Epic Real Estate Investing - Retirement at 39: Yin Wu's $530,000 Real Estate Revelation! | 1283

Episode Date: November 16, 2023

🎙️ Step into the ring of financial transformation as the Epic Real Estate Investing Podcast presents a faceoff of titans! In this week's episode, your guide through the real estate arena, Mercedes Torres, is joined by none other than the powerhouse herself – Yin Wu, a real estate dynamo who defied the odds and retired at the age of 39, flipping the script on the game! 🏰 From the corporate executive realm to the throne of real estate royalty, Yin Wu unfolds the secrets behind her staggering $530,000 in annual rents from a staggering 40 properties scattered across four states. Hold tight because this isn't your average interview – it's a blueprint, a roadmap, and a treasure map combined, revealing how dreams can evolve into dollars and fears into fortunes! 💡 Dive deep into the minds of these real estate maestros as Mercedes and Yin lay bare the strategies, mindset shifts, and the transformative power of mentorship that catapulted them to success. This isn't just a podcast; it's a ringside seat to the clash of real estate titans, and it's nothing short of legendary! 🚀 So, buckle up, tighten your focus, and press play – because this episode isn't just about real estate; it's about rewriting your financial future. The Epic Real Estate Investing Podcast welcomes you to a journey where dreams, strategies, and success collide in the most epic showdown yet. Ready to redefine your path to wealth? Let's go! 🎧💰 P.S. Whenever you're ready to go deeper and further with your real estate investing, looking into my partner program to help you get your first deal might be the move... take the first step here for free 👉 https://epicearnwhileyoulearn.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Terio Media. Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for a real estate showdown on the epic real estate investing podcast. In this week's episode, Mercedes-Torres, the Turnkey Girl, is joined by a powerhouse. Yin Wu, a real estate titan who retired at 39, turning the game upside down. From executive to real estate royalty, Yinu shares the secrets behind her 530,000 annual rents from 40 properties across four states. This isn't just an interview.

It's a blueprint for Turning Dreaming. into dollars and fears into fortunes. Join Mercedes and Yin as they reveal the strategies, mindset, and power of mentorship in this knockout episode. Tighten your belts, lock in your focus, and brace for the clash of real estate titans. This is the epic real estate investing podcast, and this episode is nothing short of legendary. Are you ready?

Let's go. Hey, strap in. It's time for the epic real estate investing show. We'll be your guides as we navigate the housing market, the landscape of creative finance strategies and everything you need to swap that office chair for a beach chair. If you're looking for some one-on-one help, meet us at rei-aise.com. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Hello and welcome back to the Epic Real Estate Investing podcast. My name is Mercedes-Torres. I am lucky enough to be partners in crime with Mr. Matt Terrio, the man who created the Epic Real

Estate Empire. Truly hope you're enjoying the duo. episodes, they are back by popular demand. And it has been quite a wonderful experience for Matt and I to get behind the microphone today. And speaking of which, you know, Matt and I have decided to kind of pay it forward and teach what we have been doing to others in hope that financial freedom is part of your personal journey. And so today, I have something really special because it is someone that has joined the journey, I want to say about five years ago, and she was a podcast listener herself. Now, this podcast listener reached out to our office, and this is when we were in Los Angeles, and asked if she could go to lunch with us. And so back in the day, we would do that

all the time. And she slowly but surely with a partner started to dive into the world of real estate investing through cash flow savvy and turn key properties. So I am really lucky to be honored by her because about a couple of weeks ago, she came to our office to tell us that with what she's been able to do through turn key properties and cash flow savvy, she was able to retire from her corporate America job in a short time of four years. So, So I thought it would be a wonderful treat to bring her on the podcast and just get to ask her about her journey so that you, the listener, can understand how truly easy it could be done with the help of people that have been doing this all along. So my guest today, she was an executive, an executive for the county of, I'm going to say Los Angeles. I don't want to pinpoint her.

She's the mother of two. She's got two kids ages six and ten. She's a wife. She's an entrepreneur. And now she's a full-fledged real estate investor living off of her passive income. So without further ado, I'd love to welcome to our show. Yin Wu. Yin, welcome.

