How Many RE Investors are Engineers?

Rental Property Investor · Fargo, ND · Member since 2016 · 136 posts · 112 votes

Is it just me or are about 25% of all real estate investors, also engineers? As an Engineer myself I could be biased but curious if anyone has insight. I know folks usually have professional background like IT, accounting, dr but would be going out on a limb to say engineers cover the majority of all real estate investors?

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Pat L.

Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes

I did the eng gig until REI proved to be way more profitable. It's paid off in so many ways allowing me to do 'permitted' electrical (took that minor in elect.), opening & replacing walls with LVL beams, HVAC installs, on-demand HW (elect & NG) etc etc. It's a discipline that opened so many cost saving opportunities & you don't get snowed by contractors, home or building inspectors. Biggest job 'permitted' by my town was the complete design, install & wiring/flow rate monitoring of complete fire sprinkler system for a 6 unit. They allowed me 6 months & did it all myself.

But then again I remember our final exams forbade the use of calculators, slide rules were the only device allowed as were card punched software solutions in our lab finals.

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Charles Xia
Investor · New York, NY · Member since 2019 · 44 posts · 30 votes
6y
Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from NYU. Also a Real Estate Investor and Licensed Sales Agent from NY (:
1 Reply
Myles Outlaw
Member since 2019 · 1 post · 0 votes
6y
Hi. I just wanted to throw my hat in the ring. Does an Architect count lol? I am currently an assistant architect awaiting to sit for my exam to become a licensed architect. I will add to the overall numbers soon. Hopefully it gives me an advantage as I begin investing.
0 Reply
Joshua Durrin
Real Estate Broker · Alameda, CA · Member since 2013 · 105 posts · 41 votes
6y
@Adam Zach
Biochemical/process engineer here
0 Reply
Jade S.
Developer · Brisbane · Member since 2020 · 2 posts · 1 vote
6y
Yes - agree lol - I'm a civil engineer and builder.
1 Reply
Holly BrownBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Houston, TX · Member since 2019 · 190 posts · 137 votes
6y
Bachelors in Biomedical Engineering from University of Missouri. Scientist by day and Investment Realtor/ RE Investor by night in Missouri and Texas
281-250-0650
Invest In Houston Real Estate Team
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3 Reply
Johnson Michael
Real Estate Agent · Fremont, CA · Member since 2018 · 48 posts · 21 votes
6y
Software Engineer. Bought my first investment property in March, 2020. Looking to scale up
2 Reply
Ben Balian
New to Real Estate · Lowell, MA · Member since 2019 · 1 post · 2 votes
6y
Senior in Chemical Engineering here. Not currently a RE investor yet, but I plan to be within 18 months
2 Reply
Allen Yeung
Investor · Edison, NJ · Member since 2020 · 2 posts · 1 vote
6y
Hi All, Electrical Engineer here and have 3 rental properties
1 Reply
Arthur Martin Barbeau
Realtor · Creedmoor, NC · Member since 2019 · 5 posts · 2 votes
6y
Another engineer here.
1 Reply
Josh Rice
Evansville, IN · Member since 2017 · 5 posts · 8 votes
6y
Civil Engineer, 1st Brrr Occupied June 1, appraisal due tomorrow, crossing fingers :)
1 Reply
Holly BrownBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Houston, TX · Member since 2019 · 190 posts · 137 votes
6y
Originally posted by @Josh Rice:
Civil Engineer, 1st Brrr Occupied June 1, appraisal due tomorrow, crossing fingers :)

Good Luck!

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Noah Gregory
Real Estate Agent · Golden, CO · Member since 2019 · 22 posts · 18 votes
6y
Chemist here and part time agent. We focus on clients looking to house hack and well over half of our clients are young engineers out of college less than 10 years. Also I've met quite a few investors that are engineers/scientists, not a majority but definitely a large portion of the community.
0 Reply
Matt Reynolds
Member since 2019 · 4 posts · 2 votes
6y
Process engineer and new real estate investor here. 10yrs of process/manufacturing engineering experience and just closed on my first SFH rental 2 weeks ago.
1 Reply
Keritan Shelby
Investor · Greenville, TX · Member since 2018 · 31 posts · 14 votes
6y
Computer Engineer. Been investing for 2 years.
1 Reply
Gary Abner
Rental Property Investor · Kitsap county Washington · Member since 2017 · 117 posts · 39 votes
6y
Originally posted by @Pat L.:
I did the eng gig until REI proved to be way more profitable. It's paid off in so many ways allowing me to do 'permitted' electrical (took that minor in elect.), opening & replacing walls with LVL beams, HVAC installs, on-demand HW (elect & NG) etc etc. It's a discipline that opened so many cost saving opportunities & you don't get snowed by contractors, home or building inspectors. Biggest job 'permitted' by my town was the complete design, install & wiring/flow rate monitoring of complete fire sprinkler system for a 6 unit. They allowed me 6 months & did it all myself.
But then again I remember our final exams forbade the use of calculators, slide rules were the only device allowed as were card punched software solutions in our lab finals.
I'd really like to understand what you said here. I'm an electrical engineer. How do I leverage that for building and permitting? Can any homeowner do his own electrical under a permit?

