Husband · Father · Realtor

Hi, I'm Michel.
Realtor by trade,
people person by nature.

I'm a Mexican-American Jew, born in San Diego and raised in Tijuana for thirteen years, with roots that go through Mexico all the way to Romania, Belarus, France, and Bulgaria. I speak Spanish, English, and enough Hebrew and French to get into trouble. I help people find homes, and I genuinely love every part of that.

"My north star is simple: lead with ethics, keep growing, and build something my kids will be proud of."

Me, every single morning. It's also on my fridge.
Michel with his family
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
3
Kids who light up
my entire world
🌍
6+
Countries in
my DNA
🧊
2019
Started cold showers
and never looked back
📖
Sales EQ
Currently reading

Check this quick video

Who I Am

Entrepreneur first.
Agent second.

Before real estate, I built companies in short-term rentals, travel, workspace solutions, and seating. So when I show up for my clients, I'm not just "the agent." I'm the guy who maps the whole deal backwards from the goal, builds a process around it, and executes like it's my own business on the line. Because to me, it feels like it is.

I'm a systems thinker who genuinely loves the people side of this work. That combination is rare, and it's the reason my clients trust me with one of the biggest decisions of their lives.

🇲🇽 Mexican-American ✡️ Jewish 🗣️ Bilingual 🏢 Serial entrepreneur 📐 Process obsessed 🤝 Ethics-driven
The home team: My wife Ariela is a parenting coach, which means our dinner table conversations are either deeply intentional or beautifully chaotic. Usually both. Our three kids, Andre, Gabrielle, and Valeria, light up my life every single day and are the reason I do everything I do.
Michel at a big family reunion

Why I Love What I Do

Three things that still feel
like play to me

Three things keep me hooked, and all three still feel like play to me.

1

Finding homes before they hit the market

I love playing detective. Digging past what's public, chasing down the seller who's not on the market yet, matching a buyer to a property before anyone else even knows it's available. That part never stops being fun for me.

For buyers: access to homes you'd never find searching listings. For sellers: finding the right buyer quietly, without broadcasting your home in the meantime.
2

Pricing strategy: data-driven, not gut-driven

I genuinely love this part: turning a pile of data into a number I can stand behind. There's nothing I enjoy more than walking into a listing appointment or writing an offer with real comps and a real market read. It's the same satisfaction I get solving any hard problem, except here the answer protects someone's biggest asset.

For sellers: top dollar without sitting on the market. For buyers: offers that are smart, not emotional.
3

Marketing and presentation

Before real estate, I spent years building and marketing companies across short-term rentals, travel, workspace, and seating. I learned how to position a product so the right people notice it, and I get a kick out of doing it again with every new listing: how it's presented, where it's marketed, how it gets in front of the buyer who's actually going to fall in love with it.

Every listing gets treated like a product launch. Because that's exactly what it is.

Outside the Office

I do uncomfortable things
on purpose. Hear me out.

I've read enough about growth, comfort zones, and neural plasticity to know that the brain needs new challenges as you get older. So I act on it, even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard.

Michel holding a giant crab in Rosarito
🌅

My morning routine

Every single day: Wim Hof breathing, meditation, journaling, working out, and reading. Not because I have to. Because it's who I am.

🍽️

Hardcore foodie

My favorite restaurants are actually in Tijuana. Lorenza, Cesar's, where the Caesar salad was literally invented. I will happily drive across the border for a great meal.

🧊

Cold showers since 2019

Jumped in an ice tub with fellow entrepreneurs. Did it because doing hard things on purpose is kind of my whole thing.

🗺️

Off-the-beaten-path travel

My family goes to the places most people skip. The weird detours always make the best stories.

