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Show Summary
In this conversation, Marie shares her journey in real estate investment, discussing the challenges and opportunities she faced, the importance of education and networking, and her strategies for success. She emphasizes the need for transparency, calculated risks, and building relationships in the industry. Marie also offers valuable advice for new investors, highlighting the significance of mindset and continuous learning.
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Investor Fuel Show Transcript:
Marie Berry (00:00)
I do believe that real estate is a relationship game and we work very closely with people, whether it be your contractors, your attorneys. ⁓other lenders, other investors, I mean, collaborate on things. But the more you know and the more you can share, the more it becomes just a community that trusts each other. You build trust. And private lending or real estate in general, people like to do and work with people they know, like and trust. So by doing that, ⁓ you build that muscle and you share that information with people.
Michelle Kesil (02:04)
Hey, everybody. Welcome to the Real Estate Pros Podcast. I’m your host, Michelle Kesil And today I’m joined by someone I’m looking forward to chatting with, Marie Berry, who is a real estate investor, empowering others to grow their wealth, working on passive investing and raising private money. So excited to have you on the show here today,Marie Berry (02:25)
Thank you. Thanks for having me. ⁓Michelle Kesil (02:27)
Yeah, I think our listeners are really going to take something away from how you’re focusing on capital raising, private lending, and investing. So, excited to dive in.Marie Berry (02:37)
Okay.Michelle Kesil (02:38)
First off, for those who are not yet familiar with you and your world, can you share what your main focus is these days?Marie Berry (02:44)
Yes, we are ⁓ investors since 2018. We’re in the Northeast. We live in Guilford, Connecticut, the shoreline of Connecticut. ⁓ We have been able to do fix and flips, and then we did some buy and hold. So we currently own three properties as rentals, looking to possibly buy a multifamily. But in addition to that, I raise capital for not only our projects, but for others. And we do some private lending. So it’s been a, it’s what I love about real estate is all the various strategies.Michelle Kesil (03:10)
Yeah, absolutely. How did you get started in real estate?Marie Berry (03:15)
So really sort of the old fashioned way. My husband ⁓ took an early retirement package. So part of my message that it’s never too late. And in doing so, I sort of dragged him to a little real estate seminar for two days and ⁓ he said, what are we doing here? And surely enough, was about financial literacy, understanding how you could still make a difference by helping people renovating homes, but also helping them get involved in real estate is one of the number one ways that people build wealth.And as you learn more about it, you realize that there’s so many different opportunities. And I think that gave us something to excited us, something that we could supplement our income with and also leave as a legacy for our family.
Michelle Kesil (03:55)
Yeah, absolutely amazing. What have been some of the main components that have allowed your business to be able to grow and to run smoothly?Marie Berry (04:52)
Well, it’s been seven years. ⁓ Smoothly, know, everyone has their ups and downs. In real estate, you win, you lose. It’s all part of the game. But it’s resilience. It’s coaching.It’s becoming part of a community and we’ve been part of a very strong community for five years. We started with one for two years that sort of dropped off during COVID, but we came back in with people from that community that started small and mastermind. So we’ve had a sense of community for probably over five years and the last seven. And the education has been huge. So I’m often on a master class online. I’m reading books. And I just think the more you educate yourself, the more prepared you are for the twists and turns that come across.
real estate. And so I found also finding people that are like-minded really helps you. And then the bottom line is taking action because you can’t overanalyze. And I found that, you you can look into it all you want and there’s always nothing is 100 % guaranteed. Real estate is not a guaranteed, but the more you can control the outcomes and minimize the risk, the better chance you have of succeeding.
Michelle Kesil (05:52)
Yeah, totally agreed. Every business owner has those moments where things get real. Maybe you have deals that go sideways or you need to make a fast pivot. Like you mentioned, can you share an experience that you’ve been through that maybe you had to do that and how you overcame it?Marie Berry (06:16)
Well.As I mentioned briefly earlier, during COVID we still chose to sell our house of 25 years, over 25 years in our home. So it was our home home. Kids have grown, gone to college, and we decided it was time to downsize. So we sold and it was sold in panic of COVID with, you know, in one weekend we had five offers. Luckily we were able to choose who we wanted to offer the house to and a young couple that was not in a rush to move, but really wanted to be in our house in our neighborhood on a cul-de-sac.