Hi, Mercedes. Thank you so much. You're great to be on the show. Thank you. And you forgot one title that I'm Epic Real Estate Investments. royal fans. Yeah, we do have a loyalty fan. I love it.

You know, I have to say, and we have been blessed with just amazing followers, amazing clients and students, and they truly become part of the family. And I know you and your partner, Omar, have come out to Vegas and we've had steak and wine together.

And you've just been around for five years. So I invited you on the show because I remember the first time that you and I sat across the table to talk real estate. And just a couple of days ago, you surprised me and you said you were retiring. So I wanted you to come on and just share your journey because if more people did what you were doing, I think we'd have a happier population. So thank you for joining us.

Thank you. Awesome. So without further ado, I want you to introduce yourself. Tell me about Yin. Tell me about who you are, you know, what you've done in the past. before you dove into real estate. Sure. This has been a roller coaster journey, I have to say.

I almost every time I feel emotional thinking about this whole journey coming up to this point. I'm at age 40. I'm definitely excited. I'm proud of the life forward and I can retire thanks to Mercedes and Matt that the mentorship is tremendously helpful. I'm very proud of myself actually coming this. far. So I like to encourage the listeners and your followers actually take the action today to start with this investment journey. If they ever think about it, just don't wait too long. Start. I started getting in touch of a real estate lending was Bank of America when I was 19.

I was a part-time loan officer working for Bank of America. That was kind of sort of, I start getting a hold of a real estate, the whole lending investment, people buying home, that kind of idea. And I didn't officially start until 2008 when a market crashed. Now, the headlines of the bad news every day for closure, short sale, it kind of dawned on me that Warren Buffet said, be greedy when people are fearful, right? So I thought there might be some opportunities there, but I didn't have any capital at an age of 25 at a time. So I just got my license as a real term and I started transacting with the people's money and learning from that, that building experience. So was the $50,000 to start at the end of 2008, I bought my very own first a townhome in West Covina, California.

That was my primary home and later on it just accidentally turned into a rental property. So that was just how it started. And life leads me to different places. I started my corporate job. So yeah, that initial town home become a rental, that was the first step of me being landlord. It was totally not what I expected. A lot of work cleaning.

That's how I started. But I didn't like the job, honestly. I didn't like to be an active landlord. Let me ask you about that. So you had this condo. You moved up. Let's just say you graduated. you probably got married, but you had this condo.

Many people choose to sell the condo. What made you decide to hold it and rent it? Because the average person just wants the easy way out. Correct. I thought about that, right? I bought a condo for $200,000. It's a three-back condo. And at that time, I believe I was on a 15-year mortgage payment of less than $1,000,

even including HOA fees. So the rent was $1,700. So I wasn't making some money on a 15-year mortgage. That was the, I guess, sort of the brewing of a cash flow idea at a time. I didn't know I was doing that, but I was just thinking, oh, you know, it's a free house. Someone else can pay for it. But, of course, I put in the work to kind of maintain the house, repair, and all that. So that was the starting of it.

So when you started cash flowing at the time when you didn't know probably the term cash flowing, Did it keep your interest to say, oh, I'm going to educate myself. Like, did you start reading books about real estate? Like, how did it dawn on you outside of the fact that you were cash flowing and someone was paying your mortgage? What was the epiphany? Actually, no, I didn't. I didn't think about that at all. I was just thinking, oh, I got a free house.

And 30 years from now, the house is going to be paid all free and clear. and I will have tons of equity in and sitting on it. That was the idea. That whole sitting on equity, appreciation, paying off houses. That mindset didn't change really until I started Matt's podcast. And he was raving about a book about rich dad, poor dad. And sure enough, I went ahead and I read it. It was like, oh, wow, that was the eye-opening moment for me.

It's like, why did I need all that equity sitting there doing nothing while I can actually generate on cash flow? Okay. And at that point, did you take the money, the equity? Did you do a he lot? Did you do a cash out refinance? Or did you just sit on it? So that was another big lesson learned. I did sell the house, but I didn't do a 1031 exchange.

