\n<\/p>\n
Keleisha Carter<\/strong> built a $5K\/month <\/strong>passive income<\/strong><\/a> stream<\/strong> as a new immigrant<\/strong> with NO green card<\/strong>, money, or ability to get a mortgage. After realizing that her corporate job in Jamaica <\/strong>wouldn\u2019t lead her to where she wanted to be, Keleisha made the adventurous decision to pack up everything she had and move to the US<\/strong>. Overnight, she went from a high-respected marketing role to bussing tables in an entirely different country, but she had bigger plans.<\/p>\n Keleisha\u2019s goal was to support her family financially<\/strong> in any way she could and eventually bring them to the States. After numerous promotions, Keleisha built up a small sum of savings that she would use to buy her <\/strong>first rental property<\/strong><\/a>. Or, that was the plan until she realized that without being a US citizen<\/strong>, purchasing a home<\/strong> and getting a mortgage<\/strong> would be much more complicated <\/strong>than she thought.<\/p>\n In today\u2019s show, Keleisha shares her smart strategy to get around the banks <\/strong>and buy properties, EVEN as a new immigrant. Plus, she\u2019ll show how she\u2019s buying rentals today WITHOUT using her own money<\/strong> and why she\u2019ll NEVER try to flip houses again.<\/p>\n Rob: Henry: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Henry: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Henry: Rob: Henry: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Henry: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Henry: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Henry: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Henry: Keleisha: Henry: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Henry: Keleisha: Henry: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Henry: Keleisha: Henry: Keleisha: Henry: Rob: Henry: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Henry: Keleisha: Henry: Keleisha: Henry: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Henry: Keleisha: Rob: Henry: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Henry: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Henry: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Henry: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Henry: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Henry: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Keleisha: Henry: Keleisha: Henry: Rob: Keleisha: Henry: Rob: Keleisha: Rob: Henry: Rob: Henry: Rob: Henry: Rob: \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Help us reach new listeners on iTunes by leaving us a rating and review! It takes just 30 seconds and instructions can be found here<\/a>. Thanks! We really appreciate it!<\/p>\n Interested in learning more about today\u2019s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email <\/em>[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Note By BiggerPockets:<\/b> These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.<\/p>\n
Welcome to the BiggerPockets Podcast, show 848. We know you\u2019re going to get a lot out of today\u2019s story. We\u2019re here with Keleisha, and she\u2019s going to be talking about how she built a portfolio that brings in $5,000 per month.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s also going to be talking to us about the things she\u2019s changing and tweaking to adapt in this current market.<\/p>\n
Yes. Yeah, and I\u2019m here. I\u2019m Rob Abasolo, your host of the show, joined here by my good friend, Henry Washington. And this is what we try to do on the BiggerPockets Podcast show every single week. We bring you stories, how-tos and answers that you need in order to make smart real estate decisions now in today\u2019s current market. Keleisha, welcome to the show. How you doing?<\/p>\n
Hey guys. I\u2019m doing fantastic. I\u2019m so happy to be here. 2019 in the making. It\u2019s here.<\/p>\n
A little bit of background on you, Keleisha. Your portfolio is currently five units in the Smoky Mountains, San Antonio, Florida, Atlanta and Virginia market. You\u2019re joining us from Tampa. You\u2019ve done 15-plus deals in the past three years, and I think you gross $18,000 per month from properties, but your net is about $4,000 to $5,000 per month. Did I miss anything?<\/p>\n
No. You\u2019re solid, right on point.<\/p>\n
Awesome. And what about you, Henry? Where are you joining us from? It looks like you\u2019re in Nashville at the moment with your collection of guitars in the background.<\/p>\n
It does look like I\u2019m in Nashville. I am not. I am here in Northwest Arkansas, but I\u2019m recording this at a good friend of mine who owns a recording studio here. I\u2019m actually having a meetup later here. So thought I\u2019d come and take advantage of this beautiful background and make myself look cooler than I am.<\/p>\n
Awesome. Well, a little surprise for everyone that sticks around until the end, Henry\u2019s actually going to pull one of those guitars down and serenade us a little song, a little ditty. So it\u2019s a special tune he wrote for the BiggerPockets\u2019 listeners.
So to jump right into your story, Keleisha, you moved to the US in 2018 from Jamaica. And when you got to the US, you picked up a job, busing tables and hostessing. Can you tell us what your first summer felt like and what was going through your mind at that time?<\/p>\n
Man, it was scary. I was going into a whole new playing field because I\u2019ve never worked in a restaurant before, coming from corporate Jamaica, doing marketing. And to give up that job to go busing tables, I\u2019m like, \u201cWhat am I doing? This is too scary.\u201d
And it was at the same time, very exciting because I was touching on something completely new that I\u2019ve never done before. So that little scariness, I think it pushed me to be like, \u201cTry something new.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s cool. What were you doing in Jamaica? What was your line of work at that time?<\/p>\n
So I was doing marketing for an insurance company, one of the biggest insurance company back home, and I got the ideal job everyone would say after graduating. But I think after that, the marketing\u2026 Corporate sucked the life out of me and it made me lost the passion that I had for marketing. So I\u2019m like, \u201cI needed something new. I needed to take a risk with my life and decided to move to the US.\u201d<\/p>\n
I was just about to ask that. I wanted you to dive a little deeper. What was driving that decision? Because that\u2019s a big leap of faith. We just casually covered that you just moved to another country.<\/p>\n
No big deal.<\/p>\n
And took a job, waitressing instead of marketing like it was nothing. That\u2019s a big transition. What drove that?<\/p>\n
Man, I was at the part of my life where I was trying to figure out what I need to do. And I think I was just being surrounded by people who were just there in the job for years. And all they did was complain, \u201cI hate this job, I hate this job.\u201d And I\u2019m like, \u201cI don\u2019t want to be in this position.\u201d
And I think that year, for me, the theme was \u201ctake risk.\u201d I didn\u2019t know what that was, but it was just to take risk. And I was like, \u201cI\u2019m going to quit my job and I\u2019m going to move to the US.\u201d I know a lot of other Jamaicans who quit their job, left the country to go to the US to chase the American dream. And for us too, it\u2019s also to make more money. So I was like, \u201cI\u2019m going to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
And did you come alone or did other people in your family\u2026 Did someone join you or was this a solo journey?<\/p>\n
So that\u2019s the crazy part. I did it alone.<\/p>\n
Wow.<\/p>\n
I did it all alone, left my mom and my brother back home. She didn\u2019t want me to leave either. She was like, \u201cAre you sure you want to do this?\u201d But at the end of the day, she was very supportive with everything that I was doing.<\/p>\n
And I heard you say something when we talked about you taking the job in the restaurant industry, you said that that was scary. You were doing a corporate marketing job, but talked about the restaurant industry as a scary job. What made that scary to you?<\/p>\n
Because people think that working in a restaurant, it\u2019s easy. And for me, back home, our culture, for you to give up the perfect job to go serve someone, they consider you to be the help. And I think in the restaurant space, a lot of persons look down on you based on what you\u2019re doing.
