I became wealthy with real estate. I started as an agent right after college, but it took me at least five years to find success. A lot of success came when I changed my attitude about life. I now have 20 rentals including a 68k square foot commercial building. I flip over 25 houses a year. I own a brokerage. I have 8 cars.

How did I become successful?

I went to college, got a degree in finance, and got a job in real estate. I was making decent money, and investing some in the stock market. I also bought a house and made extra payment towards the loan when I could. I was not getting anywhere. I did not have a car payment, I did not spend much money, and I still was not getting anywhere. I realized i was not thinking about how to be successful. I was just doing what I thought I was supposed to do.

I started to research how to be rich and how to be successful. I took control of my life. The biggest thing I learned is that what society tells us to do may not be what we should do. Here were the big mistakes I was making.

1. I was investing in the stock market. I researched the best way to invest my money and realized that real estate was a much better investment for me. My rentals have made me millions and taken relatively little money to buy. How I have Bought 14 Rentals Without any of My Own Money
2. I had a horrible attitude. I was jealous and envious of others with money. I doubted that I would ever have money. I liked to blame others for why I was not successful. I changed everything when I listened to self help CDs and read books. Why Being Positive Makes Success - Invest Four More
3. I fooled myself into thinking I did not want the things I really loved in life. I was a car nut my entire life, but I convinced myself that I didn’t like Lamborghini’s or need one because I believed I would never afford one. I love cars and always have, once I realized that I was sabotaging myself, my life changed. I was more motivated and successful when I had big goals. My Goals for 2018 and a Recap of 2017 Goals and Accomplishments - Invest Four More
4. I learned that debt can be an awesome tool. I see all these answers about never having debt or a car payment. My car payments allow me to have amazing cars, which have increased in value. They also allow me to invest more money in my business. I do not pay off mortgages early and I get 30 year loans. I use debt to make more money in a safe way. Is a 15-Year Loan Smarter than a 30-Year Loan? - Invest Four More
5. I learned to let others help me. In the beginning, I thought I could do it all on my own because I was smarter than everyone else. I was stupid and wrong. I learned to learn from others, and to delegate things in my business to others because time is my most valuable asset. 9 Ways to Manage Your Time Better and Make More Money

You have to be smart with your money as well. I did not go crazy spending everything I had on cars. I waited until I had saved and invested a lot of money. At the same time I told myself how successful I would be, how I deserved the things I really love in life, and how I could learn from those who are successful. Not everyone has to love cars, but most people deprive themselves of things they love because they feel society will look down on them.

How can you become successful with real estate?

The first thing you have to do is educate yourself about real estate. You need to find a good market to invest in rental properties. Rentals properties are the key to wealth, but not every market works great for them. I would research your market first. Figure out what houses are worth, what they rent for, and what the expenses are. Property taxes, insurance, and other costs vary by state. Here is an article that will help.

How to Know If a Rental Property Is a Good Investment - Invest Four More

Once you have found a good market, you need to start buying houses. But you cannot buy any house. You need to buy a house that is an awesome deal, with a loan, that may need a little work, but not too much. Live in the home as an owner occupant for 2 years. Here are some tips on getting a great deal.

How to Find a Great Deal on an Investment Property

After you have bought this great deal you need to figure out a way to make a good income if you are not already doing it. If you want some ideas from real estate, you could be an agent, wholesaler, or flipper.

How Much Money Can You Make Fix and Flipping Homes?

How Much Money do Real Estate Agents Make their First Year?

Is Wholesaling a Good Way to Start Investing in Real Estate?

You want to earn a lot of income and keep investing it into the business. I would buy rentals or flips depending on your market. The best way to buy rentals is by using the BRRR method or House Hacking. Either one allows you to put less money in the deal so you can keep buying more and more properties.

Using the BRRRR Method to Buy Rentals | Invest Four More

What is House Hacking when Buying Rentals | Invest Four More

Eventually, you will get more and more momentum which will allow you to buy more and more houses. Every house should be an awesome deal to help protect you in a downturn. You also need to make sure the rentals have plenty of cash flow.

Rentals have increased my net worth by millions and make about $12,000 monthly without hardly any work from me. I have not put that much money into them because I can refinance out most of my investment. It is a lot of fun, but takes a lot of work!