MATTHEW BURNETTE, Staff Writer

Brazil-born local real estate agent Thiago Nigri, who speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese, first got into his field five years ago when he noticed a large need among Hispanic homebuyers, though he quickly realized that there was a broader purpose to the job.

“I realized that, yes, the Hispanic community is not served as much, but I also realized that everything that I do as a realtor or as a real estate agent, it’s about the customers, it’s about the clients, it’s about the people,” explained Nigri. “There’s a messaging there that needs to be said and sometimes we deviate our focus to our own personal gains, our own ambitions and things like that.”

Nigri says that that messaging is part of the reason he decided to partner with NextHome Venture Realty when opening his office in Manchester.

He said that their mission statement of “positively impacting people’s lives through our work and example and trying to close the gap between our potential and performance and just try to get one percent better every day” aligned with his personal mission.

NextHome Venture, who uses a French bulldog named Luke as their company mascot as opposed to a logo to promote relatability, operates with a “Humans over Houses” philosophy which is one that Nigri has also adopted as a goal for himself.

“It doesn’t matter if they’re buying a house or selling a house. There is a story that starts way before that point and we are trying to let them know, “Hey, you come first. You’re the priority. You’re the client. What do you want us to do? We’re here to guide you,’” he noted. “I feel that is a massive thing that is missing in our industry: being able to put the clients first above our own desires.”

He explained that offering clients realistic data, statistics and honesty has allowed him to build relationships with people without having to rely on unrealistic promises and sales pitches.

“The feeling that you have in knowing that what you are doing is the right thing for them and the right thing for you, that’s the magic of real estate,” explained Nigri. “You don’t need to have a unique or crazy story because selling houses already is a unique process because it’s the biggest asset for most people.”

Outside of the office, Nigri enjoys travelling and taking in nature with his wife and four children.

“Our main go-to activity is to go explore (parks),” he explained. “I was born and raised in Brazil, and I lived in a couple of other countries, so we try to be as national and international as we can be and explore different cultures and different nature and different backgrounds.”

Nigri and his wife have two biological children and two foster children. He was introduced to the foster care system by his wife.

“She always wanted a really big family like seven kids plus, but I said we need to do a little bit less than that,” he explained jokingly. “She introduced me to the foster care system and how it works because everything was new to me. We slowly jumped into it and now we are just full into it.”

In addition to personally being involved in the foster care system, NextHome Venture Realty offers special rates, deep discounts and free consultation through the Foster Friendly app.

“Just to give the opportunity to these kids that never had, there’s something magical about that,” said Nigri. “Some kids all they need is just your attention for a couple of minutes of the day and you can see how different their life can be and how they act in the moment and in the next few days just because of that.”

“We’re just trying to provide some nurture and some love to them so it can hopefully change their lives for the better,” he added.

Nigri is also heavily involved in the community. He serves as an ambassador to the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce and sits on the Board of the Coffee County Imagination Library chapter.

He remembered that he could not believe that a program like that existed when he first heard about it.

“We were receiving the books for free at our house at no cost for us,” said Nigri. “I thought that my wife was lying to me because that’s not a thing, you receiving monthly books in your mail at no cost.”

After growing up in South America’s biggest city, Nigri attended Brigham Young University where he met his wife. He began travelling to McMinnville to see her and her family, and after some convincing, now considers Manchester his home.

“When I first came to visit my wife here for the first time, there was no way that I could ever see myself living in this kind of town. It’s too small, so it was always a no,” he recalled. “Eventually I realized that we have such a special thing going on here. The community is so strong and always trying to help each other. I could never find that in any other place.”

He referenced a time on his second visit to Tennessee when, after experiencing a mechanical issue with his car, two men stopped within a few minutes to ask if he was okay and if he needed help or a tow.

Nigri said that he realized that the definition of community is what the residents of Manchester have, and he finds ways to be involved to try and maintain that for his children.

“If I want to keep this for my kids, I have to repay somehow,” he explained. “That’s how I started with the Chamber to get involved and say ‘What is my role in this community to make sure that we are thriving, to make sure that we are still growing and my kids have the same opportunity and love for this community as much as we have?’”

“It’s been very welcoming and heartwarming.”