Little did I know it would take decades to ripen :)3. bought a foreclosure sale .. traded the house for the 3 acres the person who owned the house. 

Quote from @James N Sheils: Hi Brandon, I have worked with Southern Impression Homes for also decade and merged my own company with them to become a full partner in 2022. 

I recently moved back to the U.S. after almost two decades working in international development and entrepreneurship across the African continent, from co-founding a tech-enabled logistics company in Ghana to negotiating public-private partnerships for infrastructure investments in Senegal.

A good investor friendly agent typically does “driving for dollars,” from what I’ve heard, and they might have a direct line on off market properties.Eyes on the Future - At 19, you can stack up quite the portfolio over the next decade.

Somehow, I had it in my head that I didn't want to do a cost seg, I like to keep things simple and cost seg seemed not worth it, so I have been investing for over a decade before we did the first.

This included some landmark deals including Rockefeller Center’s $3.5B loan and Miami Beach’s Fontainebleau $1.2B refinancingAlternative lenders filling traditional banking gaps with short-term solutions which has already begun a cycle of consolidation that will likely continue and accelerate in 2025The Office Sector Divide:CBD property values are down 50.7% from 2021 peaksClass A office properties seem to be in their own vacuum of prosperity with trophy properties commanding premium rents ($100+ PSF nationally, up to $247 in top markets) with strong occupancyHybrid work continues impacting older building valuations which have not faired as well, but this may begin to rebalance as more companies are instituting mandates to return to physical officesChallenges & Opportunities:$1 trillion in loans maturing by 2026Interest rates up from 3.5% (2021) to 6.74% (2024)Experts such as AEW’s Michael Acton and Blackstone’s Nadeem Meghji see the best entry point in the last 15–20 years and we agreeMarket Outlook:Current market conditions present unique opportunities, with inflation-adjusted prices at historic lows and yields at decade highs.

I would personally put as little down as possible, but if you make a substantial income and your goal is to start paying them off after a decade you can put down more. 

Done multifamily, SFR, STRs... and finally found the niche that I love the most and believe has the most potential for decades to come.

Taking money out of 401k is expensive and you can’t get back the tax benefits of having the money passively grow for decades tax free until distribution. 

As someone who’s spent a couple of decades in real estate investing, here are a few things I’d keep in mind:HOA Restrictions: You’re absolutely right to check the HOA documents.