Ronit Urman is the owner and a broker for Urman Enterprises, LLC. She has more than 20 years of experience in residential and commercial sales as well as development and property management. Her
journey to start a real estate company in the Valley has taken her from Israel to Canada to Arizona. Along the way she has helped countless people and companies find their respective homes and offices as well as set up a not-for-profit giving back to the people in the community.
We spoke with her recently and asked her to share her expertise in her own words. Her answers have been edited for brevity. Tell me about Urman Enterprises, how you decided to start it?
We started our business in 1992; about a year after we moved to Arizona from Montreal, Canada. The reason we moved to Arizona was because we found it to be a growing community, unlike Montreal. Initially we started working for another broker; however we saw so many opportunities that we decided to pursue our own way.
What makes Urman Enterprises different? What services do you provide that distinguish you?
We are a full service real estate brokerage firm. Our office handles sales and leasing in both the residential and commercial markets. In addition, we assist in the development of commercial buildings for lease and residential properties for sale. Our experience is in many different aspects of real estate so we are able to provide our custom- ers with a wide variety of information as we work with everyone from the city: architects, engineering, banks, contractors, sale teams and more. We can structure all the stages of developing a real estate project from the ground up and all the way to sale or rent. We think like a landlord, because we are one; therefore, we keep the landlord in mind all the time.
What is your background in real estate? Why are you passionate and excited about what you do?
My husband’s family has developed properties for generations. His grandfather (from his mother’s side) built the old port in Haifa as well as the Technion in Haifa. He grew up learning about buying, planning and construction. My background in accounting came in handy because I can analyze costs for putting a project together and know what the sale prices will be and understand if is it marketable for the area.
Additionally, we are both very passionate about putting all aspects of a project together and seeing it develop successfully.
Where are you from and how did you decide to come to Arizona?
I was born in Israel and grew up in Ramhat Hashron. My parents moved to California when I was a senior in high school. My dad, may he rest in peace, promised me a car, I fell for it and we moved to the L.A. area. There were many Israelis in the area, so right away I made friends. I met my husband at the accounting firm where I was working and we got married and moved to Montreal.
We lived there for five years, but taking a girl from Israel that used to be in a sailing club on the beach five days of the week to freezing Montreal did not work very well. So we decided to make a change and heard that in Arizona and Colorado the market was growing. We came to Arizona to see the real estate market and were impressed and we realized it was a growing community and market with many opportunities.
What did you do when the real estate market hit difficult times in Arizona?
When the economy slowed we decided to use our time wisely. In addition to our work, we established a nonprofit organization called Wheelers4Warriors.ThemissionofW4Wistorestorevehicles used by veterans and wounded warriors and, in doing so, promote self-reliance, independence, confidence and healing, and share our collective gratitude for those who serve and have served. W4W’s brings together automotive aftermarket enthusiasts, com- panies and other interested organizations to help improve the lives and give back to our warriors and their families by making necessary repairs, improvements and/or modifications to the vehicles of veter- ans and wounded warriors.
