Ray De Silva of Troop Real Estate is an interesting man. He's also said to be the most modest and humble person you could possibly meet.

Entering his Camarillo office, it's hard not to immediately notice the walls adorned with countless awards De Silva has obtained in his profession as a real estate agent. However, it definitely takes some diligent coaxing to convince him into talking about these varied honors.

Following are some highlights from this wall of fame: Multi-Million Dollar Club Award in 2000, President's Club Award in 2001, Top Producer Award in 2003 (an honor given to an individual within the entire Troop Real Estate group of approximately 650 agents), and the President's Club Elite Award in 2005. This last award holds the distinction of closed sales production exceeding $38.4 million. That's both an astounding number and a remarkable achievement.

De Silva was born in Ceylon (now known as Sri-Lanka) in 1944. He left Ceylon in 1968 to pursue an engineering position in Zambia (Central Africa). "This was the copper belt of the world. If I had stayed in Ceylon and listened to my Dad, I would have become a doctor," he said.

He came to Camarillo in 1979 and received his real estate license in 1985. He chose the real estate profession because he always liked sales. It shows. He's consistently in the top 1 percent in sales annually. He sells approximately 40 homes per year. De Silva specializes in marketing upscale properties. He advertises these properties in Dream Homes International and Luxury Real Estate, magazines that typically cater to the profiling of high-end, elite properties.

Asked why he feels he's been so successful in real estate, De Silva said, "I concentrate on integrity, hard work and the way I conduct my business." He's dedicated to his clients and provides them the best service. De Silva likes Troop Real Estate because it's an independent, local company only in the Tri-Counties area. At this local company, he finds he can get answers to questions quickly, unlike dealing with a major national chain. Also, they have an excellent training program for new agents.

"I feel very blessed to work with the people in this business," De Silva said. "Brian Troop (president/Broker) is a good man to work for. I know and use only the best escrow officers and title reps in the business," he added. The Camarillo office employs approximately 65 real estate agents.

"Unless a client is planning on selling within the next year, this is a good market in which to buy," he said about the conditions of today's real estate market. "A buyer can pick and choose." He feels the market will rebound because of this area's diversified job base where real estate runs in cycles; currently the industy is experiencing a downturn.

De Silva has been happily married for 32 years and has three children, all of whom have attended Pepperdine University. He and his wife love to travel and have visited more than 45 countries. Nonetheless, Camarillo remains their favorite place in the world. They are planning a future trip to Santiago, Chile, circumnavigating Cape Horn, and eventually ending up in Buenos Aires. Besides traveling, De Silva's hobbies are skiing, trap and skeet shooting, and European auto racing. He owns a Porsche GT3.

For more information, or to list or buy a property, call De Silva at 388-9091, or 444-3848. His office is in the Troop Real Estate Building at 2301 Daily Drive, Suite 101, Camarillo.

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Photo by John Howard / Special to the Star

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Ray De Silva specializes in marketing upscale properties. One of his listings is at 5334 Calarosa Ranch Road, Camarillo, above.