Co-Living Cash Flow: How Clara Arroyave Drives 15–24% ROI and Solves Affordable Housing

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Show Summary

In this conversation, Clara Arroyave discusses the evolving landscape of co-living, drawing parallels to Airbnb’s early days. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity, confidence, and community in building successful co-living spaces. Clara also highlights the pressing issue of affordable housing and the potential of co-living to address this challenge. The discussion further delves into the significance of relationships and delivering value in the real estate market.

Resources and Links from this show:

• • • Investor Fuel Real Estate Mastermind
    • Investor Machine Real Estate Lead Generation
    • Mike on Facebook
    • Mike on Instagram
    • Mike on LinkedIn
    • Clara Arroyave’s Website
    • Clara Arroyave on Facebook
    • Clara Arroyave on Instagram
    • Clara Arroyave’s Email: [email protected]
    • Clara Arroyave’s Phone Number: (617) 299-1053

  Listen to the Audio Version of this Episode

  Investor Fuel Show Transcript:

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (00:00)
  Let’s, if you really want to get this started, pick one, pick one that works. And right now, there is just no question about it, is Co-living is the only asset class that brings you two-digit returns from 15, 20. I have one person that is getting 24 % returns in one house. And…

  what was changed with you before, I have very successful case study for my first student. She just is about to close in a house that is going to give her $6,000 cash flow in South Carolina. So what are you waiting for to get there, right? And once you get one and you love it so much, you go for the second and the third and then you build a portfolio, but gotta stop the shiny object, the chasing part.

  Quentin (02:10)
  Welcome to the Real Estate Pros podcast. I am your host, Q Edmonds. And when I tell you, I love the people we bring on. They always have a way to get me fired up right before we go ahead and go live. Well, know, press record. And this is no different. You’re going to find out this lady, she know how to coach her people up the right way. She has a system in place where you can plug people in. And if they are sure about their confidence,

  sure about themselves, they will be successful. And so I’m excited to bring her on. I’m excited for you to learn about what she do, see things from her perspective. And so I want to introduce you to Ms. Clara. Ms. Clara, how are you doing? If you want to say your last name, please do. I didn’t go over it with you. So I don’t want to butcher it. But yes, please, please, yeah, if you don’t mind telling us your last name, I would love to hear you say it.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (02:50)
  Yes.

  No,

  I will challenge everybody to try to roll their arse. So yeah, good luck with that. I appreciate that you have the courtesy to acknowledge where you are. you and like everybody, not even my husband can roll my arse. Clara Arroyave, so good luck with that. Clara Arroyave, yes. I am the founder of Co-living Cash Flow.

  Quentin (03:03)
  Yeah, actually!

  Yes. Yes.

  ⁓ see? ⁓ my goodness.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (03:20)
  Co-living Cashflow is the first like a one-stop shop that guides you to get your first Co-living property and your Co-living empire. I only work in Co-living . I’ve been in the Co-living sector for one, almost 10 years. So I’m one of the OGs in this space, if you will. ⁓ I started in Boston with an arbitrage portfolio that grew from like two properties to $42 million in assets until close to COVID, until COVID. And then in COVID, did

  Quentin (03:20)
  Beautiful.

  Yeah, let’s go. Absolutely.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (03:47)
  reorganization restructure of the portfolio give it to my competitors lose everything start from zero after COVID the vaccine and now long story short and one of the most top after speakers on the coliving space top leader help a lot of investors in identify properties and doing for the right reasons and people that want to enter the space because we are very early in coliving and coliving as the biggest solution for affordable housing in the country fastest solution for affordable housing ⁓

  My

  mission is to impact at least 50,000 people with coliving.

  Quentin (04:19)
  Mm,

  mm, mm. 50,000 people, wow. That’s amazing. So, I mean, you’re obviously successful. You obviously have a system in place. I don’t want you to give us all the secrets of the sauce, but what keeps you running smoothly? What keeps things running the way they should run?

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (04:38)
  Coffee, Colombian coffee, every day. That’s my secret. From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed, coffee. Yeah, see, black coffee. Good coffee should be drinking black, that’s it.

