Discover how Jaden turned an unexpected career setback into a multimillion-dollar real estate success story. Laid off from his corporate 9 to 5, he took a bold leap into multifamily investing—now, just three years later, he owns 199 units worth over $14 million. How did he do it? Find out, as we dive into Jaden’s journey and key lessons that can help you make the leap too!
In this interview, you’ll learn:
- How Jaden transitioned from the corporate world to multifamily investing.
- How persistence and creative strategies helped him secure three properties.
- The steps he took to raise private capital for his deals.
- His approach to building trust and credibility with investors.
- How his life has changed since leaving the corporate world.
- Lessons and actionable tips for beginners wanting to follow in his footsteps.
From Corporate Job to $14M in Real Estate
Today, we’re bringing you an inspiring story of resilience, bold decisions, and remarkable transformation. Meet Jaden, one of our incredible students, who turned an unexpected life challenge into a $14 million multifamily portfolio. After being laid off from his corporate job, Jaden decided not to return to the nine-to-five grind. Instead, he took the leap and ventured into multifamily investing. Fast forward just three years, and Jaden is now a full-time multifamily investor, proudly owning 199 units worth over $14 million. How did he go from zero experience to building a thriving multimillion dollar real estate portfolio? Find out, in this exclusive interview.
Meet Jaden
Peter: Welcome, everyone! Thank you for joining us today. I have a very special guest who took time out of his day to share his inspiring story. Trust me, it’s a journey worth hearing, so be sure to listen closely to everything Jaden has to say. Welcome, Jaden, and thank you for joining us!
Jaden: Thank you, Peter. I’m happy to be here, and I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you.
Peter: Awesome! Well, everyone, Jaden made the shift from the corporate world to full-time multifamily investing, and he’s here to share his story— plus a lot more. Let’s dive jump into it. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Jaden: Well, these days, I’m full-time in real estate, but it wasn’t always that way. I spent 23 years in the corporate environment, working my way up through the leadership ranks. However, more recently, I shifted into real estate investing.
Why Multifamily Real Estate?
Peter: Alright. Jaden, why commercial real estate? Why multifamily? What made you take the leap, and what were some of your motivational factors?
Jaden: When you spend 23 years in the corporate world, you have the chance to build a retirement nest egg. However, as we’ve seen with recent market performance, the stock market isn’t always reliable. I’ve seen people losing a third of their portfolios, which got me thinking about more sustainable ways to use the bit of savings I have and generate additional income on the side, beyond my corporate role. I pursued several avenues and learned about commercial real estate, before honing in on apartment building investments. It offered the right balance of lower risk and significant reward potential. There’s also a lot of stability in the market, especially if you choose the right class of investment.
From there I knew I needed to learn more about the industry—how the numbers and networking come together—I became increasingly interested. I came across your materials Peter, and you’re your philosophy and success stories were inspirational to us as well. So that also played a role in helping us realize that multifamily investing was the best option for achieving our long-term goals. We wanted to plan for the future—not just for ourselves but for our family, retirement, and even grandchildren. We knew that multifamily real estate offered a sustainable path to passive income and generational wealth.
Building a $14 Million Multifamily Portfolio
Peter: That’s awesome. Over the last three years and a few months, you’ve purchased three multifamily properties: a 48-unit, a 68-unit, and an 83-unit. Let’s talk about those deals. But first, I have to mention how persistent you are. People think they can jump into real estate and find success right away, but it took you quite some time to secure your first deal. Can you share that?
Jaden: Absolutely. Securing the first deal was a quite an undertaking. Your group’s assistance, Peter, having the right tools, guidance, and support, was necessary in getting over that first hurdle. It took over a year of pursuit before we closed our first deal.
First Deal: 48 Unit Multifamily Property
We reached out directly to potential sellers and even went into contract on two smaller properties during that time. Unfortunately, we had to walk away from both due to issues uncovered during due diligence that couldn’t be resolved amicably. Then we found a 48-unit property that we came to terms with and were excited to get under contract and go through the due diligence period successfully. After productive negotiations and addressing due diligence findings, we successfully closed the deal with credits at closing. That took a little over a year; from when we began to focus full-time to when we closed.
