How much is my mentorship worth?

How much is my mentorship worth?

Rental Property Investor · Souderton, PA · Member since 2020 · 124 posts · 106 votes

Hey everyone,

In the last year I have completed my first 2 deals and now have 5 units total (living in one).

In the last 2 years I have immersed myself in books, podcasts and this forum and have gained a lot of knowledge. My prior experience has made me pretty good in the fixing aspect to increase rent. I also have my real estate license in PA which has helped a lot too.

When I talk to my close friends about the details of what I’m doing, to most of the smart ones it’s a no brainer to get started at this age (low 20’s) if possible.

I’m currently working with 3 friends, they are sending me deals we analyze them together, run numbers and I answer any questions that I can. I’ve put them in contact with a good network mortgage, title, insurance, inspection etc. Schedule showings going through with them and am really trying to help them get started on the path that I know will take me to financial freedom.

I worked something out with my broker so I am technically a referral agent at this point but when I buy a house for myself he gives me a higher commission, because I didn’t want to be spending all the money to stay active ($150 a month) to $150 for the year as a referral agent.

Anyways, my one friend just closed on his first multifamily and for the hours and hours I spent with him. Which I was happy to do. I might see a check for $500.

I didn’t have someone helping me through my first deals and I think even though I’m new to this I add a lot of value to my friends getting started.

It doesn’t feel right charging a friend for guidance but when my phone is going off non-stop all hours of the day. It feels like I should be charging..

My question is should I be charging for this type of service? If so, how much?

Thanks in advance!

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Real Estate Agent · Member since 2019 · 285 posts · 149 votes
6y

@Jacob Lapp that's a good question, considering they're close friends and potential partners in the future, I would think twice before charging them for my time. If you really feel like you're spending an unreasonable amount of time helping them then you could work out a partnership on those deals. Also considering you're a licensed agent, you could work as their buyers agent, which would help you build a reputation as a investor "friendly" agent. At the end of the day we all need to generate income in order to grow and scale our RE businesses.

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  • Real Estate Agent · Member since 2019 · 285 posts · 149 votes
    6y

    @Jacob Lapp that's a good question, considering they're close friends and potential partners in the future, I would think twice before charging them for my time. If you really feel like you're spending an unreasonable amount of time helping them then you could work out a partnership on those deals. Also considering you're a licensed agent, you could work as their buyers agent, which would help you build a reputation as a investor "friendly" agent. At the end of the day we all need to generate income in order to grow and scale our RE businesses.

  • Rental Property Investor · Clarksville, TN · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    @Jacob Lapp

    Ask your friends what they would have paid a stranger to provide the same help you have provided them. I'm guessing the answer is less than you think. How to analyze a deal and creating the network you referred them to can be found online fairly easily.

    Not saying your time is not valuable, nor that you didn't bring them value. Just that being utilized is also a result of being the easiest free source of information. I think the biggest result from you starting to charge will be that your phone stops ringing.

    Congratulations on your progress so far, if you can stay disciplined and committed it sounds like you'll be able to get anywhere you want financially.

  • Rental Property Investor · Souderton, PA · Member since 2020 · 124 posts · 106 votes
    6y

    @Cody Barna

    Thanks! I agree, that’s why I’m hesitant on asking. 2 guys I’m working with are close friends and I would never ask them for money. They have helped me out plenty and I enjoy helping them. Definitely potential partners.

    The third isn’t as close of a friend but I still enjoy helping people in general. This post wasn’t necessarily about my close friends but just in general helping people going forward.

    I had my license active for a year and helped a few people buy homes. All while doing my full-time job that is pretty demanding. Which is why I reverted to a referral agent. Eventually I would like to specialize in investment properties but for now I ‘m just trying to help people who are interested in getting started.