  Quentin (04:42)
  You

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you seen

  my, mine wasn’t black. You seen that? My had a little something in there, no, I hear you. So.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (04:57)
  No, maybe it tastes bad. That’s why people

  put things, because they like, if you have really excellent coffee, it should be smooth. Yeah, it’s just smooth.

  Quentin (05:03)
  You’re right. You don’t mean anything.

  No, you’re absolutely right. When you gotta get coffee, you’re right. But was that really a sincere answer? Is it really the coffee or is it just systems? Like, it seemed like you got stuff in place that you drop people with and they’re successful.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (05:58)
  you

  Yeah.

  ⁓

  So, no.

  It takes longer than that. It took me a long time to figure out. So number one, figure out what people really want and what their stock. Because what I see is the amount of shiny objects out there is just mind blowing. So the section name, land and construction and everybody, know, look at me. I am a photo in a Ferrari and multifamilies, you wanna go. And then this other person, oh, you know, micro hotels, blah, blah. And these other influencers doing blah, I’m in a photo in a cabana in a key.

  Quentin (06:20)
  Mmm.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (06:41)
  and the art influencer is like, no, me and my dogs and my six million dollar mansion, we do this because we clean floors. It’s so many parts. So what do I bring to the people that listen to me? A, clarity. Clarity, because so.

  Quentin (06:50)
  Yeah, yeah.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (06:56)
  Let’s, if you really want to get this started, pick one, pick one that works. And right now, there is just no question about it, is Co-living is the only asset class that brings you two-digit returns from 15, 20. I have one person that is getting 24 % returns in one house. And…

  what was changed with you before, I have very successful case study for my first student. She just is about to close in a house that is going to give her $6,000 cash flow in South Carolina. So what are you waiting for to get there, right? And once you get one and you love it so much, you go for the second and the third and then you build a portfolio, but gotta stop the shiny object, the chasing part.

  And the second part of the system is an alert is very like obsessed with learning and technology and AI, all those things.

  the more you give people a product that is ready to plug and play and use, the more they pay or the higher the pay will be. So instead of just giving the class and they get more confused because many of them don’t know what they want.

  Quentin (07:51)
  country.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (07:57)
  I have a private group of wholesalers working only for my students, giving them properties only to my students. So there is no competition in the sense that there is no competition with 100, 200, 300 people. The deals are just for them. So they actually can get started and minimum, minimum the check or on the writing is minimum $2,000 cashflow per property. So you know what are you getting, how are you getting it? And what I say always

  this

  guy, everyone, I want you to sleep at night, I want to sleep at night, and I want to make sure that your mortgage is gonna get paid because you are the one in book for the mortgage, no one else, he’s not the influencer, nor the class, nor the YouTube video, you are, right? And if you are, you need to make super sure that this is gonna work, and usually need to work under 50 % or less occupancy, any property. So I make sure everything, I’m obsessed with numbers and data, so to be able

  Quentin (08:33)
  Yeah.

  Yeah.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (08:52)
  to give a great property to my students. You’re not gonna see me in a photo in a bikini with a million Instagram followers. That’s not me. It’s about making sure my investors are successful. And forget about the shiny Jick syndrome and blah blah blah. No, Co-living, period. That’s it, that’s all there is.

  Quentin (08:56)
  Mm. Mm. Mm.

  I’m

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

  I love it. I love it. I love when you talk about the shiny object, because you’re right. We get caught up on the shiny object. We get caught up on the end result. But sometimes we don’t see the process, how it takes to get to the end result. And so since you brought this up, I have a, I always ask me where, come on, there are times when moments get real, right? When things go sideways, a time when you have to pivot fast. So I was wondering if you could share a moment like that, because I’m with you.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (09:22)
  Yep.

  Mm-hmm.

  Yep. Yep. Yep.

  Quentin (10:14)
  We can’t just talk about the sets without talking about the process of how we got there.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (10:17)
  You mean for me, for my company, my investors? Yeah. True?

