I've Put More Deals Than Ever Under Contract During the Pandemic

It certainly wasn’t what I expected. The cards were stacked against us in so many ways. Our goal was to survive the pandemic. Keep our team employed. Make ends meet. Pay our bills. Stay afloat.

And yet, as the weeks went by and social isolation became the norm, a new reality set in. We were poised to do more than survive. In fact, we were poised to experience two of our best months ever in our business. And that’s exactly what we did.

I’m aware this hasn’t been the experience for everyone. So in this article, I’ll explain not only how we did this but also why we kept our proverbial foot on the gas, even amid a worldwide pandemic.

How We Did It

Focus

I made a decision early on that I was going to focus on the things I could control, not the things I couldn’t. Feelings of fear and anxiety are fed when we allow ourselves to focus on what we can’t control—either what’s happened in the past that we cannot change or what might happen in the future, which we have no control over.

It’s a choice we all have. We get to decide which thoughts we let in and which ones we don’t. We decide where our focus lies.

My intentional decision to only focus on what I could control set the stage for myself, my family, and my team. We were not going to let the unknown take us down. Instead, we approached every issue as something to be solved.

We worked hard. We stayed focused. We solved problems using the things we could control. Not everything worked the way we wanted it to, but we were able to pivot as needed because our minds were in the right place. We kept moving forward.

Because we didn’t shy away in the face of adversity, we showed our market that we are reliable—that brought us more deals, more opportunities, and more success.

In fact, we put 53 deals under contract in just the last two months.

Luck

Our business is owned and operated out of Kansas City. Historically, this market has been relatively stable—even in spite of massive outside economic influences like the financial collapse of 2008-2009. Our market’s physical location in the middle of the country, plus our diverse set of local employment industries, means no one factor impacts us in a huge way. We are nimble, and our steady 2.3% property appreciation reflects that.

I’d love to say I am super smart and I researched all the real estate markets and chose Kansas City for this reason. But the fact of the matter is this is my hometown. It’s where I grew up and where I live today. I simply got lucky with an incredible market. And that’s the way it goes sometimes. Sometimes we do get lucky.

Our team’s ability to continue buying, renovating, and selling properties throughout the pandemic is in direct relationship to the fact that our local real estate market has not been impacted in the same way many others have.

Relationships

Borrowing from author Brené Brown here: PEOPLE. PEOPLE. PEOPLE. It is always all about people. Our ability as a team to continue buying real estate even as the world was shutting down is a testament to the relationships we have built over time.

Our lending relationships allowed us the flexibility to continue acquiring properties to renovate. Our contractor relationships allowed us to make adjustments to stay within government guidelines but still keep projects moving. Our relationships with clients remained strong.

People have to be a priority. If you haven’t prioritized relationships in your business, you’ll suffer when the hard times hit. A track record of trust and honesty and goodwill goes a long way when uncertainty comes along.

This is something we are always working on in our business. By no means are we perfect—we have plenty of room to improve. But I do believe our relationships gave us the footing to keep pushing forward despite the unique pandemic environment.

Why We Pushed Forward

I’m a strong believer that the best day to own real estate was yesterday and the second-best day is today. Period.

I hold this belief so strongly that I will not let the fluctuations of the market stop my team from creating opportunities for people to own real estate.

Yes, we may have to pivot. We may have to reassess our budgets and reset expectations. But the investment vehicle of real estate has proven itself throughout history, and I believe it’s incredibly important work to continue creating ways for clients to gain wealth and freedom through real estate. No matter what.

It’s this passion that ultimately drives me. For my own family. For my team. For my business. For our incredible clients.

Real estate is one of the most tried and true bridges to wealth and freedom, and I genuinely believe we all deserve a chance at that. I’ll spend my days—whether in my home in social isolation during a global pandemic or out in the world interacting with people when it’s safe to do so—making sure that remains true.

How has your business fared over the past few months? Are any particular strategies working for you?

Share your stories in the comments below.

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.