  • Rental Property Investor · Souderton, PA · Member since 2020 · 124 posts · 106 votes
    6y

    @Todd Rasmussen

    That’s a good point. I personally wouldn’t have paid someone which forced me to learn it on my own which was extremely beneficial to me. It took quite a bit of hours for me. Maybe I should push my friends in that direction and be an asset when needed. Thanks!

  • Rental Property Investor · Northern, CA · Member since 2012 · 5k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    6y

    I personally wouldn't charge my "close friends" for giving them advice/guidance.  That's just me.  If you feel like they're calling you too much though, just tell them that.  Maybe they're just excited to get started and to have a friend to talk through these things with?  If it starts getting to the point where you feel it's too much of an imposition on your time or you're being taken advantage of, just remember...no one can take advantage of you unless you let them.

  • Rental Property Investor · Souderton, PA · Member since 2020 · 124 posts · 106 votes
    6y

    @Kyle J.

    That’s a good point. How about for not close friends?

  • Attorney · Nashville, TN · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    @Jacob Lapp

    I'm a lawyer but I get asked a lot to do "consulting" work for real estate projects. They may not need my legal help but they may need my help with underwriting, financing, construction planning, etc. For those types of projects, I typically charge them 1/2 to 1/3 of my lawyer fees. I don't mind the discount since it's fun. 

    In terms of charging friends, I mostly deal with other professionals and business folks. So they generally have no qualms about paying me if I needed to get deeply involved. But I agree with others that you want to be sensitive to time. For example, I won't bill my full time talking on the phone when we spend half of it socializing. 

    Disclaimer: While I’m an attorney licensed to practice in PA, I’m not your attorney. What I wrote above does not create an attorney/client relationship between us. I wrote the above for informational purposes. Do not rely on it for legal advice. Always consult with your attorney before you rely on the above information.

  • Rental Property Investor · Clarksville, TN · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Jacob Lapp:

    @Todd Rasmussen

    That’s a good point. I personally wouldn’t have paid someone which forced me to learn it on my own which was extremely beneficial to me. It took quite a bit of hours for me. Maybe I should push my friends in that direction and be an asset when needed. Thanks!

    Jesting aside, I think you give what you are able to to your friends and if in some more time you sill are interested in active business models of coaching/mentoring you can pursue it once you fill out your resume a little.

  • Austin, TX · Member since 2017 · 75 posts · 39 votes
    6y

    @Jacob Lapp

    This is awesome what you’re doing and it is a lot of fun to get to help people where you’re passionate about. This is a great opportunity to learn and set some boundaries to protect your own wellbeing. My wife runs into this a lot bc she’s a fitness trainer and she loves helping people. She would do it for free if possible. Her clients often don’t understand the pressure they put on her and how much she has to go out of her way to accommodate when they keep asking for things and rarely show appreciation. A lot of it can be handled with a conversation and setting clear expectations. You might want to have that conversation with your friends and put some constraints on your availability. Even if you charge them or other people, they will still need to know your boundaries otherwise they make their own.

  • Rental Property Investor · Souderton, PA · Member since 2020 · 124 posts · 106 votes
    6y

    @Todd Rasmussen

    Lol well played post and I agree thanks!

  • Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2019 · 146 posts · 77 votes
    6y

    @Jacob Lapp first of all I want to commend you for wanting to give back so freely. Not everyone wants to mentor but I noticed those that do get much more in return such as deeper knowledge and understanding, increased experience and connections. The question you need to ask yourself is how much do you value your time? If you're spending YOUR time to help friends increase their income and financial status then it's only fair to be compensated. If presented properly they will understand and accept your new terms because they'll value you friendship and the assistance you provided. Don't get me wrong, I've shared some insight with some close friends and "looked" at a deal here and there but it wasn't enough to distract me from obtaining my goals. There have been some times where I simply explained that I'd love to help them further but due to all the time I've committed thus far, it's preventing me from using my time to advance my career and goals and then shared that if they would like continual mentorship then maybe we should discuss a form of payment. You need to worry about you first otherwise you'll start feeling like you're being taken advantage of which from your post sounds like it may be a little bit of the case.

