26 Doors in Her FIRST Year of Real Estate Investing

Amelia didn’t have formal training on real estate investing. She wasn’t a broker, an agent, or a contractor; none of her family invested in real estate either. You could say that Amelia had to take a ‘’leap of faith” to begin her real estate investing career, a leap that has paid off quickly.
Within her first year as a real estate investor, Amelia was able to close on 26 doors! This is by no means a small number, and has taken many investors decades to reach. So, how did she do it so fast? By leveraging social media, systematizing her property management, and being open to partnerships, Amelia has been able to build a portfolio that replaced her W2 and will allow her to retire within only a few years.
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Join the Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group:
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/ ameliajorei or @ameliajorei
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Software Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Monday Project Management: monday.com/
Apartments.com for Management: www.apartments...
Stessa Accounting Software: www.stessa.com/
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The New Investor’s Simplified Guide to Landing a First Investment Property:
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Episode 111
Show notes at: www.biggerpock...
0:00 Intro
4:50 Acquiring 26 Doors with NO Experience
7:05 Catching The Real Estate Bug
11:44 Partnering with the Parentals
14:59 Financing Bigger Deals
23:22 Pushing Past Fear
25:56 Software and Systems
27:29 Investing Locally
29:14 Rookie Deal
39:22 Mindset Segment
41:26 Rookie Request Line
44:55 Random Questions
48:21 Rookie Rockstar

[@alyssab2327]

I went from a 17 year old delivery driver making $18k a year to a 19 year old with three rental properties. FHA loans are amazing! You don’t need a ton of money upfront to make your dreams possible.

[@ameliamcgee657]

Exactly! Congratulations and thanks for sharing ☺️

[@Retrosenescent]

How does that work since FHA loans can only be used for primary residences? And you have 3?

[@jackhenderson4784]

@@Retrosenescent you gotta refinance them, otherwise you can take out a 5% primary residence loan once a year

[@Retrosenescent]

@@jackhenderson4784 so do you take an FHA loan out for one, then refinance, then take an FHA loan out for the second, then refinance, then for the third?

[@eccomercementoreeryan2264]

Where are you at now

[@TiaNicoleLifestyle]

60/40% of a deal is better than 100% of no deal!! Ayyyeee

[@ameliamcgee657]

Yasss! Exactly!

[@Squshie00]

1st time watching BP Rookie Real Estate and I absolutely love this! I wish the main BP would have sent rookies over here, because THIS is doable! This makes you feel like ok, they are just like you and me and they did it, so I can do it. I didn't feel overwhelmed or feel like I'll never get there. Amelia was fantastic! I'm so grateful to of listened to her stories and to of found this podcast! Will be listening to this from now on! Thank you! 🖤🙌😁

[@ameliamcgee657]

Wow! Thank you so much - that means so much to me!

[@Squshie00]

@@ameliamcgee657 You're so welcome! You really do deserve all the credit. I was so impressed by how much you just searched, found something, tried it and wah-la, it worked. And if it didn't, you just tried again. 😊 Also, looking forward to following you on IG and seeing just how far you go. 🖤😁 Have a great evening! -Tiffany Brown

[@Globeguy1337]

Agreed. You may also like Dion Talk Financial Freedom. He was on BP a while ago and has his own smaller channel.

[@kavishmehta5350]

I love Monday! Would be sweet to see how Emilia uses the app for automation and efficiency. 🤔

[@indiradeja4218]

Baby girl is on 🔥 FIRE! Love her style, intuitive... Creative.... Resourceful.... I'm blown away she's built herself and 6 years of real estate experience in 1yr... Current owners, many don't know what she does. Excellent resources and wealth of knowledge Amelia EXCITES ME for the YOUNG GEN I've begged college students to stop paying 1k to 6k rent and $250k/$500k for college only a few find good work and have old bills and still need housing. Yes, poster child for 2021 Young pros. Love her risk taking, research, parents negotiation, vision, confidence in herself and thinking outside of average JUST IMAGINE SHE'S JUST GETTING STARTED!!! Go and congrats TA imagine 30-50 yrs from now you will be the mother of RE mentors for 20 up who get in now. So proud, Indi Ohio 🤗

[@ameliamcgee657]

WOW! What a kind and thoughtful comment. Thank you soooo much for the positive feedback and affirmations. It truly means the world to me to see so much support from strangers ♥️

[@yingng2854]

555555555

[@kimbrush223]

Me and my husband have investment properties & one of our children asked if we would basically co-sign for him to do a house hack. His lack of effort to get anything off the ground and his commitment to repay us on previous loans is why we decided we could not help him quite yet. Just keep that in mind as a parent, we should have a lot of proven faith in you that you will adhere to your promises.

