By: Angel Bueno
When I first started attending networking events, I thought I was doing what I was supposed to do: show up, meet people, learn from the room, and get more comfortable introducing myself as a real estate professional.
In the beginning, I regularly attended the lunch-and-learns a local title company put on. They brought industry professionals together, and I knew it would be beneficial to learn from the lenders, title partners, inspectors and other professionals in the room.
Over time, I also started supporting her events in small ways. I would share them on social media and help fill a seat if she needed support. I wasn’t doing this with any expectations. I just wanted to show support and be present.
After some time, she reached out and asked me to set up a property search alert for her, which I did. Though I did not realize it at first, she was starting her own home search and she was vetting me as her potential real estate agent. Eventually, I did have the opportunity to help her purchase a home, and afterward, I asked why she chose me. After all, she knew so many agents in our community.
Her answer stuck with me: “You show up.”
That was the moment everything clicked.
Build Relationships Through Sustained Efforts
This experience taught me that networking is not just about attending events, handing out business cards or making a quick connection. It’s about building relationships over time. It’s about trust. It’s about being someone people could count on before there was ever a transaction on the table.
I think that is one of the biggest lessons agents can take from networking, especially through YPN. These spaces are full of opportunity, but the opportunity does not always come from one conversation or one event. It comes from consistency, authenticity and follow-up.
It is easy to walk into a networking event and stay in the corner with the people you already know. It is easy to check your phone, grab a drink, collect a few business cards and leave. But intentional networking looks different. Maybe that means walking in with the goal of making three new connections. Maybe it means asking better questions, listening closely or following up afterward in a way that feels personal.
Social Media as a Tool
For me, social media has become one of my favorite ways to continue the relationship after the event. Business cards still have their place, but when someone follows me on Instagram, they get a fuller picture of who I am. They see real estate, but they also see my life: dancing, time by the river and the other things that make me a real person.
People don’t refer to a business by a license number. They refer business to someone they trust, and that’s why showing my authentic human self has its place in my business.
A Network of Referrals
YPN helps me think bigger than my immediate market. Florida is a large state, and while I would love to help everyone, everywhere, that’s not realistic. It’s also not in the client’s best interest, or my own.
Through YPN events, state conventions, ReBar Camp, group chats and online communities, I have connected with agents across the different markets in my state. Even when I do not personally know the perfect agent for a referral, I know I have a trusted network of professionals who care about doing good work. I am confident that I can refer out to someone who is going to take care of the customer.
A Note on Burnout and Setting Limits
There was a season when I was going to multiple events a day, several days a week. I was busy, but I was also burnt out. Eventually, I realized that more networking was not always better networking. I had to become more selective and choose the spaces that aligned with my business, values and goals.
For me, that meant saying no to some of the later evening happy hours and events because, while they were fun, I realized I was not always showing up fully present. Letting go of the fear of missing out and being more selective helped me focus my energy on the rooms that mattered most, nurturing those relationships more intentionally and building stronger connections over time.
The best networking does not feel transactional. Instead, it feels genuine and supportive. It looks like showing up for people in an authentic way before you need anything from them.
So my advice to other young professionals is to network with intention. Be present. Be yourself. Tell people who you are, what you do and what you love about this business. Then listen when they do the same.
Instead of networking for the sole purpose of gaining referrals, do it to build trust. The business will follow.
Angel Bueno is a Tampa Bay real estate professional and community-driven leader committed to equitable housing, meaningful connections, and client-centered service. With over a decade of combined experience in real estate, insurance, and sales, Angel helps buyers, sellers, and fellow agents navigate the industry with clarity, collaboration, and integrity.
He holds the At Home with Diversity® certification and is a 2024 graduate of the District 6 Leadership Institute. Angel serves as a 2026 Florida REALTORS® State Director for the Suncoast Tampa Association of REALTORS®; Trustee for the STAR Foundation; Vice Chair of STAR’s Young Professionals Network; and Treasurer for the Tampa Chapter of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance. In 2024, he was honored by the Tampa Bay Business Journal as a Business Leader in Pride for his work advancing fair and equal housing.
Outside of work, Angel enjoys traveling, experiencing new cultures, trying new cuisines, and creating meaningful connections throughout the communities he serves.