  • Rental Property Investor · Durham, NC · Member since 2016 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    6y

    @Jacob Lapp I don’t think your mentor ship has much value honestly beyond a simple one time fee. Maybe a few hundred dollars.

    Your best option is to provide this type of value and convert that to sales or purchases with you as the agent.

  • Topanga, CA · Member since 2017 · 12 posts · 14 votes
    6y

    You have been doing real estate for 1 year, and have done 2 deals?

    Do you think a stranger would pay you for this expertise? If not, why would you charge your friends? You are still learning, and a good friend would want to help their friends gain success also.

    If they are relying on your knowledge too much, why don't you just point them in the direction of the resources you used when you started your journey, and hope you can leverage off of each other's unique knowledge in the future.

  • Joe VilleneuvePro Member
    Plymouth, MI · Member since 2013 · 13k+ posts · 19k+ votes
    6y

    Take a partnership percentage of all deals made with your help

  • Real Estate Agent · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2013 · 451 posts · 369 votes
    6y

    Doing one deal a year more than covers your cost to be an agent, get your active license again, and make money as their buyers agent. You don't have nearly enough experience to be a hired consultant for others.

  • Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    @Jacob Lapp

    You’ve done 2 deals.

    $0

    Do 20, or 40. Ride out a recession (like this one) and make a pivot or two in order to still absolutely dominate the crap out of your niche (which after 2 deals, you don’t even have yet).

    One of the biggest scams in real estate investing is the “coaching”. And by that I mean people who have minimal experience making maybe (and that’s a big maybe) $100/ door after expenses with a dozen or so doors over say a ten year hold teaching people about how to invest. Cash flow of $15,000 annually if they’re lucky but trying to sell coaching and mentor ship to even greener folks for ~$3,000-$5,000 each annually because they realize that even if 10 people bite they just doubled or tripled their income from “real estate”.

    You’re literally on step 2 of the marathon, don’t start charging people for your wisdom on successful marathons just yet...

  • Rental Property Investor · Souderton, PA · Member since 2020 · 124 posts · 106 votes
    6y

    @Kris H.

    I totally agree. I’m brand new in the scheme of things.

    My main point I was making is that I have people reaching out to me to get started. The amount of time I’m putting into helping them start too is starting to add up.

    I’m not trying to add to my income from telling people I’m some guru. I was thinking of it more based on maybe people would ask less if I set that boundary.

    I think I’m just going to let people know what resources I use from the jump and that if they want to have their hands held throughout the process I would need to charge for my time.

    Thanks for your input.

  • Rental Property Investor · Leavenworth, KS · Member since 2018 · 22 posts · 18 votes
    6y

    @Jacob Lapp you having friends around doing what you are doing is more valuable than a fee. They will make mistakes and learn things you may not know. Also more people to network.

  • Investor · St Petersburg, FL · Member since 2014 · 231 posts · 221 votes
    6y

    I've got a number of friends who are interested in investing. A few have one rental that was a primary home, some have just their own homes, and one has done many deals on different kinds of properties. They all have some money, and all want to learn the investing game. So I've told them I'll bring them deals, they bring the money, we'll split the deal equally, and they can be as active or inactive in the process as they want. That way I'm getting paid for walking them through the deal.

  • Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
    6y

    @Jacob Lapp

    I hope you've learned your lesson in this thread. Buy some cornflower blue suits, put stuff in your hair, strap on a nice big fake Rolex, lease a Beamer, lie about how many deals you've done and start collecting what you're owed! When it comes to going guru, go big or go home.

  • Rental Property Investor · Boston, Massachusetts (MA) · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    6y

    @Jim K. Jesus Jim, where have you been all my life? 😆

  • Brian LucierPro Member
    Property Manager · Fitchburg, MA · Member since 2012 · 146 posts · 201 votes
    6y

    @Jacob Lapp

    I would love to comment on your post. But please first send me a check for $97.99 for my mentorship response.

