We All Want to Get to the Finish Line
Achievement and success are two things many of us can agree are attainable. We all love to hear a success story every now to give us some inspiration. Here, we plan to share with you the stories of the most successful real estate investors in the US today.
We will also give you a glimpse into how they made it, and what you can learn from them! Prepare to be wooed, we’ve got some pretty successful people ahead of us.
The Most Successful Real Estate Investors This 2018: Who They Are
How Much Are They Really Packing?
Here is a sum up of just how successful the most successful real estate investors are. Prepare yourself for some big numbers, everyone.
#1 Most Successful Real Estate Investors – Donald Bren
With an estimated net worth of $17 billion dollars, it’s no surprise Donald knows how to make money in real estate and how to invest money wisely. Many real estate investors agree the first thing they think about is how to finance income property investments. That is just how Donald Bren began his investing in real estate journey.
Click here to learn more about how the most successful real estate investors attain massive rental income.
Bren turned a $10,000 bank loan into a multi-billion dollar empire. Yes, multi-billion. We can consider Bren’s portfolio to be the best investment portfolio out there. This successful real estate investor has 110 million square feet of real estate to his name.
That 110 million includes office buildings, apartments, marinas, and hotels, most of which is found in the picturesque location of Orange County.
Bren also has a footprint in Trump’s native New York City as the majority owner of the New York Metlife building. As a whole, Bren has one-fifth of Orange County. To put that in perspective, that would be an area FIVE times the size of Manhattan.
#2 Most Successful Real Estate Investors – Stephen Ross
This self-made billionaire is chairman of Related Companies, the developer behind America’s largest private real estate project. Hudson Yards, his $25 billion mega-development opened its first building in May 2016. The planned completion will be in 2024.
As a whole, Related has developed a whole $30 billion worth of properties across the world. Yes, the whole world. Starting from California to Abu Dhabi, all the way to Shanghai. Small-scale investing was not this real estate investor’s forte. Go big or go home.
Real estate investing is not the only thing Ross dabbled in. He owns the Miami Dolphins! Even owns a stake in billionaire Jorge Perez’s Miami condo developer Related Group of Florida. We consider him one of the kings of diversity. Plenty of money to be made, just have to go out there and get it.
Billion Dollar Advice
Here, we tell you the backstories of the most successful real estate investors. WARNING: You may become VERY inspired.
Bren, Our Best Friend
The real estate investing days started early for Donald Bren, as he and his brother began working in their father’s real estate development company in the summers. Working in his father’s real estate business allowed him to learn a number of different lessons.
One valuable lesson he described to the Los Angeles Times in 2011 was:
“When you hold property over the long term, you’re able to create better values and you have something tangible to show for it.”
Donald Bren
We advise you to take notes, the teacher is talking. A teacher worth $17 billion, to be exact.
Young Life
After earning a degree in business administration and economics, Bren ended up serving in the US marine corps for three years. However, that did not stop him from following his father’s footsteps into the real estate investment business.
At the age of 25, Bren took out a $10,000 bank loan. This first time real estate investor intended to found Bren Company and build his first house on Lido Isle in Newport Beach, California.
Bren used the real estate investment strategy of “fix and flips” and built and a succession of homes. Looking for the way to make money fast, he began riding the wave of Orange County’s late 1960s real estate boom.
To learn more about the strategies you can use to become one of the most successful real estate investors, click here
Then, the chain of events started from there. As a creative real estate investor, Bren was always on the lookout for new real estate investment opportunities. Donald Bren made his fortune in real estate. Eventually, he started a property development firm that would sell for millions of dollars.
He later partnered with a group of real estate investors to purchase a real estate investment company that was founded in 1864. As the days passed, he bought out his partners and became the company’s sole shareholder. Today he is considered the wealthiest real estate developer in the U.S.
Stephen Ross, the Big Boss
Getting fired is rarely ever a positive thing to many individuals. However, that wasn’t the case for Stephen Ross. Ross considers getting fired as the “best motivation” he could ask for.
He then borrowed $10,000 from his mother and started building his real estate firm, The Related Companies. Though he had offers from a number of investors, Ross wasn’t ready to let his baby go. His blood, sweat, and tears were not shed without receiving the benefits of property investment in return. He grew a passion for what he did. It was no longer just a job to him, rather a passion, a hobby, and an aspiration.
That is one of the main takeaways from Stephen. Be able to love what you do, and not just consider it your day job. Being a full-time investor is not your typical 9-5 job. Investing in income generating assets takes commitment and patience. Investing for cashflow is great, but not as great as investing in real estate because you love the art.
“Being successful, you don’t go straight up, there’s going to be obstacles along the way.”
Stephen Ross
Get Your Name on the List of the Most Successful Real Estate Investors
“I want to become a real estate investor” is a thought that can pop into your head at any moment. The art of real estate investing can be practiced through so many different ways. There are a number of real estate investment strategies you can use to attain a spot on the list of the most successful real estate investors.
How to become a successful real estate investor is attainable, just look at Stephen and Donald. It started with a loan and ended in billions. Investing in income producing assets is the start of your real estate career. There is growth to grow, money to invest, and rental income to attain.
Use the most successful real estate investor stories to your advantage. One day, your name too could be a part of this list.