For Michelle Gonzalez, real estate started as a curiosity long before it became a career. Even as a child, she was fascinated by open houses, often asking her mother to stop and tour properties despite not being in the market to buy a home.
That early passion eventually evolved into a career spanning more than two decades across residential, commercial and investment real estate in South Florida.
Today, Gonzalez is the licensed broker and owner of Floridian First Realty, representing owners, sellers, landlords and tenants across multiple asset classes while continuing to expand into commercial real estate investment and property management.
Her journey, however, was shaped as much by personal challenges as professional ambition. After her mother was diagnosed with cancer, Gonzalez chose to stay close to home, attending Miami Dade College before earning her bachelor’s degree in finance from Florida International University (FIU). While completing her studies, she worked at a mortgage company, learning quality control, underwriting, closings and the secondary mortgage market while also earning her real estate license.
As the housing market began to shift in the mid-2000s, Gonzalez and her husband — who worked in construction, condominium conversions and development — adapted alongside the changing industry. In 2006, at the start of the economic crisis, she launched Floridian First Financial and Floridian First Realty.
“There was no real estate market,” Gonzalez said. “It was a very tough market.”
Through partnerships tied to Fannie Mae operations, Gonzalez’s company became deeply involved in South Florida property management and foreclosure services while many firms were downsizing or closing. The company eventually managed hundreds of properties stretching from Fort Myers to the Keys, forcing Gonzalez to pivot, restructure the business and navigate difficult financial realities while continuing to grow the company.
As her career evolved, Gonzalez began looking toward commercial real estate and sought additional education to support the transition, explaining that she “figured the best way to transition from residential to commercial real estate was to be well-suited for a new fight.”
That decision led her back to FIU, where she enrolled in the Master of Science in International Real Estate (MSIRE) program at the Hollo School of Real Estate.
“I fell in love with the curriculum, the classes, the camaraderie with students and professors,” she said. “I’ve been doing real estate 10 years. A lot of terms I didn’t know — it was a new world, and I was ready to dive in.”
Her involvement with FIU Business deepened over the years. After serving as president of the FIU Real Estate Alumni Affinity Council (REACC), she became a senior partner on the advisory board of the Bain Council for the Hollo School of Real Estate, now known as the Real Estate Council.
“The Hollo School is a very tight community, family,” Gonzalez said. “The professors and staff really care about the quality, not just growth of the program.”
She has also witnessed FIU’s rapid evolution and growing national reputation firsthand.
“FIU was in my backyard. Fast forward to today, it’s a huge deal,” she said. “From coming in as a student and today being a council member, I don’t have words to express how far it’s come.”
Seeing FIU represented nationally, including at places like LaGuardia Airport, reinforced for Gonzalez how dramatically the university’s visibility and reputation had grown beyond South Florida.
“One thing I say to students: your name follows you everywhere,” she said. “The school that you go to says a lot about you. In Miami, if you go to FIU, you went to a really good school that is ranking higher and higher every year.”
Looking ahead, Gonzalez plans to continue expanding her real estate investments, growing the company’s property management operations and acquiring commercial assets while helping others build generational wealth through real estate ownership.
“I’m letting my journey be the basis to help others create generational wealth for their families,” Gonzalez said. “The way I can do it is through real estate.”