As you can tell, we’re going to be making this a regular feature on the blog. I’ve got a few in the back pocket (see how big your pockets can be!) and wanted to share them with you.

Meet Investor Eric Medemar

How long have you been investing in real estate?
I have been investing in real estate for the past 5 years from a rental standpoint, for about 2 years I have been flipping and wholesaling homes for myself. Prior to starting to do flips myself I was working with investors selling them the same properties that I now by myself. I truly enjoyed making other people $100,000+ in profits flipping homes, but then it was time to start using my own money.

How did you get started investing?
I had always been interested in real estate investing even in high school, after college I decided to become a realtor. After a year or two of being a realtor and selling multifamily homes I decided that it was time for me to buy my first one. After the first one I realized that buying homes was no big deal and over the next couple of years I added some more single families and a couple of 2 units. Within 18 months of my first home I had bought 8 more.

What is your focus (area of expertise)?

I try not to put myself in a box, but lately I have been doing a lot of wholesale and rehab homes, in fact just this week I put 3 more under contract, and next week I close on my 8th flip end user flip for 2007. I am currently rehabbing about 10 homes and have close to 30 rental units that I manage myself.

How many deals have you done in your career?
I am guessing that I have closed over 100 transaction sides as a realtor and have done close to 40 transaction sides for myself

Do you have your real estate license?
Yes

What advice would you give to a beginning investor?
Get educated then get to work. Don’t listen to the angry, go nowhere people who will try to tell you that the market is slow, or that having a toilet or 2 that need fixing is the end of the world. Most people love mediocrity, and they love you to live in their world of mediocrity. Don’t fall for their tricks, if one person is making money in your real estate market than you can too. Success leaves tracks, to follow them.

What was your toughest deal?
I will let you know when I have had one.

What would your dream deal be?
All deals that I follow are my dream deals because real estate investing lets me live the life of my dreams.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with the rest of us?
To me real estate is the most powerful wealth builder for the common man. College degrees are steadily decreasing in value, the supply of college graduates keeps growing and demand keeps going down because of the massive transfer of jobs too other places. Real estate can take anyone who wants to learn the trade and make them rich. I have a college degree but I certainly don’t need it. I make more in 2 good deals than many of my college degree counter parts will make in a year. If you are going to learn something don’t limit yourself to your trade, learn to create wealth instead. Most everyone I know is far more skilled than me at everything but real estate. Some people know how to build, some tear apart cars, some make a mean hamburger, but I know how to make money and that’s kinda fun.

Eric Medemar
Excell Realty Inc
616-292-4009
www.TheUnemployedInvestor.com