Have you ever had an idea brewing in your head for years and then woken up one day and decided—no excuses—you’re going to just do it?

And you do, going so far as to execute it with the fervor you had dreamed about. You’re unstoppable!

This is the attitude I had the day I jumped into real estate full time.

However, after rehabbing a few properties, my progress came to a standstill. I was held up by the second-to-last “R” in the BRRRR strategy—the dreaded “refinance.” I wouldn’t have more cash to deploy in more deals until I was able to refinance.

Limited capital is the single biggest reason newbie investors are unable to scale. But I wanted to avoid knocking on the doors of private lenders or exploring partnerships. To keep growing my real estate portfolio, I had to find more capital within my existing properties.

And I did! How? Through the power of home equity.

In one year, I grew my portfolio from three to 20...

One of the acquisition strategies many seasoned real estate investors swear by is REO properties. However, it is a very challenging field to step into and requires patience, relationship building, and risk taking that might not be for the novice investor. There are certain aspects that one needs to be aware of when trying to acquire an REO property. Perhaps the most important aspect is that investing in the REO market is a strategy that requires a high level of sophistication and diligence. The learning curve is far beyond what most people realize. This overview is intended to get you familiar with complexities the REO property market.

So, what are REO properties? REO stands for “Real Estate Owned”; a real estate owned property is a property whose ownership has lapsed back to the bank or mortgage lender. There are many steps through which a property goes before attaining the infamous REO title. Below is the life cycle of an REO Property.

1. Borrower...

“Your level of success will rarely exceed your level of personal development, because success is something you attract by the person you become.”

~ Jim Rohn (From: The Miracle Morning)

Do you use independent, passionate and perhaps perfectionist to describe yourself? Let me guess, you have a thriving career, great family and friends and are generally happy. Yet, something is missing, you find yourself wondering if you were meant to do big things, if this is all there is. However, despite this nagging feeling, you feel stuck. 

These attributes that you just used to describe yourself, those are your strong suits, right?… Wrong! It’s time to start looking as them as your drawbacks.

These attributes allow us to achieve growth and progress. They allow us to be liked by our employers and customers and have great relationships with friends and family. But that’s just the problem, you see! These are the same qualities that stop us from...

“What would you do if you weren't afraid?”

-Spencer Johnson

After my father passed away when I was very young, my mother – a teacher – dreamed to see me in a steady full-time job. Climbing the corporate ladder was the gold standard. So, when I made it to a managerial position she was thrilled, and I was too – for having made her proud.

For us 9 to 5 folks this dream, the gold standard, trains us to be risk averse. It makes us comfortable in the cycle of steady paychecks – despite marginal yearly wage growth, mortgage payments, and retirement accounts. Saving for a few weeks of vacation, cars, or some other indulgences reinforces our feeling of security, though rarely satisfies our desires. This tentativeness is generally even more pronounced in women, who are conditioned to keep their head down and be grateful for what they have. A risk averse 9 to 5 job further closes women off in a society which already puts them into a box.

Entrepreneurship,...

Have you considered investing money into a passive rental for additional income but not sure where to start? This blog post is a peek into how I choose properties to invest in. The number one thing to remember is that picking a passive rental different than choosing a home for yourself to live in. When it comes to investing in a passive rental, it is all about numbers and not about falling in love with the property. Though the analysis is complex, I have broken my strategy down into four key components for simplicity. 

1. Location

Location is key in any real estate investment. For single family passive rentals, this is specifically important in finding tenants quickly and also for retaining tenants which in turn is helpful in reducing the vacancy rates. I look at these specific elements:

a. Access to public transport and expressways

Note that if public transport isn't available and expressway proximity is what you're considering, ease of parking becomes a factor as well.

...

“It's not the notes you play, it's the notes you don't play."

~Miles Davis

I have mentioned the 80/20 rule in a previous blog post, so writing a proper introduction to the concept made sense. If you haven’t read about it before, you are in for a epiphany… this could potentially change your life.

What is the 80/20 Rule?

The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto principle, the law of the vital few or the principle of factor sparsity was originally observed in connection with population and wealth.  Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto noticed that 80% of Italy's land was owned by 20% of the population.  He then found a similar distribution in various other countries he surveyed. Since then, this principle has been successfully applied to sports, taxation, software, health and I have personally used it for many years when applying Six Sigma principles during my previous life as a Mechanical Engineer.  It wasn’t until I...

Contrary to popular opinion, a landlord’s roles and responsibilities comprise of much more than just collecting rent. On an ongoing basis, landlords need to stay on top of the current landlord-tenant laws - every municipality, state, and country has different laws regarding the landlord/tenant relationship. Additionally, landlords are often sales people, mediators, handymen/women, and negotiators.

Being a landlord can be a complicated and requires relationship management above all else. The following is a list of some of a landlord’s general duties and tasks. Of course, this is a simplified list, but should give a wholistic view of the entrepreneurial nature of the position.

1. Finding a tenant

Here are the main steps in getting a quality tenant into your investment property.

a. Get the property rent ready – this could include making sure the property is up to the local building codes, paint touch ups, etc.

b. Market the property – nowadays online...

“The only real valuable thing is intuition.”

~ Albert Einstein

Gut feelings, intuition, subconscious... I can’t tell you how many times I’ve passed on properties that my gut said were amazing. Why would I do that? I tried to tell myself that my experience was limited at the time and I couldn’t justify my gut feelings with data. In hindsight, I should have listened to my gut, persisted until I figured out why something inside me told me to go for it. But intuition isn’t considered to be a valuable asset when performing real estate calculations. I tried to tell myself it was because my gut feelings weren’t mature enough to be trusted at the time. The clear answer to the question “Why do we still not listen to ourselves?” kept coming up as “Because we’ve been trained to be not heard.” This is survival instinct for women that has been passed on to us. The great thing about this day and age that we are...

For a new investor, finding a contractor can be an intimidating affair. The time and cost invested into the remodel of a property will affect profitability, while the quality of the work will be part of your reputation as either a Fix-and-Flip or Rehab-and-Rent investor. Below are five steps that can help you find the contractor you can build a long-term relationship with.

1. Finding Candidates

Investors are often looking for reliable contractors that don’t break the bank – or undercut the profitability of an investment. There are multiple ways to track down viable candidates:

• Ask other investors for recommendations. Don’t know other investors yet? Ask your current network – someone has likely had a kitchen or bathroom remodeled.

• Visit local networking events. You can meet contractors there (and those other investors!).

• If you see a house being rehabbed, well, walk over and ask for a business card!

2. Getting Quotes

As...

Investors often consider skipping a home inspection when purchasing a property in need of a rehab. I’m here to argue otherwise. Home inspection for investment properties can save a great deal of money – which is good way to start an investment.

There are a lot of things to consider when choosing an investment property. With the multitude of aspects to keep in mind, there are certain hidden damages in properties that are easily overlooked by an investor. Upcoming mechanical failures, problems inside crawl spaces or behind siding, roofing, and certain structural damages are examples of valuable information that may not be so obvious to an investor. If not found early on, these can easily change the return on investment for a property. A seasoned home inspector can catch these items.

Knowing that a home inspection can have immense value to the investment, what are some key things to consider? I’ve compiled a few tips to help you.

1. Work with reputable...