Gerardo Hernandez

I got my start in real estate at 19, while stationed with the military in Scottsdale, Arizona. My old landlord — a guy who owned 40 homes free and clear and made $35K a month doing it — sold me my first property on a seller-carry deal. I didn't fully grasp how powerful that was at the time, but it planted the seed. I bought a second property that same year, and by 19 I was already a landlord myself. From there I went deep — BiggerPockets, books, podcasts, anything I could get my hands on. I house hacked, tried Airbnb arbitrage and management, and eventually made the mistake of selling two solid long-term rentals to chase the short-term rental trend. Bad timing — the Phoenix Airbnb market oversaturated fast, and that decision cost me both in taxes and in assets I wish I'd kept. It taught me a lesson I still lead with today: don't chase trends, stick to what's proven. When the military and I parted ways, I became a real estate agent full-time and landed top three in my brokerage for three years. When my sphere of influence started drying up, I pivoted into fix and flips — my first flip netted $52K, and I was hooked. Since then I have flipped over 40 homes! Today I run 5-7 flips a quarter with my own in-house crew, hold long-term rentals I only buy if they cash flow at least $1,000/month, and I'm working toward $20K/month in passive income. Now I help other real estate agents do what I did: stop just chasing commissions and become their own client. I run a coaching program and community for agents who want to build real wealth through flipping and rental ownership, not just transaction income. At 29, I'm financially free — and my focus now is helping other agents get there too.