My Journey Into Real Estate

Before getting into real estate investing, I spent 23 years employed by the military and government. I retired from the Army National Guard after 20 years of service and resigned from a high paying government job after almost 9 years to pursue my passion in real estate.

My interest in real estate began when I was around 18 or 19 years old. I vividly remember watching an infomercial by Carlton Sheets on how to invest in real estate with no money down. Inspired, I purchased his course and learned valuable strategies for entering real estate without using my own funds. However, it would be many years before I had the time and opportunity to apply those strategies. Between the ages of 19 and 47, I embarked on a journey that included serving a two-year mission to Costa Rica for my church, joining the Army National Guard, and completing two deployments—one to Iraq and another to Afghanistan. Along the way, I participated in numerous humanitarian missions, such as supporting relief efforts in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, providing linguistic assistance to engineers building schools and clinics in Paraguay and the Dominican Republic, and training law enforcement in digital forensics techniques across Mexico, Florida, Utah, and Georgia. I was one of the founders of the first Digital Forensics Laboratory in the Utah Army National Guard and went on to serve as a supervisor in the Department of Justice’s digital forensics division. My career also included training as a Spanish Linguist, Human Intelligence Collector, and Signals Intelligence Analyst, and I hold multiple certifications in IT and digital forensics.

My Inspiration

After moving to Virginia for work, I began immersing myself in real estate content on YouTube and Podcasts, particularly following Pace Morby. His approach to creative financing and solving problems for individuals and families through innovative real estate solutions completely resonated with me. I was inspired by his ability to make money in real estate with little to no money down, and I realized this was the path I wanted to follow for the rest of my life.

Once I understood that real estate investing was something I could truly pursue, I made a firm commitment to myself. I knew I was willing to take the risks and put in the effort required to succeed. I dove deep into learning, consuming content from real estate experts like Pace Morby, Jerry Norton, Joe McCall, and others. I decided to formalize my commitment by obtaining my real estate license and joining Keller Williams as an agent. My first successful deal was a land transaction that I found listed far below market value. I was fortunate to be the first to contact the agent, securing it under contract at a significant discount. That deal ended up netting me over a hundred thousand dollars in profit. This success, along with others, confirmed that real estate investing was not just a passion but the career I was meant to pursue.

Challenges Faced

The biggest challenges I faced as I pursued my real estate journey were personal and medical struggles within my family. 2024 was one of the most challenging years of my life. It felt like every other week brought a new medical emergency, sending us to the emergency room or urgent care. My mother-in-law, who lived with us, faced serious health issues. My son broke his ankle during a church activity, required surgery, and spent the summer in recovery. My daughter also had her share of medical challenges, resulting in several trips to the ER. On top of all this, my full-time government job added its own set of obstacles, limiting the time I could dedicate to advancing my real estate career. I had to use up all my regular leave and sick leave just to carve out time for studying, research, and attending real estate investing meetings. By the end of 2024, I was taking leave without pay because I had exhausted all my available time off. Despite these overwhelming challenges, I remained committed to my vision and never wavered in my pursuit of success in real estate investing.

Challenges Overcome

I overcame these challenges by constantly reminding myself of my commitment and goals to succeed as a real estate agent. I kept my vision clear — to build a successful career that would provide for my family and create service opportunities in my community. During the toughest moments, I leaned on the support of my family and sought therapy to help me navigate the stress. I also continued consuming content from the real estate experts who first inspired me, which helped me maintain a mindset of resilience, positivity, and unwavering commitment. Connecting with a community of real estate investors further fueled my perseverance. The more time I spent networking and building relationships with like-minded individuals, the more supported and encouraged I felt, knowing I wasn't alone on this journey.

Lessons Learned

I’ve learned that true success requires unwavering commitment to whatever you’re passionate about. You must have a clear vision and set specific goals, keeping them at the forefront of your mind every day. Once you discover your passion and calling, it's crucial to stay dedicated, embrace risks, and push through any challenges that arise. The experiences and obstacles I’ve faced along the way have made me more resilient and positive, and they've given me the opportunity to inspire and motivate others to pursue their own dreams.

Strengths and Values

Commitment and resilience have been key with a focus on honesty, integrity, and service to others. I have a passion for helping others and for coming up with creative solutions to difficult problems to help individuals and families overcome challenges that creative real estate solutions can solve.

My Journey Now

I own a Joe Homebuyer Franchise in Northern Virginia, and the core values are humility, honesty, help for others, and a hunger for excellence. I buy homes for cash where there is distress in the property or the owner has some type of distress where there is a need to sell their home fast for cash. My primary goal when talking to a homeowner is to learn about their situation, their challenges, and their needs so that I can come up with a solution that solves their problems and helps them move onto the next chapter of their lives. If I can, I help people find their next place to live, I help them move, and I help them get set up for success so they can begin to build a new future in their new home.

Helping Others

I have experienced many challenging and difficult situations in my life and I feel like I can relate in some way to others that are facing similar challenges. I am a great listener and I can empathize with individual situations and provide realistic solutions. I am extremely creative and am able to come up with solutions to problems where others could not.

My Drive

I am driven by providing for my family's needs, and serving others. Not only do I want my family to thrive in this life, but I want to have many opportunities to serve my community and to provide value to my community. I thrive on service to others and I see all that I do, have, and am as a stewardship from God to do good to those around me.

My Vision

I am to reach a million dollars a year in real estate transaction in the next three years. Once I reach that level of income, I plan to grow further to doing fix and flip deals, and eventually will get into private money lending. In the next 6 months I will hire a robust team to support my efforts and I will coach and mentor at least a thousand real estate investors and students over the next three years.

My Drive and Motivation

What keeps me motivated and passionate about what I do is first and foremost, my family. I will provide for their needs and give them the life they deserve. I thrive on serving and helping others. I feel a sense of gratitude when I know I have helped and inspired others to improve themselves and follow their passions. I also see the influence I am having on my children as they see me pursue my dreams and serve others. It makes me feel so proud when I see them pursuing their dreams and caring about those around them.