, yeah, that your kids walked you down the aisle. That must be such a precious moment for you.
Can you tell us a little bit why real estate? What's so special about that that that feel that you thought you would stick to it for such a long time? Is it anything special about that profession that you like make make you feel happy?
Stella Benjamin (SB): Sure. You know, I mean, the first time I realized that I wanted to become a real estate agent was when I bought my first home. I didn't know anything about buying a home.
And I realized what a life changing decision this was going to be. And I had the fortune and blessings of working with someone who was extremely genuine, very honest, very knowledgeable and had my best interests in mind. Right.
That’s when I realized what an important role this was to play in somebody's life. And I wanted to be that person. So I got my license and started working.
And I've been blessed to have worked with many, many families. And it's just how I got started. And as they say, the rest is history.

India Parent Magazine (IPM): Absolutely. Is there any special moment that you remember, Stella, as a real estate specialist that you loved? Is there any moment that you would like to share with my readers?
Stella Benjamin (SB): I experience that almost weekly, you know, every time I call one of my clients to tell them that their offer was accepted or that we just received an offer on a home that we have on the market to sell for them. Every time I do my key exchange day with them and hand them the keys is that special moment for me, honestly.

India Parent Magazine (IPM): Absolutely. And I'm so proud of you, Stella. And I would like to know more about your city, San Jose. What's so special about that city that people should, you know, invest there, explore that area and what would make them happy to settle down there? Can you please tell us a little bit about the city itself?
Stella Benjamin (SB): Absolutely. Great questions. So for starters, we have the best weather here, which I know many people are envious of.
But more importantly, really, San Jose is one of the best and safest cities with above average school ratings. And I know that that's really important to a lot of people who are considering raising families here or are considering what the resale value of their homes will be in the future should they decide to sell. It is also the capital city of Silicon Valley, which means that there are many high tech companies that are rooted here and they offer so many job growth opportunities for people.
And that makes the housing market very strong in this area as well. So a lot of people like to reside here because the housing market is strong. They know they're going to get a lot of equity in their homes.
And many people also consider investment properties in this area because not only the housing market is strong here, the rental market is strong as well. Right. So a lot of job opportunities, housing market, which really offer people financial wealth and financial strength.
We're also really close to San Francisco, Carmel, Monterey Bay, not too far from L.A. and a lot of cultural events here. So all of these factors put together really make San Jose a very desirable area to live in and invest in, really. Thank you.

India Parent Magazine (IPM): Thank you for that great information. Stella, finally, if any of my readers would like to buy or sell a home from San Jose, what is the first step they should take? According to you, what is your advice to my readers?
Stella Benjamin (SB): Sure. So for my buyers, I always tell them, get that pre-approval letter first. And I can help, by the way, I can help my clients with every step of the way. OK, whether it is to find a good lender, a good loan agent or a handyman or a contractor or a staging company.
I'm always there. And like I said earlier, ultimately, we just become one family and I will help them with all of that entire process. But for my buyers, I always recommend getting that pre-approval letter first, because really what you want to know is whether you're going to be pre-approved for.
It's all about quality of life, in my opinion. And that's the advice that I give to my buyers. Let's make sure we know what you can afford so that you can continue to have the same quality of life, if not better.
I still want you to have that date night. I still want you to go on vacation after buying a house. So it's important to know what you can afford and what your budget is.
For my sellers is let's sit down and talk and get that house in tip top shape to make sure that we get the most money for your investment, for your house. But then at the same time, I have the same advice for both buyers and sellers. Make sure you find with an agent, you work with an agent who is extremely knowledgeable, who's got your back, who's genuine, transparent.
And so that you can do this as a team and in a true partnership.

India Parent Magazine (IPM): Absolutely, Stella. That's such a crisp interview and filled with information.
Thank you so much. And I would specifically tell my viewers Stella is a gem of a person. I met with her in person and I thought she would make a great, great asset to our magazine as well and to my readers. So anyone interested in San Jose, first thing you must do is approach Stella. And this is my personal request and recommendation as well. Thank you so much, Stella. And have a wonderful rest of the weekend.
Stella Benjamin (SB): Thank you, Meena. Have a great day.

India Parent Magazine (IPM): You too. Bye bye.