  Quentin (10:19)
  Yes, is there a moment where you kind of had to pivot when things got real, like when

  things wasn’t going the way you expected? Like, tell us about that journey, how you got through that.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (10:29)
  At the

  beginning, so I had to get on my own head first to be able to help other people. Number one, you gotta get on your head, know what you want. But also you need to know what your superpowers are.

  Quentin (10:34)
  Mm.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (10:40)
  Because you need to know what you’re really good at so you know where and how to complement the rest. So knowing yourself is number one key for any investor, everyone in real estate. Am I good at numbers? Am I good at cleaning? Am I good at being nice to others? What is that I can do all day and night that even if I’m not paid for? And I’m using my super power right here with you.

  Quentin (11:00)
  Yes, ma’am.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (11:00)
  I am

  Quentin (11:01)
  Yes, ma’am.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (11:01)
  my superpowers to galvanize inside, motivate and show you the path with clarity without false, without know fluff. I’m like hardcore numbers, no numbers, no nothing. So.

  Quentin (11:10)
  Yes. Yes.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (11:14)
  Just with that, knowing that I can do that, the rest follow. So I started doing a little bit of videos and small classes. I’m kind of afraid. At the beginning, my voice was shaking. I was fine. But then everybody, wow, you really know about this? Yeah, hell yeah, I know. But I needed my own confidence to know that I knew what I was talking about was absolutely real. I mean, 10 years of experience in only one sector. is not a lot of people right now that do

  what

  I do and neither the way I do it.

  Sorry, wow, then how to combine the finances and the resources. then I pay what from, what do I sell, and then overcome my own demons or my own lack of confidence. What do I sell, what do I give? Do I do a coaching, do I do a book, do I go to, what do I do? I start doing $88 a month membership. And I have 20 people coming, 10 people coming, and then I suck at sales, and that’s fine, I’m good at one thing, but not as good

  Quentin (11:55)
  No.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (12:10)
  another

  one so you know you want to register link in bio things like that but like I need more volume to be able to you know grow the way I wanted to grow but then when I start offering the I’ll solve your problem I’ll go with you and solve your problem is meaning wholesales private properties

  Everybody said yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, like super quick. I don’t even need to push anything. Okay, what do I sign? So it took every entrepreneur or every business owner need to discover what is the pain point that your customer has and how to solve it in a way that no one else has. And that’s what you say, pointing to me, what is it that you bring to the table when no one else has is a question that is not a question but it is done with you. Clear your head.

  Quentin (12:31)
  Yeah.

  Mm.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (12:49)
  you know, clear your head, know your part, and if this spot is for you, then if you join me, great, I’ll you your property. And we’ll figure out the finances, and so you’re protected and you can sleep, so I can sleep too. That’s it. It’s actually simple. ⁓

  Quentin (12:59)
  Hmm, it is. I love it.

  So you actually said, I love it. But you’re right. You’re right. It is simple, but there are people that kind of get in their own way sometimes. And that’s why I like, I like how you talked about the people that you coach just helping them gain their confidence. And so I love when you talk about knowing your superpower. It’s interesting that you said that because you said you’re operating in your superpower. I feel like I’m doing the exact same thing, right?

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (13:04)
  Hahaha!

  Yeah.

  Quentin (13:26)
  Right before I came on with you, this is what I said to myself, and this is what I say to activate my superpower. I say, I’m gonna be cheerful. I’m gonna be courageous. I’m gonna be certain. I’m gonna be confident, and I’m gonna be undaunted. So it’s like, when I talk to Ms. Clara, I am gonna be cheerful. I’m gonna be courageous. I’m gonna be certain. I’m gonna be confident, and I’m gonna be undaunted. And so I’m with you. I feel like I’m in my superpower too. I hear you. Yeah, yeah.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (13:27)
  Thank you.

  on Dumb.

  Hell yeah, I like that too. Awesome.