And I\u2019m like, \u201cI\u2019ve never done something like that before.\u201d And it was very insulting. It was a lot of pride for me. I didn\u2019t tell a lot of friends what I was doing. I was very active on social media, and I wasn\u2019t even posting those things I was doing on social media. Only when I went for a break, then I would post, \u201cOh, I\u2019m traveling.\u201d And people would be like, \u201cHow are you traveling?\u201d
But I was embarrassed too. I was very embarrassed because to leave, as you said, your corporate job to go clean tables, clean toilets, to have someone do this, snap fingers at you and stuff like that, it\u2019s something that I\u2019ve never experienced and it was also a very humbling moment for me as well.<\/p>\n
Got it. The first job I ever had, I was actually a busboy and I used to serve chips and salsa. And when people run out of their chips and salsa, they are quite feisty and they are not the nicest person to you. So I totally feel for you there, and I think it\u2019s a really brave leap. It\u2019s hard enough to move.
I\u2019ve moved a couple times with my wife across the country and that\u2019s really scary. So to do it by yourself shows a tremendous amount of bravery and courage. And we\u2019re going to talk about how your waitressing job was actually a good thing for your future in real estate. But before we do, we\u2019re going to have a quick break.
And we\u2019re back here with Keleisha, and we just talked about how you had this big move from Jamaica back to the United States or to the United States rather. And you quit your job in corporate to work in the restaurant industry. You mentioned you still had family back in Jamaica. Can you tell us about your relationship with your mom and your brother?<\/p>\n
So I have a very tight relationship, a really good relationship with my mom and my brother. I grew up as an only child, so it was always just me and my mom, and then my brother came in the picture 15 years ago. So everything, all I\u2019ve known is just Keleisha and Nadin. And even when I moved to college, back when I went to college, it was hours away and we still had a great relationship there as well.
But I think one of the scary thing when I moved was my mom also depended on me. What that mean is she looked towards me in terms of making better for her, making better for me because she didn\u2019t know better. So when she saw me pushing myself, I think that\u2019s why she was so supportive because she\u2019s like, \u201cOkay, I don\u2019t know how to guide you, but it seems like you have that drive and you know what you want. I\u2019m just going to support you in what you\u2019re doing.\u201d And I think when even my brother was born, which is crazy, I hated it. When I found out she was pregnant. I was like, \u201cNo, I want to be the only child.\u201d<\/p>\n
Typical big sister.<\/p>\n
I was like, \u201cI want to be the only child.\u201d But then when he came in the picture, I saw the same trend that was happening to me growing up. So as I said, it was just me and my mom and my father. He wasn\u2019t that involved financially. And I saw the same thing with my brother as well.
So I was like, \u201cYeah, I need to break that trend. I\u2019m here, I left them. I need to make sure I work and I make some money so I can take care of them, whatever is it that they need. Even if I\u2019m here in the US and I\u2019m suffering, I don\u2019t have food or anything like that, as long as I know her rent is covered, food and she\u2019s good and they\u2019re good, I\u2019m solid.\u201d<\/p>\n
First of all, I want to comment on the sibling rivalry. I have two daughters. I have a five-year-old and a three-year-old. And I remember when we brought home our youngest daughter, my oldest at the time was two, and we were like, \u201cHere is your new sister.\u201d We handed her the baby, and she put one hand on her, looked at her and goes, \u201cHmm, all done, baby. All done, baby.\u201d
So this sounds like you had a similar experience. Here\u2019s what I love about what you said, it\u2019s that you took this giant leap of faith and you knew you wanted to do something better for yourself, but felt this obligation to take care of home and the people at home, and this is something you were doing before real estate.
A lot of people are probably thinking, \u201cI came and I did a bunch of real estate and then I could send money home.\u201d No, you were doing this when you were waiting tables and being a server and taking care of those around you. And I just want to make sure that you get your flowers for having that heart and that mindset.<\/p>\n
Ah, thank you.<\/p>\n
Yeah. So Keleisha, was it ever an option for your mom and your brother to come to America with you?<\/p>\n
So the crazy thing is first, my brother is a citizen and the condition that they knew I was living in, they knew I was trying to figure it out. It wasn\u2019t an option for them to come yet. But this is one thing I always tell them. I always said, \u201cWhen the time is right, you guys will come.\u201d Because I don\u2019t want you guys to come here and suffer the way how I was. I don\u2019t want my mom to be doing certain jobs that I didn\u2019t want to do.
So I said, \u201cWhen I know that I make enough money, when I can get you your house and you have your place to rent\u2026\u201d Because I can\u2019t live with my mom, and she knows that. I was like, \u201cWe\u2019re not living together at all.\u201d So when I told her that, she was like, \u201cYou know what? I understand.\u201d She always tell me\u2026 And I\u2019m going to quote this in Patwa. She always like, \u201cDo what you have to do, me girl.\u201d What that mean is, \u201cDo what you have to do. Whatever it is that you need to do, just do what you got to do. I\u2019ll be here when you\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
How important was it for you to know you had that support back home backing you up no matter what, win or lose?<\/p>\n
Man, it means so much. Even getting ready for this interview, my mom called me, and she just started praying and she started crying. And she started going back down memory lane. She\u2019s like, \u201cI remember when it was just us and we were doing this.\u201d And she\u2019d be like, \u201cWe\u2019ve been coming from so far.\u201d And I was like, \u201cMom, just calm down, just relax.\u201d
But I think it truly means a lot. And I\u2019ve heard so many different stories where persons don\u2019t have a strong support system. And I think that\u2019s something I\u2019m extremely grateful for. Your support doesn\u2019t have to be a large group of people, but if you have that one or two persons that means a lot to you, if you know that you have their support when you feel like giving up and you can just call and be like, \u201cHey, it\u2019s tough.\u201d
My mom used to call me and she used to see bags under my eyes and she starts crying. She\u2019s like, \u201cCome back home. I don\u2019t like how you look. Come back home. You\u2019re not eating, you\u2019re not sleeping.\u201d I lost so much weight. And I was like, \u201cNo, I\u2019m not coming back home.\u201d<\/p>\n
So tell me more. You\u2019re busing tables and at first, you think that you\u2019re going to be in the US temporarily or you\u2019re going to be working this job and work through it and move up the ladder. Then what happens? How does that job go?<\/p>\n
So it\u2019s crazy. So I went to that job on Martha\u2019s Vineyard for one summer. And apparently, it seemed like I did a good job. The owner was like, \u201cCan you just stay for the rest of the season?\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cSure.\u201d I went back the following season to do food running. So I got promoted from hostessing and busing tables to food running, which is taking the food from the kitchen to the table. What crazy enough is that the year after, I ended up doing food running and got promoted to being a manager.<\/p>\n
Whoa.<\/p>\n
So I was doing two roles at once. Yes.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s cool.<\/p>\n
And after he was like, \u201cI can\u2019t have you doing both roles. Let\u2019s just switch you over to managing the restaurant full time.\u201d And for me, again, this is completely new for me. I\u2019m managing staff, everything like that. But I think in being in that position, it opened my eyes to so many different things. I learned a lot about myself, how to be patient, how to come up with solutions, especially being under pressure.