So they allowed us four months to try to find a place to live. And even during that time it was challenging. There just wasn’t many things available, rentals or properties to purchase. We landed in a little beach community, ⁓ which I thought would be temporary, but a house that hadn’t been lived in really for five years. My husband thought I was nuts. And in doing so, got to know the owner, chatting long distance.
and it ended up being a huge opportunity. We bought the house at a very big discount by three word of mouth. ⁓ And then it built, it probably tripled in equity ⁓ within three years. And now we use it as an Airbnb or a summer, you know, summertime retreat. So that’s probably our biggest win and one, and probably a real opportunity that we had to pivot in the back of our minds. We had to keep remembering that.
Now we have to pivot, the market is shifting. Nothing was on the market, people couldn’t see houses. But there was still opportunity there and people had to move. And so it allowed us to approach other opportunities. And we finished a couple of other flips. At that point, we decided to purchase a duplex and another house, single family home.
Michelle Kesil (07:43)
Yeah, amazing. That’s awesome that you guys were able to turn that situation into a win.Marie Berry (07:50)
Yes.Michelle Kesil (07:51)
So you mentioned that you are a private money lender. Can you expand more about what that role of your business looks like?Marie Berry (07:59)
Yeah, so when we signed up for our real estate original, our initial real estate network, was, as I mentioned, very much based on financial literacy. And what we liked about it, what had us jump in full head in, is that it was, it talked about.not only how to do things or how to take the steps in real estate, but also how to protect the finances you had. So my husband having taken an early retirement package, we had some of little extra money that we put into this real estate network, but with the balance they showed us and talked to us about how you could use your savings or your retirement money for passive income.
Passive income became something that was a great opportunity and it was a way to not have to go through the banks. So IRAs are sitting there and your banks usually often collecting dust. You could be sitting on two or $300,000 that people think they cannot touch till they’re 59 and a half. And I think what we’ve discovered is that no, that money can be used. The laws have changed also. So it’s staying on top of laws changing, circumstances, trends changing, and people can borrow from their 401ks.
So we have private money, have 401k money that now people close to our age, early retirement had available to them. And when COVID had hit, no one knew what was going to happen with the economy. So it became another opportunity for them watching the stock market drop, not sure which direction to take. And we were able to pay back all our lenders. So that was a huge, huge win and a big opportunity in having those funds available without having to go through the bank and waiting a month or two months or three months or sometimes not getting approved at all because you had too much going on.
Michelle Kesil (09:31)
Yeah, absolutely. That’s really an important strategy that people can note.Marie Berry (09:36)
Yes.Michelle Kesil (10:11)
And are you offering lending support to other people, to clients?Marie Berry (10:17)
So that’s a big part of what we do. ⁓I do believe that real estate is a relationship game and we work very closely with people, whether it be your contractors, your attorneys. ⁓
other lenders, other investors, I mean, collaborate on things. But the more you know and the more you can share, the more it becomes just a community that trusts each other. You build trust. And private lending or real estate in general, people like to do and work with people they know, like and trust. So by doing that, ⁓ you build that muscle and you share that information with people.
When people see you, A, be transparent.
be stay authentic.
And then three, keep your word when you do a promissory note that you’re going to pay them in 12 months or 18 months or 24 months that you do that. That goes a long way. So right now we like to say that we offer double digit returns backed by real estate secured and insured. So it gives people a sense of security. We do a lien on the property. ⁓ It’s usually the gap funding. We can get the big money from possibly a hard money lender, or we can put two or three private lenders together and do a multi-member LLC. So that has all become ⁓
information that has really helped us grow because by sharing that information that people just don’t know about, they don’t teach in school, ⁓ it allows us to build credibility and work with people that we got very close to, they’re willing to give us their money again when they see it come back.
Michelle Kesil (11:39)
Amazing. Yeah, that’s an important strategy and tool for people to use.Marie Berry (11:46)
And you too can do that.Michelle Kesil (11:48)
Yeah,totally. And when it comes to raising capital, do you have any specific creative strategies that you’re using for that?
