Alicia Cervera Lamadrid is a managing partner at Cervera Real Estate working in Miami.

Every week, we ask a Miami real estate professional for their thoughts on the top three stories from the week before. This week, we spoke with Alicia Cervera Lamadrid, a managing partner at Cervera Real Estate.

Miami Agent (MA): What does Miami’s luxury market have to look forward to in 2015?

Alicia Cervera Lamadrid (ACL): Bigger and better things, I think. And as much as we’ve been talking about the luxury market, very little has actually been delivered. When you talk about the luxury market in Miami, the only thing that’s been delivered is the St. Regis, which was conceived in the last cycle. But the rest of the projects are still under construction. So I think there is great anticipation for people to start taking ownership of these properties, and there is certainly a lot of excitement surrounding the quality of construction and the incredible design of some of these buildings.

All in all, there are a lot of great developments coming down the line, but most are in some phase of construction, so they’ll be a lot of excitement this year and the next few years as those are completed.

MA: What impact do you think the U.S. opening ties with Cuba will have on South Florida real estate?

ACL: South Florida is the obvious bridge – if you will – to Cuba, especially Miami. The opening of relations with Cuba will have a positive impact on the Miami situation, because I don’t see people immediately moving to Cuba, because, unfortunately, it’s still a third world country – a result of an incredibly mismanaged communist government. There is little infrastructure, no comfort, no shopping. There is a little bit of tourism, but nothing anyone wants to live in. So, I think, there will be a lot of opportunities to do business there, but people will use Miami as there base.

Also, as the Castro brothers still hold power in Cuba, we can expect a fair amount of shady business deals, which begs the question of security. How safe will an investor’s money be in Cuba, and what kind of freedom will they have to run businesses and find labor within the country? It’s not as though Cuba is opening it’s doors and it’s a new, ripe market waiting to be picked. This will be a rebuilding process for Cuba.

MA: As an award-winning entrepreneur, what’s the most valuable piece of advice you could give to an agent working to jump-start their business?

ACL: I would say get up every morning unafraid of the challenges you’re going to face. Know that challenges are part of getting the job done, and without challenges, there are no opportunities. Reach out to people who have found success in the field and people you respect; tell them you want to meet and pick their brains. In my experience, people are generally willing to meet with entrepreneurs and here what they have to say, because, from our side, we’re also looking for potential synergies and new, unafraid talent.