How A Mechanic Invested in 20 Properties in TWO Years

Hello Halton, Toronto, Hamilton, Brantford, St. Catharines, Niagara, Welland, Thorold real estate investors!!!

As I was driving away from my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class, someone pulled up next to me at a stop light. I knew something was up because I was stopped one car back from the intersection yet the driver next to my left one car length in front of him at the stop light that was currently red. I thought he was mad at me as I had earlier signaled to lane change, but I didn’t when I saw him in his Range Rover in my blind spot during my shoulder check.

I looked over and he gave me the universal hand signal to roll my window down.  I muted my audio book (“Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink, it’s excellent by the way) and rolled my window down, expecting some irrational anger directed my way.  Then he says “Thank you so much for your podcast, I love it and I’ll be there for the tour October 28th. Thank you again for the podcast.”

I was shocked, and I’m sure the look on my face matched my feelings. I laughed and thanked the gentleman for the kind words.

Thank you to the gentlemen in the Range Rover and thanks to you all who write in, or share your kind words with me at networking events. I hope listening to my podcast is as fun as it is interviewing these high achievers. Not the post production though – that’s not fun and it time consuming. LOL!

For you readers and listeners, I know you and I agree, making money is an important thing to do. Money gives you options, money buys you time and freedom and it can be fun to spend.

A motto I live by is living is giving and life is about experiences and I’ll give you an example of how money can indeed buy happiness.

A friend of mine was asking for sponsorship money for the EasterSealsSkate.org where her special needs child will skate with the future 2017/18 Stanley Cup Champions, Toronto Maple Leafs if they meet their donation goal.  Sounds like a pretty amazing experience!! 5 minutes and an anonymous donation later, and done, their kid is going to skate with future hall of famers Awesome Matthews, Michal Nylander, Patrick Marleau, Mike Babcock, Morgan Rielly, the list goes on and on…

Don’t believe me? Try it. Living is giving and life is about experiences and money can indeed buy happiness.

Any rock music fans here?

On Friday night, Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, one of the biggest rock bands of the 1990’s and early 2000’s was in town for a solo performance and it was excellent. Though Billy is socially awkward, he was his usual ornery self, lambasting fans who shouted song requests. Billy really doesn’t like being told what to do :P.  However, he was humble and grateful throughout the night and I think he wiped away a tear during a standing ovation.

His music was a big part of my teenage years and I’m loving listening to all their albums on Apple Music (subscription based music streaming and downloading).  If you know of any great concerts coming, please let me know! I’m one of those folks who is always the last to know 😛

Welcome ladies and gentlemen investors across the greatest country in the world.  My name is Erwin Szeto bringing you the Truth About Real Estate Investing show for Canadians, where it is my job to bring you experts in the world of investing.

We will learn from their experience, pick out the lessons, tips and tricks, and figure out what makes them tick so you too can replicate their success.

This week I’m excited to bring to you, all the way from Oshawa, Ontario, Ryan Carr. He is a trained Mechanic who was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and turned to real estate. At first he renovated his own investment properties, but when he couldn’t scale himself, he hired full time contractors. If you’ve been renovating, or looking to renovate like I have, you know how hard it is to get the attention of contractors with this housing boom going on. Ryan’s solution is to hire folks full time. He’s keeping them busy as he’s purchased 20 houses in the last two years, all requiring varying degrees of renovations, including the vertical duplex split. A horizontal split would be the traditional basement apartment duplex, whereas Ryan will install a vertical wall/s to divide a property to increase cash flow by $300-500/month.  Ryan will share some tips on when to vertical split and how to source 20 properties, mostly private deals not on MLS.

This interview with Ryan was an eye opener to me, as are all of our guests, but this is the first time my podcast has been required listening for my team the Halton REI Team.

So without further ado, I give you Ryan Carr

To Listen:

On iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/truth-about-real-estate-investing…/id1100488294

Google Play: http://goo.gl/CAM5Mn

On Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=87335&refid=stpr

Download as an MP3 by right clicking here and choosing “save as”

To reach out to Ryan:

Till next time, Just do it, I believe in you.

Erwin

Hamilton, St. Catharines, Toronto Real Estate, Land Development Investor