I sold a house. I got the cash out. And then I started buying income problem. So I believe it was that money. I bought my first apartment in California and Gateway City area, Belle, California. So that was when it kind of started pivoting that I was more working towards the cash flow generation. Got it. Got it. Okay. So you found Matt's podcast, Epic Real Estate Investing, and then you stumbled across cash flow savvy. So how did you marry the two? So you read Rich Dad, You found Matt, you read Rich Dad Poor Dad, you discovered cash flow savvy where all of the stuff that you hated doing on your rental, you found that somebody else could do it for you. So how did that reduction happen? So up until 2019, before our conversation, even the mindset towards cash flow start changing, right?

Between appreciation and focusing on cash flow, it did change. that was when I bought the apartment in California because at that time there was still a lot of fear. I'll be that honest. I think a lot of your followers or listeners can probably resonate because coming from, you know, I'm so familiar with California, this is my daily place. And then all of a sudden thinking about investing in Alabama,

actually that's where the first estate I started outside of California. So like, I don't even know where Alabama is. It was just a shape on the map. I mean, I had a picture how Alabama looked like, but I just didn't know. So there was a lot of fear. Of course, there is a lot of surrounding also saying like, oh, you know, be careful. They always quick to come to tell you how they heard someone else failed and et cetera, et cetera. So there was a fail.

There was definitely a fear there. But I think you're basically your experience, how you shared, you guys made a lot of mistake, and how you came back from it. And I think that at a dose of confidence, and it was a partner with me together, we're kind of like, you know what, if we're doing this wrong, we're going down together also. I think that kind of helped the wisdom mentality ease a little bit of a fear out of that as well. So, yeah. Let's talk about, I mean, fear, that's just, it's very valid.

trust me when I started, I was fearful. You know, I was fearful that I could lose money. I was fearful that what if the market crashed again? I was fearful that what if the house burns down? You were more fearful of the unknown because you didn't know where Alabama was. And so you, I know that a partner, Omar is the one that kind of, you partnered with him. He's awesome. We should probably bring him on the show as well.

But when you guys partnered together, how did you find that partnership? Because that's a big component of real estate investing. For sure. I think he was also doing rental properties in California, I think. I know he was doing that. And he was slowly selling them. How did you meet your partner? Oh, at work.

Just random chat. I think that's another thing. People probably should start practicing because I was not. I kind of sort of hitting, I was hiding all my real estate stuff just from people knowing. Just different kind of perception, I guess, at the time, because I was a manager at work. I felt it's not professional to share your side gig. So I was not telling many people of what I was doing. And a part of it also, it was stressful because I was actively managing all that rentals myself.

I didn't want to be perceived that like, you know, I got distracted from my actual W-2 job. I'm sure a lot of people can relate in that situation. Like, I don't want people at the corporate office feeling like, oh, Yin is mentally not there

because she's worrying about her own rental money. So I was not sharing. Yeah, you didn't share what you were doing. Wow. I was not. Yes. And whereas Omar actually was pretty open about it. So he would have come to me and then talk about selling his rental, cash in quarter million equity and then et cetera, et cetera.

And I think that sort of brought me to open up, kind of share my, remember I was still a realtor. Like I was still transacting and sort of sure my problem was the tenant here and there. So we start bouncing ideas of each other. And that's when we're like, you know, we should have talked to this lady. She ends on the podcast. She sounds legit. Let's just see what she talks about. And I believe also at that time, because he was selling his houses to cash in the equity,

I was to start focusing on generating positive cash flow. So it was kind of like a perfect timing. Our goal kind of just met. And so we decided to reach out to you. I love it. Well, you know, there's a lot to say about that. The fact that you didn't share and he shared. I mean, imagine if he would have kept quiet as well.

Right. And just sharing and communication, if you get the word out, just crazy things happen, unbeknownst to you. So that's awesome. I do remember when you guys reached out and I started working with Omar first. and then you came into the picture. And I remember when we had conversations about your journey and clearly you were fearful, you were very, very conservative about how you chose to go about your first and second property.

And one of the things that was a major concern was your husband. And I met your husband, he's wonderful, and now he's all about it. But at first, he was a little hesitant. So would you share with us a little bit about how that journey, how it was for you when you got started, when your husband fully wasn't 100% on board like he is today. Right. He was not on board at all, actually.

