Maria and James came to America with a big dream, to build generational wealth. They began their graduate studies and started learning about the powerful role real estate plays in building wealth.
If you get the pleasure of meeting Maria and James, one thing you will know immediately is that they both value excellence. It’s no surprise they applied their standard of excellence to their real estate education by pouring over free courses, podcasts, reading blogs, and books, and talking to other investors and homeowners. They actively went out and sought education and this year, they made their 7th investment property purchase in the last 4 years!
Crypto, S&P 500, and Index Funds, this is probably what you think of when it comes to investing. Why real estate?
“We feel that real estate is less volatile than the stock market. We also feel that we understand Real Estate investing more easily than active stock investing and it’s important to understand what you are investing in!” – Maria & James
As local and long-distance investors they understand the importance of creating a solid screening system. They screen their properties and their real estate agents. This is key in building a solid team.
“Before we are active, we build a system to do our screenings more effectively. We have two major criteria we focus on: Macro – the broader local economy, employment, population growth, landlords, etc. and the micro-neighborhood numbers, down payments, etc.” – Maria & James
All these factors they consider when they plan on investing in a property. Now, to choose the right realtors for the job.
Building a good team with clear communication is pivotal in real estate. Maria and James had a list of qualities they look for when it comes to choosing a Real Estate Agent who would help make this dream a reality.
“My friend was talking about her experience in purchasing her first property. She bought her first home with Kristin and Jason. She shared the entire process and I could see Kristin was a good realtor. My other friend said they want to buy a home and I recommended Kristin to them even without meeting her.
I have worked with multiple agents throughout my 7+ transactions. Kristin and Jason are the VERY BEST Real Estate Agents among them. They are on top of things. I don’t have to keep track of my realtor. One thing I feel they are very strong about is communication. Communicating with us and negotiating with the seller is so important.” – Maria & James
This project was especially important for Maria and James as it would become their primary residence.
This newly built community checked all their boxes: close to parks for their family outings and bike riding, multiple entrances for house hacking, a shift in their portfolio, and they got to take part in the design process!
Having an adorable, young son, they are already thinking and planning on how to include him in the investing process and stretch his vision for his life.
“We learned that we need to make money work for us instead of us working for money. Encouraging Casey in the investing process is a priority. Talking about our strategies with him, ask for his involvement and thoughts, and explain to him our thinking process, these are some ways we are teaching him and will continue to teach him. Having a mentor would have been great for us, and we will be a mentor for him.”
– Maria & James
If you have any interest in investing like Maria + James have this is their advice to you:
“Bigger Pocket podcast. Start listening to the podcast. Dig into their website. They have some real estate investing books. Most impactful for us – long-distance real estate investing. That book helped us with our investing strategy. Look for agents who have these good qualities that you will read about in these books.”
– Maria & James
When asked what they would do differently if they could start their whole investing journey over again with the knowledge they now have, they responded
“Real estate and investing are very relational. You need a good team. Now, we have learned to pick good team members – agents, lenders, etc When choosing a good realtor look for someone who communicates, listens to you, and does things correctly.”
– Maria & James
Maria + James, thank you for choosing us as your real estate bodyguards and for giving us the honor of being part of your journey in investing. We have loved getting to know you and your beautiful family. May this new home provide you with joy, quality family time, and even more growth. You are a powerful family and we can’t wait to see what you build! Thank you for being an inspiration, not just to us, but to all those who know you!
