The Real Estate Deals That Made Me A Multi-Millionaire

These are the deals that built my real estate business, from my first flip in 2008 to 24 condos bought off market, with what I paid and what happened to each one. I am sharing them as history, the way I shared them for a member spotlight with the National REIA, not as a picture of what any deal will do.

In 2022 I was invited to be in the member spotlight for the National REIA (NREIA). The owner of the Boston REIA, where I am a long time member and volunteer each month, submitted my story. It was an honor, because the local REIAs are where I learned real estate when I first got started, and they had been an important part of my career for 14 years by then. They sent me a set of questions, and this is a behind the scenes preview of my answers.

Do you have a tip or advice to pass along?

I have interviewed over 130 real estate millionaires. The advice I would pass along from them is this: “Decide what you want to accomplish for yourself, then find a mentor who has already done it. Follow what they suggest and stick to your goal.”

My first flip: purchased and sold in 2008.

How important is joining a local REIA?

The three things I needed in real estate were the right knowledge, network, and accountability. I found all three at my local REIA, and I encourage new and experienced owners alike to get active in theirs.

My first rental property: a three family purchased for $155,000 in 2012 and sold for $260,000 in 2015.

What is your favorite self help or business book?

The book I have read more than any other is “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace D. Wattles. It is part of my weekly routine, and I have listened to it on Audible every Sunday morning for years.

A duplex: purchased for $109,000 in 2013 and sold for $220,000 in 2018.

Do you have an interesting hobby?

I have found blogging and posting about real estate on social media to be a fun hobby. I know most people don’t think of that as fun, but I enjoy seeing what people think about what I share and writing posts that get people thinking.

10 units: purchased for $365,000, with gross rents of $8,500 at the time.

24 condos: purchased off market for $840,000 and valued at $2.5 million at closing. By 2022 they were valued at about $3.5 million, with gross rents of $22,000 a month.

What are your current and future goals?

My goal then was to build 100 Millionaires who are inspired to build 100 Millionaires themselves. It was my way of paying it forward, and real estate was the way I believed I could do it. My longer term goal was to build high-rise sustainable housing using 3D printing, and I was following that technology closely.

A Note on These Numbers

Every figure here is what happened on one deal, in one market, in the year named. None of it is a figure anyone should expect from another deal, and none of it is an offer. I am thankful to the NREIA for the platform, and to you for reading.

Ready to Go Deeper?

You can run your own return on equity on the calculator with your own numbers. Join us every Saturday at 10:00 AM ET for REAP, Real Estate Acquisition Principles, where we work through one wealth principle per week inside the Alchemist Nation community. The full set lives in the 52 wealth principles, and if you are not sure yet what kind of operator you are, start with the real estate operator archetype quiz. You can find the registration link at AlchemistNation.com under REAP.

Educational purposes only. Not an offer or solicitation.