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Show Summary
In this conversation, Ray Grewe shares his journey in the mortgage industry, highlighting his early success and the challenges he faced while transitioning to a more community-focused approach. He discusses the importance of aligning with the right team and the ongoing grind required to achieve success.
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Investor Fuel Show Transcript:
Ray Grewe (00:00)
⁓ You know, I have people that come to me all the time that they want to get into investing, but the first step for them might be just purchasing a primary residence, maybe a multifamily home, something like that. But hey, we may need some credit work. We may need some asset work. We may need some work working on your income, whatever it is. And we can actually put thein place and say, all right, here’s the roadmap for you to purchase over the next
two, six, 12, 24 months, whatever that is, to make that happen for those
Because everybody’s a little bit different, but don’t be afraid to kind of take that step.
Quentin (02:08)
everyone. Welcome to the Real Estate Pros podcast. I am your host Q Edmonds. Y’all know I always say I’m excited to be here, but today I’m super excited because I got somebody here from my hometown, from my home city, Baltimore, Maryland. This is my brother from another mother, man. This is my bro. So I’m so excited to have him on. So excited for you to look at things through his lens, to get a taste of his expertise, how he’stotally making connections, how he’s serving his clients, and he’s serving them to a very, very high level. And so I am so excited to introduce you all to Mr. Ray Grewe. Ray, how you doing,
Ray Grewe (02:49)
Quinton, that was one hell of an introduction. I appreciate it, my friend.Quentin (02:53)
Absolutely.I told you I’m gonna take care of you, man. You rap in El City and you’re one of the brightest in El City. We know we can talk about El City, but you know we are very hella protective of El City. But you are a bright spot in El City, what you’re doing, how you’re changing lives. And I’m just excited, man, for our viewers to get to know what you’re doing. So Ray, I wanna dive in, man. Tell us what your main focus is these days.
Ray Grewe (02:56)
That’s awesome.That’s right.
Quentin (03:20)
If you want to tell us a little bit of an origin story about how you got started doing what you’re doing. And of course I already gave it away where you from, but if you want to talk about Baltimore a little bit more, man, you know, you’re free to do that too. So my friend, you got the floor, sir.Ray Grewe (03:31)
That’s right. Cool.Absolutely. So my name’s Ray. I am the branch manager for the Greater Baltimore office of company called Paramount Residential Mortgage Group. I have been here since 2018. I was a part of our initial launch group when we launched our region out here. We kind of expand through Maryland, Virginia, DC, West Virginia, down in North Carolina, a little bit into Pennsylvania. So we are the mid Atlantic region and I helped expand them here.
I love the company that I work with because right now we’re something like the eighth largest private lender in the US. It gives me access to the widest product set in the mortgage industry, at least one of the widest product sets in the mortgage industry. And that allows me to kind of tailor ⁓ to my clients. So I treat my clients in a little bit more of an advisory role. People tend to come to me in a…
capacity where they may have different needs and I can kind of help tailor you know what what’s right for them and then help them to navigate you know what it is they’re trying to do the most efficient way and a lot of times just the correct way sometimes people come to me and they’re like hey this is how we’re gonna do it and like you really shouldn’t do it that way and then we kind of help them adjust ⁓ you know accordingly. ⁓ Yeah that’s it that’s a it’s a little bit about kind of my background you know I’m born and raised here in Baltimore
So I’d love to be able to stay connected and serve the community that I’m from.
Quentin (05:50)
me a little bit of the origin story, man. What made you get into bank and what made you get into the way that you serve people? Yeah.Ray Grewe (05:56)
That’s a crazy story.That is a crazy story, my friend. ⁓ I graduated college in 2012. ⁓ I did a brief stint where I was doing door-to-door sales, ⁓ and I was desperately looking for something different. ⁓ I wound up taking this job interview. I had no clue what they were selling. ⁓ Frankly, I finished the job interview, and I was still not 100 % sure what they were selling.
And I just really liked the guy that I interviewed with. long story short, two weeks later, I end up in this class. I wind up getting my mortgage license, learning all about kind of what mortgages were. I really started to get a knack for it. I this is 2013 at this point. here we are, what, almost 13 years later, and I’ve fallen in love with it. Mortgage is a part of who I am as a human being, it feels like at this point.
I love the work that I do. Being able to once again give back to the community has been really rewarding for me.
