The Senior Housing Crisis No One Is Talking About | Real Estate Investing Pros

Share via:

• Facebook
• X (Twitter)
• LinkedIn
• More

Subscribe via:

Show Summary

In this conversation, Debra Felder, a real estate entrepreneur, shares her mission to address the growing shortage of affordable senior housing. Drawing from her experience in wholesaling and multifamily real estate, Debra discusses the challenges seniors face in securing safe and affordable living options. She highlights the importance of community support, financial awareness, and innovative housing solutions such as co-living. Debra also outlines her future projects focused on supporting seniors and engaging youth to create long-term community impact.

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
    • Debra Felder on LinkedIn
    • Debra Felder’s Phone Number: (954) 816 6402

  Listen to the Audio Version of this Episode

  Investor Fuel Show Transcript:

  Debra Felder (00:00)
  Absolutely, it is definitely a dire need and plenty that you say the livid facilities.

  Because I actually have two people that I took out of the living facility to go over there because it was so much. I, you know, took them out, I called one of my guys, he has a one bedroom, I put them in there and I actually take care of them. I don’t know how I go from real estate to now taking care of senior citizens and helping them out. But I realized my, you know, myself as being older, as an older 65 person myself, how important that is. Have you lose one thing that they would make a difference that would see you on the streets.

  Dylan Silver (02:07)
  Hey folks, welcome back to the show. Today’s guest, Debra Felder, is a real estate entrepreneur based in South Florida. Debra, thanks for taking the time today.

  Debra Felder (02:19)
  Hello everyone. Hi everyone. My name is Debra Felder. I’m here in Fort Lauderdale. I’m into real estate service. I’ve been a part of real estate since 2023. I’m a part of Alchemist Nation. We are a bunch of investors that love each other and want to make sure that each other becomes successful and our families become successful. So my main goal is right now is I did wholesalings from 2018.

  I did a whole selling I did meet up here in Fort Lauderdale once a month. So through all of that, I’ve had connected with a lot of people as far as real estate. I’m a wholesaler, multifamily. Now I’m getting into building because I’m looking for to build a multifamily for 65 and plus. I did everything as far as I can do with, you know,

  finding buyers, putting people together, making sure that everybody is okay with buyers and sellers. But right now I’m just taking out my time to vote myself and what the knowledge that I have and the connections with real estate and to open up my doors for a 65 and plus. And that is to build a real estate community for women that are 65 years and older.

  that is stuck into their jobs, stuck into their ways that doesn’t have a foundation. I plan on taking my time to help them to build a steady foundation, affordable housing for them to be able to come and live and be together and be able to just live and have real estate. It’s hard. It’s hard out here. So that’s what I do.

  Dylan Silver (04:05)
  No

  question. when we talk about the senior housing space, ⁓ this is something that I think more and more people are being aware of, being made aware of, and then also to investors, right? Investors throughout the country are aware that there is really a massive shortage, aging population. And so what do we do? know, a lot of people would send, you know, maybe their family or loved ones into some type of senior living, but

  These are now ⁓ very expensive in many cases. And there’s a waiting list to get in and some of the ones in a massive deposit and some of the others. And so I think, know, whenever we’re talking about senior housing, senior living in general, this is a dire need right now in our country.

  Debra Felder (04:53)
  Absolutely, it is definitely a dire need and plenty that you say the livid facilities.

  Because I actually have two people that I took out of the living facility to go over there because it was so much. I, you know, took them out, I called one of my guys, he has a one bedroom, I put them in there and I actually take care of them. I don’t know how I go from real estate to now taking care of senior citizens and helping them out. But I realized my, you know, myself as being older, as an older 65 person myself, how important that is. Have you lose one thing that they would make a difference that would see you on the streets.

  So it’s funny that you said that because I went to assistant living and took Stuart and Shirley out, moved them three minutes away from where I’m at and I go take care of them because they need that. They need that. Stuart doesn’t have anyone here. His brother lives in California, but know, Stuart is my brother also, you know, and I think that is important and it’s not enough. Believe me, I did a lot. I didn’t even have to do research.

  I just be outside every day with the homeless and talking to people every day. These are people that I talk to every day that made me start an organization 65 and stuck because they stuck. Like, why are you at Walmart talking to me at nine o’clock? You should be shopping at Walmart.