I think he was trying to support. Out of support, if you ask him today, he would say, I wasn't supporting you. I flew to Alabama with you. I was supporting you. But I would say he was definitely reserved. And even as of today, my husband aside, I would have reminded my mom, my own, a lot of my friends at that time, they were all kind of, you know, playing that devil's advocate, say, hey, be careful. You just cannot have a rental out of your reach because the property manager is going to eat you alive.

People's going to lie. They're going to scam you. And then all that. So at that time, definitely, it was a lot of stress on my side. At some point, I didn't think, you know, I actually asked myself, like, does it really worth it? Does I do have pretty good performing rental at a California at that time? Definitely not comparable to the ROI out of state. It's something I feel familiar. It's something they all feel comfortable with. But I decided we almost a fault. I would say every day we talk about this.

And at the end, I think it was, I was determined. And I told him, it's like, hey, it's not a. a lot of investment. It's a 50 grand. Let's just do this. Let me, let me try it. If I lose it, I'll lose it. So I would say at the end, he kind of had no choice. It's interesting that you say that, Yin, because you were a W-2 employee and not just an employee. You are an executive at a company, and you don't have to say where you worked, but it's not like you weren't making a great paycheck. And so you had a lot of. little bit of liberty at your job because of your position and where you worked, you had the

perfect opportunity to say, no, I'm going to continue working for corporate America and this, you know, county or city job that I have. And I don't have to do investing. What was the why? What made you knowing that you were making a great living, knowing that you had a not so supportive of a husband, what made you decide I'm doing this? I think a part of it, it's very much a internal drive. I'm an immigrant. I came here when I was 15 years old, was a single mom, briny. So I think ever since when I was young, I always felt this is the land of freedom.

I came to America to do something, to do something that I wouldn't be able to do in my homeland country, China. So that mindset is always there. So I was always so open to try something that can make me, quote-unquote, rich per se. Now, later on, I realized it was not just about money. It was more about the principle, the value, the fulfillment. But when there was opportunity presenting, that was always something I was going to try. I think I always pushed myself towards that direction.

And especially listening to people, right? Like, especially Matt, I think it was really inspired me that he talked about his journey starting at age of a 35 as a real turn and all that. I was like, you know what? If someone else can do it, it can be me also. And at the end of the day, even today, I would still say, it's just a job. Don't shortchange yourself the opportunity for trying. You can always find a job.

Like was your qualification today? If you start running a business two years down the road, if the business doesn't work out, you can always go back to the job. The job is not going anywhere. So I think that was the mentality. Like, you know what? I don't have a lot to lose.

The risk is very minimal. I can always have a paycheck. So why not just start? Yeah, there's something to say that America is the land of opportunity and immigrants and, I mean, my parents, my mother is from Mexico, my father's from Puerto Rico. I grew up dirt poor.

And for me, knowing that I was going to be the one that was going to help my family, you know, do something different from what they've known. That was my huge drive. And now my drive is, of course, my son. But we just talked about it on our last podcast about if you have a bigger why, the vehicle to get to the destination is much different. And if you piggyback on a proven system on someone that's already relive that journey, it's like, why won't work for you? So kudos to you that you just decided to, you know, stand for what you were doing.

And then you had a great mentality. You know, you walked in to this with $50,000. I mean, the grand scheme of things, $50,000 is nothing if you really evaluate what that can do for the rest of your life. Yeah. Right. So awesome. Okay, so then I remember our first conversations. You were nervous. You were timid. I presented you properties in Alabama. Alabama is one of my favorite markets just because it's really stable. And you talked about, you know, you didn't even know where Alabama was. It was just a shape on the map. And so you know, and I will say you're one of the few people that actually blew to meet my team on the ground in Alabama. What happened there? Like, what? inspired you to, okay, I'm going to go check this out because I don't believe that Mercedes and her cash flow savvy team is really true. So how did that come about? And what was that experience like when you actually went to visit the properties that you were buying from me? I'm not going to lie. I didn't feel Mercedes was a sham. I actually was more thinking, okay, is the Alabama table of a sham? You know, I'm sure people read about other some of a similar turnkey. I'm not going to say the name. It went down really quick in Indianapolis, and it was a big scam,

and the guy was a superstar and a TV show figure. So I was definitely thinking, it was like, you know what, at least I need to go see the team on the ground to see if they're real people, if the house actually exists, especially the first house I've been. was in cash. So there was no appraiser, no bank involved. So it's like I do have to. But meanwhile, I also feel I trust you enough thinking maybe I don't have to because she said,

you know, she's selling 20 homes out there every month or so. But I do remember you told me that there are not many people going out there. Why not? What stops you from going? just go, go and see it. Like, you know what, she's right. Let me just, it's a $600 wrong way ticket. Let me just go.

