The Venezuelan actor Vicente Tepedino He is in one of the stages furthest from the cameras since he arrived in Costa Rica, in 2006. However, today he dedicates himself to a job like “filmmaking”, which is not only his livelihood, but also that vital drive that keeps him active and in contact with people.

For decades, showing off on stage and on television, he even became a priest, but—despite the fact that his work is a Hollywood archetype—Life was the only screenwriter who thought that the role of real estate agent would fit Tepedino perfectly.

The former presenter of programs like Spins y TV destinationsis currently fully in the real estate business with TuCasaCR, an agency in which he and two partners act as intermediaries between owners and people looking to rent or buy a home.

According to what he told The Nationthis agency was born in January of this year, when two friends and compatriots living in Costa Rica came to him with a project to which he now puts all his efforts.

“One of them tells me: ‘Let’s make a company the three of us and let’s start with real estate. It never hurts and it is a very flexible job, you have your time.’ AND I said, ‘Hey, look, why not? It is a good income apart from what you do‘. They tell me that this is how they take advantage of my image, there is credibility and people, seeing me in the videos, will feel safer,” he commented.

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In this new facet, the former heartthrob of the small screen has put the prestige and recognition that he built for years as a guarantee of trust for his clients. In return, he has had the reward of exploring a new world, full of challenges and learning.

“People say: ‘I know him, although I don’t know him’because they have seen me in turns, in soap operas, in videos and now they are getting to know me personally. So now one establishes more of a friend relationship with the client. That doesn’t guarantee that you’ll close the business, but you already create a bond,” explained the 60-year-old actor.

“You tell the client: ‘Look, if you have friends who are interested in buying or renting, we are available.’ And so you grow, you expand, what we call the snail spiral,” he added.

Curiously, between 2008 and 2009, when Tepedino was still moving through the uncertainty of the first years in his new homeland, he had a brief acquaintance with the real estate world.

This was one of “the many jobs” he dabbled in after migrating from Venezuela, a land where acting overwhelmed him with job opportunities; reality that changed abruptly when he left his homeland and forced him to be versatile to bring bread to the table.

“Yo I started making soap operas in 1982 and never stopped until 2006.. Even that year, I finished a soap opera and came to Costa Rica. I had never worked in real estate in Venezuela, nor had I seen the need to resort to another source of work.. When I emigrate for the reasons that everyone already knows, I face a new world, a new life; to a new change,” he explained.

In 2006, Tepedino and his wife made the decision to leave Venezuela, which was accelerated when the actor, after speaking out against the government of Hugo Chávez, received death threats from members of “the Bolivarian Circles” (citizens related to Chávez), according to what he told The Nation in 2014. Initially, he arrived only on Tico soil to spend 15 days on vacation; period after which he decided that Costa Rica would be the destination for his family.

“The decision to emigrate had already been raised a few months before in my family. My wife, Mariola, became very depressed when three children who were brothers were killed in Venezuela and that was the trigger. In 2006 I was writing the novel Looking for a prince charming and participated in a play. When I finished the two projects, my wife gave me a plane ticket to come to Costa Rica and visit a friend,” he said at the time.

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While in Costa Rica, he received an offer to film a soap opera in Panama and put aside his brief foray into the real estate world. However, more than 15 years later and with roots planted in Costa Rica, he came across real estate again.

“When you have to emigrate, you have a moment where you say: ‘Wow, take out and not put in, that’s the end of the pile’. But hey, you have to be prepared in life. You have to have a good social and academic education, that is, be a good citizen. Because when you are well prepared and you lose your company or things go badly for you, you get ahead again,” he said.

“Obviously, I tell my children and everyone else: ‘Look, you have to save, invest and have economic stability for the future.’ But, in case you don’t have it, then look, you have to work, work and keep working,” he added.

Tepedino says he feels fulfilled and assures that the emergence of this project is another of the reasons that make him and his wife more than convinced that they were not wrong in choosing to migrate to Costa Rica almost 20 years ago.

“We believe we did well, especially for my children. Our concern was their education and I believe that Costa Rica is a country that has given us excellent academics. It is a very educated country; it is really worth living here in Costa Rica,” he declared.

A ‘movie’ job

Although most have in their imagination the figure of a real estate broker as presented in gringo productions; the experience that Tepedino has had as realtor (name of this profession) has been very different from fiction.

According to the actor, in these months he has not encountered envy and that voracious competition like the wolf of Wall Street. On the contrary, Tepedino highlights, as one of the most fascinating aspects of his profession, the large union of real estate workers that he found in the country and the collaboration networks that they weave among themselves.

During his foray with the agency he has learned what hard work is like in the rental flow and also the climax of closing a big sale. Along the way, he has been sharpening his sense of smell with that segment of clients who ask questions and want to see all the properties, but, deep down, he knows that he will not take the step.

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Given this, the most effective solution, he says, is sincerity.

“I think that’s the most polite way; let’s not waste time, neither you nor I. Let’s be honest, you’re going to buy or you’re going to rent, but without any shame. Life has also taught me that: the things you say upfront, it’s better for you, always with sincerity,” he commented.

And of course, among so many people, houses and apartments, anecdotes are the order of the day. Among the comical moments, Tepedino remembers with a laugh when he gave a tour of a house to a family whose son found it necessary to use the toilet… without knowing that the owner of the home had turned off the water supply.

“The boy left me that little gift, that present. I had to talk to the owner afterwards, so he could tell me what to do, what key to turn on… what button to press to turn the water back on (laughs). But nothing, even, made the owner of the house laugh a lot,” he narrated with humor.

Of course, Tepedino has not closed the doors to the artistic world. He is still linked to the theater and, from a distance, advises acting students from his alma mater in Venezuela.

In addition, he is a master of ceremonies and occasionally lends his voice or image to commercials. And, although lately he has not been stealing a sigh in a dramatic romance, nor saying good morning in a morning magazine, this is one of the moments that has been closest to human warmth.

“It’s a very nice job, it’s meeting new people, people who do everything. We’ve met people who work in hardware stores, who have their own warehouse, lawyers, doctors, engineers… It’s a very nice world, a very wide range of working people,” the actor expressed with joy.

So now you know, don’t be surprised if the next line you hear from someone who for years shone on Radio Caracas Televisión and as a presenter on TV is: “welcome to your new home.”