Quentin (07:01)
love it, man. I love it, man. I want to get into some of your personal wiring, right? Like, so what are some strategies that you have identified in yourself personally and professionally that kind of keeps you motivated, keeps you passionate, kind of keeps you going towards that target that you’re aiming for?Ray Grewe (07:22)
That’s a great question. That’s a great question. I’m really goal oriented. You if you want to talk about me personally, like I’m a super goal oriented person. In fact, somewhere around here, I got a book that’s a Moleskin that I’ve used over the last probably decade where I’m writing goals down at the end of every year.But I’m really big at the end of every year of setting goals for myself for the following year. So that’s a little bit about my process. I actually use a quarterly system where I’m constantly checking off whether I’m on pace to hit those goals and then I reevaluate them at the end of every quarter. That’s just me personally.
But once again, I go back to the work that I do. It’s been very rewarding for me and for my family. I’ve been able to help a lot of people ⁓ that I’m A, related to, and B, friends, and C, absolute strangers, but create wealth through the stuff that I do. And I feel like I’m in a really good position at this point in my career, which is why I’ve been here as long as I have to kind of just keep going.
Because it’s fun. I’m having a blast. We’re in an industry that’s constantly changing. know mortgage is kind of a boring word, but it’s actually very exciting.
Quentin (08:38)
Yeah. Well, listen, ain’t Morgan Jane and Boyd word here. We talk about, we love this type of stuff. you and your atmosphere right now, brother. so, no, yeah, exactly. Exactly. So I appreciate you sharing, man. And 2018, you know, like you said, you’re energized, looking forward to the future. You put yourself in a position to, you know, have some, success. I mean, you know,Ray Grewe (08:43)
ThankI’m ready to go.
Quentin (09:06)
You’ve been acknowledged as a rising star in your area. And so I know things are going well, but I want to ask, has there been times when things got real?Ray Grewe (09:10)
Yeah.Quentin (09:18)
I just want to know there’s moments in your career when things got real or tense. And I actually, I’m gonna tell you why I asked that because we always show people the success, but sometimes we don’t show them the journey to success. So I would just wonder if there’s moments like that in your, in your career.Ray Grewe (10:09)
Yeah, that question hits home ⁓ so much because there have been, right? I told you a few minutes ago that I got my start ⁓ at a company that ⁓ I took off, I did really, really well at. I was a President’s Club member by my second year in the mortgage industry. ⁓ Did very, very well for myself financially at a very, very young age. ⁓And then when I tried to branch out and change the way that I did business from moving from call centers to actually going out and working in the community, that transition was not easy. It took a while. There was a brief stop I did at a bank I won’t talk about that was ⁓ almost regrettable, I’ll say. And that’s when I started doing the research of who I wanted to align myself with. And that’s actually how I found the launch team for PRMG.
And even after I joined PRG, it still took time to get to a point where I was comfortable and I didn’t feel like I had to just constantly be working. ⁓ So I there was a grind and there still is a grind, right? Like there are times where you’re like, we gotta put the metal to the metal here. But you know, I feel very fortunate that the work that I’ve done over the last 13 years, well, really since I’ve been here at PRG over last eight, has really
started to multiply tenfold. I that’s, I can’t say enough about it. Like I’m very pleased with where I’m at. I feel like it’s only getting better.
Quentin (11:47)
Now, man, it’s literally coming out your pores, bro, your excitement. I’m gonna use the word gratitude. I know we haven’t used that word, but it just seems like you’re very grateful for where you are in your life, where you are in your career. And it’s coming out of you, I see it clear as day, And so I know you said you’re goal oriented. So I wanna know what’s the next real goal for you? Like, what are you aiming for now, within your professional career?Ray Grewe (11:51)
⁓Very.
Yeah.
I love that. So we’re doing this interview at very interesting time.
It is November 19th. I have a tradition every year. I talked a little bit about this. go away. ⁓ It’s right around Christmas time. I actually leave the country most of the time. ⁓ At minimal, no, I don’t do it at home, but the tradition is to kind of isolate myself for about 24 hours while I’m on an extended trip and just sit down with my notebook. So next year’s goals literally haven’t even been written yet, but we’ve written it about.
30 days that we were in about 30 days, but there’s definitely some things that are, um, that are on that horizon. Um, I actually, I personally invest, uh, in real estate as well. Um, I did this really cool project. I’ve been working on over the last two years in upstate New York that, I’ve got a, a fraction of that. We’re kind of building out. So that’s going to be on the goal list for next year. Um, I’m in the process of purchasing another one locally here in Baltimore as well. Um, so.