And it also helped me to connect with so many different persons. Because now I am having conversation with customers who are coming in, and they\u2019ll be like, \u201cOh, what do you do? You\u2019re such an intelligent young lady, blah, blah, blah.\u201d And I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, this is my background, and I\u2019m looking to get into real estate.\u201d
That was the kicker because when I mentioned that, everyone thought it\u2019s an opportunity for them to tell me that, \u201cOh, I do this here, I do that there.\u201d So I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, really? Tell me more.\u201d So it was also a learning opportunity for me even though I had no clue about real estate, but other persons were telling me about their experience and giving advice of things, what I could do.<\/p>\n
Man, this is fantastic because one thing you said that I love was that when your mom mentioned, \u201cHey, do you need to come back home?\u201d when she saw you were losing weight and took that as a sign that maybe you weren\u2019t able to feed yourself, this was a plan A, there\u2019s no plan B. This is going to work. And I think that that is the exact mentality that new investors need to have when they\u2019re getting into this space.
Because I think a lot of people try to get into real estate and they try, they give it a go. And trying doesn\u2019t mean success. You really have to have a mindset of, \u201cI\u2019m going to find success no matter what it takes,\u201d because this business is hard. The past maybe three years or four years, it\u2019s been a whole lot easier than it has been now.
But I think people are really starting to see that, \u201cOh, crap, you can screw up in this business and it will hurt if you\u2019re not paying attention.\u201d And you\u2019re seeing a lot of people quit now because it\u2019s a lot harder than it was a few years ago. And so having that mindset, I think obviously was beneficial to you starting your business. And I think that more people need to take that from your story and have that mindset.
And the second thing is you tell everybody what you do and you introduce yourself with that title, whether you\u2019ve had success in it or not. Because if you introduce yourself as an investor, even if you\u2019ve never done a deal, it\u2019s going to open the door to people wanting to help you and give you the things that that person or that type of person gets.
If you want to be an investor and you say, \u201cHey, yes, I\u2019m a server, but I am a real estate investor. I\u2019m looking to do my first deal.\u201d And they know you\u2019re waiting tables.<\/p>\n
Oh, my God. Yeah.<\/p>\n
Real estate investors want to help. They\u2019re like, \u201cOh, yeah, we got to help. Yeah, let\u2019s help you get up out of here.\u201d And it opens that door.<\/p>\n
We had Amy Mahjoory on the show, man, I want to say about a year ago. And her thing is she raises money from people, and the way she introduces herself to her Trader Joe\u2019s cashier or her Uber driver or whatever, she\u2019ll say, \u201cHi, I\u2019m Amy, and I help people get double-digit returns back by real estate.\u201d I think she calls it her 10-second power pitch or something like that.<\/p>\n
Power pitch. Mm-hmm.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s 13 words and it just gets someone to say, \u201cOh, what does that mean?\u201d And then you start the conversation. So I think it\u2019s a good lesson for everyone at home if you\u2019re breaking into the business, make it very clear to everyone that you ever talk to or ever meet that you want to get into real estate. Because oftentimes, when someone\u2019s a real estate investor, they want help from a newbie to do free work. And I think that\u2019s a really great way to break into the business.
So with that, I have a quick question about this whole situation. You said that you\u2019re moving up the corporate ladder, if you will, in the restaurant business. Do you happen to remember what you were making back then? What was the income like then, especially compared to what you were earning back in Jamaica?<\/p>\n
A lot of money. A lot.<\/p>\n
Really?<\/p>\n
Oh, yes. When I got into hostessing, the first job and when I saw the money\u2026 So when I just started, I think I was making about 700 bucks a week, and that doesn\u2019t include tips. That would work out to be what my monthly pay would have been back home.<\/p>\n
Wow.<\/p>\n
So you were making per week what you would make in a month in Jamaica?<\/p>\n
Yeah. When I told my mom, I was like, \u201cOh, my gosh.\u201d And then when I started making crazy tips, I was like, \u201cHuh.\u201d But I think the thing was, for me, I was like, \u201cI want to keep making more money, more money.\u201d I was like, \u201cI need to have enough money.\u201d But I was being trapped in the cycle of, \u201cI just want more money.\u201d
And it\u2019s so hard to come out of that cycle because you see all the money that you can make and you\u2019re like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to give it one more season.\u201d And I think the money can be bad, but it can also be good. But I think it got to a point where during the off season, because we\u2019re a very seasonal restaurant, and I was like, \u201cI need to do more with my life. I need to do something else.\u201d
Because I\u2019m the person who I always have things figured out. And I didn\u2019t have a clue at that time what I wanted to do at all. And honestly, persons asked me how I made the decision and I said, \u201cHey, I asked myself two questions. I love watching HGTV and I love watching Food Network.\u201d<\/p>\n
Me too.<\/p>\n
I love eating the food. I love it. I was like, \u201cI love eating the food and I will try the food, but I\u2019m not going to cook it.\u201d And I was like, \u201cWell, let\u2019s try this thing called HGTV, let\u2019s try this real estate thing.\u201d And honestly, guys, all I did, like everyone else, I went on Google, \u201cHow to start investing in the US?\u201d And BiggerPockets came up, and that\u2019s how I started. Literally, just putting it all in Google. And from there\u2026<\/p>\n
That\u2019s amazing. And so did you jump into the forums? Were you listening to the podcasts? What were the big moments for you whenever you stumbled upon the BiggerPockets community as a whole?<\/p>\n
I would say the forums was it. But for me, it was so overwhelming because I didn\u2019t know which direction to take, where to start. I didn\u2019t have anyone that I could ask for guidance or anything like that. But I got into the forums, and the forums, I saw a lot of person being engaged, asking questions and then I pivot into the podcasts.
