Meet Anjali Gill! She is currently a Realtor at Keller Williams. I am in the business of helping people get to their ‘Happy Place’ – be it through buying their dream home, selling the home they have outgrown, or investing in their future. She was born in Chandigarh in the north part of India. Her dad is from the north of India and her mom is from the south. Her dad was in the Indian army so every 3 years her dad would move them around the country. It was one of the best upbringings because you learn never to get complaisant and to adopt to any situation. Just go out and find new friends. Find new life and not get stuck in your comfort zone. She did her school in India and worked there. Then they we went to the Middle East and worked there for 3 years. They went back to India and came to America in 2006. She has been married for almost 23 years and has a 16 year-old daughter.
Q: What inspired you or led you to your current career?
A: After I finished my MBA my first job was in advertising and brand management and that’s what I’ve done most of my life. I handled brands like Intel, Microsoft and some very large companies. We moved to America in 2006 which probably was the worst time to move. Initially I didn’t get a job because I wanted to settle in and my daughter was 2 ½ years old, so I didn’t want to leave her. By the time I started getting my resume out there, the bottom fell out and it wasn’t the best time to find a job. I was way over qualified for everything I applied for. I never got a job because the market was so bad. A few years later my daughter’s preschool asked me to come and join as a teacher. I did not have any experience but they had seen me interact with the kids during so I said okay. I enjoyed it, it was the best time ever because you get all the hugs and kisses from the kids. I did that for a year at Lowry Elementary School. It was fabulous, every single year the teachers were great. After that I joined Nielsen as the Director for Marketing for their global operations division for almost a year. Then a lady who’s kid went to school with my daughter through elementary school, was looking for a Director of Marketing for her real estate group so I joined there for a year but I wanted more. I wanted to get out and interact with people, that’s what excites me. So I got out on my own. In 2015 I got my license and started working with her. In 2016 I was an independent agent and I loved and enjoyed it because it is the first time I’m actually using my MBA in Psychology to the max.
Q: What is it that you enjoy about real estate?
A: I enjoyed changing people’s life for the better by finding them the right house, helping them sell the wrong house or helping them make investments to provide generational wealth. That is what I love doing. I’m not after the money, it does not excite me. A lot of people do it for the money, that is a job. My biggest reward in an entire transaction is not getting that check but when you get to the closing table, you hand over the keys and you look at the persons face. That’s what I live for. My passion is for first time home buyers because that is a tricky one. You don’t want them to have a negative experience. I love working with them to make sure they really know what to expect. I always educate and teach them what’s going on as most agents don’t. As a first time home buyer it ‘s scary. The biggest kick is when you see the excitement about buying a house for the first time.
Q: What is your favorite restaurant in North Tampa, and what do you love there?
A: For breakfast I love Revelations, for lunch I love Taziki’s and for dinner I love Sacred Pepper.
Q: How long have you lived or worked in North Tampa?
A: Since 2006.
Q: Who’s had the biggest positive impact in your life?
A: My husband. He is more that level headed and deep thought person. He is my anchor. Before we got married I was a rebel child and my relationship with my father was a little strained but when I we got married he brought the change about my relationship with my dad.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be? And why?
A: The African safari and The Northern Lights in Iceland.
Q: What is your favorite movie OR what is the first movie you remember seeing in a theatre?
A: My absolute favorite is Pretty Woman and Dirty Dancing.
Q: What would be your best piece of advice about life?
A: Live in the moment and take happiness where you find it.
Q: What do you like to do for fun with your family?
A: We do have karaoke at home but my zen thing is making jewelry. I make beads from polymer clay. I love photography as well.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: One thing I wanted to do before I die is to publish a book. I did compile a book of poems, I still have that but never published it.
Q: What is your favorite music/ band you would like to see (dead or alive)?
A: Unfortunately I am not musically inclined but my favorite singer of all time is my husband.
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
A: Don’t think anything because I am an open book.
Q: What 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
A: Safe Haven, Comfort and Love.
Q: If you were cast into a major motion picture and had your choice of anyone to be your co-star, who would you choose?
A: Chris Hemsworth.
Q: Do you think it is important to have that face to face contact and get to know your neighbors?
A: Social media is wonderful in connecting you with people that live far away, like for me to keep in touch with my family in India. More so as a realtor, I believe in belly to belly. That’s how we do business. It’s not about just sending text or Facebook wishes, it’s about reaching out and talking to real people. People are really forgetting the art of conversation. The next generation of kids do not know what the art of conversation is all about.
