Real Estate Professional Profile
Yury Di Pasquale Over 2 decades of real estate experience and her deep involvement in the community lead both buyers and sellers to consider Yury Di Pasquale a trusted and knowledgable professional. During a visit to the Slow Food Market, we discussed both her personal and professional philosophies.
Where are you from originally, and how did you end up in Mérida? I am originally from Baltimore, Maryland. My mother is Peruvian, my father is Italian, my grandfather is Austrian, and my grandmother is from Chile. I came to Mexico in 2000 to visit my mother, who was living in Cancún. I moved to Mexico six months later with my daughter, who was 14 at the time. Then, I put in my letter of resignation for my tenure-track position as a political science instructor at Pierce College in Fort Steilacoom, Washington, and I have been in Mexico ever since. So, I am working on my 23rd year in Mexico. Tell us something about your personal and professional background. I live in the northern part of Mérida with my seven rescue dogs and four rescue cats. I graduated from the University of Hawaii in 1994 with a Master’s in Political Science. I worked for Hawaii State Sen. Milton Holt, and I taught Political Science and Spanish at Chaminade University in Hawaii and Pierce College in Washington State. When I moved to Mexico, I started working for a land developer in 2000. That company focused on oceanfront lots on the Costa Maya and in Sisal here in the Yucatán. I have been selling in Sisal since 2006, way before it was the cat’s meow. I moved to Mérida full-time in 2008. When and why did you begin Yucatán Homes and Lots? In 2008, I started Yucatán Homes and Lots. I had been working with that land developer in Cancún for almost eight years. I really wanted to move to Mérida, but they were not going to continue buying and subdividing land in the Yucatán after selling all of their Sisal beachfront lots. That was the determining factor in moving on from that company. I started with resales in Sisal and 42
then selling colonial homes in the historic Mérida Centro. But I have been selling real estate in the Yucatán Peninsula since 2001. Tell us about your involvement in the Slow Food Market. When I moved to Mérida in 2009, my friend Gail Weaver (the current director of Slow Food Yucatán) introduced me to Monique’s Bakery for her artisanal bread. I was on Monique’s mailing list, and one day I received an invitation from David Sterling, the founder of Slow Food Yucatán. He was looking for vendors to participate in a first-of-its-kind market in Mérida on the grounds of Monique’s Bakery. I immediately replied and offered to participate with my Peruvian sauces and chimichurri. Later, David invited me to be on the board of directors. So, I have been a board member for Slow Food Yucatan for the last 13 years. I also started our current Slow Food Yucatán Facebook page many years ago, and I used to email our subscribed clients on a weekly basis with our menus. Then the pandemic hit. My sister Michele and I, along with a few other members, started the delivery program. My sister was a logistics specialist in the U.S. Air Force, so she knew what we had to do. We worked 80-plus hours a week to make it work. Why didn’t you just close the market? The simple answer is the vendors depended on their weekly sales to survive. Yes, we could have just shut everything down until things got better, but the hens kept on eating and laying eggs, the farmers kept on planting, the vegetables kept on growing and our vendors who cook meals needed a place to sell their delicious food items. We hear you’re involved in other community activities as well. Since moving to Mexico, I have been SPONSORED CONTENT
helping dogs and cats in Yucatán, mostly with my own funds. I have had over 200 dogs and cats go through my home on the way to adoption. Currently, I have 11 permanent residents in my home. Those are the ones who did not get adopted and just became part of the family. I don’t do large campaigns for the spay and neutering, I simply knock on doors and talk to the people in my community to offer the free service. Dr. Nelson from My Vet in Las Americas has really helped me out with the sterilizations and treating these dogs and cats when I first pick them up. Why do you volunteer when you’re already busy with your business? I truly believe that you make time for what is important. When I was a younger single parent, the important things were having a job to support my daughter, and then my university studies. All that hard work has paid off, my daughter is now 36 with a doctorate in education, and I have the luxury that I can focus on work, but also help out where it is needed. What are your strong points when helping people list or find a home? I am honest with the clients almost to a fault. I am not just looking to sell them a property or just interested in getting a listing, I am looking to establish long-term relationships with these clients. Yes, I want to make a sale, but if the clients are not ready, then they just aren’t ready. If they don’t find a property to purchase on this trip, then I hope to show them their dream property on their next trip over. I want the clients to be happy with their purchases and the sellers with their sales. Yes, making the sale is also important, how else am I going to support my 11 pets? But establishing meaningful long-term relationships reaches a level above any monetary value. ISSUE 8 | YUCATÁN MAGAZINE
