How Tanisha Patterson Uses Section 8 Real Estate to Build Consistent Cash Flow & Long-Term Wealth

Tanisha Patterson (00:00)
I’m a real estate investor and a very successful woman, but real estate allowed me financial freedom from leaving a domestic violence marriage.

There are only two things that happen when you’re a domestic violence survivor: either one, you stay in the situation because you’re financially dependent, or two, you leave and you learn how to survive. Well, real estate was my escape. The income from the rental properties came in on a month-to-month basis, so I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to provide and take care of my children.

Scott Bursey (02:05)
Welcome back to the Real Estate Pros podcast, powered by Investor Fuel. I’m your host, Scott Bursey. Glad you’re with us. Today we’re pleased to be joined by Tanisha Patterson, a serial entrepreneur, real estate investor, and business leader with over 16 years of experience building businesses and generating wealth through ownership. Real estate did more than build her portfolio; it transformed the course of her life, giving her the resilience and foundation to rebuild through every transition. Listeners, you can expect a conversation on taking that first step toward ownership and securing long-term financial freedom through real estate investing. Tanisha, welcome to the show.

Tanisha Patterson (02:47)
Hi Scott, thank you for having me.

Scott Bursey (02:50)
It is awesome having you here. We are eager to kick things off and help our listeners get up to speed. Please give us the 90-second highlight reel of how your career ignited and where you’re pouring your fuel now.

Tanisha Patterson (03:03)
Absolutely. So I started off in single-family residences. I purchased my first property while working a 9-to-5 job. I pulled from my 401(k) and took the risk to bet on myself when it came to real estate and purchased my first single-family home.

Scott Bursey (03:21)
That is awesome. Thank you for highlighting that, Tanisha. What really caught my attention about you was the way you’ve been able to leverage property ownership as a core foundation to pivot and rebuild through major life transitions while helping others do the same. That resilience is key, and it really sets the stage for our discussion here today. Building off that, I’m curious to know: what core strength in real estate strategy allowed you to stay resilient and build wealth consistently over 16 years?

Tanisha Patterson (03:55)
Yeah, absolutely. So I am a Section 8 investor, and I just believe that investing in low- to moderate-income housing was the best strategy for me. I started off doing market rate and it just did not work. I was a single female working it by myself, learning the real estate industry, and I didn’t want to chase people for their rent.

I wanted to see what was the next way in which I would be able to generate revenue or income and still have a direct pay source, so I started investing in Section 8 property—low- to moderate-income housing. I think the core strengths behind that success are: 1) I have the experience; 2) I’ve invested in low- to moderate-income housing, which provides a direct pay source to me as a landlord; and 3) the market in which I serve. I’m here in St. Louis, Missouri. If you don’t know about the St. Louis market, it’s very lucrative and investor-friendly. I think those are some of the strengths that we have.

Scott Bursey (04:58)
That’s awesome. And Tanisha, the next question would obviously be: how can new real estate investors identify and build upon those same strengths?

Tanisha Patterson (05:57)
That’s a great question. I’m currently working with individuals who are interested in becoming real estate investors through a program called 90 Day Real Estate. With that, they have the ability to see what the risks are. We analyze deals, look at lending practices, and review current interest rates.

It’s about believing in yourself that you can actually do it. It’s all about taking the first step and starting when it comes to real estate, and knowing your numbers. You’re definitely going to have to know your numbers, but walk by faith knowing that you’ll be able to secure your first deal and that everything is going to work out.

Scott Bursey (06:36)
I’d love to understand: what was a blind spot or early operational weakness in your investing career, and how did you resolve it?

Tanisha Patterson (06:45)
One of the early weaknesses was lending—understanding how to be prepared for lenders. There is a strategy behind requesting funding: Do you have the capacity to receive funding? Do you have collateral? It’s often about looking at the 5 Cs: Character, Collateral, Capital, Capacity, and Conditions (your current financial conditions).

For new investors, I would say start with your personal credit because your personal credit tells a lender your financial history. You are not your credit, but you are defined by how you use your credit. Understand that lenders will almost always look at your personal credit to see if you are able to receive funding, so you want to make sure you have those 5 Cs in order when getting ready to receive capital for your real estate investment.

Scott Bursey (07:45)
The 5 Cs—appreciate you sharing that. I’m interested to hear: where do you see the biggest untapped opportunity for investors looking to acquire their first or next deal right now?

Tanisha Patterson (07:58)
I’m heavily involved in direct-pay programs. I would say an untapped market right now is veteran housing. I would also say senior housing is something you don’t see as often, which bridges into the commercial sector.

After acquiring a number of single-family homes, I started going into the commercial sector, starting with a child daycare facility and then a multi-use warehouse building. With real estate, I always want to look at tenancy: Who is going to occupy that property? How are you going to get funded, or will people be paying out of pocket? I’m a big fan of direct pay, so I’m always looking at Section 8, VA contracts, or government contracts so you can get directly paid for providing housing.