Scaling Up: 83 Unit Multifamily Property
Jaden: The next property we closed on was a 83-unit property. The 83-unit property was special because it included unfinished space, 8 units framed but not completed. From a bank’s perspective, it was considered a 91-unit acquisition, we just need to build out those additional units.
This deal also stood out because of the significant discrepancy between the seller’s valuation and the actual market valuation. So we went into that one with that awareness and we were upfront with the seller about the gap between what the bank would support and what they were thinking. However, we managed to negotiate a price reduction of approximately 20% from the asking price. Then during inspections, we uncovered additional issues that required further negotiations. Ultimately, we secured a $450,000 credit at closing of the significant work beyond the eight-unit renovation.
Third Deal: 68-Unit Multifamily
Peter: And then we have the 68-unit property right after that.
Jaden: Yes, the 68-unit deal. Interestingly, we went into contract on this one before the 83 (or 91) unit property. The reason for this was that the 68-unit property came with unique dilemmas related to an assumable loan. The bank needed some time to work out the conditions that would allow us to proceed with the loan, but it was worth the wait. The assumable loan had a highly advantageous interest rate—within the 3% range. Considering today’s much higher rates, waiting made sense. We eventually closed this deal about 8% below asking price. Additionally, we negotiated significant credits to address various findings from due diligence and to satisfy certain requirements set by the bank for the assumable loan.
Peter: That’s great! So here we are: 199 units in total over about three years, with a combined purchase price value of nearly $14 million. Who knows what they’re worth now—probably much more.
A Day in the Life: Full-Time Real Estate
Peter: So, Jaden, now that you’re in this full-time, what does your day look like?
Jaden: That’s an interesting question, Peter, because when you’re in real estate full-time, no two days are exactly the same. Each week holds new adventures, and every deal comes with its own shape and size. When you acquire a property, there’s typically a ramp-up phase. If it’s a renovation project, there’s a project phase that you go through. These seasons shape what my days look like, and my focus shifts accordingly. But overall, every day is unique.
Life Beyond Work: Balancing Faith and Family
Peter: Yeah, let me ask you this. You and I meet about once a month to go over all your properties. You’ve done a phenomenal job raising capital for all of this, but I want to dive deeper. Can you share a bit about your day-to-day life? You’ve mentioned your workday, but you also have a lot of responsibilities. You’re a husband, a person of faith, and you have grandkids. So, what happens after work? What can you do now that you couldn’t do when you were in the corporate world?
Jaden: Yeah, that probably the right perspective, Peter. While I shared a bit about my work interests and focus, it’s important to recognize that there isn’t exactly a workday in the way that I had it in the corporate environment. In the corporate environment, I’d check in at 7:30 or 8:30 in the morning and clock out around 6:30 or 7:30 in the evening on a typical day.
As a full-time real estate investor, it’s a whole different world. I now have the freedom to align my days around my priorities. For example, my wife and I prioritize time with our children. We homeschool them, so I am able to orient my days around their activities. They’re involved in various programs that interest them, and I’m able to be more present for their logistical needs—whether that’s attending their sporting events or whatnot that they need support with. I don’t face the same conflicts I did during my corporate career.
Beyond that, we’re actively involved in our church. We don’t just attend services—we aim to contribute in meaningful ways. Once or twice a month, I’ll dedicate a half day to volunteering at a food center that feeds around 200 families in need each week. I can take that half a day and that wouldn’t have been possible during my prior career.
