My Journey

From scuba diving to real estate

At this point you might be thinking, “Who is ELHORRY and where does he come from?”

Well, let me tell you my story.

A not-so-easy childhood

The sea had a big influence in the first years of my life. I was born and raised in Aix-en-Provence (south of France), very close to the idyllic Marseille and its beautiful blue waters. Every weekend, I would go to Marseille or Les Calanques de Cassis to swim and dive in the crystalline waters.

Due to my humble upbringing, my parents could not afford to send me to university. Actually, they asked me to leave home when I turned 18.

So, I landed a job with Le Club Mediterranée (Club Med), and got a roof over my head. I started travelling the world taking care of people.

4 years later, in 1999, at 22 years of age, with the experience that I had acquired and influenced by the movie ‘Le Grand Bleu’ by Luc Besson, I started a scuba diving school called South Divers.

A successful business under the sea

The idea of the school was to teach scuba diving in swimming pools to people who lived in cities far away from the coast, like Paris, for example. Then, I would organise trips to different destinations around the world like Marseille, Egypt or the Maldives, to finish the certification.

It was a great adventure, not only had I a close relationship with my clients from day one, but I was also in charge of organizing everything, from the classrooms to booking flights.

As fun as it may sound, I must confess that at the beginning it was not easy at all, but I never gave up. So, to support my starting business, I joined Air France as a flight attendant in 2001. Having a great passion for planes, I eventually got my pilot license and have been flying as a pastime since 1997.

In 2006, seven years after funding my scuba diving school in the centre of France, we became leaders in Europe, with headquarters in Luxembourg, an office in Tel Aviv, 15 schools in France and many more in Spain, Switzerland and Djibouti.

I featured in the scuba diving magazine every month. I was the star of this sport in Europe! Crazy time!

A new life in Real Estate

After my successful years, where I was the go-to guy in charge of improving the customer service in many hotels, restaurants and the luxury industry, in 2010 I decided I needed a big change.

My health and my personal life had fallen apart so I needed more stability, to travel less and take things easier.

Although real estate was quite present in my life – my uncle, who was my mentor when I was a teenager and taught me style, was a successful Realtor in Paris in the 1990’s – I never showed interest in it during my early years. I preferred to follow my heart and make a living out of the sea.

However, one day I started in the real estate industry by chance.

A friend of mine opened a RE/MAX office in Limpertsberg in the summer of 2012. I paid him a visit and we had a cup of coffee together. From the very first minute I was convinced that real estate was my new place to be; where I could continue doing great things and change my life and that of others.

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