  Quentin (13:53)
  And that

  just puts me in a state of mind just to have the most fun, to show up as my authentic self and just have an amazing conversation. And I believe that’s what we’re doing. Yeah.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (14:00)
  There is no other way. There

  is no other way. And it took me so much time and like a self doubt and you know getting all my own head. When you pretend to be someone you’re not, you’re not coming authentic, you’re not giving your 100%. You like have a mask right there to be what? What other people think that you want to be or what other people you think.

  for approval from who, right? Validation is for parking. Never forget that validation is only for parking. So once I get to know the real me, you know what? And that happened to me in 2019, 20.

  And how do you understand that be my authentic self-work? Because I’m a heavy metalhead, like I’m a super metallica person, I chase metallica across everywhere. Sometimes my posts, hey I’m metallica in Houston, metallica in Denver, get more likes than anything about real estate, which is super funny but well. But it’s who I am, so you get the whole person, you get the anger, the happiness, the joy, the sad, you get, and that’s what you bring, you are a whole human, not just a part.

  Quentin (15:41)
  Come on,

  come on. We are human beings, not human doings. We’re human beings. We are beings, we be. Absolutely. Nope, I hear you. I hear you. Yes, ma’am. Listen, this is so good. I’m having a fun time. Listen, let me ask you this. Let me ask you this. know, the cold living, you’re knocking it out the park. What are you most focused on solving next? Like, what’s the next real goal?

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (15:43)
  yeah yeah yeah bingo bingo bingo bingo yeah

  Bye.

  I want to help 50,000 people between owners and investors enter the world of coliving. I believe that coliving is now what Airbnb used to be about 10, 12 years ago. there is so much further to go because the problem of affordable housing in this country is bigger than you might think. There is deficit of about 8 million units for affordable housing because 14 million people, actually right now more than 14 million people,

  Quentin (16:27)
  Woo, wow.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (16:33)
  make

  less than $30,000 a year and many of those are households of one and when you combine with that people that are 55 plus retired that are in fixed income, divorced woman, and the price of housing versus minimum wage that has not changed, I will not change in the next four or six years even.

  The Delta is there and the opportunity is there, but also the opportunity to serve a lot of people is there. And I want you listeners, always, and your watchers to remember the three Cs of co-living. Co-living is shared housing for cost, for community, and for convenience. When you have a product, a co-living product that covers those three Cs, cost, community, and convenience, you have a product that people will use and stay for a long term that will bring those returns, but you also serve in your community.

  Quentin (17:03)
  Mm-hmm.

  cause, community, and convenience. ⁓

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (17:21)
  Yeah, cost, under

  minimum wage, always under what the price of a studio is for your area, right? What is the minimum wage? There is no one state, maybe, I think in the whole country that the cost of minimum wage covers the price of a studio. It just does not exist. So people have to wait even two full-time jobs to pay just rent, right? ⁓ Plus…

  Quentin (17:40)
  Gotcha.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (17:42)
  plus in top of that utilities and food and you name it then it’s just not, the money matting, right? The money matting, so that’s the cause. The community is don’t just do rooms, meaning always have a common space or more than one in the house. Hey, good morning, how are you? When you have your own coffee in the morning or a Saturday, how are you? So you get to know your mates, your housemates. And when you get to know your housemates, you get community, you get to like them, you get to do things.

  Quentin (17:48)
  Yeah. Yeah.

  Hmm. Hmm.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (18:07)
  together, know, have a garden, whatever it is. And then those bonds where they form take a long time to break and they will never leave or they will stay there as long as they need to be, stay longer. The longer they stay, the less vacancy from you. Just by fostering a space for community, having a dining room, like a place that they can interact always, no matter what. Conveniences produce, always deliver a product the most complete possible. Meaning not only furniture, but also maybe cleaning of the common areas.

  Quentin (18:14)
  Yeah.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (18:34)
  or cleaning supplies. Some people don’t do cleaning of the common areas, but give the residents cleaning supplies for them to do. That includes utilities, that includes internet. The more convenience, more organized storage space for them, in a way they can feel like home, they’re like, wow, they don’t really miss anything. And when you make it home for them, and you have community, and you have a good coast, you’re have filled properties, and filled properties, and filled properties more and more and more.

  Make sense? It makes sense. As I say, it’s simple, but you gotta do it right. Don’t trade people like dollar signs. Just go for the trick. Yeah.

