Marta Izquierdo started her real estate agency at 23: “It’s normal to start a business afraid”

Starting a business and becoming an entrepreneur is still not the most common path for young people. Taking that step means assuming risks, starting from scratch and trying to establish a foothold in a competitive market. That was precisely the path chosen by Zaragoza native Marta Izquierdo, who at just 23 decided to create her own real estate agency in the Las Fuentes neighborhood, IRA Inmobiliaria (Avenida Compromiso de Caspe, 107). The young businesswoman had been working in the real estate sector for several years when she decided to take the plunge and create her own business to develop her “own ideas.” “Vertigo” and “fear” were present from the beginning, but they were not enough to stop her. “What I found hardest were the days before opening IRA Inmobiliaria, because I was afraid of not knowing whether I was doing the right thing, whether I was making a mistake or whether I was too young to do it,” Izquierdo admits. And so, in September 2025, she opened her company. During this time, the Zaragoza native has faced several difficulties, especially in the first few months. “It was a priority for me to start the business with a physical office, and I couldn’t find any assistance as a young entrepreneur to cover the first months of rent,” Marta explains. The real estate sector also has a particular feature: income does not arrive immediately, as a transaction can take several months to close. “You can sell an apartment, but you have to wait for the deed to be signed and for the buyer to secure a mortgage. During those three or four months, you are working but have not yet received any profit,” she explains. Although she says that difficulty is now behind her, she remembers that initial period, when expenses continued to pile up while income took time to arrive, as “overwhelming.” There were also other costs, such as real estate listing portals and internet service. Aside from the financial difficulties, Marta has also had to face prejudices linked to her age. “Unfortunately, it does matter because, after all, you are selling homes, which are a person’s most valuable asset,” she explains. She acknowledges that some clients are initially surprised to discover that she is only 24, although she says that initial distrust disappears as the professional relationship develops. “It’s not just about selling a house, but about knowing the entire process, from pre-sale to after-sales service and tax procedures,” she says. ACCOMPANIMENT AND TRANSPARENCY AS DIFFERENTIATING FACTORS In an increasingly competitive sector, Marta was clear from the outset that she wanted IRA Inmobiliaria to stand out through personal attention and transparency. “I didn’t want it to be just about selling an apartment; I wanted people to feel they had a source of support here,” she explains. She applies this philosophy both to young people looking for their first mortgage and to owners or investors who need guidance throughout the process. That differentiation also involves explaining to clients why a property is valued at one amount rather than another. The businesswoman criticizes the fact that some agencies sometimes inflate valuations solely to secure a property listing. “A person can go to one real estate agency and have their apartment valued at 200,000 euros, then go to another and be offered 10,000 or 15,000 euros more simply to win the listing,” she says. In response, her company bases each valuation on data such as the price per square meter, the area, the specific location within the neighborhood and the property’s features. “We like to work with complete transparency, so the seller knows why they are selling the property at that price,” she says. She complements this approach by assisting with other housing-related procedures, such as tax filings and inheritance advice. YOUNG PEOPLE ARE INCREASINGLY UNABLE TO AFFORD A HOME Based on her day-to-day experience, Marta says one of the biggest difficulties in today’s market is young people’s access to housing. “Young couples or young people come in looking to rent, and they cannot find anything,” she explains. When they consider buying, the main obstacle is usually the savings required upfront to qualify for a mortgage. “There are people who can easily afford the monthly payment, but they are asked to have between 20% and 30% of the property’s price saved,” she says. For a home costing 100,000 euros, that can mean having between 20,000 and 25,000 euros available before starting the process. “It is very difficult for someone to save those amounts, even with a comfortable salary,” she adds. According to her, this difficulty does not affect only this group, but also older people who have spent years renting and who, when the time comes, are likewise unable to buy. For Marta, rising sale and rental prices are making “accessing a home increasingly difficult.” “IT’S NORMAL TO START A BUSINESS AFRAID” Marta acknowledges that fear is part of the entrepreneurial process and considers it normal to feel it before taking the plunge. “It’s normal to do it afraid, and if you are not afraid, then you are being reckless,” she says. However, she believes the decision must be accompanied by planning and a certain financial cushion to get through the first few months without income. “If you do it with fear and a savings plan to know how long you can go without making a profit, everything eventually works out,” she explains. Her experience has also led her to encourage other young people who feel the urge to become entrepreneurs: “I would like young people to start businesses again, like our parents’ generation did, and not be the only one,” Marta emphasizes.