And so I was doing both the podcasts, the forums, and I was also doing, I think\u2026 I don\u2019t know if you guys still do, but the Free Guides, Beginner\u2019s Guide to Real Estate Investing. So I went through all those. I was like, \u201cGive me all the free books.\u201d And I went through those, and I think one of the hiccup that I was getting into was I thought I could get a loan.
I was like, \u201cAll right, I\u2019m ready to go.\u201d And I\u2019m talking to lenders and they\u2019re like, \u201cWhat\u2019s your credit score?\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201c700 and this.\u201d They\u2019re like, \u201cOkay. How much money do you make?\u201d And I\u2019m like, \u201cThis amount.\u201d They\u2019re like, \u201cOh, you\u2019re the perfect candidate.\u201d Guys, there\u2019s something on the loan application that always ask you, \u201cAre you a US citizen?\u201d And I\u2019m like, \u201cNo.\u201d
And I was like, \u201cBut I look good on paper.\u201d They\u2019re like, \u201cYeah, you\u2019re not a Green Card holder either.\u201d I was like, \u201cWell, if I give you a case number, would that help?\u201d They\u2019re like, \u201cNope, we need a government issue ID.\u201d<\/p>\n
So when you say case number, you mean you would apply for the Green Card, but it wasn\u2019t approved yet?<\/p>\n
Correct. So still going through that process. And I think during that time, you know when you think that you got over analysis paralysis and then you think you have everything figured out, but then you hit this other roadblock?<\/p>\n
Yeah.<\/p>\n
And I\u2019m like, \u201cAll right.\u201d But then the crazy thing is a lot of lenders weren\u2019t giving me solutions. So then I went back to the forums because again, the BiggerPockets forum, that was my network of people that I could always go and ask question for. So I went back to the forum and I searched, \u201cHow to get a loan as an immigrant?\u201d So I made sure to put that in. And then someone directed me, which is crazy\u2026 directed me to an episode with Diego Corzo.<\/p>\n
My God.<\/p>\n
Oh, he is so-<\/p>\n
My God<\/p>\n
\u2026 nice. Yes. Oh, my God, he\u2019s the best.<\/p>\n
Let me tell you that episode, when I listened to that episode, I was like, \u201cYes, I knew there is a way. I knew I\u2019m not the only person who want to get into real estate as an immigrant.\u201d And everything that he shared, how he got his first investment property, I was like, \u201cThis is insane. This is amazing.\u201d
And the fact that he didn\u2019t have a lot of the things that I still had, he had really bad credit score or no credit score at all. He just had money and his passport. And I\u2019m like, \u201cIf he did it, then I can do it.\u201d And I remember just DMing after that episode. Spoke to him, talked to an attorney, and that\u2019s how I got my first property too. So shout out to Diego.<\/p>\n
Diego, I think he\u2019s realdiegocorzo on Instagram. But he does the Tip of the Day. And he found me at BPCON two weeks ago, and I was like, \u201cCan you do a Tip of the Day?\u201d He\u2019s a very nice guy. Highly recommend checking out his content. Very, very nice and a bucket full of sunshine, if you will.<\/p>\n
Yes.<\/p>\n
So to clarify, Keleisha, what was the takeaway from that episode that made a difference for you?<\/p>\n
So with Diego, he mentioned that he just partnered with his uncle and they just got an LLC. He funded a deal and his uncle was a citizen. And then he ended up just getting a loan using the LLC. When I heard what he explained, I realized that I need to get a partner in order to figure out this financing option.<\/p>\n
So you come across this episode and you feel inspired, you start working with an attorney. Tell us about your first deal. What ended up happening?<\/p>\n
So first deal, firstly, I did out-of-state investing. So my first deal was in Memphis. And it took a little while for me to figure out Memphis because again, I don\u2019t know much about the States, so I don\u2019t know which states to start from. So BiggerPockets, the person on the forum recommended three states: Kansas City, Cleveland, Ohio, Memphis. So I did a full-blown research, my partner and I at that time.
And we decided to go in Memphis. Took us a year because we were like, \u201cWe need to learn the area, learn the zip codes, all that stuff.\u201d Got our first BRRRR deal in Memphis, Tennessee. Should\u2019ve been a BRRRR. We got this deal from a wholesaler because again, we were taught that. I learned that the best deals come from wholesalers. So went on Facebook groups, got connected with a bunch of wholesalers and stuff like that, found a wholesaler.
And I told him, \u201cHey, we\u2019re in town. Do you have any properties that you can take a look at?\u201d So again, we took the risk and went to the city just to see if we can get a property. Got the first deal. It was in an ideal neighborhood of Memphis that we wanted. And he was selling for about $30,000. And we had our contractors\/project manager, which we also found on BiggerPockets. Guys, I\u2019m going to mention them a lot because-<\/p>\n
Hey, that\u2019s okay. You can plug us. It\u2019s our podcast.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re all my resources. And he walked the property with us and he\u2019s like, \u201cOh, my God, guys. This is going to need a lot of work.\u201d We\u2019re like, \u201cYeah, we know. We\u2019re excited about it. We want to do it.\u201d He was like, \u201cAre you guys crazy? You live out of state. This is a full gut.\u201d Roof was missing, only had framing. You could see the plumbing in the floor, everything.
We were like, \u201cNo, this is where the money\u2019s at. This is what we learnt about.\u201d So we made an offer for that deal for 19,000. The wholesaler said, \u201cNo, you need best and final offer.\u201d We got it for 25,500. So we beat out another investor. And then we use hard money to get the rehab and the purchase.
The great thing, guys, was that we had money saved up because we thought we would need money for the deal. But we found a fantastic hard moneylender who gave us 100% finance for the purchase and 100% of the rehab.<\/p>\n
Oh, wow.<\/p>\n
So we were like, \u201cYes, this is going to be the perfect BRRRR that David always talk about being zero out of pocket. This is going to be amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
So walk me through this really fast. So you found a wholesaler in Memphis and they had a property that was 30,000 bucks. And you made an offer. This wholesaler was like, \u201cDude, how are you going to do this? There\u2019s barely walls in this place.\u201d And you guys came in and you offered a lower amount. You settled on 25,500 bucks. And then you actually found a hard moneylender who would finance pretty much the entire thing. And was it a pretty easy-peasy renovation?<\/p>\n
Oh, no.<\/p>\n
Okay. Yeah, thought so.<\/p>\n
Oh, no. No, no, no.<\/p>\n
The beginning of this was just too positive. I was like, \u201cThere\u2019s no way.\u201d<\/p>\n
No. Trust me, it wasn\u2019t. Firstly, we found out that the plumbing and the electrical was done incorrectly.<\/p>\n
Perfect.<\/p>\n
When our contractor told us, we were like, \u201cCome on.\u201d We were like, \u201cHow much is this going to cost right now?\u201d So we did a couple bids and it came up to 7,000. And I was like, \u201cPlease don\u2019t\u2026 I don\u2019t want anything else to go wrong.\u201d After that, thank God, everything went smoothly. When we were almost getting ready to do the refinance, this is where the nother issue came in.