Quentin (12:45)
Gotcha. Yep.Ray Grewe (13:12)
Got some personal stuff that I’m working through, but as far as the mortgage side of things go, I really want to focus on growing my relationship with investors. ⁓ We’ve had such a really cool opportunity with ⁓ the opportunity zones, we’ll call it here in Baltimore. I mean, and there are some amazing things that Baltimore has done to bring people back to this city. And I love being a part of that.And a lot of the goals that I’m going to be doing for my mortgage business is around that. Like how do we connect to more of these investors to help with these opportunities zones? And I don’t know if you know this, Baltimore actually just saw an uptick in, in, ⁓ residency that there’s more people moving to the city than moving out. was the first time in something like 30 years that’s happened. and we’re finally trending in the right direction.
As a city proper, we sold 9.9 % appreciation year over year. We’re seeing markets around the country right now. Go look at Phoenix, go look at San Antonio, Texas, go look at Boise, Idaho, these markets that blew up in the middle of COVID. And now that everybody’s kind of reporting back to the office, all that’s in decline right now. But here in Baltimore, where we saw really modest appreciation during the booms of COVID.
We’re starting to see that kind of ramp up because of some of the changes that have occurred. ⁓ Not to keep using the word excited, but it’s exciting to be a part of. And you ask about my goals, definitely some goals around that. How do I personally take advantage of some of the stuff that’s going on with those programs? And then how do I help others? Bring them along with us. We have a saying here ⁓ in our region, ⁓ is fun, winning with friends is more fun.
Quentin (15:37)
Yeah. Yeah.Woo, woo, man, bro, that’s, it’s almost like you’re prophetic because I literally wanted, my next thought was to talk about relationships, right? Because, you know, just listening to you, you’re automatically a likable person, right? And you continue to talk about making other people better, helping other people, like.
Ray Grewe (15:45)
You like that?Thanks.
Quentin (16:09)
And when you just said winning is fun, but winning what others is, give it to me one more time. Say winning is fun.Ray Grewe (16:15)
Winning with friends is more fun. ⁓Quentin (16:18)
Mending with friends is more fun. So with that being said, bro, I want to talk about relationships. I want to get your opinion on building relationships. Like, how has that made the biggest difference for you?Ray Grewe (16:31)
I that can’t be understated. Nothing in our industry is done without relationships. Real estate is frankly difficult without relationships. I talked a little bit ago about that transition from this, first role in the mortgage industry being more of a call center role to where I’m at now where I’m working in the community. The hardest part of that was building those relationships. It’s taken me years to develop some really good relationships.that I can constantly work on. So for me, referrals are the lifeblood of my mortgage business. So I’m constantly out talking with people and meeting them. But for your investors as well, ⁓ the property that I’m in the process of purchasing at the moment was all from a coffee appointment that I took with someone and we end up shaking hands the next thing I we got a deal. So ⁓ you should constantly be meeting with people, constantly talking with people.
because you never know what’s going to come of those relationships. I’ve gotten business from just absolutely crazy places that you wouldn’t think, but it’s just because you’re not closed-minded. And I think that’s where good networkers really excel, is just constantly being open to talking through how something could be mutually beneficial for both of us.
Quentin (17:52)
I hear you loud and clear, man, relationships. I agree. What we said earlier, they didn’t hear me. They didn’t hear us say it together, but I say it a lot on this podcast. People is the real currency, right? People is the real currency. When you make a connection with people, when you are not just transactional, but you’re really invested in what’s best for everybody, to me, that is a strong foundation for a sustainable business.Ray Grewe (18:05)
It is.Quentin (18:21)
Right? Is when you have, when you have the mindset that really serve people and really want to bring value to them, just not about how they can bring value to you. Does that make sense? Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. So listen, maybe, no, go ahead, please go ahead. Right. You got it, bro.Ray Grewe (18:30)
Absolutely. Makes perfect sense.No,
the win-win, that’s it. That’s all. You’ve ever read Never Split the Difference? You know, the win-win is the goal of the negotiation. ⁓
Quentin (18:43)
Bro, are you serious? Bro, that is oneof my favorite books. I knew I loved you for a bit. Chris Ross, man, I read that book probably like three times, man. I love that book.
Ray Grewe (18:48)
Great talk.It’s a book. A great book. If you’re in real estate, that should be mandatory reading. ⁓ If they were going to put together some sort of college course on real estate, that would be the first book you should read. ⁓
Quentin (18:54)
Yeah, very great book. That was with the difference. Very great book.Yes, sir.
Yes sir. Listen, for real
estate, for marriage, for relationships, just, it’s it’s a great bro. Man, I use it with my wife, man. I slow myself down to this, to the DJ FM voice, slow myself down. Yeah, man. I, bro, he got me. I knew there was a synergy between you and I just from being, not just from being Baltimore, just the way you think, man, the way you process.
