All Forum Posts by: Erik Stewart

@CJ M.

This is awesome!! I know I'm not supposed to say "awesome, you lost your job", but looking back, are you not glad you did?! 25 doors in 2 years is incredible!

Would you be willing to detail out your thought process when you lost your job and the steps that led to you making the choices you did? In case anyone reading this and is in the situation you were, losing a job and having just relocated, or just wanting to leave a 9-5 situation, I think it would be super beneficial to hear what kind of real estate experience or knowledge you had up until the point of losing your job and what type of savings you had and what type of job you had period all that information really sets the stage and helps someone who might think they have no business getting into real estate. I would like to show them that EVERYONE has business getting into real estate!

@Gail W.

Great stories, thanks for sharing!!

There is so much value in telling long and detailed stories. You have done so many different types of investing over the years and sounds like you were even totally out of investing for a while then later got back in! It just shows that there isn't necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach to investing. It can be fluid and can change as your life changes. This is an excellent tale of adaptability, perseverance, creativity. Please feel free to elaborate on how you cultivated the mindset to get started on real estate and how your mind set changed with every success and failure to eventually lead you to where you are today!

@Darius Ogloza

I love this! Starting with kids and no savings and no job is hard enough, but add onto that the fact that your parents emigrated from another country to the US, and that adds another level of accomplishment!! I am sure your parents could have written entire books about their experience and what they had to sacrifice to accomplish their dreams. Not to mention the adjustments his children had to make. I'm sure it was well worth any "short term" struggles to build a life worth living!

Thanks so much for sharing! Do you invest in the California market now?

@Chris John

Thanks for the cool perspective! When I read "The Millionaire Nextdoor" book, I thought it would be cool to be independently wealthy but not let it show through in my lifestyle. I don't really need the luxury items, but prefer the freedom to use every minute of my day the way I decide and not have to follow the traditional career path. Good luck moving forward!

@Anastasia Gamino

Exactly! Thanks for sharing! Once you decide that you are going to start investing, it's amazing how much opportunity and success one can find through consistently applied effort. As you said, financial literacy is a must and without it, one is at such a huge disadvantage. It's the foundation for everything. You must be a great teacher because you summed it up very accurately and succinctly. Good luck moving forward on your journey and happy Thanksgiving today!!

@Ray B.

I love the self-discovery story! I can definitely relate to the accidental house hack because I did the same thing. What's investing without making the classic rent-to-friends mistake haha. I've been there as well (though mostly worked out well) The coolest thing for me was learning that there's a whole community of people on BP who are all at different points in their own journey and willing to share so that we can all help each other find success!

Congrats on acquiring multiple properties! That's awesome! What are your current goals and how are they different from when you were just getting started?

There seems to be some debate on the handyman skills, in investing. Personally, I think that being able to provide the skilled labor is such a huge advantage over paying for it. It's perfect for this thread where those of us who have an idea or a dream we want to pursue and use everything at our disposal to make it a reality. If that means doing all the manual work, learning accounting, door knocking for deals, then that's what we do to succeed. It might be different depending on where we are in our careers as well.

Congrats on your success so far, but more importantly, congrats on your self development and mindset!

@Jay Hinrichs

Whoa! Doubling in value for your first house as a young man! Seeing the possibilities first hand like that, so early in your career, must have been like rocket fuel!

I think a lot of investors have certain moments in their careers, especially looking back, where they can see that the floodgates opened and there was no going back to an old way of thinking. I love the paradigm shift that unlocked so much potential for you and a successful real estate career. I'm hoping to encourage the same paradigm shifts with others who may be reading these posts!

@Steve Vaughan

Thanks for sharing! So many great points in your story.

I totally agree that doing work you don't want to be doing can definitely illuminate a better path, one that you couldn't see before. At the very least forces you to ask yourself the rough questions like: how do I be the owner and now the worker? Those are powerful questions!

Overcoming alcohol is a huge accomplishment. It reminds me that not every obstacle is going to be business related. "The toughest battles are the ones we have within ourselves" I love this quote and agree 100%.

I've always admired the discipline, grit, dedication, and mental toughness displayed by my 2 marine step-brothers.

I think my favorite part of your story was that your made the decision with intention to get more from life. It wasn't easy, just the opposite. You cut living expenses and did what was necessary to achieve your goals. I think that's what separates success and failure. Most people want great lives, but then you tell them to sacrifice, cut living expenses and live in a trailer for 5 years and then they can't do it. To most people, a short term sacrifice isn't worth having an amazing life in the other side. Not sure if it's fear that it won't work out or that they are too comfortable with the familiar, but I say they are missing out!

What are your favorite pieces of advice to give people who are struggling in their own journey but maybe can't see the bigger picture?

@James Wise

PS how do you become a Store Manager at age of 21?! That's pretty impressive. Did you know then that you were capable of much more?

@Jay Hinrichs

Love this! Sounds like you were self starting even as a young man! That's a rare skill indeed!!

If getting your real estate license was the launching pad, then there's always foundation building that has already happened.

What made you so motivated at such a young age?!