Lilibeth Simon helps those in Dayton’s Asian community navigate the house-buying process. For them, the process can be hard and confusing. For her, well, she’s walked that path and hears their voices.

    "Most of my clients were born outside of this country like myself,” said Lilibeth, a native of the Philippines. “They look to me because I am also an immigrant and have personally experienced the visa and naturalization process to learn to adapt to American culture. I feel this makes me relatable to my clients.”

      The Rising Star with Glasshouse Realty first began working for a furniture company in sales in the Philippines and rose to the point where she managed four of that company’s stores. She also did some training — “I love talking with people,” she said with a smile.

In the meantime, she visited friends in California, where she was introduced to a young man in the U.S. Air Force.  Love blossomed, and after visiting each other’s families — especially hers in the Philippines three times — she and Matthew Simon married in 2010.

They settled in California, but soon he was deployed to South Korea. She went with him, volunteering with the American Red Cross there to help other spouses and families of the U.S. military.

     In 2011 Matthew was assigned to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and the couple eventually moved into a house in Miamisburg and started a family. In 2019, with their growing children — Briceton, now 10, and Sommer Joy, now 8 — they saw the need for a larger house.

“When we bought our first house, I mentioned that I liked to do real estate,” said Lilibeth, who had arranged to buy a house for her mother in the Philippines several years previous. So she was eager to take on the task of finding and buying a larger place.

      Thanks to a friend’s tip, she connected with the owner of a house in Springboro yet to be on the market. Lilibeth and the owner struck up a friendship, and the deal was done. The experience cemented Lilibeth’s desire to go into real estate as a career.

      A year later, she earned her REALTOR®’s license and signed on with Glasshouse Realty. “I asked for a mentorship because of the language barrier,” said Lilibeth, who continues to develop her English. “I wanted to make sure I was doing things the right way, working with clients.”

She succeeded, being named Glasshouse’s Rookie of the Year 2021, Sales Leaders Club Award of Achievement and Sales Excellence Award 2021.

      To Lilibeth, it’s all about her clients. “Show your client you care and that they can trust you. I show the real me, that I’m here to help because I know how hard it is to buy a house.” That help includes assisting with paperwork and all that goes into buying a house, especially dealing with language and culture barriers.

       The payoff for her is not so much fiscal but emotional. “It’s a big accomplishment for them. Many of them cry at their closings and invite me and my family to celebrate with them.”

She added, “My goal is to help clients achieve their dreams. I show them that everything is possible if they work for it. And I’ll always be there for them.”