So that was sort of mentality, I think, in a way, it's a very mixture of a lot of different things. Awesome. You do belong to the 1% club that doesn't fly to our markets. But it's always, you know, available for you. You know, people come to turn key operations. So, A, they don't have to do the work of, finding the property, fixing it up, then finding the tenants. But B, really, it's they want to piggyback

off of a system that already exist. And, you know, if I've done it to 20 other people, what's one more? So you went out there, you first bought one property, then it became three, then it began five. Before I knew it, you were at 12 properties, and then the history goes on. So I want to talk a little bit about, you know, your experience. Tell me about the process. When you met the team, you had already chosen the property, ordered your inspection, you read the inspection, and then we walked you to do the closing process. Explain that journey to us on your first deal out of state. That was about five years ago, right? Or four years ago. Yes. So I had some experience, as I talked about in California, right, especially from a real term.

So I wasn't familiar was the purchase process. But yeah, out of the state was definitely a different animal, especially when the team are rehabbing the property for me. And again, there was a trust that in the, we're building the trust for each other per se. So I think thanks to Mercedes for referring me to the boots on the ground, including the inspectors even. and they're very professional, timely, relevant,

addressing all my questions, walking me through the whole process, FaceTime me on the property. I demanded that, and then they did. I know sometimes I could be more demanding than others. And they did. I was very patient. And to my biggest surprise, though, because that was nothing I had experienced in the past,

even during realtor transaction or transacting myself, was that when the inspector came back was a summary of the items to be addressed on the inspection report. And then I asked your ground team saying, hey, I noticed these problems. I'd like to talk to you about it, how to address them.

And I was expecting the answer would be like a cherry pig negotiation process of those items that to be addressed. But no, easiest the way it's ever was they said, okay, we'll dress all of them. That impressed me a lot. They stand behind your rehab work and gave me the peace of mind and they warranty for one whole year if anything happened to their rehab. So that was huge as I think out of an investor knowing my property is in good shape and they are standing behind their quality. Yeah. So what people don't realize is when we rehab a property,

you know, we have our initial team that does the list of what needs to be rehabbed to bring a property to our standard. But then on top of that, after we get done, we then have the contractor inspect the work. But we use your inspection to make sure that we dot every eye and cross every T. So, yeah, we go back and fix what we miss because let's face it, we're humans. the people that are fixing the property are also humans. We're not perfect, and it's very, you know, it's not common that we miss things, but we're rehabbing on a regular basis. And if something is missed, then we're the first to say, ah, we missed it.

Let me go and fix it. What I will say, though, is I've had clients of mine where they want a brand new roof, and the roof is only, you know, 10 years old. Well, the answer is a hard no. Because a roof for 30 years, and if you're asking me for a new roof after 10 years, well, that's not going to happen. So we're extremely reasonable. We warranty our work. But we're also on the stance of just because something is older doesn't mean that it doesn't work. So I'm glad you were able to see that real time on your case. Materio investor, tell us where the deals are.

This week's deal is in Kansas City, Missouri. And tell us what the numbers are. Attention savvy investors. Picture this. A two-bedroom, one-bathroom gem currently undergoing a transformative rehab, ready to explode onto the scene as the ultimate real estate opportunity. Nestled in a prime location, this property is perfect for both first-time homebuyers and astute investors.

And here's the game changer. It's currently in rehab, making it a turnkey solution for busy professionals who want real estate rewards without the hassle. Aldi, the renowned supermarket, is just a short distance away with additional shops nearby for convenience. The meticulous rehab isn't just about aesthetics. It's about creating a haven for long-term tenants. Families will thrive here, with schools within a mile and excellent transportation links for

easy commuting. This isn't just an investment. It's a lifestyle upgrade for tenants and a seamless journey for you, the investor. For more information on this property and others just like it, grab a free investor package from cashflow savvy.com. We'll be back with more right after this. Boarding for flight 246 to Toronto is delayed 50 minutes. Ugh, what? Sounds like Ojo time.

