For Haitian nurse Syndie Berrette, homeownership is a family first worth sharing

When Haitian-born Syndie Berrette talks about helping Haitian families buy homes, she is talking about a milestone she knows personally. Berrette, a New Jersey-based real estate professional and nurse, told Caribbean Life on Friday, Oct. 9, that she was the first in her family to become a homeowner. Now, through Home Match By Syndie, she said she wants other families to see homeownership as something they can pursue, even if no one before them has done it. Berrette said some Haitian families believe buying a home is beyond their reach, while others keep their purchases private. She said she wants to make the conversation more open, covering “What it takes to prepare, what questions buyers should ask and how to move toward a closing.” “I want to be the Haitian realtor in New Jersey,” said Berrette, whose own path began far from the Garden State. After leaving Haiti in 2007, Berrette said she settled in Mississippi without speaking English. With no classes to attend and no one at home to practice with, she said she taught herself English and began speaking the language within five months. But Berrette said nursing school brought a different challenge. Understanding everyday conversation did not mean she could easily navigate medical textbooks, she said. Berrette said she translated her coursework into French to understand the lessons and turned to YouTube when she needed additional explanations. She said she cried when she received a C on her first test but continued working harder. Of the eight Black students who entered her nursing program, Berrette said, only three graduated, including her. She said she never repeated a class and passed her nursing board exams on her first attempt. Berrette said that experience now informs how she approaches prospective homebuyers. She knows what it means to face an unfamiliar process while still learning its language, she said. After 14 years in psychiatric nursing, Berrette said listening has become central to her work. In real estate, she said, that means making room for concerns about credit, savings and whether a household is ready to take the next step. Working alongside RE/MAX First Realty II, Berrette said she serves buyers in Union, Essex and Morris counties, as well as elsewhere in New Jersey. She said many referrals come from hospital colleagues through an effort she calls “From Shift to Keys.” For Berrette, her Haitian identity and homeownership are personally connected. “Owning a home represents having something a family can identify as its own and potentially pass to the next generation,” she said. Berrette said she continues to work as a nurse while building her real estate business. Her goal, she said, is to help more families reach the milestone she once achieved herself: “Becoming the first and making it easier for someone else to follow.”