By Jamie Swann, Contributing Writer
For most, being nicknamed “slumlord” would be an embarrassment. A name they would surely keep to themselves.
Not Mario Gonzalez. He shares his moniker with others, followed by a hearty laugh.
“My buddys gave me my nickname when I was in the Navy and acting as a landlord for friends,” explained Gonzalez, of Navy to Navy Homes.
He quickly follows up with a disclaimer: “I was never a slumlord though, just helping friends out.”
Never intending to become a landlord, Gonzalez fell into his profession by chance while serving in the Navy.
After being transferred to Jacksonville in 1998, Gonzalez was unable to sell his home.
Like many in the military, he was stuck with a mortgage payment for a house in which he no longer lived.
Left with few choices, he decided his best option was to rent out his former home.
“I was working with a company who acted as a landlord,” Gonzalez recalled. “Long story short, it was a disaster.”
That’s when he took matters into his own hands.
Quickly learning how to manage properties from a distance, Gonzalez fired the company and took over the home himself.
Since that day, Gonzalez and his family has bought a home everywhere they moved. When they were transferred, he rented out the home and managed it from his new location.
Having acquired about a dozen homes by the early 2000s, Gonzalez was spending his nights managing properties.
Word spread quickly among his fellow sailors of his evening profession.
“They would ask me ‘What are you doing today, fixing a toilet?’ It became a joke,” laughed Gonzalez. “So they gave me the nickname ‘slumlord’.”
When times started getting tough, many of his Navy comrades found themselves unable to sell their home after receiving relocation orders. It was a situation Gonzalez was familiar with.
Looking for help, they turned to him.
Gonzalez turned to his broker who suggested he join the team as a property manager.
“I looked at him and said, ‘You’re insane,’” laughed Gonzalez. “At the time, I was full-time Navy, had 12 rentals, a family and a personal life. I didn’t have the time.”
But somehow, Gonzalez found the time. In 2006, he started his company with a four-person team.
The first year was anything but smooth sailing for the Navy pilot.
Facing struggles with the changing economy, his team quickly dwindled to a one-man show.
“I started slowly building back the team and I was very particular about who I was bringing on,” said Gonzalez. “I had to make sure everyone had the same passion.”
During his rebuilding stage, Gonzalez’s name began to spread to Navy bases.
“People were walking into my office from Norfolk or California saying, ‘So you’re the guy with all the rental properties’,” said Gonzalez.
“I was literally moving people from their Navy home to a rental Navy home,” said Gonzalez. “That’s where our name came from.”
In 2009, Navy to Navy Homes was formed.
After 24 years in the military, Gonzalez retired in 2013, leaving him to focus his full attention on his fast-growing business.
What started as a small company of four people is now a 13-person team of Realtors, property managers and support staff.
Gonzalez manages about 300 homes in the Jacksonville area while simultaneously growing his real estate listings portfolio.
Keeping strong in his belief to give back, Gonzalez is an active volunteer with many local and national organizations that help veterans and active duty military.
His belief in giving back recently took him on a trip to Alaska with Samaritan’s Purse where he volunteered with Operation Heal Our Patriots — a program for service members and their spouses to reconnect.
“I believe I can help so many people in so many different ways and not just people that work for us,” Gonzalez said. “And all of this has been so worth it when I see the positive outcomes.”