Celebrating 25 Years in Real Estate

Hello again, it’s me, Joseph, and I’m on the move! Well, not really. I’m taking a moment to pause and sit with myself, and with you! This month is my 25th anniversary in real estate! What a wild, rewarding, unpredictable, beautiful roller coaster ride it has been. Because I’ve always wanted a talk show, #Oprah #LivewithKellyandMark, I had a friend come up with a few questions for me. Dear reader, imagine you and I are sitting on the chair and the couch on a gorgeous Alverio designed set with our morning show mugs and the interview begins:

Host: What made you choose real estate as a career?

Joseph: I was ready to graduate in the Spring of 2000. I wasn’t happy in my current job and did not like the direction the company was going. It made sense to make a move: new century, newly graduated, new me, but I wasn’t sure what the move was.  With perfect timing, my Mom called as she was being laid off from Kodak and said, “Let’s get our real estate licenses.” I said “What?  We know nothing.”  She replied, ” We will learn; we’ve got this!”  I have not looked back since.

Host: What is the most unique or strangest transaction you have had?

Joseph: I can’t even begin to decide, especially since a lot of my focus in real estate has been with investment properties. Let me give you just a little taste of some of my adventures:

*Investment property in Gates: they’re growing mushrooms and they’re ready to shoot us

*Touring a house for a good 20 minutes and walking into the bedroom and finding a tenant, who apparently had no idea we were coming, buck ass naked in his bed and not so easy to wake up

*Investment property: Raining from the second-floor apartment to the first to the basement

*the fires, yes, plural, started by tenants

* process server calling because the tenant is dead in the property

*dealing with people who have 10 grandparents that die, month after month, causing their rent to be late

*navigating COVID and tenants living rent-free for 36 months

*meeting prospective sellers on a listing appointment, and they tell you everything is brand new but it’s 25+ years old.  LOL, so true!

(Hard to choose, isn’t it?)

Host: How have you grown as a person because of real estate?

Joseph: Where do I start: my age, my white hair, my wrinkles…

If I had to summarize, I would say that I’ve learned to respect everyone.  We don’t all come from the same place and we each have a different point of view because of that.  I’ve learned to not only listen but to appreciate insights from others so we can help our clients achieve THEIR goals, which might not always be our goal.

Host: What have you learned about people in general because of real estate?

This career has introduced me to so many different people, some who have become not only colleagues, but great friends for over 20+ years now. Real estate is a very social career that can get tiring at times. If you let it, it can affect your view of people, not necessarily for the better. It’s important to take a breath, step back and remember that the majority of humans we meet are good people. Most want to help each other grow, to see each other achieve our dreams and make the world a better place.

Host: What do you want people to know about real estate and the market?

Joseph: The real estate market, like most investment markets, is about the long game and the overall gain. There will always be up and down cycles with value, and interest rates, but in the end, it is the best investment you can make.

Host: What are you looking forward to in the next 25 years?

Joseph: Retirement! As I shared, real estate is the greatest investment there is and ever will be, on so many levels.  Yes, you have to deal with the ups and downs of management and tenant relations if you choose to be an investor but making the commitment will set you up for a very comfortable and memorable retirement. (And, you don’t have to manage if you don’t want to: #RochesterPortfolio)

Let me be clear. I’m not retiring yet. It’s currently just a thought in the back of my mind that I want to be intentional about. In the meantime, I am living my purpose in helping people put a roof over their heads whether it’s for the short or long term. I also want to take this opportunity to truly thank all the people along the way who have made this adventure possible. No one, and I mean no one, succeeds alone.

Yes, mom. You were right. We’ve got this!

Cheers to 25 years!

Joseph