Scaling Up, Adding Value, and the Power of Self-Managing with James Kandasamy

Today’s guest was a former engineer before transitioning to multifamily investing. He’s the author of Passive Investing in Commercial Real Estate, a speaker, podcast host, and a principal at Achieve Investment Group with over 1700 units under management.

Mark and James discuss vertical integration, the stock market, and how to be the Warren Buffet of real estate.

What You’ll Learn In Today’s Episode:

The stock market has the best advertising and the worst returns, whereas real estate has the worst marketing and best returns. In the stock market, the person who benefits the most is the middleman, brokers and money managers. Working in real estate is different, you’re an entrepreneur buying a business and have control of the asset. Success is contingent on your efforts.

James came to the U.S. from Malaysia in 2010 with no retirement and no savings. After working a while and watching his wealth slowly grow, he took matters into his own hands. Starting first with side-hustles, the stock market, and finally ending up in real estate, he had the entrepreneurial spirit and mindset to make things happen. In his own words, having a great mindset is crucial, but it’s not enough. You have to have a burning desire, a want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe.

Real Estate gives you more control and the ability to vertically integrate. James not only buys large apartment communities, but he also manages them. Having day-to-day control over the property can be a thankless job, but the benefits to your overall operations are well worth it. This vertical integration allows James to find properties with poor management and feel confident that he can add value on day 1 through streamlining operations and reducing expenses.