Cynthia Nina-Soto ‘99: ‘I have an obligation to give back to this community’

An affordable housing advocate, Cynthia Nina-Soto is teaching the next generation the nuances of real estate

SALEM (Oct. 23, 2024) – There was much to celebrate during the final class day of Cynthia Nina-Soto’s ‘Principles of Real Estate Practice in Massachusetts’ course, an elective at Salem High School which taught the basics of real estate, last May.

Four of Ms. Nina-Soto’s industry colleagues attended to field (many) questions and offer career advice.

She presented a certificate of course completion to each student with genuine gratitude.

She hugged every student and every student hugged her. It was difficult to distinguish who got more out of the course: the students or their instructor.

Not all of them will pursue real estate as a career. The life lessons Ms. Nina-Soto imparted with the course, however, will go with them.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Salem Public Schools is reconnecting with prominent alumni making significant differences in their communities.

One of the most prominent realtors in the greater Salem area – despite the challenging market, her firm celebrated nine closings in September – Ms. Nina-Soto’s pathway to her successful firm was full of turns, detours, and lane changes.

A member of the SHS Class of 1999, Ms. Nina-Soto was a banker, a Salem Hospital administrator, a counselor at a homeless shelter, worked nights for FedEx at Logan Airport, held several roles at Ira Motor Group, and worked in a law firm, among other stops.

Along the way, she attended North Shore Community College at night, got her real estate license in 2005, then her broker’s license in 2010 while working two or more jobs. From the time she earned her license in 2005, she steadily built her book of business and honed her skills with Keller Williams Realty, from which she left after earning her broker’s license.

“It took a long, winding road, but we’re here,” Ms. Nina-Soto said. “We work every single day. You have to be able to work during buyers hours, nights, weekends. It’s the only job in the world in which you only get paid when someone buys.”

Ms. Nina-Soto took something with her at every stop and didn’t dedicate herself full-time to real estate until 2015, the market fully recovered from the 2008 financial crisis. Around then, she and her husband, Carlos, flipped their first house in Lynn, purchasing it for a mere $65,000, adding $75,000 worth of renovations and selling it for $300,000.

The profit was nice – she and Carlos have renovated and sold several more homes since – but there was something more profound at play: affordable housing.

“We’ve been creating inventory for the market. We’ve been able to give people quality homes,” Ms. Nina-Soto explained.

When she formed her firm and purchased her office space on Highland Avenue, she renovated the building and created three affordable rental units. 

“I’ll take any opportunity I can to create affordable housing,” she said. “I truly, truly believe the way we fix cities and improve the environment we live in is through building and education. If you educate the masses and give them a roof, everything will fall into place.

“I love every minute of it,” she added.

Ms. Nina-Soto’s second-year course will begin in January. She is hoping to attract 30 students.

While it covers all basics of launching a career in real estate, she goes far deeper and shares her personal experiences: civic engagement; the intricacies of zoning and how it is often used to discriminate; and how to hold elected officials accountable.

Ms. Nina-Soto purchases all the books for her students. Her only compensation is knowing her students will have knowledge that will empower them and that SHS covers the costs for her students’ licensing exam.

“This is my way of giving back to a school that left a major impact,” she said. “I have an obligation to give back to this community. I’m glad I had people in my life who pushed me.”

About Salem Public Schools

Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are all passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens we view all of our work through. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff serve all of our students, regardless of ability or language. Salem Public Schools enrolls approximately 4,000 students across its eleven schools.