Livin' La Vida Luna y Luca
Won't You Ride Along w/ Me?
Over the past few months, I've invited a few people to join me on my morning route.
We meet at my gym, hop in my car, and then get to work.
First Stop: ☕️
We fuel up on Starbucks (or Dunkin if the weather is nice).
Second Stop: Project Hillside
We hop out of the car and walk through an almost-finished product. This is where I showcase our floors, trim, paint, appliance package, cabinets, etc.
Third Stop: Project Oliver
We hop out again and talk about the bones of the structure: foundation, framing, roof, and windows.
Drive By: Project Fairmount & Project Weston
Both of these projects are still in the initial stages so there's no reason to get out of the car. I mostly talk about how we sourced these deals, how we funded them, and how we plan on leveraging them to find more opportunities in the future.
Fourth Stop: Project Silver Springride-along
This property is the crown jewel of my (current) portfolio. We are laying tiles and floors right now. This house speaks for itself. The curb appeal is next level, and it's even more impressive on the inside. If we don't sell this project before it's complete, I'm going to host a friends and family open house here. Everyone reading this is invited.
Last Stop: Back to My Gym
We thank each other for making the time, recap any homework we have, and part ways.
2 Main Takeaways:
It only takes ~90 minutes to complete the loop. I'd much rather do this than grab a coffee or do a call with someone looking to "pick my brain". I like seeing my projects through someone else's eyes. People who are not in the business of real estate look at my work through a completely different lense.
The liminal moments are the main attraction. When I invite someone on a ride-along, they might think they're signing up to see some cool real estate projects. If that's all they get out of our meeting, I've failed. My real goal is to master the liminal moments - the time we spend together in the car between projects. I want to talk about everything EXCEPT real estate: our families, our work, our hopes, dreams, goals & desires, our failures, etc.
Results:
I've done this route with 4 different people in as many months. One person connected me to an HVAC subcontractor who submitted a decent bid on one of our projects. Another person connected me to a homeowner getting ready to sell their house. Someone else gave me a much-needed business coaching / personal therapy session. The last person I rode with subtly offered me an opportunity to work together on a huge project in a town I've been dying to get into.
Full Circle:
When I became interested in real estate back in 2017, I rode along (as the passenger) with a handful of investors in the NJ/PA area. I remember being so enamored with their operation.
I wanted so badly to hitch my trailer to their wagon. I did whatever I could to add value to their business. I sent them deals, helped them fundraise, assisted in due diligence, and so much more.
8 years later and I finally earned the right to be in the driver's seat.
Wild 🤯
