Reinventing GG
By Crystal Kassab Jabiro
Though some women approach turning 50 with trepidation, GG Benitez is arriving at that mile marker with confidence.
With her 29-year-old daughter Alexis’s marriage a few months ago, her 19-year-old daughter Daniella completing her first year at Loyola, and her 17-year-old son Gabriel entering his senior year of high school, GG decided to fuse her public relations skills with her affection for travel.
Not-so-much empty nester syndrome, just a sort of “second act” for a mom who—after three decades—will have some time to pursue more of her passions away from pick-ups and drop-offs and all the other hectic day-to-day activities involving children.
GG, a nickname of her birth name Ghada Ghattas, graduated from the University of California San Diego Revelle in 1995 with a degree in economics. She worked in pharmaceutical sales for seven years before opening GG Benitez Public Relations.
While building her firm for the past 14 years, she also co-founded Aloisia Beauty, whose products have been featured on the Today Show and in People magazine. As if she was not busy enough, she decided to obtain her real estate license after she traveled to Dubai last November.
Mixing Cultures and Interests
GG is proud of her Arab and Chaldean heritage. Her father is Jordanian, and her mother is Chaldean, so she naturally felt an affection for the Middle East. She also had some preconceived notions of what it would be like for a strong American-born woman like her to visit that region.
Dubai broke those misconceptions down for her, making the 16-hour flight from Los Angeles worth it. GG felt most connected to her heritage after she visited Al-Fahidi, a historical neighborhood that takes you back to the 18th century with their souks, chai houses and coffee houses, and Arabic everywhere. By the second day, she felt like previously she had been missing out on something so special.
“I was just in awe. ‘How did they make a desert look like this?’ and ‘How did they build this palm in the water?’ It’s almost like a utopia,” GG said. “It was the combination of the cultural history, the food, and the shore… Everyone was just so happy to be there.”
She wanted to be a part of it.
“I was so fascinated by the incredible growth of Dubai, and started to research it,” GG revealed. “I discovered that real estate is one of their top sectors, so that’s what motivated me to immerse myself into their real estate market and understand how it works and how I can be part of their record-breaking opportunities.”
GG went back to Dubai for three weeks in February. There she connected with top developers and real estate associates. That’s where she learned that Dubai is very competitively priced with Southern California (SoCal).
“It is much less expensive to buy waterfront property in Dubai than in coastal California,” asserted GG. “There are no capital gains on property taxes in Dubai, and by investing there, you can get a ‘golden visa’, which is a long-term residency authorization.”
Dubai recently surpassed the United States for the first time in migration numbers of ultra-high net-worth individuals. That is why GG secured a position in Dubai as a real estate agent, and when she came back home, she obtained her California real estate license.
Soon after, she launched her new international luxury real estate venture, GG Benitez International. Now, she is selling properties in southern coastal California and Dubai, and she is part of Realty Executives Dillon in San Diego—primarily Coronado, Del Mar, and La Jolla.
GG has already sold investment properties in Dubai to Chaldeans in San Diego and is really excited about creating this bridge from the US to Dubai. Her partner there has 18 years of experience. She will be returning there for three months at the end of this year.
“I’ve never been anywhere as culturally diverse, where nearly 90% of the people are expats speaking every language,” GG said. “They’re creators and movers and shakers. I just love it!”
Enthralled by Dubai, GG pivoted her focus to a new endeavor that landed her there part-time. She reinvented the career side of herself as a luxury real estate maven but will still be taking on selective PR clients while growing Aloisia Beauty.
She is still the same real, generous, vivacious GG; she is still the same kind, helpful, and loving wife to Daniel Benitez and mom of three (four if you include their goldendoodle Romeo) who works hard, enjoys the company of family and friends, and seeks new travel adventures.
GG hopes that other middle-aged female professionals who are becoming empty nesters will realize that it is never too late to make a change and follow your passions; that they too can reinvent themselves while staying true to who they are.
For more information, go to www.ggbenitezinternational.com or follow her on IG: ggbenitezinternational. To discuss luxury real estate in SoCal or Dubai, call (619) 339-7978.