Ray Grewe (19:11)
Yeah.That’s It’s no and win.
that’s so funny.
Quentin (19:37)
just when I hear your values come shining through. And so before I do this call to action where people can get in contact with you, I want to give you an opportunity, if there’s any last word that maybe you want to give to people to educate them, motivate them, inspire them, just based on your experience, if there’s anything you feel like a value that you can give to people that will really kind of give them some type of encouragement.Ray Grewe (20:02)
Yeah, yeah. mean, encouragement’s an interesting word in this industry. So I specialize in working with two types of clients, right? I deal with lot of first-time home buyers ⁓ that need help navigating through, you know, lot of times down payment assistance, stuff like that. And then on the opposite end of that spectrum, I deal with a lot of investors and particularly newer investors that are like, how do we go from like buying a property to live in to like actually owning like two or three or four? ⁓properties or if I have this goal of retiring, how do I get to that? So that requires quite a bit of attention and detail, right? And people often get discouraged doing that stuff. But I tell people all the time, it’s not as far away as you think it is if you just kind of take the steps to get there. And that’s what we’re here for, is to help with those steps.
And a lot of what we do is focusing on those steps.
⁓ You know, I have people that come to me all the time that they want to get into investing, but the first step for them might be just purchasing a primary residence, maybe a multifamily home, something like that. But hey, we may need some credit work. We may need some asset work. We may need some work working on your income, whatever it is. And we can actually put the pieces in place and say, all right, here’s the roadmap for you to purchase over the next
two, six, 12, 24 months, whatever that is, to make that happen for those
Because everybody’s a little bit different, but don’t be afraid to kind of take that step.
Because once again, it’s not as far as you think. It’s really just having the right roadmap in place. And so many people are just flying blind out there. That’s really the discourage, or it’s not knowing what you’re doing, but you’ve got a roadmap. It shouldn’t be too bad.
Quentin (21:38)
Yeah.Yeah. Now, man, and that’s why I appreciate you and the type of person that you are, because for so many people, you’re actually that roadmap, right? Like you give language to what’s in their head, but they don’t know necessarily how to process, right? And so that’s why I do it to me. You you always said, you said it yourself, you love helping people and you are a bright spot. I’m going go back to my intro.
Ray Grewe (22:02)
Yeah.Quentin (22:18)
You’re a bright spot to Baltimore, man. So I appreciate you taking seriously what you do and taking seriously how you help people. really do.Ray Grewe (22:26)
Yeah, absolutely. ⁓ I appreciate it. You know, just a quick side note on what we just talked about that that roadmap, we actually launched an app ⁓ a couple of months back that’s designed to kind of gamify that pre pre purchase portion. It’s been really fun to kind of work with people through that because now we can not just give them the roadmap, but actually put them in an application that’s physically on their phone and then help them with it and say, all right, look, hey, you just checked box one now. Now you’re going to gettwo, three done and then we should be getting pretty close. So
if you have anybody who needs to get enrolled in that, please reach out. ⁓ Can I drop my website here? Please. All right. My website is rakenfinancet.com. You can see it on the shirt here. Just stick a dot com at the end of it. rakenfinancet.com. ⁓ I have a Calendly link on there. Please set a time. Let’s sit down. We can talk over a Zoom call like this or a, you know,
Quentin (23:05)
Let’s go, go for it bro. How can they get in contact with you, man?I’m in.
Ray Grewe (23:25)
phone call and we can figure out what that roadmap is for you to become what’s going to be either a first time homebuyer, first time investor, seasoned investor, whatever it is, we can look at those things.Quentin (23:36)
Absolutely. Ray, man, I gotta say, I appreciate you, sir. I appreciate your time. I appreciate your stories. I appreciate your perspective. I appreciate you repping my city, our city, the waythat you’re doing with so much, listen, there he go. He said he was gonna bring it, and man, I was worried. And so, man, thank you
Ray Grewe (23:51)
Always.Yeah
Quentin (23:59)
much, man, for being here today. This was special for me.Ray Grewe (24:03)
Cool, Quentin, this was a blast. Thanks for having me.Quentin (24:05)
Absolutely. So listen, y’all, know, you got the value. I mean, I’m gushing on Ray, but you heard what the guy said. You heard the value that he’s talking about mortgages, the way he’s doing what he do. So, you know, we’re going to continue to bring amazing people just like Ray. So go ahead and make sure you subscribe. That way you don’t miss out on that amazing content. So Ray, again, thank you so much, sir. And listen to everyone else. We’ll see you on the next time.