[@ameliamcgee657]

Yep - great perspective. My parents knew how good I was with money as I had worked diligently for years to become student loan and car debt free after college. I stick to a strict budget and do not spend frivolously. This made them feel more comfortable to do the very first deal with me.

[@TheCreativeVictor]

First time watching and I’m so inspired. Keep sharing these stories! 😍

[@ameliamcgee657]

Thank you so much! 🥰

[@travelinlightistheonlywayt9033]

Im moving from Los Angeles to Iowa strictly to get into the real estate market, so this was VERY informative!!!

[@ameliamcgee657]

Love it! I love Iowa and calling it my 'home base'. Plus the DSM airport is so easy to get in and out of and offers flights anywhere you could want to go!

[@Tht_f30]

Wow. This was an amazing episode. She’s definitely killing it.

[@ameliamcgee657]

Thanks Howie! Appreciate the support.

[@grabthemappodcast]

I realized the importance of taking action even when you don't have all the answers, just like Amelia did with her real estate journey. I particularly enjoyed learning about your strategy of focusing on cash flow over appreciation and how it has led to your success. Thank you for the valuable insights!

[@prtradingclub3229]

I house hack, I now have 6 doors on 1 property, my cash flow is about 2,500. Per month net. Long story but it has totally paid off over time

[@ameliamcgee657]

That’s amazing! Congrats!

[@InvestorMelDaveDupuis]

That's amazing, Amelia! Congratulations on your 26 doors!! Before we start investing in Real Estate, I worked as a Program Leader at our local college and Dave was a full time firefighter, so anyone can do it. "You truly learn as you go!". :)

[@ameliamcgee657]

Thank you so much! And YES!! Anyone who is willing to do the hard work and research can make it happen!

[@timtaylor9339]

Great episode. Amelia did a great job. I wish my market (S. Utah) was not so overpriced right now. I have been looking for a multi-family to add to my portfolio of single family homes but the prices have been so high for the last 18 months that nothing makes sense when you run the numbers.

[@ameliamcgee657]

Hi Tim - thank you! Yeah, I’m starting to see that some here too. It’s confusing because people who own these multifamilies have to be investors themselves so I don’t understand how they don’t see that the numbers don’t work at the price they have the property listed.

[@rktkt3637]

Would love to understand how Amelia found that first flip that was only 25% of market value, but only required a $30k rehab to hit market ARV... Amazing.... almost seems too good to be true though.

[@ameliamcgee657]

It was on the MLS but had been pretty much abandoned by the previous owners son. He left two dogs inside the property to die so you can imagine how terrible it smelled. The owners were an older couple that lived a few states away. It had been on the market for a few months and at that point they were ready to offload it. It was in too poor of shape for anyone to qualify for an FHA or USDA loan so that cut down on the buyer pool. Additionally, there are very few people in that small market who have the money or skills to complete a project like this. Hope this makes sense!

[@alp.9672]

If it too good to be true it usually is

[@LetsGoForward]

Great Information!

[@ameliamcgee657]

Thank you!

[@jamescc2010]

To scale quickly if you don't have rich partners, BRRR is probably the way to go, or other creative financing on less expensive areas vs here in CA.

[@brockgandy1780]

Absolutely fantastic and pure information! Love it.

[@ameliamcgee657]

Thank you sooo much!

[@jacirateixeira5496]

This is a great one, very insightful and inspiring. Hope you guys will bring someone from the BOSTON market soon 😉

[@ameliamcgee657]

Thank you so much!

