Benjamin Joseph Muller is a real estate investor, mobile home park owner, and Forex trader who has become a must-watch in the industry. Growing up in a small village in the Philippines, Ben moved to the US with his family at the age of 17. Early on, he helped his family launch a seamless rain gutter company, which later became one of the largest in South Florida. This was just the beginning of his path to success.
Despite his passion for golf, Ben followed in his grandfather’s footsteps to become a real estate mogul. He saved enough capital to invest in his first mobile home park in Georgia and grew it into a high-performing portfolio of 10 parks across the southeastern US. Along the way, he diversified his investments by becoming an early-stage angel investor in a growing real estate technology company.
Ben’s journey to success wasn’t without obstacles. He experienced the harsh realities of the 2007 real estate collapse and was forced to file for bankruptcy, losing everything he had. He went back to work installing seamless rain gutters and worked offshore in the oil industry for 5 years until the economy turned around. Despite these setbacks, Ben’s resilience and hard work paid off. He bounced back and built a successful real estate portfolio worth millions.
One of the things that sets Ben apart in the industry is his ability to spot opportunities that others might miss. He has an innate ability to find good properties and bring their value to its fullest potential. As a skilled Forex trader, he has made well over seven figures in his first year, allowing him to travel the world and make millions while doing what he loves. He’s passionate about sharing his knowledge and helping others achieve the same success.
Despite everything he had been through, Benjamin Joseph Muller is now a real estate powerhouse, mobile home park owner, and successful Forex trader who has overcome adversity to achieve greatness. His journey to success wasn’t always easy, but he persevered and turned his dreams into reality. He’s an inspiration to others who aspire to reach great heights in the real estate industry.
To learn more about Ben Joseph Muller, follow him on Instagram.
Jay Combes is currently the owner of Our Home of EXP Realty, in Knoxville, Tennessee. As an agent who has been part of over $280 million of real estate transactions in 3 years, he is the picture of success in the real estate world. He is also a renowned coach, who teaches real estate agents all across the United States how to succeed in their businesses. It’s easy to imagine Jay’s current position as the result of a long, illustrious career, filled with good luck and helping hands. But nothing could be farther from the truth.
Growing up in a construction family, Jay learned what it meant to sweat at a young age. By 16, he was already out on job sites in the Arkansas heat, slinging steel and tying rebar, and continued in this hard, physical occupation until he was 20. Jay was obsessive about everything he did. He worked as hard as he could, learned everything he could, and earned every cent he made, even if it was just enough to get by. When Jay fell into the party crowd and started making poor decisions, he dove into destructive habits with the same dedication that he put into everything else. It didn’t take him long to realize the damage this was going to do to him, and that he couldn’t continue in that lifestyle. Once he knew this wasn’t the place he needed to be, Jay moved, with almost no money, to Knoxville, Tennessee for a fresh start.
Some would say Jay was at rock bottom, but he refused to stay there. He immediately began his journey to the top by seeking waiter and sales jobs, and held down multiple of these at a time in an attempt to get ahead. For the next few years, he gathered knowledge and experience in several different occupations, and focused on personal growth and development. He read any book he could get his hands on about how to level up, and then made the decision to transition into real estate. He got licensed and got to work.
Starting out in his new career, though, Jay found out quickly why 87% of new real estate agents drop out of the business almost immediately after getting their license. Put simply, it’s because no one teaches you how to be a business owner. Selling is easy, but running a business is hard. Jay reached out to every agent he could, but nobody seemed willing to help. Frustration set in quickly, and, if Jay was like most people, he would have quit. But that’s not in Jay’s nature. Instead, he went back to reading and studying and learning everything he possibly could so that he could succeed. He gathered information and advice from everyone that would share it until he had turned himself into a top agent and business owner. Within two years, Jay was selling over 100 homes annually. He worked every day. Saturdays, holidays, it didn’t matter, Jay was on the phone grinding away at building his career in real estate, then building his own brokerage.