Marie Berry (11:56)
In raising capital, it’s really, ⁓ you know, we’ve learned a few strategies through our mastermind group, but it really becomes, you know, networking, staying connected with people and learning what they’re about and then asking them what they do and giving them that short two line sentence, you know, we help people earn double digit returns backed by real estate. And they’ll say, come back and say, how does that work? So if they’re interested, great. You know, we have another meeting later on.We follow up with what we have, you know, pitch decks and things like that that we offer. But it’s really becomes a conversation between two people and that trust has to be there. So I really like to answer their questions. I want to understand what their money is being saved for. I don’t want it to be something that they’re they may be putting up that it’s the only savings they have like a savings account they want to use in the next year. So it’s usually money they can’t touch for a while or inherited money or something like that. But there’s a lot of opportunities like that. But it’s more learning about the person themselves.
and what they would like to do. You might learn they have money, but what do they want to do with that money?
Michelle Kesil (12:57)
Yeah, absolutely.Marie Berry (12:59)
And for many people our age now is supplementing their income, whether it be on retirement or to do something else they want to do. But it’s usually a supplemental process.Michelle Kesil (13:06)
tour.What are you most focused on solving or scaling next in your business?
Marie Berry (13:15)
Well, scaling, I would love to have a small multifamily 20 to 50 unit property that gives us the cash flow. But with that, it’s not just that. It’s making, I’d like to make a global impact. ⁓ So one thing I will be doing that’s new is I will be hosting a retreat. I just signed up to host a retreat in Costa Rica this June.And I’m very excited about that. It’ll be about for women, primarily it’s women, wealth and wellness. It will be about financially empowering women and showing them how they could become financially secure and learning how to raise private money, use real estate to raise, to earn double digit returns. So with that, think the rest and relaxation is just as important, getting away from all the chaos and the noise of what’s going on, the politics, the inflation, everything else. So I’ve just found a very
strong reception to my idea and I’m thrilled and I could do it in different locations. So to me that’s something that I would love to grow and scale but we’ll see how the first one goes. I’m very excited about it.
Michelle Kesil (14:16)
Yeah, that’s so fun and exciting. I love that for you.Marie Berry (14:19)
way to slow down but maintain you know keep our little our investments going as passive income while I do something that’s a little more what I find more interesting. I was in international marketing we love to travel I have two daughters that live abroad so it’ll be fun to incorporate that and still feel like I’m making a difference.Michelle Kesil (14:36)
What is some advice you would give to someone that’s newer on their investing journey?Marie Berry (15:26)
Well, I believe, as I said earlier on, it’s being educated. Don’t shy away from, there’s so much on social media and so much that could be a lot of noise, but there’s also a lot of education platforms and take those little bits of information and see where it leads you. ⁓ Pick up a book. There’s so much book on wealth.on investing so that you can understand the difference. And once you start that mind, your mind starts clicking in that direction. It allows you to just ask other questions and think of possibilities that maybe you didn’t know of. But I think that everyone has the option.
It’s more getting out of your own way and your own mind to think, well, I never did that. My parents never did that. My family didn’t do that. I can’t do that. But I think it’s all possible for everyone with some education and taking those action steps, small action steps, whether it’s joining a small group, someone you meet, asking the wheelchair to go out for coffee to see how it works. ⁓ could be in the finance end. It could be a broker, mortgage broker. It doesn’t have to be any one person or another investor. ⁓
There’s
a lot of collaboration in the industry with people on risk, real estate capital raisers, real estate brokers, mortgage people, hedge funds. So it goes on, but real estate still becomes the common denominator where people are learning ⁓ that real estate is still ultimately everyone needs a house to live in a home, roof over their heads.
and if it’s done correctly with the right strategies and the financing that can support it long term, it can really turn out to be a wonderful asset and becomes an asset not liability like a car. So you’re building your assets that will generate income for you and eventually generate passive income later for you in life.
Michelle Kesil (17:06)
Yeah, that’s really important.Marie Berry (17:08)
Yeah, that’s important for our youth. But I love a lot of young people are getting involved and I think it’s wonderful.Michelle Kesil (17:14)
Yeah, so you mentioned that the strategies that you’ve worked on so far have been fix and flip and buy and hold and short term rentals, correct? Yeah, which strategy has been like the most challenging for you and why?Marie Berry (17:25)
Yes.challenging, probably the fix and flips. The renovation sounds exciting, everyone thinks it’s like HGTV, but there’s a lot of hidden cost.
and I found that people that aren’t super conservative, that’s why they’ve become very, very conservative, especially during the last three years where tariffs, inflation, ⁓ shortness of product during COVID, you had to be aware that those things may cost more or may take more time. So time and ⁓ increased costs are probably the single biggest ⁓ struggles you’ll have during a renovation. But the idea is to work with, there’s calculators out there, estimators,
if you can estimate your project and I always always include at least a 15 % cushion in my numbers which would allow for time delays, ⁓ increase in costs or something being done an unexpected pipe could burst that would cause you to you know delay a couple months or have extra digging or extra tractors on the property that you never expected to have there to begin with.
