Real Estate Investing, It Isn't Just for the Boys Anymore

Real Estate Investing, It Isn't Just for the Boys Anymore
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When 51 year old stay-at-home mom and part time piano teacher Gena H. from Washington State woke her husband up at 1:15 AM and said "I want to be a real estate investor," he patted her on the shoulder and said, "that's nice dear." In the morning he shared all the reasons he believed it could not work for her. Fast-forward a few years and Gena, who obviously didn't listen to the husband she adores, is a successful and very profitable investor. She has in her words "dramatically changed the financial course for me and my entire family."

Stories like these are coming to my attention at a rate like I've never seen in my well over 20 years of investing. I've been fortunate to watch countless people go from real estate observer to successful real estate investor. But never before has there been such a massive wave of women taking ownership of the household finances using real estate.

In watching this transition, I believe it's due to a couple of primary factors. First, we all know that the real estate market peaked like never before around 2006, and then the bubble burst and the market crashed. It reminded me of flying down Space Mountain in Disneyland. However, after the bottom comes the inevitable shift in the market, when it begins trending back up as we are seeing now. This is truly a magical time for investors.

Second, I think we are heading into the years of more empowerment of women. I could be criticized for saying this, but I think it's less about women's liberation, as that was yesterday's news. I see it as more that women are just losing any hesitation at all to do anything they want. I think it's a very positive trend for our country. I watched my single Mom struggle to support my sister and me growing up, so I'm always cheering for the ladies. I think we are entering a whole new era of advancing equality. But that's for another story.

Jen G., a single Mom, was working in an accounting office with no windows and too little pay each month to support her and her son. Frustrated, stressed and wanting a new path in life, she decided to reinvent herself through real estate investing. Friends and family told her real estate investing was for people with money and experience. Some even expressed resentment and actively discouraged her. Recently, Jen called to tell me: "Just six months after starting, I got to walk into my office and tell my boss I no longer needed her services!" Jen quit her job and has done more than 185 real estate transactions so far and feels she is being the Mom she always wanted to be.

Tammy R. lives in a crazy fast moving market in CA. This is a market where even seasoned investors are afraid to take the plunge. However, this determined Mom of four, who was homeschooling her children when she started investing, refused to yield to her fears. She didn't listen to her husband who said "it won't work for you." Like Jen, she didn't have a ton of money to start, but researched a method called "wholesaling." Wholesaling is matching up monied investors with good deals, and making money in the middle. On one transaction alone she made more then she did the prior two years, and she is currently working on her 23rd deal. "You just can't let the naysayers spoil your dreams" she said when asked about the secret of her success.

Whether you're in a strongly rebounding large urban market like Tammy, a more rural and smaller city in Alabama that's coming back at a slower pace like Jen, or somewhere in the middle like Gena in Washington State, it doesn't matter. The current state of all of these markets is opening up endless opportunities for investors to gain the knowledge to profit and who aren't afraid to go for it.

Real estate is my life, and with over 20 years of non-stop investing I've personally experienced that there is always a profitable strategy that fits the current market cycle. However, the massive spike in real estate, followed by the inevitable and dramatic crash, is setting up a solid rebound. I truly believe this is the greatest time for everyone who would like to secure a better future to get educated, learn from those who are doing it, and jump into real estate investing.

I'm currently doing 30 to 50 deals every month all around the country, in 9 states actually. I'm working with women like Gena, Jen and Tammy, as well as a slew of others who are crushing todays shifting real estate market rather then complaining about it.

Maybe real estate investing is cooler and more possible then you think. All I can say is that the boys better step up.

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