Scott Bursey (08:54)
Those are some powerful takeaways right there, Tanisha. Looking at the market, what shift or threat in real estate are you actively preparing your portfolio for?

Tanisha Patterson (09:05)
I am preparing for bigger projects and understanding how to leverage real estate. When you look at real estate, you’re looking at three main things: cash flow, leveraging property, or tax deductions you can take. Right now, I’m in the sector of leveraging property to move onto bigger projects, which could look like partnerships or entering multifamily commercial real estate projects.

Scott Bursey (09:39)
Appreciate you highlighting that. I’m fascinated to learn: how do you manage to balance scaling multiple businesses alongside a growing real estate portfolio?

Tanisha Patterson (09:49)
I’m a big believer in God and I pray a lot—that’s my primary foundation. Outside of that, I have systems in place. I have a great team that spearheads projects across my other business ventures. Lately, I have been utilizing a lot of AI.

AI has helped me streamline a lot of processes. I like to use a 20-70-10 rule: 20% is me putting information into AI and generating a layout or framework based on my personal knowledge; 70% is AI-generated, such as mapping out schedules and creating to-do lists that allow me to maintain balance; and the final 10% is me stepping back in to ensure everything is functioning properly. The biggest aspect is being a woman in real estate—not just balancing real estate and business, but balancing family and household. I’m a mother of three, and that’s the biggest balance for me.

Scott Bursey (10:58)
I’m always keen to hear: what does your professional network look like right now, Tanisha?

Tanisha Patterson (11:03)
It’s a strong network with a variety of individuals. I’ve worked across home care, child daycare facilities, and manufacturing facilities. I’m pretty broad across real estate industries, but my current network consists of a vast majority of individuals who are always learning, staying abreast of world changes, and planning the next move: “What do we need to do next?” They are always thinking forward. Once you conquer and master one thing, you move on to the next venture.

Scott Bursey (11:40)
That’s huge. Having the right team around you really accelerates every deal. Diving deeper, Tanisha, what is the most critical mindset shift or piece of advice required to unlock true financial freedom through ownership, in your view?

Tanisha Patterson (11:57)
I would say to unlock ownership, you have to start. For beginner and new investors: do the research and learn as much as you can, but you have to execute. Align yourself with experienced individuals. With my 16 years of experience, I can help prevent you from making the same costly, time-consuming mistakes. Align yourself with the right people, get started, and believe in yourself. Map out your plan—whether it’s a 3-year or 5-year goal—and work backward from there. Just keep going.

Scott Bursey (12:42)
Thank you for laying that out so clearly for us. Tanisha, you have given us a great amount of advice and wisdom here today. Is there a golden nugget or two that you would like to leave with our listeners?

Tanisha Patterson (12:56)
I would say to our listeners that your financial freedom is based upon taking a risk and taking a chance on yourself. To share a bit of my story: I’m a real estate investor and a very successful woman, but real estate allowed me financial freedom from leaving a domestic violence marriage.

There are only two things that happen when you’re a domestic violence survivor: either one, you stay in the situation because you’re financially dependent, or two, you leave and learn how to survive. Real estate was my escape. The income from rental properties came in on a month-to-month basis, so I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to provide for and take care of my children.

When I speak about my children, I speak about generational wealth—leaving something for the generations to come. Ownership serves as a segue to say, “Hey, I don’t have to stay at that job, I’m called for more, I want to do more”—or working the job while still being an investor. I started off that way; when I purchased my first piece of property, I was still working a 9-to-5 job.

Real estate provides so many opportunities as long as you start, put your best foot forward, and analyze your deals. Investors come to me and say, “Well, it didn’t work.” Did you run the numbers? You have to make sure you run the numbers and that they make sense. What model are you going to use? Are you catering to market-rate tenants, Section 8 housing, or student housing? Those different programs determine how you maximize revenue as a real estate investor, alongside understanding your market. Everything in life is hard until you make it easy—just put your best foot forward and get started.

Scott Bursey (14:48)
That is powerful. Thank you for highlighting that, Tanisha. For those of our listeners who would like to keep this conversation moving, stay in your lane, or collaborate with you on future deals, what’s the best way for them to reach you?

Tanisha Patterson (16:01)
My handle is @TanishaPatterson_MBA on all social media platforms (spelled T-A-N-I-S-H-A P-A-T-T-E-R-S-O-N underscore M B A). You can also send me an email through my website at TanishaPatterson.com.

Scott Bursey (16:20)
Tanisha, thank you for joining us today on the Real Estate Pros podcast.

Tanisha Patterson (16:24)
Awesome. Thank you for having me. This was such a pleasure, thank you so very much.

Scott Bursey (16:29)
A sincere pleasure—you really brought the fuel. To our listeners, we appreciate you. If you received value from today’s episode, please subscribe. We’ll be fueling your tanks with a lineup of elite guests, just like Tanisha Patterson, 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 in the next episode, everyone.