[@hammerradiology1470]

These prices are astounding to me...Then again I live in a very touristic area near Switzerland so I shouldn't get stuck in the poor me mindset :) A two bedroom flat starts at ca. 300k here. Fingers crossed that I can by my first flat next year 🤞 Love your podcast!

[@eccomercementoreeryan2264]

How did your life pan out?

[@chris-un4rm]

Great stuff here guys.. please don't quit and keep up the great work... There are tons of nuggets here so thank you... People pay for this type of stuff.

[@ameliamcgee657]

Thanks Chris! Appreciate your positive feedback so much!

[@janaytaua4613]

Great episode. Very inspiring!

[@ameliamcgee657]

Thank you!

[@paulbridgeman8154]

Excellent podcast.. I truly appreciate the exchange of knowledge!

[@WalksWallStreet]

Just found this channel. You guys are awesome

[@chadvaillancourt2553]

Good episode keep up the good work 👏

[@ameliamcgee657]

Thanks so much!

[@ReelMemeToks]

I'm from des moines also! I would love for you to be my mentor!!

[@christinaalcala5915]

Exactly what I was looking for! I just joined the boot camp. I live in Houston TX. Can’t wait to learn more!!

[@ameliamcgee657]

That’s exciting! See you in the Bootcamp ☺️

[@christinaalcala5915]

@@ameliamcgee657 I happen to be in your co-hort. Yay!! Looking forward to Monday. Not something I’m used to saying on a Friday 😄.

[@michaelteagarden8373]

This was really inspirational and informative. I have a question on your triplex numbers. You mentioned that your cash flow was $800-$900. Does that factor in setting money aside for maintenance costs, capex and vacancy? Or what expenses do you factor in for analyzing a deal?

[@ameliamcgee657]

Yes, it does! However, I am a believer in not having too much cash sitting around unused so once I have $5,000 saved for a property, I quit including Vacancy and Repairs in my budget and just replenish on an as needed basis. A new roof in my area costs about $5k and a new furnace around $3.5k...Worst case scenario I can utilize a credit card to pay for a large expense and then immediately pay it off when rents come in the next month. Here's a break down of my triplex cash flow (these numbers are slightly different than on the podcast because I have raised rents in one of the units after a turnover). Income: -Rent: $1,480 (600, 440, 440) -Laundry: $50 TOTAL: $1,530 Expenses: -Mortgage: $365 -Insurance: $75 -Property Tax: $80 -Lawn/Snow: $50-$100 -Repairs/CapEx/Vac: $100 Thanks for listening!

[@TheZeedler]

@@ameliamcgee657 Seriously inspiring Amelia! Thank you so much for sharing your story. I've just started looking in Iowa City for single family rentals, I'll check out Des Moines as well. Keep kicking butt!! Best wishes

[@michaelteagarden8373]

@@ameliamcgee657 That makes sense. Those are great numbers. Thanks for the reply!

[@ameliamcgee657]

@@TheZeedler Thanks so much!

[@justinhunte6267]

Does the boot camp come with the pro subscription?

[@Tallgoddessnicki]

Is the bootcamp free with the pro membership? When is the next round?

[@theodorevegh6030]

Get someone to be your RE Mentor. - TAV ♥️🇺🇸🌎👍

[@ltamargo]

Its as if she was speaking for me except she has actually moved forward on it.

[@mezquia]

24:21 - I might be reading into it but did she mean that as a 40% partner if an apt was unoccupied then she was 100% responsible for its share of the property mortgage?

[@ameliamcgee657]

Hi! No - that was just a hypothetical. We would be responsible for 60/40 based on our ownership in the property. But technically if my partners defect, I am still 100% liable to pay the mortgage and insurance.

[@alexisallinone]

@@ameliamcgee657 where do you park your money when you're not putting it in more doors??

[@ameliamcgee657]

@@alexisallinone I just have mine in a HYSA (high yield savings account) so that I have easy access to it when another deal comes along!

[@chris-un4rm]

Would love to know what bank that was...

[@ameliamcgee657]

Midwest Heritage Bank in Iowa. ☺️

[@Picwajzzz]

78k for a 3 plex?!?!? Looord Great work hope she gets to the 100 units ASAP

[@ameliamcgee657]

Small town Iowa for the win! And thank you!