Play Ojo? Great idea. Feel the fun with all the latest slots in live casino. games and with no wagering requirements. What you win is yours to keep groovy. Hey, I won! Sporting will begin when passenger Fisher is done celebrating. 19 plus Ontario only. Please play responsibly. Concerned by your gambling or that if someone close you, call 18665331-260 or visit

comex Ontario.ca. Hope is not a financial strategy. Let's get back to work. I'm really big on diversifying. I know that, you know, you branched out to Indianapolis. I know you originally had a bad experience in Indianapolis. Then, you know, you started growing the portfolio in Indianapolis. I just want you to share, Ian, how long you've been doing this and how many properties you have to date?

Yeah, so I started with Mercedes in 2019, was the first Alabama house. Actually, I want to go back to about the rehab. I just like your listener to know. there was one property I acquired at the end of 2019. Up to today, I had that property for four years already, and there was only one minute's bill. So property is a solid and cash flowing perfectly. So again, kudos to your team and kudos to our rehab,

you know, the quality. It's awesome. So, yeah, as of today, it's being four years, a little bit over four years since I first started out-of-state cash flow, rentals. I own about 40 properties now across four different states. So that's my retirement portfolio. That makes me so happy. Now, I'm all about the numbers and if you're not comfortable with sharing, but would you share out of the 40 properties, how much rent do you collect every single month? you know, it's funny, I used to not believe people don't know their numbers.

Let me do a quick dirty mask. I think I would say 500,000 to 530 a year. That's awesome. That's very ballpark number, probably 10% plus minus, maybe. You know what? I understand when you say you lose track of numbers, I started losing track at property number 23. That was my magic number. After 23 properties, they all start to get mumble jumbled. But the fact that you have 40 and you collect about $530,000 in rents every year, that's probably a lot more than what you were making at your corporate job. Is that accurate? Oh, for sure. Yes. And their equities are building the property.

is appreciating. So, and then I definitely think the time is on my side. I think you would agree was that it's only one direction to go. If people think real estate is going to go the other direction, no, I don't think so. Was the inflation and the equity building. So, yeah. Yeah. No, you're absolutely on right.

You know, we just talked about that recently. And we talked about how our population is growing exponentially. And there just isn't enough housing for the, the people that are starting to occupy our planet, the people that are being more. And so real estate and a roof over your head is one of the necessities of life. So there is going to be, you know, no shortage of renters. Quite the contrary, there's going to be shortage of housing. So, you know, you want to own that one thing that people need to survive.

So what made you, what propelled you? to finally decide to retire at a tender age of 39? It actually was a long process. Again, there is a fear. Whenever there is a big decision, there is a fear. But I do see the cash flow being steady. It's being performing. But there is always an emotional factor there.

So starting the beginning of January this year, I put aside, I started a simulation. I put aside my paycheck into a separate banking account. That account I just opened at the beginning of the year. I don't have any access to per se unless I go to the branch. With my ID, I didn't have a debit card. I didn't set up an online banking. So I rerouted my paycheck to that account,

just pretending that paycheck never came to me. And I see if my system can be tested, the rental income can be tested, enough to sustain my life. And sure enough, I haven't touched a penny out of that account. So I knew it was all emotional that the fear, the anxiety, and then et cetera, et cetera. But it's done. It's the fact that that showing me it's done, I haven't touched that account.

That is genius, genius, genius. You know, there's a practice that Matt and I use. It was created by a gentleman that wrote a book called Profit First. Our friend Dave Richter also wrote a book, but it's specific to real estate. It's called Profit First for Real Estate investors, I believe it's called. So shout out to David Richter who wrote that book. But he talks about stashing money aside, whether it's your paycheck or it's, you know, your cash flow, but it's paying yourself first.

