There are signs we encounter in life that are meant to inspire and guide us towards our true purpose.
I was working a temp job doing data entry for The Bank of NY on the 20th floor of 1 Wall st. when the unthinkable tragedy of 9/11/01 took place. It was horrific and unforgettable. Lower Manhattan was closed off for several days after. Everyone returned to work about 2 weeks later. A temp job that typically only lasted a few weeks lasted almost a year which was fortunate for me. Mid 2002 I was laid off due to department budget cuts. That was the best pay I ever had up to that point of $18/hr. Later when I went back to the temp agency I found out that somehow they payed me almost double the normal pay. I guess that might have had something to do with them laying me off now that I think about it. Maybe I was just an expendable temp and it was overdue, but we were living in the aftermath of 9/11. It seemed that all over the country the economic impact was being felt.
I went on to work at Washington mutual bank in Brooklyn, NY around late 2002. One day as I made referrals to the in-house investment advisor I had a customer tell me that he only invested his money in real estate. That sparked my interest but I was so clueless at that point I had no idea what investing in real estate really entailed. I had no idea where to begin but more importantly, I didn’t even believe that it was a possibility for me at that point. It seemed out of reach. But I felt deep inside I was meant to do more, to be more than a bank teller barely earning $10/hour while handling hundreds of thousands every day for the bank. I felt that I was meant for something greater.
It was now 2004 and our daughter was almost 1. She was the ultimate motivation to make a change and create a better life for me and my family. My desire grew and I searched for a sign. I saw a billboard one day on my way to work driving on the BQE (BrooklynQueensExpressway). It read “Real estate express school $200 get your license in 1 week”. The seed was planted and I had a strange feeling there was something there but still not enough to act on it just yet. I heard about the potential in becoming a realtor a few times before and it started clicking that real estate could be an interesting field to explore.
I spent many months thinking of purchasing our first home to stop paying rent and praying for a miracle, a sign showing me what business I should learn. I just wanted to figure out what path I should take so I could start working at it. I also wanted to find a business I could do anywhere so I could travel back and forth to NYC since we decided to buy our 1st home in Florida closer to my parents. My wife also wanted to live in FL and I wanted my parents to enjoy their only grandchild at that time. Also it was likely the only way we could afford to buy a home. I was working hard to save up for a down payment. About a year later we were ready.
One day around spring 2005 it hit me as I was driving to work again on the BQE. I heard a radio ad for the same Real estate school from the billboard I had seen so many times and I felt at that moment that this could be the exact “thing” I was searching for. I felt that I should take a chance and go for it so I pulled the trigger and signed up. I took the course summer 2005 in Brooklyn while my wife and daughter were in Florida house hunting for us. After completing the course successfully I realized this realtor work was not what I envisioned and decided to keep searching for my calling still involving real estate.
I didn’t see our first home until we closed escrow late summer. This was a huge milestone for us. I was 22 years of age with our 1 yr old daughter and we had our first home together to start this new chapter in our lives. We were exhilarated. We moved in late 2005 and I took a temp job with my brother at a local FEMA office that lasted about 2 months until early 2006. The first couple weeks were some of the worst experiences of my work life but I was grateful to at least earn an income for my family. I had never done janitorial work before, taking garbage and picking up cigarette butts in the parking lot. It was a humbling experience. I wasn’t too happy with it but I just did what I had to do.
Throughout the mortgage process for the purchase of our first home I asked our mortgage broker many questions and took interest in the mortgage business. I decided to give it a try. Thankfully the temp job transferred me to driver for last month and half where I was able to take calls for my new mortgage business. I would sneak away to the bathroom sometimes if I was at the building to speak to prospective clients and act as if I was in a mortgage office with a suit and tie. Finally the temp job ended early 2006 and I made up my mind to not look for any other job but instead to dedicate myself full time to doing business. My family thought I was crazy.
I started by going to the mortgage broker’s office everyday early as if I worked there full time for FREE. I would offer to help with anything I possibly could. Typically just general office work and cold calling Fsbo leads. I quickly became a licensed mortgage broker and did a few deals. I learned a lot but I also saw the ugly part of that business. I did that for about a year until I realized that was not the business model I was looking to dedicate my life to.
In early 2007 I formed my first corporation for tax purposes on the advice of the principal broker where I had my license at the time. Again I found myself praying for new direction because I wanted to find a new business idea. As I brainstormed for a new path I looked forward. I realized the foreclosure market was on the rise and thought to myself that if I could do something related I could leverage that to start my business. I felt I was on to something.
Around spring of 2007 I received an email about a local pre-foreclosures and short sales seminar for only $49. That was for 2 people so it was close enough to free that I jumped all over it. I felt that was another sign so I went with it. At that seminar I found short sales and real estate investing. I was blown away by the business model and the amount of help I could offer people in distress. Fortunately the speaker and trainer was a former officer and a good guy so we were blessed to receive some great content which opened my eyes to the opportunity. I knew there was value in this information and I loved the business model he spoke of. I also recognized the need in the market for honest, skilled professional negotiators, advisors, and investors that not only could offer solutions but also deeply care about helping people. This was exactly what I was looking for. I could take a distressed property and make it beautiful again while solving problems for the owner and helping them avoid losing it all to foreclosure. Boom. Everyone wins and that’s the type of business I envisioned creating for myself and my family..
I purchased the home study course with the last $1000 of credit I still had left. I hit the ground running with the little I learned and started offering value to the market right away. This was the beginning of Sky High Investing. We made mistakes but kept learning and improving. In 2008 I realized we desperately needed a mentorship so I started researching successful mentors. In 2009 we were fortunate enough to start a mentorship with Than Merrill & FortuneBuilders from the hit TV show “Flip this House”. This was one of the best decisions we ever made and it transformed our business. My wife watched hgtv design & house flipping shows for several years prior and we watched their show as well so the entire experience was a bit surreal. Along with many other amazing benefits, this helped us focus more on growing our investing & re-development business. We went on to become friends and partners. In 2011, they asked me to be one of the first 15 Mentors in the entire country for their high level mastery program. It was an honor and another dream come true as I helped hundreds of our students succeed…Our mission continues…
No Comments