But, after years of making hundreds of calls daily, Jay worked himself so hard for so long that the success he had created didn’t even excite him anymore. He wanted something new, even if it meant leaving everything he had built. Instead of taking this drastic step, though, he went back to the drawing board to plot out his next move. He searched for a coach who could guide him past this roadblock. The advice he received?
“Help others.”
This created one of the most significant shifts in perspective that Jay had experienced. He took this advice to heart and began to bring other agents under his wing. Jay had just spent years teaching himself the ins and outs of the business, and he realized that he now had an opportunity to help other, new Realtors skip past the mistakes and difficulties he had experienced, and show them how to build their businesses without ruining relationships, burning themselves out, or simply running up against a wall.
Although Jay is still a successful Realtor and business owner, he now puts much of his energy into coaching and helping agents. He has shown that he can truly be a help to those who may be struggling, and he enjoys the opportunity to change lives.
Jay Combes is living proof that where you start doesn’t decide how you finish. He personally went from rock bottom to a successful entrepreneur. In 2021, Jay Combes and his team were one of the top-producing teams in EXP Realty and sold $114 million of real estate. They’ve grown to include multiple ancillary businesses, and a construction company, just like the one his family built. 2022 is seeing them on track to not only sell more volume than in 2021, but also to building over $10 million worth of luxury cabins. With no plans to slow down, Jay Combes has turned himself into a force to be reckoned with, and loves providing the vehicle that others need to build themselves into winners, through direct training that is practical to anyone.
In 2004, James Vitas set off on his entrepreneurial journey and started VMD Companies from his basement, at the age of 19. Through hell-bent determination, persistence, and an unfathomable work ethic, James Vitas built VMD Companies into the powerhouse that now stands. VMD Companies is a New England-based real estate firm that embodies an entrepreneurial, creative, hands-on methodology.
At VMD Companies, James Vitas focuses on the commercial real estate market, from acquisition and entitlements through financing, leasing, and disposition. With special efforts directed toward opportunistic and value-add investment strategies, James Vitas strives to optimize the firm’s yields through equity syndication and creative debt structuring. James Vitas works closely with VMD’s LP base, lending relationships, and an array of the firm’s high-profile network. James Vitas has ushered the company through years of substantial growth, all during the Great Recession, credit crisis, and recent COVID-19 pandemic. Navigating challenging times and complex transactions is James Vitas specialty. Under James Vitas stewardship, VMD Companies has actively overseen and developed in excess of $1 Billion in real estate, with projects ranging from New England to South Florida.
VMD Companies has grown into a business tycoon and has been awarded handsomely for its efforts. In 2012, VMD Companies was presented with the project of the year award by the New Hampshire Planners Associate and American Society of Civil Engineers. In 2016, VMD Companies was awarded the project of the year by the State of New Hampshire. James Vitas’ most prized accomplishment to date was the largest single tenant net lease transaction in US History. James Vitas acquired the 827,336 square foot NECCO facility for $52 million and later sold it 18 months later for $355 million.
James Vitas enjoys spreading his wisdom to young hungry entrepreneurs, as his mentor once did for him. He advises his mentees “To completely immerse themselves in any business they choose to pursue. Obsessing over detail and living in a constant state of paranoia, is what makes you win. Not talking or bragging about what you do, but letting your hard work speak for itself.”
The future of VMD Companies looks extremely bright under the leadership of James Vitas. VMD Companies has multiple divisions through multiple disciplines that over time have driven its vertically integrated success. Looking around the corner toward the next best thing has always challenged VMD Companies to stay contrarians. As time continues to evolve, VMD Companies have positioned themselves via an institutional platform to continue to succeed. For the next five years, VMD Companies holds alternative investments, specifically multiple offshoots that will allow VMD Companies to pivot and capitalize within other alternative asset classes. James Vitas will certainly continue to dominate in these uncertain times ahead. Be on the lookout for all the fantastic developments VMD Companies have underway.
Byron Johnson is a famous entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, and family man, running a successful insurance business and launching his first real estate investment in 2008. Today, he owns 5 commercial buildings with over 250 active tenants throughout his commercial real estate properties in Tampa.
