Before You Buy an Investment Property: Due Diligence Tips for Investors

Shemika Jackson (00:00)
I am big on education and I think before you pull the trigger, before you go with a sweet deal, because some person told you how awesome it was, do your due diligence, reach out to the professionals. I know people, you know, that say they don’t like working with agents and things like that, but sometimes, you know, reaching out to people who have a fiduciary duty to be truthful and honest.

⁓ is is is a great idea because you’re gonna run into people who are just here to make money. And once you wire that cash over,

Scott Bursey (02:03)
Welcome back to the Real Estate Pros podcast, powered by Investor Fuel. I’m your host, Scott Bursey And pros today is going to be massive. We have Shemika Jackson from Meek and Company, International Realty, joining us. And let me tell you, she is bringing some high octane fuel to the show today. We’re talking about scaling, international branding, and how to stay ahead of the pack when everyone else is just trying to keep up.

Shemika welcome to the show.

Shemika Jackson (02:30)
Thank you. Thank you for having me. I’m excited to be here.

Scott Bursey (02:33)
It’s just awesome to have you here. And to get our listeners up to speed, Shemika, please give us the front row seat and how your career ignited and where you’re pouring your fuel now.

Shemika Jackson (02:44)
So I started ⁓ as a real estate ⁓ investor, I guess, way back before the crash. I started looking into wholesaling, which I didn’t really know what wholesaling was at the time. We just kind of called it middleman type of deal. And ⁓ from there, I’ve always been an entrepreneur. ⁓ 26, I walked away from corporate America to pursue entrepreneurship. And from you know, there I just ended up in

real estate somehow. ⁓ I got my real estate license in 2018. you know, people were telling me that wholesaling was illegal and you had to be an agent and all of this different stuff. And so I went and got licensed. ⁓ and then I got some mentorship with some really great people up in Ohio. And ⁓ I ran into one foreign investor from Israel and meeting this guy

Opened up so many doors for me where I became more of a wholesaler moving hundreds of properties a year to these guys overseas. ⁓ from there, these guys needed project management ⁓ help. And so I started a project management company, and then they needed property management, and so I started a property management company, and then it just all of a sudden turned into a full service real estate investing.

firm, I guess. Like, ⁓ and so I did that for about seven years. And I started helping these guys. I started realizing that a lot of these guys were being taken advantage of. they were miseducated, they were buying sight unseen. They were, you know, taking these different ⁓ approaches that they really had no idea to do. And so I started stepping in to be more of help.

That thing started burning me out. And so I walked away. And ⁓ fortunately enough, these guys they kept calling me saying, Shamika, I need your help. And so I’m back here ⁓ with a redefined approach to help people become educated prior to buying in these markets so that they save themselves a lot of stress. And that’s me in a nutshell.

Scott Bursey (04:56)
Wow, and that is incredible, Shemika. You know what really caught my attention about you was the way that you’ve been able to pivot Meek and Company International Realty from a local standout into a brand that commands respect on a global scale. Most people just talk about scaling, but you’re actually out there doing it and making it look seamless.

Shemika Jackson (05:17)
Yeah, making it look seamless ⁓ for sure, but it’s tough.

Scott Bursey (05:23)
And that’s definitely not easy. It is tough. And I understand that you have a book. Could you tell us a little bit more about your publication?

Shemika Jackson (05:30)
Yes. So I began writing this book about two and a half years ago and I kind of shut it on the set it on the shelf there. And ⁓ it launched, it it was published last year, June of 2025. And the book is titled The Miseducation of a Foreign Real Estate Investor. And in this book, I talked to ⁓ real estate investors who have been burned and felt like they have failed in their endeavors of being a real estate investor.

And I’m just simply sharing with them that it’s not that they were, you know, uneducated, it was that they were miseducated. And there’s a big difference there. And so a lot of the things that they see on the internet, and let me preface this with a lot of my clients came from overseas. So they had never stepped into the United States, let alone in the inner cities of what I like to call the Clevelands of America, because I’m from Cleveland, but it’s like

Cleveland, Memphis, St. Louis, Indiana, those type of markets, these people, ⁓ they never stepped into these areas. And so they were miseducated by, you know, being shown things that really didn’t exist. And so this book, I talk about the different stories and I use different ⁓ investors’ profiles and things like that to share with the community that wants to invest here because I do believe that there’s opportunity.

It’s just that you have to have the right education, you have to have the right strategy, the right structure, and then the right support. And so that’s what this book is about.

Scott Bursey (07:01)
Right there, you hit it on the head, the right support. You’re providing direction. That is so noble, Shemika. And I’m super curious about the winning recipe behind your branding. What do you consider your biggest competitive advantage right now when you you walk into a a listing presentation?