You\u2019re not a US citizen, I can\u2019t refinance. I\u2019m like, \u201cGuys, come on. You run our credit,\u201d my partner at the time, \u201cyou run both of our credits two times and said, \u2018You guys are good to go, and she\u2019ll let you know when it\u2019s time to do refinance\u2019 and then nothing. Now it\u2019s an issue.\u201d So here\u2019s a tricky thing, and I would highly recommend with anyone getting in, when talking to lenders, talk to as many lenders as possible because you always need to have a backup plan because one lender said that, \u201cYou guys are good. It\u2019s a solid deal. Let\u2019s do a refinance. We\u2019re good.\u201d
Only find out that my partner, who had his Green Card, \u201cOh, he needs two years of self-employment tax return.\u201d He only had one. Then I still look good on paper. So remember what I mentioned that Diego directed us on what to do. After speaking with our attorney, we got an LLC. So we got an entity to show that we\u2019re both partners and then that way, we would get a loan in the entity itself. So in doing that, it was still an issue because I could not own more than 25% of the entity. So you see all the roadblocks that keep-<\/p>\n
Right. And I\u2019m sure you\u2019re finding this out seconds before closing. I feel like that\u2019s how it always is, is-<\/p>\n
All of it.<\/p>\n
\u2026 the lender says, \u201cNo, you\u2019re good.\u201d And then you\u2019re at the closing table. They\u2019re like, \u201cWell, actually we need this receipt from your chipotle order in 2013.\u201d<\/p>\n
All the time. And keep in mind this time too, we already figured out we can\u2019t even use the first lender to do refinance. We\u2019re now on month seven. So we had to pay for a hard money loan extension, the renewal fee.<\/p>\n
Those are cheap.<\/p>\n
Plus the extension. Ah, so expensive. But I\u2019m so glad that hard money allowed us to wrap the interest payment into the loan. So at this time as well, we were not out of pocket for the interest payments at all. And he was like, \u201cIf you guys hit to month eight, you\u2019re going to have to start paying the interest payment.\u201d
So I think we still were having hiccups and we had to make a decision in terms of, \u201cDo we really want to keep this house or do we sell?\u201d Because these are now three lenders who said that they can refinance, but they can\u2019t. So we really had to just make the decision and just end up listing that property for sale.<\/p>\n
So you got a crash course in real estate investing on your first deal. I call that project that you did a fix and flip. That\u2019s pretty much how they go. There\u2019s very few where it\u2019s like, \u201cHey, we got it and then we painted it and then we sold it for all kinds of money.\u201d But that\u2019s the whole point is you learn lessons along the way. You made pivots, you made the right pivots, you didn\u2019t let anything just stop you.
You always looked at things through a lens of, \u201cHow can I resolve this?\u201d or \u201cHow can I get this fixed?\u201d And that mindset will always serve you well. One thing I want to ask you that I think people are going to want to hear about is you mentioned that you had looked at three markets. So you went and you got recommendations on three markets. And then you did, I think you said, a year\u2019s worth of research before you dove in.
I think that that\u2019s hugely important that we highlight that you didn\u2019t just go and say, \u201cHey, BiggerPockets people, tell me where to invest.\u201d And then they say some cities and then you go buy properties there. I think people do that. And so what would you say or what advice would you give to people or what should people be looking at when they are evaluating markets out of state to invest in? What did you guys look for?<\/p>\n
What we did was we just found other investors in the area and asked them to share their experience in terms of, \u201cHey, why are you investing in using this strategy in that market?\u201d And we would take notes. And if we learnt that it\u2019s a zip code basis or a street by street basis, then we ask those investors, \u201cWhich zip codes should we look into and why?\u201d
So when we did that portion of it, the zip code was very heavy for us. Then we looked on, \u201cIs this a market where persons are renting a lot or are they buying?\u201d It came down to Memphis was where you can get the 1% rule, one of the best market where you can get 1% rule. What that mean is if you purchase a house for 100,000, you can get rent for 1,000 or more or even 900 bucks.
So it came down to the 1% rule, it came down to the zip codes, and it also came down to, I think, with Memphis, the big companies. What big companies are there in that market? For us in Memphis, it was Amazon, it was Nike and it was known as the distribution hub. So a lot of big companies stop in the middle of Memphis. So we\u2019re like, \u201cBingo.\u201d And we decided to choose the zip codes that were super close to Amazon and Nike because those people are going to always need somewhere to live.
So we didn\u2019t go far away. And all of this, guys, we figured it out after just talking to other investors. Each investor told us something completely new, and we just start adding it to\u2026 I had a full notebook. You know those section notebooks where you can section it off? Each city had a section. And everything that we learned, sticky note, just making notes. And while we were going along, building our team as well for each person that we spoke to.<\/p>\n
So you made an out-of-state investing scrapbook.<\/p>\n
Yes.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s really smart, Keleisha. I think yes, finding some of these big business hubs and putting properties around there, never going to be a bad idea. Can you tell us what the actual total price of the renovation and then the total sale price, so we understand the numbers on this one? Because I know you said you bought it for 25,500 bucks.<\/p>\n
So bought it for 25,500. The rehab amount was 52,000, and then it increased to 59,000.<\/p>\n
That ain\u2019t bad.<\/p>\n
When we bought this property, we estimated the ARV to be 100,000. When it was time to resell, we listed it for 117, and then we sold it for 125.<\/p>\n
Hey, there we go. Wow.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s solid.<\/p>\n
Yeah. We were like, \u201cYay!\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s solid. Nothing like coming $25,000 over your initial ARV.<\/p>\n
Listen, I remember when we got the direct deposit, my partner was like, \u201cOh, my God, we got paid.\u201d And for us just to see that amount, again, from our background, that\u2019s a lot of money from one deal. And we got this drive to be like, \u201cOh, we need another one. We need to get one more deal.\u201d
Because we saw the money and it looked so good. But I think one of the biggest lesson for me then was to pause and enjoy the moment and soak it all in, instead of want to get to the next step because we tend to forget that a lot. So when I look back on when we just started now, every deal that I close, I take time to soak up that moment and celebrate it.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s amazing. That\u2019s amazing. So you pull a $40,000 profit on the first property, rough numbers there.<\/p>\n
Roughly. Mm-hmm.<\/p>\n
So you did one more fix and flip and then you shifted to short-term rentals, if I understand that correctly.<\/p>\n
Yeah.<\/p>\n
What were your biggest lessons from fix and flips in general?<\/p>\n
Oh, it\u2019s not for me. It gives me anxiety.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a great lesson.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a fantastic lesson.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the best lesson you could learn. That\u2019s a lesson I\u2019m learning right now every single time I get into a flip.<\/p>\n
Listen, it\u2019s too much anxiety. I like anything that is buying whole, minor rehab. Plus, we were doing all of this remotely too. So I\u2019m like, \u201cNo way. I\u2019m not doing that again.\u201d And just the fact that you list it, you\u2019re like, \u201cHow soon am I going to sell it? Are we going to get any offers?\u201d I was like, \u201cNo, that just gave me too much anxiety.\u201d
But it was also too that everything that you do, you need to have two exit strategies. And that didn\u2019t hit me until this year to be like, \u201cEverything that you\u2019re doing, make sure you have two exit.\u201d And when I look back, I feel like every single deal, I always had to pivot. Every single deal. I can\u2019t think of any one deal where I started with one strategy and ended with the same strategy. I was like, \u201cOkay, this is a trend. This is completely a trend.\u201d Stick to your criteria.<\/p>\n
I think the important thing is that you tried it, right?<\/p>\n
Yes.<\/p>\n
You tried it, you did it, you found a solution, you pivoted. I think the most important skill you can learn as a real estate investor is how to pivot instead of sitting there and floundering. And if you can pivot quickly, you can be successful in whatever type of real estate you learn to do, so long as you have multiple exit strategies, which I think is a very important lesson for people.