So that simulation that you did with your paycheck, check, it was kind of exactly that. You just put it away in an account where you had no access to it just to see if you could work. And you had it there the whole time. But so much of this is mental. And so congratulations and kudos to you for pulling that off. I mean, we're almost a year into that simulation in 11 months. And you just realized that you don't need that. And your cash flow is working for you rather than you working for your cash. So that's so awesome. Okay, so now that did you officially retire from your job,

did you quit already? Yes, it's my last day in the office yesterday. Oh my goodness. I'm sure it was bittersweet, full of good and bad emotions, right? For sure. For sure. The people opponent is probably hard to replace. The paycheck, the job, I believe so.

we can always find a job. The community, it's always the part that kind of, there is a little sadness there. But I'll keep in touch with them. For sure, for sure. Now is the big question of, now what are you going to do? It's all up to you.

You get to decide. So what are you going to be filling your days with now that you're officially retired at the age of 39 years old? Yeah. You know, interesting thing. You talk about paying forward. I've been thinking about that whole time.

So Mercedes already started working with a couple of my close friends. They are actually flying to Alabama the first time themselves as well at the end of this month. So I think it's a good start that I really want to also start kind of inspire the surroundings. Now they know the actual person they know very well. The friend, they hang out on the weekends, did it. So that's the goal is that hopefully I will be the inspiration to them. If there is any help they need if there is any sharing information, mistake they like to hear. I'm more

than happy to share wisdom and refer them to the teams that I work with. Meanwhile, you know, the same person that was working with Mercedes, kudos to Janet, she inspired me also in a different way. I start talking

to her about this out-of-state investment opportunity about Mercedes exactly almost the same time I started. And she, she She kept telling me, I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it. And then now four years down the row, finally, she's doing this still kudos to her. But I asked her, why this whole time you're not doing it? I believe it was the same mentality, same emotion I was going through at that time.

It was lack of time, sort of, lack of motivation and fear. So starting this year, she was actually telling me, why don't you just take my money in and help me do this. So at the beginning of the year, I kind of round up some of the friends together. I start managing their money and helping them acquiring properties. So that's what I will try to do after retirement. And meanwhile, helping them to kick off their investment journey. I love it. Paying it forward, it's just a whole different level of just personal satisfaction and knowing that you're making a difference for somebody else. It's a whole different level. And I will say you and Omar have probably sent, I want to say about eight of your colleagues, friends and family, I am so, so grateful for that. And they've been able to pay it forward to their friends and families. So, you know, together we can rise. And we're so, so lucky to have people like you that are just willing to share and spread the word. So I want to ask you just a couple of questions about your journey. What would you say? And, you know, we've talked a lot.

about the fear component. So, so many people suffer from being paralyzed of just fear. And other people are paralyzed because they go through what is called analysis paralysis, where they spend so much time analyzing the market and the numbers. And then years go by, you know, like the friend that you just mentioned, she's been waiting four years. And if she would have just acquired one property of year, she would have already purchased four properties. But, correct. I don't know what was your biggest eye-opening moment in your real estate journey? It was similar to what you just said. I need to move faster.

If I would, you know, had a chance to restart all over again, stop analyzing that much. I think now in hindsight, I was sitting on some cash. I couldn't deploy. But it was the analysis thinking I need to pick the best. the properties on the blog, the best possible opportunity in the inventory, that stopped me from moving quick. I think scaling up quicker would be my choice of, if anything, I should have done that. That was when I realized, so yeah, in 2019, 2020, I didn't move much. I mean, I think I probably acquired a two a year or so. But all of sudden, I think I did. I did.

to realize, especially when 2021 hits, interest rate dipped to historical law, that was in my aha moments. Like, why am I waiting? All these money on the street for me to grab, just go ahead and I grab it and figure out a property later. So that was the year I started scaling up quick. That was a very smart move. And, you know, I often feel that we're in a very not similar market in that the market

activity is the same, but similar to the opportunity that we had in 2008. And you kind of mentioned it at the beginning of this podcast. You said, you know, Warren Buffett said, be greedy when people are fearful. Right now, people are so fearful of what economy is doing, what the nation is doing, what real estate is doing. And right now is when I'm putting my foot on the gas, I'm like now stepping it up because everyone's so afraid of the quote unquote, higher interest rates. Oh no. Now is when you want to jump in. So I'm so glad that you mentioned that yen because you are spot on. I started this journey in 2008 when the market crashed and I was able to make a good chunk of money then. And then now when we're in this situation, you know,

I did it again when interest rates went down and now when we're in this situation, I'm doing it again. So I'm encouraging everybody, you know, jump in when people are jumping out for sure. Now, what would you say, Yin, has been the biggest lesson that you've taken from this experience? Find a mentor, find a partner, connected with like-minded people. I would say people who are doers are the minority. So you will feel lonely if you do this alone. So find a circle that who share the same passion, who share the same motivation, find a mentor who share their mistakes so you don't repeat it again.