Shemika Jackson (08:07)
So when I walk into a listing presentation, because my brand is twofold. So on one side, I give the seller options. So as a broker, I am ⁓ able to offer them, you know, a listing ⁓ opportunity where I’m like, hey, if you want to get the max, this is how you could get the max. ⁓ we could list it, but it may take X, Y, and Z to get that thing listed on the market. Or you have the option to do something that we call

Cash out fast. And I work with a whole bunch of investors that likes to buy properties at a discount. They can move fast, they could buy as is. They don’t want to have no type of inspections. And we can get you clothes. It just depends. And so I’m able to offer that to the sellers and then until flip side that I’m able to bring good deals to investors.

Scott Bursey (08:58)
I love that. And let’s keep it real for a second and talk operations. What’s the one operational hurdle you’re currently working to smooth out or automate as you grow?

Shemika Jackson (09:08)
Grow, I would ⁓ say that I am trying to be more on the front side of the problem. ⁓ unfortunately, I meet my clients after they’re burnt, ⁓ after they’ve lost money and that kind of thing. And ⁓ it just gets a little murky. I would love to be in front of the thing, in front of the trend, so to speak, before they go out and they wire money, is what I say in my book. ⁓

So that they can avoid falling into into the trap. And so that’s that’s where I’m at right now trying to figure that out.

Scott Bursey (09:44)
That’s spot on and that’s a huge distinction. And I’d love to hear your take on where the market is actually headed, Shemika. Where are you seeing the most untapped opportunity for growth in the current international landscape ⁓ currently?

Shemika Jackson (09:57)
Well, I s I I mean there’s just so many different opportunities, as you know, right? ⁓ I think a lot of the people that I run into, they are literally ⁓ entry level investors. And so they’re looking in those Cleveland of Americas, the Memphises, the Clevelands and Detroits and things like that. ⁓ that’s not my favorite market, even though I come from that market. It’s not my favorite, but again, it’s the low hanging fruit, right?

⁓ I think the opportunity is to get more into the bigger projects. ⁓ the the bill projects like in the sun belt, that kind of thing. ⁓ but

When I stepped away, I tried to go into that market. I’m a broker in North Carolina as well. But my client base, and I think the call that God has on my life is to help those people in the Midwest in those ⁓ smaller areas. And so there is opportunity, but again, they just have to be educated properly to make it the best of the best.

Scott Bursey (10:58)
That’s some powerful stuff right there. You’re following your calling. And we all know that the market can be a wild ride. So I’m interested in your perspective on how are you shielding your business and your clients from the volatility we’re seeing in the sector today.

Shemika Jackson (11:15)
Education, education, ⁓ and it’s like applied knowledge. Like we could continue to read and do and and involve ourselves in what’s going on in the news and the headlines, but the actual head the actual protection is to basically apply what we learn. And so I focus on structure, I focus on strategy, and then from there, let’s execute. And so I believe that.

To every problem, there’s a solution, you know? And ultimately, as long as you’re educated prior to making those decisions, everything should fall in place. I mean, there is risk, of course. ⁓ but let’s make, you know, the best decisions with what we have by doing our due diligence and that kind of stuff. And so that, you know, we could be protected. And risk as much as we can. Yeah.

Scott Bursey (12:05)
Hundred

Absolutely. Education, that laser focus. It’s so, so critical. And on that note, what is your vision for the next let’s say twelve to twenty four months for your business, Jamika?

Shemika Jackson (12:54)
The vision for my business is I am laser focused on getting in front of the foreign investors before they make these decisions. So I don’t know how I’m gonna do it right. I am really dependent on you know, just getting in front of people. ⁓ in the beginning of my business and in this run that I had for about eight years with the foreign investors, I did no marketing. It was all word of mouth.

I did hundreds of rehabs. I did I’ve managed thousands of properties. And it was all by the grace of God that these people were coming into my business and they were sent to me word of mouth. And so I am just hoping that, you know, something you know could happen miraculously like that because I’m no marketer. I don’t really know how to put myself out there as you know, this person that I aspire to be. ⁓ but it works because the people

They’re satisfied and they just refer their their friends. But again, in this in this moment in this season of my business, it’s after they’re hurt. So the people are coming to me and they’re saying, hey, can you help me fix this situation? And I don’t mind fixing the situation, but it would be awesome if I could help them avoid the problem ⁓ and not be hurt and not lose their inheritances and their savings and stuff like that.