  Quentin (18:59)
  I love the way you make sense makes total sense. I always say, yeah.

  You got to put the system in place. And that’s what I love about

  you. You put systems in place. And I love when you said community, know, cars, community, convenience. Thanks for breaking that down. I always say community is common unity. It’s about people living in unity and a common unity. And so I love what you’re building when you talk about co-living, the spaces, the way you set it up, the cars, the community convenience. But I love how you support your team and coach your team up.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (19:17)
  Yeah.

  Mm-hmm.

  Quentin (19:34)
  And so this lets me know you’re big on relationships. So just want to talk about relationships a little bit. Like when it comes to building relationships and growing your network, what has made the biggest difference for you?

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (19:39)
  Yeah, yeah, sure.

  ⁓

  Again, getting on my own hip knowing that I have value to deliver and I can speak in the same

  Quentin (19:48)
  Got you.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (19:53)
  because I know it took me a while to know that I actually have a lot of value to deliver and I can’t speak in any, thank you, I can’t speak in any stage in anywhere in the world and my values, it’s more than I thought it was going to be and it had become a mix that I didn’t know I had or that I know that was needed. is like, ⁓ alright, people are doing.

  Quentin (19:57)
  We’re talking. I hear you.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (20:12)
  you know what is new like ⁓ so many things are new and then what I have understood all this time with my students is the mental barriers are sometimes bigger than the money.

  Quentin (20:21)
  Yes. So true.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (20:23)
  It’s like, wow.

  You know, I have almost a client, hey I want to enroll but I’m afraid to upset my husband.

  Like, okay, is your financial future more important than your fears? So I cannot solve the people’s fears, but I’m a good mirror to put in where they are. You know, they can see it and decide by themselves, oof.

  Quentin (20:42)
  Well, I thank you so much. thank you for finding your value and knowing your value because you teach that from an authentic place. And so you are injecting people with your reality. You can’t fake it, and you’re not faking it. You’re injecting people with your reality. And so I appreciate you. I really do.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (20:57)
  Again,

  appreciate you too, just coming from a place of authenticity. That’s Happy to help. Clara, call you in colivingcashflow.com Call you in colivingcashflow.com. And that’s it.

  Quentin (21:07)
  Listen, you’re doing my job for me because I was about to say, before we wrap, if someone wanted to reach out to you or collaborate, how can they find you? So give it to them one more time, Ms.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (21:18)
  My website is called colivingcashflow.com. I have a free webinar for everybody to just get to know me a little better every Friday and noon. Registration is out there also. My Facebook page is colivingcashflow.com or colivingcashflow, you see my photo there. My email is clara at colivingcashflow.com. My phone number is 6172991053.

  I mean, my Instagram, coliving Cashflow, but I’m more active like on Facebook and in my classes and whatnot.

  Quentin (21:38)
  There she is.

  I love it. There she is. Listen, I thank you so much. I wish you could see my notebook. I’m taking notes on everything you said. I appreciate you so much. I appreciate your story. I appreciate your perspective. I appreciate you being here. Thank you for finding your value because you are adding true value within this space, within your community, within your network. now I’ve had you on here and now you’re providing value to our community and network.

  And so your network is growing and I’m excited about it. And so thank you so much, Ms. Claire, for being here today.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (22:19)
  Thank you Quentin, I appreciate you. I love your joyfulness and your unparalleled attention to details. Phenomenal.

  Quentin (22:27)
  Dude, that means so much. Thank you. I appreciate you saying that. That means so much to me. I appreciate that. You have no idea. I appreciate that. Thank you so much. Absolutely. So listen, y’all got the value from Ms. Clara. I think I am betting a thousand. When I tell y’all I’m excited, and then once you see people, when they say what they say, you see my excitement. And so listen, go here, subscribe, hit the bell. We want you to come back because we’re going to continue to bring you in.

  Clara Arroyave – Coliving (22:31)
  Same?

  Quentin (22:54)
  incredible people just like Miss Clara. So thank you again ma’am so much and to everyone else we will see you on the next time.