If you ask anybody about Virginia Caamaño, they’ll tell you she’s a stand-up lady. A real go-

getter. The kind of person who’s not concerned with "doing her job," but instead focuses on

getting the job done and done the right way. Everyone, from friends to business associates to her long list of clients; when you ask them about Virginia, you’ll hear them use words like integrity, commitment, dedication, professionalism, intelligence, and excellence. And these are just a few of the adjectives used to describe this dynamic Real Estate Professional.

Virginia was born and raised in Newark NJ. From her early teens she understood the importance of having a strong work ethic. The daughter of Spanish immigrants, she witnessed, first-hand, how hard her parents had to work to be able to buy their own home, pay a mortgage, and put food on the table. In that strong blue-collar environment, money for many of those little extras a thirteen-year-old girl would want just wasn’t in the family budget. So, Virginia did what any industrious, hard-working young person who wants something out of life would do, she got a job and worked for it.

Growing up in the States, Virginia understood the value of education and its impact on her

chances of success in life, so she paid her way through college, earning a BA, a dual MAT, and

several post graduate certifications. Armed with a toolkit filled with qualifications and enough

drive to light up Times Square, she went to work for Morgan Stanley in July 1997. A rising star

at Morgan, Virginia earned the respect and admiration of senior management, colleagues, and

clients as well, and in a very short time, she was on her way to becoming a major player in the

financial sector.

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, Virginia headed into Manhattan during a week’s long training

for her Series 7 license. She rode into the World Trade Center Path Station on the last car just as the first tower was hit. Naturally, that experience had a tremendous effect on her life and the

decisions she would make in her career moving forward. In January of 2002 she left Morgan Stanley for good to start a family of her own which included two wonderful children born twenty-four months apart in 2003 and 2005.

To help meet the financial responsibilities of her growing family, Virginia started flipping houses on the side to make ends meet. This proved to be quite a lucrative and successful venture.   Not only was it successful in terms of income, but it also opened her eyes to the possibilities that existed in Real Estate. The seed was planted. Virginia’s second career was in education.  She was a bilingual teacher and during her years in the classroom she realized the huge achievement gap that existed between her Hispanic students and American students.  One year, Virginia decided to do some home visits to her students and learned that the students were living in apartment settings where there was one family living per bedroom or in some cases, three families living in a three bedroom apartment.  

 In 2014, Virginia got her real estate license and by 2019 began her career as a full-time agent with a commitment to serve underserved communities. “As the 2023 President of the North Jersey chapter of NAHREP, (National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals),” she said, “it is our mission to help Latinos become homeowners and build generational wealth. But as a realtor, I use those same resources to help all minorities and immigrants achieve the American Dream.”

As CEO of Infinity Homes New Jersey Team with Coldwell Banker Realty, Virginia leads a

small group of agents whom she personally trains and prepares for the highest level of success as Real Estate professionals. “Their success should equal my own, or exceed it,” she said. Afterall, this is business, right? Not for Virginia it isn’t. For her it’s all very personal. There’s no fast- food, one size fits all approach with Virginia. She takes a personal, individualized interest in every client she works with. Not just in finding them the best, most affordable options for

purchase, but educating the client on the process and the long-term value and importance of

using homeownership, not just for the “now”, but to build the type of generational wealth that

will secure the futures of their children as well. Virginia believes that  “closing the wealth gap in adults through homeownership will directly affect closing the achievement gap between those children in school.”

I asked Virginia what she was most proud of in her career. She didn’t talk about the numbers, or

the salary she earns. She didn’t talk to me about the slew of top sales and Real Estate

Professional awards and other honors she’s garnered over the years. Instead, she talked about all the people she’s met and has been able to help realize their personal dreams. She talked about her values and core beliefs. About the growth she’s experienced as a human being, a woman, mother and professional in this business. One of her favorite quotes, she said, one that she holds close to her heart, is from Mother Teresa. “It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”

Talking with and observing Virginia has been a delightful experience for me. Her smile, her

magnetic energy and the calm, confident swag she has. She doesn’t even recognize it. “What

swag?,” she asked, with a puzzled grin. There’s no pretentiousness with Virginia, no contrived

public persona. She’s just genuinely herself. A woman who loves her work and so it’s never work for her. It’s just helping people. Many will read this and say, she sounds too good to be true and my response to them will be, she almost is.