Scott Bursey (14:17)
Hundred percent. That’s a game changer for our listeners right there. And Shamika, this is a great conversation. I want to dig into your team culture now. How do you maintain your specific standard of excellence as you continue to expand your team and global footprint?

Shemika Jackson (14:34)
Well, we have a set of core values, right? And the number one core value, we have two. The number two core values is one integrity. So we’re gonna make sure that we’re gonna do what we say we’re gonna do and we’re gonna make sure we’re gonna do what we’re gonna do, even when nobody’s looking. We’re gonna do the right thing. And so the second one is that I tell my people all the time I’m gonna spend your money like I was spend my money. So I’m not here to make a whole bunch of money. And that second core value is.

If I help enough people get what they want, God’s gonna bless me with what I need. And so I’m not here to take advantage of people. I’m here to help. I’m here to serve. And in as a reward in return, I’ll get what I need. And so those are the two main value core values that my company and my team has. And when I bring people into my company or into my business, I make sure they have that same type of ⁓ you know equity to put into the business. And so

Even as I grow my brokerage and I start hiring agents, which is something new that I’m I’m about to do, because I believe that if I can help agents understand this thing, they too can go out and help. And then we could change this trajectory of people coming into our our cities and being burnt. And so I just want them to play the same, the same game by the same rules that I’m playing. And those are the two most important things for me.

Scott Bursey (15:55)
That’s an excellent blueprint right there. And Shamika, here’s the high octane part of the show. If you could look back at your journey and identify the one critical decision that fundamentally shifted your trajectory from just doing deals to building an empire, what was it and why did it work so well?

Shemika Jackson (16:15)
You know, I ⁓ would have to say that it was serving the client. Like I said, I started off as a wholesaler. I started selling properties with the intention to make a profit or an assignment fee or whatever. And as I evolved as a wholesaler and I started to meet people, I started to understand their problems.

And so they were having problems with chasing contractors and losing money and people running off with their cash. And so I said, Hey, I’ll be a project manager, you know, I’ll figure this thing out. You guys can pay me, and I’ll make sure that your money doesn’t get stolen. And so I started that. I started serving there. And then again, after those rehabs were done, they the property management was like the thing that would make or break an investment. And so

I said, hey, I’ll start a property management company so that you guys can make sure that after you get the rehab, you’ll have cash flow. And so I started serving there and I just became a servant in my industry. ⁓ and like I said, the the the heavens opened up the doors and it just was like word of mouth and it just grew extremely fast.

Scott Bursey (18:02)
Shemika, if I’m hearing you correctly, you’re focusing on the engine, not just the speed.

Shemika Jackson (18:08)
Absolutely.

Scott Bursey (18:09)
And that is just a winning recipe. You have provided a lot of really good insight and direction for our listeners here today. But is there any ⁓ other additional advice you could leave with our pros?

Shemika Jackson (18:22)
Well

what I would leave is ⁓ again, I am big on education and I think before you pull the trigger, before you go with a sweet deal, because some person told you how awesome it was, do your due diligence, reach out to the professionals. I know people, you know, that say they don’t like working with agents and things like that, but sometimes, you know, reaching out to people who have a fiduciary duty to be truthful and honest.

⁓ is is is a great idea because you’re gonna run into people who are just here to make money. And once you wire that cash over, it’s gone. And so I would just say to to educate yourself and not just look at the shiny stuff, like understand that there’s risk, there are problems, things do happen, and not every house that you buy is gonna produce cash flow immediately after you buy it.

Scott Bursey (19:15)
Shemika, I love your message. And for those of our listeners that want to keep this conversation moving, stay in your lane or collaborate with you, what is the best way for them to plug into your pipeline and reach you directly?

Shemika Jackson (19:27)
Okay, so on all platforms of social media, I am Meek ⁓ E E K, the House Geek. Meek the House Geek. I have my website is investorredi.com and I offer consultations and things like that. I do deal reviews before you buy the properties, you know. ⁓ I could run comps, that kind of thing for you just to make sure it’s a sound investment.

And so you can reach out there. my email address is [email protected]. ⁓ I could be you can email me. ⁓ I’m here. So

Scott Bursey (20:08)
Shemika, this has been a great pleasure speaking with you today. Thank you for being on the Real Estate Pros podcast.

Shemika Jackson (20:15)
Thanks for having me.

Scott Bursey (20:16)
And to our listeners, we appreciate you. If you got value from today’s episode, please subscribe. We’ll be fueling your tanks with elite guests just like Shemika Jackson who are accelerating and setting the pace for the rest of the industry. Until next time, keep your standards high and your vision clear. We’ll see you on the next episode, everyone.