In the last two decades, the real estate market has seen many ups and downs. Real estate investors have tried many new trends and ways to make more money. Some of these investors successfully transformed their small businesses into multi-million dollar companies, such as Byron Johnson.
In this article, we share Byron Johnson’s strategy for flipping commercial real estate and growing wealth through commercial real estate investing.
Real estate investment is a lucrative way to make money. Today, more and more people are looking for ways to earn more from their real estate properties. However, many reputed investors only spend their money on damaged residential properties. The financial institutes sell these properties at a very low price. So, the investors tend to buy the property for a lower price and spend their money on the repairs. Under the right circumstances, the investors can get good payoffs from these fixer-upper houses.
We have all seen homeowners flipping residential properties. Now, real estate investors have started flipping commercial units. Due to high investment costs, commercial real estate offers less competition, which means the investor can make a bigger profit per deal. Ideally, investors would buy commercial real estate to attain immediate and regular cash flow. However, if the investors are looking for a quick profit, they can start flipping commercial units.
If you want to start flipping commercial real estate, this article is just what you need. Today, I will explain how you can start flipping commercial units and earn bigger payoffs.
Byron Johnson suggests that whether you are leasing your commercial unit or want to flip it, you need to understand the difference between the two.
Generally, flipping commercial real estate is just the same as residential real estate. The biggest difference between commercial leasing units and flipping commercial units is the money. When you are leasing your units to commercial tenants, you will start getting immediate cash flow. But, when it comes to flipping the units, you need to spend more money to improve the infrastructure and quality of the unit.
According to Byron Johson, sometimes, the tenants might want to change the unit’s layout depending on the needs of their business. In this case, the investor can flip the unit to best match the tenant’s requirements and set a higher monthly rent. In most cases, the investors would renovate all the units and sell the updated commercial properties at a high profit. Byron believes that if you want to generate bigger outcomes from the commercial property, the purchase cost must be undervalued. So, when the units are remodeled, the value of the units would increase enough to make a profit.
Byron Johnson’s Tips for Flipping Commercial Real Estate:
Understand the types of property
When you are looking for commercial investment properties, you need to pay attention to the supply and demand of different property types in your area, as it will determine the value of your commercial real estate. You should also know different commercial properties, such as offices, industrial units, retail businesses, and multi-unit apartments. All these types of properties will be located in different areas, such as the industrial units located by the major highway intersections for easy transportation; office spaces will be located in an area that can be easily accessed via any mode of transportation. Furthermore, retail stores will be located in a space that attracts a lot of foot traffic.
Create a network of brokers, bankers, realtors, leasing agents, movers, and attorneys
Byron Johnson believes that when you are looking for commercial real estate, you need to find undervalued properties. One of the best ways to find undervalued properties is by talking to owners who are struggling to pay the bills.
But, how would you know if an owner is finding it difficult to pay the bills? That is why you need to create a network of brokers, attorneys, realtors, and leasing agents. They can all help you find the information available in the local markets.
Know how commercial real estate is valued
The value of commercial properties is determined differently than residential properties. The residential real estate is valued using the comps method. The commercial property values are based on the cap rates, gross rent multipliers, and cash-on-cash returns. Byron Johnson advises all the investors to familiarize themselves with these terms and know how each one is calculated.
According to Byron Johnson, whether you are leasing a unit to a commercial tenant or you are flipping the property, the success of your commercial real estate investment depends on finding the right property. So take your time to do your homework and search hot properties in your area.
About Byron Johnson:
Byron Johnson is a founder, entrepreneur, and CEO known for founding several businesses, including an insurance agency, construction and remodeling company, and commercial real estate investment firm. Byron Johnson is an owner of 150+ units of commercial property located in the up-and-coming Seminole Heights area close to downtown Tampa. Additionally, Byron is a recgonzied WSOP Poker Player who won 1st place in the WSOP Poker series in Tampa, FL in 2020.
For more information on Byron Johnson, visit ByronJohnson.com or visit his Cheap Car Insurance Guru YouTube Channel where he gives back by sharing free car insurance tips and valuable insurance info daily.