    That really sounds silly doesn't it? Please remember this. "Real Estate is a Relationship Business." What you are doing with your friends is called "networking." Keep doing that. Networking and sharing information opens doors and both gives and gets all of us the information and relationships we are looking for to grow our businesses. If people were charging just for the conversations they are having at networking events, that would slam the breaks on building connections to referrals, leads, deals, and slow down the trajectory of growth crippling so many of our businesses.

    Brian Tracy says it over and over in so many of his books on sales. You have to give first before you receive without the expectation of getting anything in return. "The Secret" calls this the Law of Reciprocation. Dale Carnegie in his book "How to Win Friends and Influence People" makes this all about building the relationship with the other person. "The Millionaire Mindset" advocates being an apostle to your market industry, giving first because you have a genuine interest in that industry. 

    Turn the tables on your question for a moment. You mention all of these people who have helped you along the way to get where you are in your 2 year journey. That's great that people were sincerely there for you to help you grow. Would you have made the same choices if everyone you spoke to had their hand out to get paid along the way? Like @David Greene  says all of the time "You want to be the Colgate of your trade and industry." You want to be that one person people think of and will go to solve their problems. If your phone is ringing off the hook - GREAT! Keep doing what you are doing the same way. I think folks will think twice about calling you if they know they are going to be billed. @Joshua D. created BiggerPockets to provide people all of this information to grow their Real Estate businesses for FREE. Be apart of what this forum is all about.

    Give. Share. Grow.

    So what is your mentorship worth? I will answer your question in 20 years.

  • Rental Property Investor · Souderton, PA · Member since 2020 · 124 posts · 106 votes
    6y

    @Brian Lucier

    Well said! I totally agree I know building these relationships/ networks is extremely valuable. I have very little to offer in the scheme of things because of my lack of experience, plus these are my friends I would not want to ever ask them for money.

    Where I was conflicted and feel like I know better now is that it went from planting the thought in them to holding their hands throughout the whole process. Where because I didn’t have the same hand holding I had to learn more myself which made me understand things better. I think I just have to make the disconnect/ boundary where I can show them the resources I use and help when I can instead of burning myself out.

  • Brian LucierPro Member
    Property Manager · Fitchburg, MA · Member since 2012 · 146 posts · 201 votes
    6y

    @Jacob Lapp

    I get it. You have to give a lot to get your name out there. These are just your first steps on a long journey. You should pause and seriously consider if this is what you really want to do. 19 Years ago my wife and I started our portfolio of buy and hold properties. The one thing I cannot make more of is time. Yet here I am responding to your post to try to help.

    I have lost count of the hours I have spent talking with other landlords to guide them through the pitfalls and landmines that could blow them off of the game board. The time is not not point here. I do this this because I love it. Yes, it would be great if they became clients but that is not the point. It is more important to me that THEY become successful.

    It has happened more than once that the landlord I helped pointed others in my direction as referrals that DID become clients. So you never know. Don't do it for the greed for the lead, do it because you are genuinely interested in their success. People can small the difference a mile away. If you think good news travels fast, bad news travels even faster.

    Always make it about the other person.

  • Rental Property Investor · Souderton, PA · Member since 2020 · 124 posts · 106 votes
    6y

    @Brian Lucier

    Again, very well said and I agree. I am extremely passionate about this and love helping people start because I do believe in it. At this point currently working full-time, rehabbing the house myself I am living in during my off-time, gaining new knowledge, and helping friends do the same. At times can feel overwhelming not because I don’t like doing it. I love the chaos it just seems my energy isn’t matched by the people around me. I know this is where there’s a lot of like minded people who hustle the same as me and wanted to get some insight on their views. I think I have a good consensus of what people are saying here and I just need to stick it out and keep being a good friend and learn with them. I appreciate your time.

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