What often happens is that people end up investing in the wrong things, losing money and assuming unnecessary levels of risk. This causes both financial loss as well as loss of confidence that they can do this successfully and effectively on their own. They start to think that maybe they should just stick to their day job, blindly turn their money over to their financial planner, and be comfortable and content with mediocre, low-single digit annual returns.

They start to think maybe real estate investing is not for them, maybe it really does take a full time professional to do this successfully. They would need to quit their day job and career to do this effectively, they often think incorrectly.

This causes them to stay content at living in a lower level of lifestyle, to put a damper and a ceiling on their ambition and their goals both financially and otherwise, and settle into a level of comfort that is far below their potential and capability. If only they had the right knowledge, skills, mentorship, and support…they might be able to really achieve their financial and larger life goals.

I can relate to this feeling, as I once felt this same way. I had invested a lot of time and energy into the practice of learning about real estate investing, but I still didn’t have the confidence or the success to call myself a true real estate investor. Until I really took it seriously, committed to my goals and my vision, and enrolled into the world’s premier graduate level masters program for real estate finance and investment at New York University.

I realized I had to get the best training in the world and expand my network with faculty that was practitioners in the center of the real estate and financial world in New York City. So I did just that. I also took on my first large-scale investment opportunity and successfully repositioned a destination luxury resort, turning it around in less than 3 years to go from bankrupt to the #1 resort and hotel as a boutique destination hospitality property in the entire region.

I took on and got more involved than other real estate deals, in the multi-family residential sector, with my work as the Senior Vice President of Acquisitions at Odessa Realty Investments out of New York City. over the course of four years we acquired over 2,000 apartment units and made some markets across the United States which accounted for over $200,000,000  dollars in real estate acquired, owned and managed in the portfolio.

All the while I continued to grow my luxury brokerage team and become exposed to additional investment opportunities, projects, and investors through expanding my network in the industry.

What I learned through all of this is that it takes an open mind, a willingness to put yourself in circles and around people that can teach you and mentor you who have been there and done what you want to do and accomplish yourself. It is also critical to remain teachable and coachable, to not be afraid to invest money and time to develop your skill set and confidence to become a successful investor, and then be in a position to experience all of the payoffs and rewards that this brings. Because this truly changed my life in so many monumental ways.