Catherine was born in Miami, Florida but spent most of her younger childhood years in the northern part of Connecticut. Her mother migrated from Cuba in 1967 and her father from Peru. Being raised as a first generation American, it was instilled in her from an early age the importance of voting & living the American dream by owning a home.

 

In 1993, her family relocated to Palm Coast. Her step-father decided to begin a new career in real estate and her mother opened the first pet grooming business on the west side of Palm Coast called “Palm Coast Pet Grooming” (which is still in business today).

On the weekends, beginning at the age of 13, she would work with her step-father in real estate by researching listing information & putting up yard signs on the MANY vacant lots that were for sale back then (most under $4k each). Little did Catherine know that those weekends learning about Flagler County real estate would later become a big part of her adult life. 

 

After graduating from Flagler Palm Coast High School in 1996, Catherine immersed herself into what had become a booming real estate business for her family. From answering phones to assisting in office openings, she was eager to help and learn. At the time, their office grew to many locations and agents, with franchise expansion to other parts of Florida. In 2003, Catherine made the decision to get her real estate license and shift from working in the office to out in the field. Her real estate career really launched from there with the Realty Executives International franchise. During this time she negotiated hundreds of transactions, contracted the exclusive sale of all SPEC homes with one of the largest Florida builders 2 years in a row, and became a national guest speaker in a variety of real estate conferences.

 

Catherine was awarded the Top 50 in the nationRising Real Estate Star by RisMedia in 2005, has served several terms as a board member for the Women’s Council of Realtors organization assisting them in being recognized as the top chapter nationally, and has been registered in the Who’s Who for Real Estate Professionals since 2005. Additionally, she traveled the nation providing best practice and marketing ideas through the use of Social Media & the latest technology tools. She was a consultant for Realty Executives International with a rigorous travel schedule and worked closely with Realty Executives California as their Marketing & Franchise Relations Manager. She has worked with several franchise developers, hundreds of brokers, and thousands of real estate agents internationally. 

In 2009, Catherine decided to take a break from the real estate world and joined the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce as a Business Development Manager. Her primary focus was developing and executing marketing strategies that maximized growth opportunities for the chamber and its members. This was an especially rewarding job for her as she enjoyed bringing her experience of working with business owners back to the community she called home.

 

In 2013, as Catherine puts it “her heart was calling her back to real estate” so she left the Chamber and made the bold decision to follow her dreams and get back into real estate. Even though working with the Realty Executives franchise for 15 years had brought her a wealth of knowledge & growth, she decided to focus on continuing to provide quality real estate services in a more intimate & comfortable environment by opening a community boutique office. She traded in her corporate heels for some beach flip flops! Today, she combines the love of family…even the four legged kind, the community, & technology with her pet friendly boutique office, Palm Coast & the Beaches Real Estate.

 

Since opening, Catherine has received the 2016 Business Partner of the Year Award, was awarded as a 40 under 40 Young Professional, was nominated as a Best Agent in 2019 and was awarded the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the 2020 Influential Women in Business. Her office has been awarded the Best Agents Award in 2015 and the Small Business of the Year Award in 2016. In 2019, Catherine graduated from the Volusia Flagler Political Leadership Institute to provide a better understating of the nuts and bolts within the counties. In 2021, Catherine was selected to be a part of the Florida Realtors Leadership Academy.  

 

When not working, Catherine has spent her time giving back to the community as a volunteer in a variety of organizations including; the Flagler County Education Foundation which she was past President, founding member of Youth Leadership Flagler, past chair of the Young Professionals Network, the Florida Hospital Flagler Patient Advisory Council, Flagler County Schools. Flagler Humane Society and the local women’s shelter to name a few. She lives for traveling and spending time outdoors with her two children; Anthony who is proudly serving in the Armed Forces and Alessandra, a college student studying Communications at the University of Tampa.  

Every day you will find her cruising the streets doing market research with her four legged baby, Ahsoka.