Raising Private Money
Peter: Yeah, that’s awesome. This is what it’s all about—putting in the work, making sacrifices, and taking risks for it all to pay off in the end. Alright, so Jaden, when you first came to us, you didn’t have a lot of money personally, right? You were just transitioning out of your corporate job after the division you worked in completely shut down. I’m sure many of our listeners can relate to that. Since you didn’t have much capital to start, but you’re where you are now, you’ve obviously had to raise private money. What’s it like being in that position—getting people to trust you with their money when you had no experience? How did you get people to trust you? What was that process like?
Building Trust
Jaden: For us, we thought in terms of involving family and friends—those with whom we already had established relationships. Fortunately, over the years, we had built a good reputation with people through volunteer work. In that context, people had seen our integrity. If people know that you’re a person of integrity, that’s a good starting point. Beyond that though, even with trust and good relationships, nobody is going to hand over tens of thousands—or even hundreds of thousands of dollars—without more. You need to demonstrate both trustworthiness and knowledge.
For me, I knew I needed the right partner to make this happen. That’s why I reached out to you, Peter. Your philosophy, approach, and experience aligned with how we wanted to operate. After getting better acquainted with your program, we felt confident moving forward. Leaning on the tools and education you provided; I was able to build a strong personal understanding on the subject and a way of presenting information to people. Literally written presentations I could present to people to help them understand the deals and see how they could get involved. Many of the people we approached had little to no experience with real estate investing, let alone at the scale I was proposing. So, we learned how to present opportunities in clear, simple terms. It was critical to getting us off the ground with this.
Advice for Beginners: Starting Without Personal Capital
Peter: What would you say to a beginner, Jaden—someone who believes they can’t do this business because they don’t have any money? You’ve done it, so how would you say to those people?
Jaden: It’s definitely an interesting place to be when you realize, “I don’t have enough money to go do this.” But here’s the thing—real estate investing, especially in multifamily properties, isn’t typically something people do entirely on their own. Unless you’re an independently wealthy multimillionaire, chances are you’re going to need a pool of money. The truth is most people who buy apartment buildings or other multifamily properties didn’t start funding the deals themselves. They realized that there’s a lot of money out there—sitting in banks, ready to be loaned out. If you can figure out how to meet the bank’s criteria, you’ve tapped into a huge pool of money.
But then you still have a portion of the funding left that you need to bring to the table. For our first deal, I brought together 11 close family members and friends. Together, we pooled our resources to cover the smaller amount that was needed beyond the bank’s funding. There are also creative ways to close deals, like seller financing and other strategies. I didn’t know much about these options before going through the education process with you and your team, Peter. But once I learned about them, I realized there are so many avenues to pursue. Not having the personal funds isn’t the barrier people think it is—it’s just part of the process. You just need to learn, and go and do.
Highlights of Working Together
Peter: I love your mindset, Jaden—that’s exactly what it’s all about. So, you’ve been working with us for a few years now. What are some of the highlights of that experience?
Jaden: Highlights? There have been a lot of little moments over the years. Early on, one of the biggest breakthroughs for me was getting educated to the point where I could structure the financials of a deal and present a compelling, reliable plan. That realization hit me about two and a half to three months into my learning process. Around that time, I started reviewing deals with confidence, understanding what I was looking at. I would say that is a notable moment. Everyone I’ve engaged with along the way has been incredibly knowledgeable and articulate. You have a good team around you Peter —each person brought a slightly different perspective, but each were able to speak to the issues I was dealing with at the time.
Peter: That’s huge. Alright, Jaden, I just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing your story. I’m absolutely positive that those out there are going to be inspired by this. So, thank you for taking the time to share!
Jaden: Happy to share, Peter. Thank you for inviting me and for all the help in getting us to where we are today.
Peter: You’re welcome.
Every Successful Commercial Real Estate Investor Has a Mentor
Jaden’s journey demonstrates that multifamily investing is an achievable goal with the right mindset, education, and persistence. Whether you’re starting with little to no capital or transitioning from another career, there’s a path forward—and it starts with taking that first step. Get your mentor here: Commercial Property Advisors Protege Program
If you have any comments or questions, text PETER to 833-942-4516.
Leave a Reply