[@renanuneza8932]

@@ameliamcgee657 anyway to work with you purchasing properties in Iowa? I'm in CA

[@ChadOtsuji]

With RUBS, do you ever have issues if a tenant ever goes on vacation? I can see issues arising when one tenant isn't using utilities, but the other one is.

[@ameliamcgee657]

No I haven’t. And I wouldn’t even entertain that kind of push back from a tenant. Of course it will never be perfect but it will even out enough over time that there should never be huge discrepancies.

[@ctfatboybigchee9624]

I was wondering where you guys went

[@4thekulture616]

awesome story!

[@ameliamcgee657]

😃

[@inyoungchoung]

Thank you!! Sorry but you guys sound so sleepy..

[@travisjacobs3]

Great episode! Wonderful explosive growth in just 1 year! Action is the key to success and it doesn't matter if the knowledge or mistakes come before or after the action!

[@ameliamcgee657]

Thank you!

[@SwiftTalk7]

Is an llc necessary in order to form a partnership?

[@ameliamcgee657]

No technically but I would STRONGLY encourage it.

[@inea-fijourney22]

#goals !!

[@ameliamcgee657]

Thank you so much!!!

[@rickymagicanada]

What an inspirational story. Congrats Amelia

[@ameliamcgee657]

Thank you so much!

[@thomasmatthews7483]

Hi Amelia, Who was your lender on your 11 unit?

[@ameliamcgee657]

Midwest Heritage Bank! They are a small, local bank in central Iowa.

[@scottrogers2186]

Is it legal to discriminate based on social media information? I am honestly not sure. Don't you have to provide a reason for declining an application?

[@ameliamcgee657]

Depends on the state. But in this specific case - upon further investigation he actually ended up not passing a background check.

[@raheemtheinvestor]

She ACTUALLY HAD EXPERIENCE LOL LITTLE CLICK BAIT BUT I GET IT 😅

[@youtubecarspottersguide1]

how do you qualify for more than one loan ?

[@ameliamcgee657]

They are conventional commercial loans. Unlike residential loans, there aren’t the same cap amounts for the number of loans you can have.

[@youtubecarspottersguide1]

@@ameliamcgee657 so 20% down ? building noi qualifies for me to buy. this 10 unit im looking at ?

[@JT0007]

So she’s a rich kid whose parents gave $ to? ROFL nah I’m good. Never learn from people who didn’t do it themselves. They’re likely not as intelligent as they appear.

[@goodgirlsguide]

Too much treble on your audio

[@indiradeja4218]

Emilia sorry didn't see spelling

[@ameliamcgee657]

Oh no worries - you had it right in your first comment 😃

[@thedrummersclub3667]

Can you say " House of Cards"

[@viralload7347]

Let's go Brandon!

[@SirJulioG]

Nawwwww.... sorry ..... Somethings don't add up. Not being a hater. Biggerpockets needs to paper fact check this Cinderella story. 🤔

[@ameliamcgee657]

Hey, it’s me. What didn’t add up to you? I’d love to dispel any discrepancies you claim to have noticed. The story is fact and my bank account proves it.

[@SirJulioG]

@@ameliamcgee657 Hey, it's me. Its the totality of the journey in such a hyper compressed period of time as well as the likelyhood of so many various types of deals falling into planetary alignment all at once that I call into question. Perhaps theres more to your journey that didn't make onto the show. IF I happen to be wrong, my apologies. Does Biggerpockets verify/fact check [paperwork] deals prior to interviews? Also, dont take it personal. I've always asked the question that everyone else is thinking but no one asks.