1 Reply
Ed Zulyevic
Rental Property Investor · Willamette Valley Oregon · Member since 2018 · 11 posts · 16 votes
6y
@Adam Zach
Yep, same here..Aviation
1 Reply
Ivan Vasquez
Contractor · San Jose, CA · Member since 2020 · 32 posts · 17 votes
6y
@Adam Zach
Yes, my wife is an electrical engineer and loves investing in real-estate. She’s the brains in finding deals and I’m the muscle that flips the place.
1 Reply
Pat L.
Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
6y
@Gary Abner some towns/cities will allow you as the 'owner' of record to do your own work. Assuming you can show proficiency & remember the majority of those doing electrical send their apprentices to do it. Some years ago I HAD to use lic electricians to install a 200 amp service in our Barn. The NEW tax paid $48k/yr electrical inspector insisted on a lic electrician & as an aside must be UNION. I literally had to rewire the place after these mutts finished. Plus the inspector discovered they had used < Sched 40 plumbing PVC for the u/ground conduit. So they had to tear it all out & redo it.

In another city/county I upgraded our electrical panel to 200amp & 90% of the old circa 1970's wiring mess. I called for a permit.

Bldg Insp "don't need one"

Me "it's dangerous work"

BI "Haven't lost anyone yet"

So I did it all & got a State Inspector to certify it for Insurance purposes $54 & sent a copy to the BI. I then did a 400 amp service for a neighbors barn & that was fun.

On another Barn we own the utility insisted on a pole 50% from the road to the barn then underground was OK. They required permits & at least 8 weeks, plus $1800 for the install of the pole. My wife called a utility worker that owed her a favor & we had a pole with meter & live in 3 days $0.00.
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Account Closed
New to Real Estate · Mid-Atlantic · Member since 2020 · 10 posts · 2 votes
6y
Me too.
1 Reply
Faith Hill
Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2020 · 14 posts · 17 votes
6y
My husband is an Industrial Engineer. I definitely take advantage of his engineering brain, because he really excels at analyzing deals and running the numbers. I focus more on Operations.
1 Reply
Shae Green
Real Estate Agent · Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2018 · 19 posts · 12 votes
6y
I'm a chemical engineer and husband is a biomedical engineer. (Sometimes wish we did civil/electrical or something that would be more useful in REI) We have a handful of friends that invest as well but I actually don't see a ton in our age group (mid-20's). Maybe it's an age thing but most of our colleagues and engineer friends like spending their paychecks instead of building their net worth or creating passive income. Hopefully that will start shifting. I do agree though that within bigger pockets, on the podcasts, or in the FI community in general, about 1 in every 4 has some type of engineering background.
1 Reply
Karah Collins
Member since 2020 · 25 posts · 25 votes
6y
Haha is anyone studying for their PE? I’m trying to get mine in mech. Thermo this year but surprisingly being locked at home hasn’t been great for my study game. Hard to work and study from the same tiny apartment!
1 Reply
Obinna Ezeilo
Frisco, TX · Member since 2019 · 17 posts · 2 votes
6y
I'm a mobile/web developer, if that counts.
1 Reply
Monique M.
Atlanta, GA · Member since 2013 · 16 posts · 1 vote
6y
I'm pretty geeky too, BSEE and MSEE
20-year veteran real estate investor
1 Reply
Araceliz Gomes
Rental Property Investor · Orlando, FL · Member since 2020 · 5 posts · 2 votes
6y
@Adam Zach I am a software engineer but am just getting into REI. I did not know that a lot of investors are also engineers, very interesting!
0 Reply

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