Moti Shiferaw (30 Under 30 Class of 2024)

Title: 
Individual Salesperson
Company: 
Keller Williams Capital Properties
Location: 
Bethesda, Md.

kwcapitalproperties.com/agents/moti-shiferaw

2023 Individual Sales Volume: $21.6 million
2023 Individual Transaction Sides: 44

A Bridge to Homeownership

If Moti Shiferaw, 28, is having a rough day, he needs only a moment to remember his mother. “She left her home country (Ethiopia) when we had a good life. She left her husband and her kids and couldn’t go back until she got her citizenship in the U.S. I know the sacrifices she made so that I could have an opportunity like this.”

Shiferaw says he won’t let his mother’s efforts go to waste. In a mere 2.5 years in the business, he’s been able to buy his parents a home and plans to purchase his first investment property in the next year. He says his goal at first was to become a real estate investor, but upon his arrival to the U.S., he realized he didn’t have the money, so he decided to learn about the market and generate income through selling real estate. “Everything changed after I got into the business, though. I fell in love with the job and the relationships and the interactions I have.”

He’s focused on helping his clients—especially his fellow African immigrants—find stability and financial security through homeownership. According to Pew Research, there are roughly 260,000 African immigrants in the Washington, D.C., area, with more than 50,000 from Ethiopia. “I know the struggle of language barriers and lifestyle changes, and one of my biggest achievements is being able to help people like me get into homeownership. I can explain everything in our language. I can be their bridge to the information they need.”