You learn on their dime on Mercedes is very generous on sharing her experiences, her teams. So I think that's really important. And find someone who you can do it together. So you don't have constant doubt if you are doing the right thing. I think connecting was the right people, with the right mindset is the number one thing that are in life in general, I think. Yeah, for sure. You know, there's that old saying where, you know, you take the five people that you hang out with,

you add up what they're making, and then you're going to be ballpark in the middle. And if that's not where you want to be, then you need to start elevating the circle of people that you surround yourself. It doesn't mean that you don't love your friends and family, but if you elevate your game in that space and you surround yourself with people, they're already doing what you want to do, then how is that not going to work for you? So great point of advice. Great. So, Ian, if you had to do it all over again, would you do something different? Yeah, I would have to move faster. Okay. I would have, buy in two a year at a beginning. I would have

buy five a year. It would be such a huge difference. Sometimes I get a Harper even just thinking about it. I was sitting on all that rent money while I was still working my corporate job. And all those rental income just went to a 1% saving account in the A-Max, and I let that sit. Instead of reinvesting it, letting a compound, that was the biggest regret, considering how much of those 3% money I missed. No kidding, no kidding. So complete the sentence for me, Yin. I almost didn't work with Mercedes and cash flow savvy because I was afraid. Yeah.

And the discouragement from the surrounding. Yeah. There's always going to be naysayers. And, you know, Yen, I have to give it to you coming from where you came from and knowing your community and knowing that you didn't have a 100% supportive husband, and you still did it. And in four years, you were able to quit. your job, I mean, that says so much. So congratulations, man. That is just, this is why I do what we do.

It makes me so happy. For my last question to you is, what advice would you give to a new investor who is considering buying and holding assets in another state, but is stuck? What would you say to them? Don't analyze much. I know the interest rate is high. Mercedes-R-R-Mercity just talk about that's exactly. I think it's the time you need to take action when people are afraid. Don't be afraid to be that minority. Don't be afraid to do something different. You're different because you are special. Oh, so well said. Yin, you are truly one of the reasons why we do this and we pay it forward. I know that now that you've gotten this success, you're doing the same thing and that makes me so, so happy. So I can't thank you enough for sharing your story. I can thank you

enough for sharing your wisdom. We'll share details and information about you in our show notes. And what I can say, Yan, is I know you've said to me so many times that I've inspired you. I know you've just inspired so many out there that are just listening. So thank you for being my guest on the Epic Real Estate Investing Podcast. And I hope that you've grow five times more than where you are now. Thank you, Mercedes. I really appreciate it. You're so welcome. So to our listeners, I truly, truly hope that Yin's journey touched your heart, your soul, your mind, your pocketbook, and just gave you a clear path to what you can create for your life. So if you want more information about cash flow savvy, please just go to our website

that's cashflow savvy.com. That's savvy with two Vs. Hit the contact us or request a call with me, and I will be more than happy to share with you exactly what we shared with Yin. Give us a five-star review and tell us what you liked best about the episode that we just shared with Yin. And what did you like best about what she shared? How is it going to make a difference for you? And tell me, what are you going to do that's going to make a difference for your financial future? Till our next episode, thank you so much for being our guest today, Yin, and thank you so much to our listener who is just going to make a difference in their life by paying it forward and truly jumping on to the bandwagon of making a difference in their life with real estate

investing real estate. Have a great day. Bye. And that wraps up the epic show. If you found this episode valuable, who else do you know that might too? There's a really good chance you know someone else. who would. And when their name comes to mind, please share it with them and ask them to click the subscribe button when they get here and I'll take great care of them. God loves you and so do I. Health, peace, blessings and success to you. I'm Matt Terrio. Living the dream. Yeah, yeah, we got the cash flow. You didn't know home world. We got to cash low. This podcast is a part of the C-Suite Radio Network. For more top business podcasts, visit c-sweetradio.com.