Growing up, I spent the majority of my Saturday mornings going to work with my dad. Whether it was helping him plant trees at Central, washing dishes at his restaurant, or witnessing him transform an empty building into a community space that breathed life, I was his lil buddy by his side (along with my lil sister).
That early exposure to real estate planted a seed in my brain for whatever reason.
I loved everything about it - from the architecture of old buildings to the people who came together to gather and enjoy a freshly designed space (whether that be as simple as your home to a larger public place).
When I turned 18, I jumped at the first opportunity to sign up for real estate classes to get my license. I finished all the classes, but when the time came to take the test, I failed probably 20 times. I was so frustrated but decided to table that goal for the moment and went off to college. Several years later, on December 9th, 2020 (during a roadtrip from CA to Texas), I wrote in my journal that I wanted to buy my first property by myself by age 24. Having no idea where to really start, I wrote out a back-of-the-napkin basic underwriting & list of high-level next steps. The first being - to try again to get my real estate license. (I was dreading that step)
So I sucked up my pride and signed up for classes again. And to my surprise, even just after three short years, my ability to comprehend concepts like mortgage financing options, property taxes, liens, and contracts became so much easier. There was still a learning curve for sure, and a lot of studying to pass the exam on the first try. But because of taking finance classes and having real-world experience through internships in the industry, understanding the material was doable.
Reflecting on my two drastically different experiences with the same course with the same exam material but two very different results got me thinking. What changes in those four years allowed me to pass? Had I really gotten that much smarter? Or did the material just get easier?
Then it hit me - financial literacy.
Now, a lot of people (myself included) get the concept of financial literacy confused with being gifted at math. And as a society, we have been programmed to really think of those things as one and the same. Therefore, in grade school, you discover math isn't your thing, so, therefore, I must not ever be equipped to have the ability to become financially literate. Couple that with thinking with the school system that never exposes its students to financial literacy, and it’s no wonder we are experiencing one of the greatest transfers of wealth with a shrinking middle class and even upper middle class. On top of that, you have hyperinflation, crippling student debt, a failing medical system (what I like to call sick care, aka everyone in a never-ending “medical loop” with big pharma being the only beneficiary), rent on the rise, and wages that are not keeping up with the cost of living. Just to name a few………
And as much in the long term, I want a massive financial revolution in this country with an end to the corrupt phony capitalist system that survives on things like the war machine, big pharma complex, big food, etc. In the meantime, I think an immediate way to have more people become financially independent is through financial literacy, especially regarding real estate.
Basic real estate financial literacy isn't just about learning how to invest in real estate assets, but it applies to figuring out how to do something as simple as creating a home for yourself and your loved ones.
I feel very strongly that the general public, even college-educated millennials and Gen Z, have been strategically withheld from financial literacy in our education.
As someone who is Gen Z and even has a bachelor's degree in finance, I still, to this day, have never had a class in high school or college on how to buy a house. Or how does creative financing work where I can put as little as 3.5% or even 0% down? What grant programs exist to cover my closing costs or down payment? How do I quickly calculate how my mortgage payment compares to my current rent payment? How much extra money in passive income could I make if I rent out the extra room in my house to a roommate? How does a home equity line of credit work, where I can take cash out of my current home to use as a down payment for my next property? How much of a tax write-off do I get for paying interest on my mortgage?
I am beyond frustrated with the centralized power in this country. It’s not just the centralization of the Big Pharma Complex, Big Food Complex, Big Agriculture Complex, Big Birthing & Fertility Complex, and Military Complex, but the centralization of information. The centralization is probably the one that gets overlooked the most but I believe it is the most important.
Because the right information (the truth) is freeing.
The wrong information is enslavement.
And humans have inherent value.
Therefore you are free and you deserve truth.
The right information allows the average person to build financial independence from centralized systems of control.
I think to me - real estate has always been intertwined with freedom. There is something so freeing and uniquely American about the concept of owning your own land. And as much as I have a love-hate relationship with this country, especially after just coming back from Europe, where cities are “safer”, cleaner, and have better transit. America is still the best place in the world at the moment to be free.
I want as many people as possible to reach financial freedom. I’m still a baby. I’m still learning, but I have spent the last few years focusing on learning creative ways to get into the real estate market.
And last month, I purchased my piece in my real estate portfolio for $14 cash at closing. (The wire fee was more than my closing costs)
I am not saying this to brag but to inspire and encourage. If a young mom who supports her son fresh out of college can figure out how to use existing systems and programs to invest in real estate, so can you.
As much as I want to get into all the details of how I did this in this entry. I think a video and course will be more effective and easy to follow along with.
WATCH : Video on how to “How to buy your First Piece of Real Estate for $14” (click HERE)
COMING SOON: E-course with easy-to-follow underwriting tools on “How to buy your First Piece of Real Estate for $14”
As always, I am pro-freedom for all. My DMs, email, etc., are always open. Whether it’s needing help working towards financial freedom or how to get yourself out of a medical loop or how to have a healthy, cheap pregnancy, or any other topic I’ve covered in my writings or podcasts. Please reach out. The more people awake, learning, joyful & free in this world, the better!