Arlette Quiñones has never been one to shy away from a challenge or to head down the path of least resistance. She believes in going after what she wants and running down dreams. It’s what led her to pursue a career in music and what continues to drive her today as a top-producing REALTOR® with Sam Shaffer’s team at Chicago Properties. 

Arlette was born in Mexico City but raised in the suburb of Berwyn, IL, outside of Chicago. After high school, she attended Harold Washington College and then dove headfirst into pursuing a career in the music industry. 

Music and the arts are Arlette’s first passions. She loves writing, singing, and recording music. If she could spend all day, every day in a recording studio, she would. She spent years working as a freelance musician—singing as the lead vocalist with various bands, as well as conducting her own solo gigs—and she is still, in fact, part of a talent agency. She’s often hired to do television commercials, print ads for a variety of different products including InstaShield, voiceover work, and to write and perform jingles. 

In addition to music and her talent work, Arlette was also once a bridal stylist for a bridal boutique, where she’d help brides-to-be choose the dress of their dreams and look their best on one of the most momentous days of their lives. While she considered a career in real estate many times in the past, she never pursued it. 

“I loved the idea of helping people find their dream home,” Arlette explains. “That same concept is what grasped my attention when I went into bridal sales. Both [weddings and home buying] are extremely emotional decisions, and I love helping people work through those pivotal life moments and being a part of their journey.”

The catalyst that finally sent Arlette into real estate was, like for many people around this time, the pandemic. When the pandemic hit, Arlette was furloughed from the bridal boutique and freelance gig work dried up. Everything came to a halt, giving her time for self-reflection. After talking to the people that she held in the highest regard and sought advice from, she decided it was time to pursue a career in real estate. 

“One of the defining moments for me was when I realized I could love another path as much as the musical one, and better yet, I could pursue multiple dreams at once. If I tend to stretch myself pretty thin, it’s only because I believe this life is worth living to the fullest and we can have everything we want if we’re willing to work hard enough for it.”

Of course, belief can only get a person so far and chasing dreams is not always easy. As Arlette attests: “I’ve endured many moments of insecurity, self-doubt, and feeling like nothing is ever going to give. But through all those dark moments, I’ve always found a light and have managed to remind myself that persistence is the key to success. Giving up is the only way to never accomplish your goals. Reminding myself of that has been a driving factor in my getting to where I am today.” 

As a top-producing agent with Sam Shaffer’s team at Chicago Properties today, Arlette is passionate about growing her book of business and helping her clients achieve their dreams. She is also very passionate about learning and soaking up as much knowledge about the industry as possible. She loves all the opportunities real estate offers and envisions diving more into the investment and development side of the business in the future. 

At the end of the day, true success for Arlette is living your life by doing things that inspire, move, and motivate you. And to be surrounded by people who uplift and bring positivity into your world. For Arlette, that person is her husband, Alonso. He’s her biggest supporter and best friend. 

Between real estate, music, and talent agency work, Arlette stays pretty busy. When she does find time to relax, however, she enjoys cuddling up on the couch with Alonso and their fur baby, Leah, a 5 lb., twelve-year-old Chihuahua, to watch a movie. Arlette also loves soaking in a nice bubble bath with a glass of wine in hand and listening to her favorite playlist, which is comprised of a wide variety of her favorite artists from many different genres—pop, country, rock, Latin tunes, and more. 

On those days that Arlette needs a little more motivation, she focuses her mindset on all of the things she wants to accomplish and what it takes to get there. She remembers these wise words from her mentor and boss Sam Shaffer, “Keep your head down, stay humble, and keep on grinding.”

While running down multiple dreams may seem like a lot, she looks forward to continuing her journey and discovering all the opportunities that present themselves along the way. Anything less for Arlette would make life just too boring.