Family at the beach
Biking with my son Andre
Ariela and me at Moulin Rouge

The unicycle story

I bought something I couldn't ride
and it changed everything

I wanted an electric "last-mile" vehicle. I Googled the best options. Electric unicycles came up constantly as the most efficient and reportedly the hardest to learn. So obviously I bought one. At a family party, my brother hopped on and rode it down the street in about four minutes. I had been trying for weeks. The thing went into my trunk, where it collected dust and a fair amount of guilt.

Then I found a video that said: stop watching videos. Just ride, fall, and get back up. One day your brain just gets it, and it did. It was the same lesson I taught my son when he was learning to ride a bike, and the same one I clearly needed to learn all over again for myself.

"Practice, practice, practice." (me, to myself, from the pavement)
Michel actually riding the unicycle

Home is where the heart is

I love being home.
I mean really love it.

There's something I believe deeply: the home is the center of everything. Family, laughter, food, connection. That's not a tagline for me. It's how I actually live.

Our door is always open. Friends stop by unannounced. Family shows up for no reason at all. There was one day recently where Ariela had friends over for breakfast, my friend stopped by for lunch, and two different families showed up with their kids for dinner. Wide range of snacks on the counter, bottles of wine open, the fire pit going, and people you love just walking in. That's the dream, and it's the life we actually live.

I get to help people find the place where their version of that story begins. That's not a job. That's a privilege.

Michel surrounded by his big family

A few things you might not know about me

Random facts

🦃

Favorite holiday

Thanksgiving. Deep-fried turkey, the whole family together, and a whole day dedicated to gratitude. No agenda. Just food and people I love.

📺

Current comfort show

Ted Lasso. My cousin said it's like getting a hug every episode. He was right. Also loving Silo right now, and (don't judge me) Gossip Girl back in the day.

🥗

Favorite restaurant

Lorenza or Cesar's in Tijuana. Yes, I will cross the border for dinner. Cesar's is where the Caesar salad was invented, by the way.

✍️

Surprise fact

I published a poetry book when I was 21 and still love to write. You probably didn't see that coming.

📖

Books that changed me

Tuesdays with Morrie, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Mastery by George Leonard, and Decisive. Ask me for a rec anytime.

🕍

Non-negotiable tradition

Shabbat dinners. It's our excuse to be together every week, see my parents, my brothers, and slow down from the day to day.

🤖

Current obsession

Claude and AI. I'm deep in it: how it changes work, what it means for real estate, and how to stay ahead of it instead of behind it.

🏛️

Someday goal

Running for office. I genuinely want to serve and I think the skills that make a good agent (listening, problem-solving, building trust) translate pretty well.

🦄

Gadget guy

First to try new tech and life hacks. New tool comes out, I'm buying it. See: the unicycle. That one had a learning curve.

Family first
Travel and lifestyle
Best version of myself

My Why

What actually gets me
up every morning

This one's different from why I love the craft. This is what actually gets me up every morning.

01

Family and the life we're building

Ariela, Andre, Gabrielle, and Valeria are the reason I do any of this. Every deal, every hour, all of it is in service of the life we're building together, and the example I'm setting for all of them. One day they'll ask me how I did business. Every decision I make has to be one I'm proud to answer for.

02

Travel and lifestyle

I love to travel, and I love learning about different cultures wherever we land. Real estate gave me the kind of freedom my family actually uses: time together, new places, the ability to slow down. It's part of why I love this work too. I get to meet and work with people from every kind of background, and I learn something from almost all of them.

03

Becoming the best version of myself

In this business, I'm the product. People aren't just hiring a process, they're trusting me. So I can't stand still. That means understanding people better, learning things like DISC profiles so I can actually meet someone where they are, staying current on AI and whatever tool comes next, always sharpening the parts of me that make me better at this. Real estate is just the vehicle. Becoming better is the actual goal.

Let's connect

Looking for a home, or just want
to talk real estate?

I work with buyers, sellers, and investors who want someone who genuinely gives a damn. No scripts, no pressure. Just an honest conversation about what you need and how I can help.

Start a conversation Book a time to meet

San Diego · Bilingual · Always straight with you