[@ameliamcgee657]

@@SirJulioG Well it might make it easier to understand if I give you a point of reference for what money can buy in rural Iowa. I was able to purchase my first triplex for $78k, quadplex for $135k, and second triplex for $48k seller financed. Assuming 20% down conventional financing you’re only looking at $52,000 out of pocket. That’s pennies really. Additionally I was able to re-utilize the money from my first triplex when I BRRRR’d so it’s even less than $52k in down payments. So right there we have 10 doors. Next I purchased a portfolio of 5 single family homes for $220k. They appraised for $250k combined and my small, local bank allowed me to borrow 80% of the appraised value. So only $20k out of pocket which I then split with my parents 50/50 so only $10k each. I also am completely debt free other than my rental mortgages which allowed me to save over 50% of my W2 paychecks to reinvest. Along with the very nice cash flow I was getting from my first 7 doors. Additionally, I bartend one to two nights a week to earn extra money that I also reinvest into real estate. I paid off $32k of student loans and $12k in car loans in 5 years. I manage my money well and I put it to work for me. I’m not taking anything personally (not that you have a right to ever tell anyone how they should or shouldn’t feel). But I’ve worked my ass off over the past year to get where I am. If you look at my Instagram I’ve shared my whole journey there. Can’t really make up being in the trenches doing the dirty work day in and day out.

[@SirJulioG]

@@ameliamcgee657 @Amelia McGee 10+5=15. Where did 26 doors number come from? Again, does Biggerpockets verify/fact check [paperwork] deals prior to interviews?

[@ameliamcgee657]

@@SirJulioG The 11 unit I partnered with a couple on. I went into great detail about that on the podcast so didn’t think it was necessary to repeat myself. If you’d listened to the whole episode then you would have already known that…. Don’t know if they fact (paper) check. They definitely could as all of this information is public knowledge on assessor’s websites. But that would be a question for them.

[@christopheryang6318]

Isn't what she's describing as a "partnership" advertising to the public? Which would violate 506b regulations unless she's trying to to vet her investors as accredited and start a 506c fund which does not sound like what she's doing. And her bf is a tax attorney who told her to take interest on the seller finance.. what is the purpose for that and why does it need to be a nominal interest of at least 1 percent?

[@ameliamcgee657]

Sounds like you’re trying to use legal speak to discredit these situations but you’re not an attorney and therefor this comment is just conjecturing on a 50 minute interview that is clearly not going to go into the nitty gritty of every deal. I can guarantee you I wasn’t in violation of an SEC regulation 😂 As for the 1% interest rate. It was really for the benefit of the seller that we pay them this percentage. The IRS invokes what is called an “applicable tax rate” to transactions to protect themselves mainly from family members selling property or other assets to each other at 0% interest. The IRS has to get their money one way or the other. I don’t know all of the in’s and out’s of it as I’m also not an attorney but my BF who has his LLM in tax from NYU (the best tax school in the country) advised me of this and I trust that advice.

[@christopheryang6318]

@@ameliamcgee657 wow, this is really the tone of a "bigger pockets TA" trying to help newbie investors? jumping to conclusions and assuming that I am trying to "discredit your situations" with legal jargon and that I have no merit because I'm not an attorney.. yikes, I'm glad I never joined the rookie bootcamp. For those of us who aren't so smart and savvy with "26 doors" I was under the impression that I could not go out and advertise deals on social media, no need to be salty about a simple question. Glad to hear no violations were met and that your own personal resource has advanced degrees from the "best school in the country" all the while continuing to laugh at others as dumb and uneducated as me. It's not all bad though, I did learn something today that will stick with me for the rest of my investing career, I hope others learn to see it as well.

[@ameliamcgee657]

@@christopheryang6318 Me standing up for myself doesn’t shed a bad light on BiggerPockets. I’m always surprised when people can’t handle someone disproving their very rude comment. You wrote on a very public forum that I am supposedly breaking the law - I don’t take that lightly. I am a very open book and happy to answer questions when they’re asked politely. Any of my students and followers can attest to that.

[@ameliamcgee657]

All of that being said - you seem like an intelligent person and I hope you find success in real estate. It really is possible to grow quickly on a low income with little knowledge about REI.

[@tomphu1304]

@@ameliamcgee657 lmao tell his ass off Amelia, keep doing you! 😂

[@willywonka077]

Is this free???

[@willywonka077]

What about it

[@johnneedle8119]

This is all bs

[@robertbb311]

My advice to everyone is to invest in Bitcoin now it cool opportunity for everyone to buy and hold .It is a life changing investment with a rapid growth