So you found out fix and flips not really your thing. You shifted into short-term rentals, and I believe you have three. How are you funding these now? And how do you keep an edge in this particular market?<\/p>\n
Ooh, creative financing and private money all day every day.<\/p>\n
And what do you mean by creative financing?<\/p>\n
So creative financing, meaning you\u2019re taking over the property subject to or seller financing. So I\u2019m going to go back a little bit before knowing that I was one, using private money or two, structuring these creatively. When we got the first property in the Smoky Mountains, we got a DSCR loan. And with the DSCR loan, you need about 20% to 25% down. That time, for us, it was about 130,000 altogether that we needed.<\/p>\n
And really fast, for everyone at home that doesn\u2019t know what a DSCR loan is, it\u2019s a debt service coverage ratio loan. And it\u2019s basically where they use the income of your property to underwrite instead of using your personal DTI and credit and everything like that.
There\u2019s a few other parameters, but essentially they\u2019re using the income, the projected income of that property to qualify you for that loan. Sorry, I wanted to clarify that because I know a lot of people, they just hear acronyms sometimes. So carry on.<\/p>\n
So we used the DSCR loan and then we had money from our fix and flip, but we were still short. So because we were telling friends and family what we were doing and what we were hoping to do, we went to them and we were like, \u201cHey, we want to get this property, but we\u2019re short about 50 to 60,000,\u201d just putting it out there. And then two persons from our network decided to give us money.
So even though they\u2019re friends and family, we didn\u2019t know it was private money. So what we did, we were like, \u201cHey, can you just lend us this money, and we will just give you a percentage of the cash flow?\u201d We were just throwing things out there. We didn\u2019t do a promissory note, a mortgage deed or anything like that. We were like, \u201cWe\u2019ll give you a percentage of the cash flow for anything that we make, and whenever during the slow season, you can go to the cabin and stay there.\u201d
That was the agreement. That\u2019s it. So that was the first creative deal that we got. And then after now I just buy most of the properties, creative financing and then whatever I need, closing cost or decorate, furnishing costs, I raise that amount in private money and get the deal funded. So most times I\u2019m zero out of pocket.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d be willing to bet too that a lot of what made this research of learning how to do creative finance and subject to financing more maybe achievable for you is because of your background and you knowing, \u201cI need an alternative strategy.\u201d And so when your back\u2019s against the wall, there\u2019s no other option. You\u2019re going to go figure out, \u201cHow can I get this done?\u201d
I\u2019m not saying that to discourage people from going to learn how to do these things. I\u2019m saying that from the perspective of put yourself in that mindset, what if you could never go to a bank again? Would that mean you\u2019re never going to be a real estate investor? If you think from that perspective, \u201cOkay, I\u2019m going to pretend I can\u2019t go to a bank for my next deal. So I got to go and learn how would I buy a property if I couldn\u2019t.\u201d And that just helps you sharpen the tools in your tool belt.
So I think that that\u2019s super cool. You also are pivoting or have pivoted to more of a mid-term rental strategy. Is that correct? And so how is this mid-term rental strategy going for you? And how are you either growing or expanding that? What have you learned that\u2019s making you push to that direction?<\/p>\n
So full disclosure, I haven\u2019t done my first mid-term rental yet. I\u2019m literally still going through that process.<\/p>\n
Cool.<\/p>\n
The reason being trying to pivot is that I think I got spoiled with the Smoky Mountains. I got so spoiled.<\/p>\n
As we all do.<\/p>\n
Because for the entire year, it\u2019s a great market. I\u2019m always booked. And then when I got another property in San Antonio, I was like, \u201cHmm, I\u2019m not used to with just this weekends type of thing, and my calendar is open during the week.\u201d So I always heard about mid-term rentals. So what I did was I had a really good friend of mine in one of my mentorship, and I asked her about\u2026 She\u2019s the expert again. This is why I go to persons who are doing it. I don\u2019t want to figure out everything.
So I was like, \u201cHey, this is what I\u2019m trying to do. What are some things that I can do?\u201d And she\u2019d be like, \u201cOkay, go on ALE, list a property there. Go on Furnished Finder, list a property there.\u201d Did all of that. Not working. I\u2019m like, \u201cOkay.\u201d Spoke to someone else. They\u2019re like, \u201cHey, put \u2018Extended Stay\u2019 in your listing in the title.\u201d I was like, \u201cOkay, I\u2019m going to try that.\u201d
So in doing all of this, I went back and look on the algorithm. I\u2019m like, \u201cOoh, I put \u2018Extended Stay\u2019 in my title. My views are going up. Okay, still no bookings.\u201d But I would go in these Facebook groups and just put, \u201cHey guys, I have this property in San Antonio. If anyone needs a mid-term rental or have connections, just let me know.\u201d
I did that and someone was interested in the booking. Here was the worst thing. My calendar was open for one month. Guys, one whole month. And then I got a two-day booking. Right after that, someone is interested for a whole month. And I\u2019m like, \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n
Yeah. It doesn\u2019t work exactly like that. When you\u2019re doing the short-term rental, mid-term rental hybrid. It is one of those things where it\u2019s best to focus on the mid-term rental strategy first and then fill your spaces with short-term rental. That\u2019s the ideal scenario.
