Posts from October 8th, 2026

Most people would have quit after the second failed exam. Noraly Gonzalez took it six times. She paid for the course on a payment plan, got ghosted by a recruiter after asking to retest, watched her state license expire before she could pass the national, and still showed up again. One year into real estate, with her first closing behind her and a Spanish-speaking sphere growing out of her family's restaurant regulars, she sat down with host Jaime Herzog for Episode 6 of The Agent Seat.

If you are a newer agent, or thinking about getting licensed, this one is for you.

She took the test six times, and that is the whole point

Noraly's path to a license was anything but clean. She tested with one brokerage, failed, passed the state portion, and then could not get a reply when she asked to try the national again. She moved to another brokerage, missed by a single point, then by two. By the time she finally passed both portions, her original state score had expired and she had to retake everything.

"I have way too much invested in this now. I'm just not giving up."

Looking back, she is honest about what went wrong early on.

"I just thought I didn't need to study."

Her advice to anyone studying now is simple: use the exam prep program, put in the hours, and expect it to take real effort. And when the rejection comes, which it did for her more than once, keep going.

"I think I was just too hard on myself."

The family restaurant taught her the job before she had the job

Noraly grew up working in her family's restaurants, starting around age ten. Real estate was, in her words, a curveball. Nobody in her family had done it. But running a restaurant floor turned out to be surprisingly good training: managing people, handling stress, and solving whatever problem walks in the door. Those are the same muscles an agent uses every day.

Her dad, the entrepreneur of the family, had always pushed his kids to build something of their own. When real estate came up, that mindset made the leap easier. She still works at the restaurants, and that is where her sphere started: regulars, coworkers, and the friends from high school who are now graduating and landing their first jobs.

Why she left two brokerages and stayed at Irongate

Before Irongate, Noraly had been at two other brokerages. At one, the training was mostly videos you checked off a list. She is a hands-on learner, and it was not working. She also felt like the youngest person in every room, to the point that people asked if she was old enough to be there.

When she found Irongate's in-person training with Todd, it clicked. She told herself this was the last move.

"If I pick one, I'm staying at one. I'm not moving."

What surprised her most was how the offices actually work. Agents compete, but they also answer each other's questions, share open house tips in the group chat, and point you to whoever can help.

"And it wasn't like one individual person, everyone knew how to help you."

The 11 PM phone call

Noraly's first sale was a friend's parents' house. Something came up late one night and she panicked. She called Brett, her office manager, and he picked up.

"I was like, 'No, Brett. I'm freaking out.' And he's like, 'Okay. It's okay.'"

That call is the kind of thing she now tells other new agents about. The fear of messing up a transaction is real, especially when you are new and the stakes are someone's home. Knowing there is a person on the other end of the line at any hour changes how you work.

"I've never seen companies put so much for their agents."

Just let them

Near the end of the episode, Jaime asked what advice Noraly would give her younger self. Her answer was to not get discouraged. She was embarrassed about failing the exam for a long time and did not want anyone to know. Now she shares it openly, because the embarrassment never helped and the story does.

"And you will get rejected."

"Just let them and keep going."

Her closing thought for new agents: there is enough business for everyone.

"The competition is there, but you will get your own clients."

About Noraly Gonzalez

Noraly Gonzalez is an agent in the Beavercreek office of Irongate Inc., REALTORS®. She has been licensed for about a year, closed her first sale in May, and still works in her family's restaurant business. She has lived in the area for about ten years and speaks Spanish, which she sees as a way to serve more buyers and sellers in the Miami Valley.

Listen to Episode 6

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New episodes of The Agent Seat drop the first and third Wednesdays of every month.

Thinking about a career in real estate? Talk to us. irongaterealtors.com

Irongate Inc., REALTORS®, a locally owned Miami Valley brokerage for more than 50 years.