Service is a central theme in Mario Gonzalez’s life.
It is reflected in his 24-year career as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Navy, as well as his church leadership, youth sports coaching and volunteer service on boards and committees.
The 2025 Northeast Florida Association of Realtors president has even made it a theme for his yearlong term: “Forward Together in Service.”
He succeeds 2024 NEFAR President Rory Dubin on Jan. 24.
Gonzalez, 53, is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who retired with the rank of commander.
He began his real estate career while at Annapolis. As a cadet, he teamed with an older retired officer to flip houses before it was called flipping.
After buying and repairing the houses, they would rent or sell them. Gonzalez earned his real estate license in 1996 so he could handle the buying and selling himself.
During the mortgage crisis of 2007-10, he saw fellow pilots were in a jam. When they received orders to transfer to a new assignment, they found themselves with a house they couldn’t sell.
“They were all upside down in their homes, $100,000 overnight. So they couldn’t sell their homes, but they had security clearances, so they had to do something,” he said.
Gonzalez became a property manager and rented the homes, allowing the pilots to pay the monthly mortgages with the money earned.
He acquired a reputation within the Navy.
“One day, this kid walked in my office, he said, ‘You’re the guy with all the rental properties, right? A guy up in Norfolk, where I’m coming from, just told me to come see you. You had all the properties,’” Gonzalez said.
His last duty station was at Naval Station Mayport and like many military families, the Gonzalezes retired here.
Gonzalez and his wife, Michelle, married in 1998. They have two grown daughters, an 18-year-old son and two grandchildren.
The older daughter, Bailey Jordan, also is in real estate and was named the 2023 NEFAR Realtor of the Year.
Gonzalez worked for other real estate companies before starting his Navy to Navy Homes brokerage in 2009.
He combines property management with real estate sales.
While his business is open to anyone, he specializes in military and first responders. He donates 25% of his proceeds to military, police, fire, medical workers and teacher organizations.
Gonzalez recognized NEFAR as a resource. He took the free real estate courses offered to members.
He was interested in taking the paid classes, but with a growing family he didn’t want to pay tuition.
Instead of paying, he volunteered to monitor the class: taking attendance, making sure students were in the classes for the entire time to properly earn credit hours and offering instructors assistance when needed.
While he didn’t earn credit for the classes, he did sit in and learn.
His interest in real estate education led him to be asked to serve on the Education Task Force committee. He served on the local realMLS listing committee and later became its chair.
That led him to become part of NEFAR leadership.
During the coronavirus pandemic, real estate agents were designated as essential workers. However, they needed new protocols and methods to perform duties safely and under federal guidelines.
Gonzalez was part of the local team that worked on developing ways to do the job without personal contact or opportunities to even show a house using traditional means.
As incoming president, his primary goal, besides continuing to grow membership, is to make members aware of all the learning opportunities NEFAR offers.
“One thing that I can promise is I can’t change the past. No one can. But if we continue to move forward together, as unified as possible, and then in service to others, the business will not just survive. It will thrive as it always has,” he said.
“Let’s keep moving forward together in service to others, and we’ll be just fine.”
Gonzalez will try to encourage members to reach out to one another, sharing techniques and ideas on how to address problems as they arise. He wants to build a stronger real estate community.
“What gets me out of bed every single day is helping other people. And I say that as sincere as possible. I served in the military for 24 years and so service is just in my blood,” he said.