Unfortunately, it doesn\u2019t always work that way. And the thing that hurts with mid-term rentals the most is it\u2019s an amazing business niche within this market, but the vacancy does hurt.<\/p>\n
Oh, yeah.<\/p>\n
The vacancy is a lot bigger than it typically is with a short-term rental.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m like, \u201cMm-mm.\u201d And I think that was a tough part, and I was so close to canceling that Airbnb guest. But I was like, \u201cNope, I\u2019ve worked too hard for a Superhost. I\u2019m not even going to cancel unless the guest is sure that they\u2019re going to book for 30 days.\u201d
So we did more research to verify a few things like, \u201cHow soon are you looking to move? Does this budget work for you? Do you have X? Do you have a pet?\u201d All these things. We verified all of this. We had back and forth conversation. But guess what? The guests stopped responding. So they were never interested again. So I was so happy I didn\u2019t go and cancel that one booking that I had.<\/p>\n
Yeah. I think that\u2019s the philosophy I really ingrain in everybody is to never cancel a booking ever, no matter what. I\u2019ve had to cancel bookings because I had a glamping tent that got blown away by a monsoon. But other than that, there\u2019s no reason to do it. Because people really do create their vacations around your Airbnb, and if you cancel on them, it could be a bummer on their vacation.
So what we try to do is we have multiple units nearby, and so if we get a mid-term rental booking, we will just reach out and say, \u201cHey, we\u2019re going to move you to this unit. It\u2019s a little different.\u201d And then if they get mad about it, we\u2019ll give them a little discount.<\/p>\n
So you\u2019re saying the only time you\u2019ve ever canceled on anybody is because their actual property blew away? Where they were going to sleep was no longer there?<\/p>\n
That is correct. And Airbnb has a very strict policy. They\u2019re like, \u201cYou can never cancel.\u201d And then I was like, \u201cYeah. My tent is literally not there.\u201d And then they\u2019re like, \u201cCan you send photos?\u201d And I was like, \u201cDo you want me to send you a photo of air? It\u2019s not there. It\u2019s gone. Listen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s hilarious. Oh, my gosh.<\/p>\n
Well, listen, Keleisha, I think it\u2019s awesome that you\u2019re trying\u2026 You\u2019re the pivot queen, and I know that you\u2019re figuring things out. And this is actually one of my favorite episodes in that there are a lot of things that you\u2019re still figuring it out. A lot of people come onto this and it\u2019s hard to really understand. But I think most people are in your position right now where\u2026 I\u2019m still figuring stuff out too. I try different things all the time.
I\u2019m throwing darts at the wall and I\u2019m trying new business models and I say, \u201cHey, maybe this isn\u2019t my thing, but at least I tried it and at least it reinforces that I should really stick to the things that I\u2019m really good at and the things that I\u2019m passionate about.\u201d So a lot of lessons to be taken out of today\u2019s episode. But in general, what actions do you think you consistently take that have made the biggest difference in your investing?<\/p>\n
One of them is understanding how to underwrite deals. So when I got into real estate, I always heard Brendan talk about, \u201cAnalyze a deal every day.\u201d And I\u2019m like, \u201cYeah, I\u2019m doing that. I\u2019m not getting it. Because I don\u2019t know what the rehab is, I don\u2019t know what closing costs are. I don\u2019t know all those stuff.\u201d And it was very discouraging.
And I think until one day I was just analyzing a deal every day, and that\u2019s when the light bulb went off and I was like, \u201cOh, my God, I get it.\u201d He said, analyze a deal every day. So that way, you understand what numbers affect what. What that mean is you will know, \u201cOkay, if I want to increase my cash flow, do I need to increase my income or do I need to reduce my expenses? If I want to increase my cash-on-cash return, do I need to reduce my total cash invested or do I need to also reduce my expenses?\u201d
So the point of analyzing the deal every day is to understand what numbers affect what, so then you can master napkin underwriting. Another thing that I do for my short-term rentals, I would pretend as if I\u2019m a guest, because I always had guests tell me, \u201cOh, my God, I love your place and this is what I experienced.\u201d So I\u2019m like, \u201cI want to experience it myself.\u201d
So I would book any of my properties. I don\u2019t tell cleaners, I don\u2019t tell anyone. And I pretend as if I\u2019m the guest. And when I get to the house, I follow the check-in instructions. Everything that a check-in instruction tell me to do, I\u2019ll do that. The first thing you do when you go to a hotel or Airbnb, you guys walk around because you want to see what this house has to offer. I do the same thing.
I walk in, I want to know what it smell like, I want to know what feeling I get. And then I\u2019m seeing all these switches, for example, and I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, I wonder where this switch goes.\u201d And I\u2019m just testing it all out. And in doing those things, I know that, \u201cOkay, I need to label my switches.\u201d
I get to the living room, I see two remotes. I don\u2019t know which remote belongs to the TV. I was like, \u201cOoh, I need to label the remotes to say living room remote.\u201d Those simple things, when you put yourself in the guest\u2019s shoe, it sets you apart and you know what you need to fix without even depending on your team as much because you\u2019re going to see things that your team won\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Smart. It\u2019s always a very gratifying and disappointing experience because you realize all the little things that get moved around and everything over the course of a few months or six months, and I think that\u2019s a really important lesson to go and walk your properties. I know it\u2019s a novel concept and it\u2019s hard to do, especially at scale.
But it is something that can be a little eye-opening and can really be pivotal to the optimization of your portfolio. Tell us where you\u2019re at today. Are you feeling gratified about the steps and the risks that you\u2019ve taken? How are things with your mom? Have you been sending her money and showing your success? How\u2019s that all been going?<\/p>\n
So it has been going really well. I\u2019m very grateful for it. But one of the biggest thing that I\u2019m learning is that I\u2019m planting the seeds. What this mean is everyone thinks that when you get into real estate, you\u2019re going to be making a ton of money when you get in. No, you are not. You guys will hear Rob mention at the beginning that I\u2019m making $5,000 net. Yes, but that\u2019s not going in my pocket. It\u2019s either going into reserves or it\u2019s using to pay off debt that I used to get in to all these mentorships and courses and all those things.
You\u2019re going to be broke, honestly. You\u2019re going to be broke. You\u2019re going to feel like giving up. I think I\u2019m going through one of the toughest time now in my career. And what\u2019s pushing me through is that I keep looking back to be like, \u201cYou\u2019ve come this far, you can\u2019t give up now. It\u2019s just a phase. Just go through it.\u201d And each time I\u2019m just figuring it out.