So it’s moving forward, but it’s taking calculated risk and allowing yourself to cushion the back end so that you can protect yourself, whether it’s in time or extra cost.
Michelle Kesil (18:43)
Yeah, that’s important to note to have those extra cushions on that work.Marie Berry (18:48)
very much.Michelle Kesil (18:49)
When it comes to growing your business, know you’ve mentioned a few times that networking and relationships are an important facet for you. Are there specific strategies within that that have made the biggest difference for you?Marie Berry (19:03)
I think it’s getting to know a person. I think often times people go to a network or ⁓ a conference and you know when the conference is over there’s a break they just go by themselves and get on their phones or get on their emails.and they forget to take that quiet time away from the organized stuff to just try to find someone you connect to that is you’re attracted to in whatever way. Something they heard, a question they asked that made you think, I want to get to know that person a little better. And taking that time to go introduce yourself and speak for five, 10 minutes about them on a personal level, where they are, what they’re doing. ⁓ Those 10 minutes add up.
And they really make a difference. person cared enough to come over and say hello to me. That person cared enough to ask me what I’m doing. People want to be able, you most people like to talk about what they’re doing. But when you show interest and you inquire, it creates a whole other level of trust and a desire to get to know that person. Because you just don’t want to work with somebody that’s in a phone book. The idea is that you know something about them and something personal that they may share, maybe something that you connect with that you had no idea whether it be a
sport
your kids are in, a place you like to travel to, a strategy of business that you’re doing. So I do believe that that is, ⁓ that’s where the relationship building comes in. And you need to take the time to work with different people and try to get to know them so that you can figure out, you know, where you can work together. Because ideally, every situation or relationship business deal should feel win-win.
If they’re offering you something, you should be able to offer your expertise, your time, your money, whatever, however that is. So if I’m a private lender, I want to make sure they’re offering me communication and they’re going have their documents and their ducks all in a row. If I’m looking for a lender to come in, I’m going to be extremely transparent and I want to be able to share as much information as I can about the project, the time it will take, and then I will add the cushion time to make sure I rather under-promise and over-deliver.
So if I’m done earlier than what I estimated the project to be.
Michelle Kesil (20:59)
Yeah, absolutely. Relationships are everything in this space and adding value to people’s lives, the supports. Yeah, those relationships and creates a better connection.Marie Berry (21:11)
And they go along right because then they’ll think about you when you might be over budget and you need to make a few calls at the last minute and didn’t put a deck together, but you need someone to pitch in. was another opportunity. I had someone give me we were short on a down payment on that 2Million dollar house and. Someone heard and said, but I really like her. have 50,000 dollars I can wire to right now for the deposit. So it was just down while I was on an airplane arriving, we’re closing the next day and it was just a word of mouth.Michelle Kesil (21:12)
Definitely.Yeah.
Marie Berry (21:37)
made a few calls and people that knew you. So it’s those kinds of things that really make a difference.Michelle Kesil (21:37)
That’s amazing.Definitely. Awesome. So before we wrap up here, if someone wants to reach out, connect, learn more about what you’re doing, where can people find you?
Marie Berry (21:52)
So my Instagram is, I’m my IG, is Marie Berry five, the number five underscore, the underscore at the end. So it’s Marie Berry five underscore for my Instagram. You can also find me at Beyond Home Properties as our website. And I’ll shortly be generating a new site where our landing page and you’ll get to hear a little bit more about the retreats, which will be Beyond Home with Marie.Michelle Kesil (22:17)
Amazing. Well, I really appreciate your time, your story, and your perspective. Thank you for being here.Marie Berry (22:23)
I love it. Any questions anyone likes to reach out, you can also just send a quick email info at beyond home with Marie. So I’ll be available there and always ready to talk to you about real estate and answer happy to answer any questions. Thanks, Michelle. This is wonderful. I appreciate it.Michelle Kesil (22:36)
Perfect. Thank you so much.Yes,
and for the listeners tuning into the show, if you got value, make sure you’ve subscribed. We’ve got more conversations with operators like Marie who are building real businesses. We’ll see you on our next episode.