And I think as well, it\u2019s just how can I get ready for the next season of my life. I\u2019m not the type of person to have a two-year goal or a three-year goal. I have 90-day goals. When that 90 days come, I create a whole new goal. So right now, for me, I just want to finish the year strong where my properties are cash flowing and I\u2019m able to pay off all my lenders.<\/p>\n
Okay, awesome. So we understand that you recently had a full circle moment with that same podcast guest who showed you that this could be possible for you. So can you tell us a little bit about that?<\/p>\n
Yes. When I listened to Diego\u2019s episode in 2019, we were going back and forth. And in 2023, who would\u2019ve thought? In August of 2023, I got a message from Diego. When I saw his DM popped up, I screamed. You guys scream over celebrities. BiggerPockets people are like my celebrities. I get starstruck. And when Diego messaged me and invited me to speak to his Mastermind about capital raising, I was like, \u201cNo way.\u201d
I sent him a voice memo, I started screaming. I\u2019m like, \u201cDude, you\u2019re the person who got me to my first investment property because you shared your story.\u201d 2019, I never thought that would\u2019ve happened. A girl from Jamaica, I\u2019m cleaning tables, and you hear about real estate and wealth, you\u2019re like, \u201cOh, you need a family. It\u2019s going to take 10 years, 20 years.\u201d
And just to see, even after quitting my job last year and seeing how much I\u2019ve accomplished in a year, it\u2019s mind-blowing. It just goes to show that anything can happen. It\u2019s like with you guys as well. When we met at BPCON, I saw you guys. I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, my gosh.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how I get when I meet Henry too.<\/p>\n
I was like, \u201cOh, my gosh.\u201d And it\u2019s just showing that so much things can change when you start putting yourself in the right rooms, you start putting yourself out there and telling people what you\u2019re doing and sharing your story and your journey. It\u2019s like the universe starts sending things your way that you never thought would happen.<\/p>\n
I think that\u2019s what real estate is all about, taking small steps. It\u2019s a marathon, not a sprint. And I think you\u2019re right. I think it\u2019s really, really crazy to see what you can accomplish in a year. I think there\u2019s a phrase that\u2019s like, \u201cWe overestimate\u2026\u201d Hold on, hold on. Maybe you know it, Henry. \u201cWe overestimate what we can do in a day, but we underestimate what we can do in a year.\u201d Does that sound about right?<\/p>\n
Yeah.<\/p>\n
And I think that\u2019s true. And we get so caught up in this daily grind of working, and we\u2019re in meetings all day and there\u2019s never real progress day to day. And you look back and you\u2019re like, \u201cWhoa, what I\u2019ve done in the last year, two years, three years, is a really life-changing thing and it\u2019s the thing that I wanted more than anything else in this world when I started.\u201d
And I think you\u2019re the perfect encapsulation of that idea. So thank you so much for bringing your story, and I think a lot of people are going to be inspired by it. I know I am. Can you tell us a little bit more about where people can learn about you online and connect with you if they want to reach out?<\/p>\n
Yes. And I also wanted to say I always had this vision in my head when I started listening to the podcast. I\u2019m like, \u201cOne day I\u2019m going to be on this podcast.\u201d I had even an image in my head of what I\u2019ll be wearing. \u201cI\u2019ll be wearing a black shirt.\u201d But I\u2019m not wearing a black shirt today.
But I\u2019m grateful for just being here and sharing my story. And you guys can find me on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn @keleishacarter. So everything, all social media platform, my website, my YouTube channel, it is all my full name, Keleisha Carter.<\/p>\n
And how do you spell Keleisha, just for everyone at home?<\/p>\n
K-E-L-E-I-S-H-A. And last name, C-A-R-T-E-R.<\/p>\n
So first of all, I want to congratulate you. I want to congratulate you on-<\/p>\n
Thank you.<\/p>\n
\u2026 quitting your job and finding your success in real estate. You\u2019re netting 5K a month with your current portfolio. That\u2019s amazing. And it takes a lot of hard work.<\/p>\n
Amazing.<\/p>\n
Thank you.<\/p>\n
I want to say that I am proud of you for the leaps of faith and risks you were willing to take to better you and your family\u2019s lives. And I think that that\u2019s commendable. And I also want to say I think there\u2019s a lot of power in having those visions. It\u2019s funny, I also had a vision of being on the BiggerPockets Podcast. I\u2019ve told the story before, but I have. And I still, to this day, have a vision board on my phone. And one of the tiles is a BiggerPockets Podcast tile because I wanted to be a guest on the BiggerPockets Podcast.
And when I started, when I actually got word that I was going to be a guest, I had listened to tons of episodes, and then I had stopped listening to episodes. And so I was like, \u201cI need to get a refresher on how this goes.\u201d And so I started to listen to episodes again before I was going to get recorded. The very first episode I started to listen to again, before I was going to be on the show was Diego\u2019s episode. And that\u2019s where I first got-<\/p>\n
Wow.<\/p>\n
Wow.<\/p>\n
Really?<\/p>\n
Yeah, 100% absolutely true.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s amazing. Well, for anybody that wants to go and listen to that episode with Diego Corzo, it\u2019s episode 352. And if you\u2019ve got a story just like Keleisha\u2019s or you\u2019re working through your own thing and you think you have something to share with the BiggerPockets community, you can go and fill out a form over on biggerpockets.com\/guest, if you want to share your story with our team. And then maybe you\u2019ll be selected to come and be an inspiration for everybody that listens to our podcast. Henry, if people want to find you online, where can they go?<\/p>\n
Best place is Instagram. I\u2019m @thehenrywashington on Instagram, or you can check out my website. It\u2019s www.seeyouattheclosingtable.com.<\/p>\n
Cool. You can always find me over on Instagram or YouTube. I can\u2019t even plug my own stuff. You can find me on YouTube or Instagram @robuilt, R-O-B-U-I-L-T. I did spell that right, didn\u2019t I? Don\u2019t be laughing at me.<\/p>\n
You nailed it that time. Congratulations.<\/p>\n
Okay, good. I nailed it. I can do this. Look, when David\u2019s gone, there\u2019s a lot of pressure to perform. But we\u2019re grateful to everyone at BiggerPockets and for all you guys listening. If you want to leave us a five-star review, head on over to the Apple Podcast platform or wherever you listen to your podcasts, and tell us what you thought about today\u2019s episode.
But other than that, thanks everybody for listening, and we will catch you on the next episode of BiggerPockets. Welcome to the BiggerPockets. Oh, no. No, no. Wait. That does not count. Don\u2019t take this away from me. Welcome to the\u2026<\/p>\n