  You shouldn’t be there. And it is bad with the housing and people getting to live together. So that’s why I started that co-living like that. So now I’ve just been talking to a few landlords before I’m able to build my own affordable housing for them to put them in so they can be okay. And then we can all plan to go on vacation. But yes, it’s a very, very serious situation that I don’t think people pay attention to. really honestly don’t think people pay attention, but they not.

  paying attention, but everybody knows someone that’s 60 years, 65 years old. I turned 65.

  You know, you gotta keep going.

  Dylan Silver (07:37)
  I mean, when we talk specifically

  about the shortage of senior housing, there’s a number of ways where people are addressing this right now. So I’ve heard converting pre-existing structures into senior housing, ⁓ such as multifamily housing into senior housing. I’ve seen ⁓ people doing some type of value add.

  to where there might have been some type of senior living facility, potentially doing an addition or just upgrading the staff even and the operations. Then you also have this idea of ground up development in the senior housing space, which from what I heard, maybe up until recently, because I know rates have changed recently, wasn’t penciling because people were, ⁓ the build costs were so much.

  which was making it so that, you I’ve heard even like to get into some of these senior living facilities, people having to put down like a deposit of a million dollars just to get into the senior living facilities.

  Debra Felder (08:37)
  That that right there, that’s why I have Shirley and Stuart that I took them out and seeing because we was looking for assistant living now. I was able to find one, but it was so much why why do Brian needs to pay $30,000 for two people to live in and I went and I went as a guest on a tour and I didn’t like some of things I see. I see some of the things you know, like if I’m going to if Brian’s going to spend $30,000 for two people to go to the system living.

  Like, no, it doesn’t make sense to me. It makes sense to me to find a place, find an apartment, find some landlords that’s willing, because if your apartment is available.

  Let me be in charge of your apartment, rent the apartment to me. I will be the one in charge to make sure that the people that goes in there is right. ain’t worrying about nobody that’s one junk. They mostly are veterans. I work with the lady down here at HUD. I work with a lot of people in Florida, y’all. I’ve been here and I’ve been doing that. I’ve been working with them to say, if I get this co-living thing together, where would I get my clients from? want to make sure you know that.

  I have a friend to work at the VA. She was like that. As soon as you set it up, let me know. So I said, well, let me start with Shirley and Stuart. I started with them. I don’t have to worry about the rent getting paid. Brian pays the rent, pays all the bills, makes sure that I’m OK. And that’s important.

  So, far as the building, know, you know, like the materials was costing a lot and this and that, but I opened up a lot of Florida core stores here in Florida. and I opened up a home depot store. I was a vendor. So, you know, I got a few guys that got a few tricks and I got a few builders that, you know, and even, even that’s why I said, okay, I’ll go on the building thing. I’ll give it 20, 27, 20, 28. So right now, if I can just find some multifamilies, some duplexes.

  to put them in and to co-live with them. So that’s what I’m planning on doing. But I got a few guys at Florida Corps that I’m pretty good with the wood and stuff.

  Dylan Silver (11:15)
  Now when we talk specifically about multifamily housing, you had mentioned some small multifamily like a duplex for instance. What’s your acquisition strategy or if you’re assigning these deals your wholesale strategy? Are you looking for like distressed sellers or properties themselves that may have been sitting on the market for instance?

  Debra Felder (11:37)
  Yes, since I’m a wholesaler, I start off with me. I made friends with everybody. So I’m looking for mostly not all the way distress that is going to take a lot of my time out to go in there. We have it. So I’m looking for fairly not so much to add to add value to just a little go in there, maybe 25 K 10 K to do some cabinets.

  some floors. I’m not really looking for the ones that’s all the way distress because I’m not trying to put so much time because time is valuable. So I don’t want to spend two years trying to put things together. So now what I did, I have a few good friends, one of my doctor friends, she actually has a house in Deerfield that she says she will let me, you know, use that for co-living. So that’s where I’m looking at and that’s what I’m doing now. And I’m going to stick to that.

  because that’s the easiest. I said duplex because duplex is easy, but I’ve been seeing a lot of seven-bedroom houses just enough to put everybody in, not to have everybody in. You can’t put two people in one room. Sometimes you could, sometimes you can’t because you might snore the other person who doesn’t snore. But I’ve been doing a lot of research. I’m ready for this. I’m ready to take this on. I’m ready to go out there. I did the real estate.

  I did speak on this stage, you know, I get invited to a lot of things. So right now, that’s the most important. And I’ve been looking everywhere. I have everybody looking out. I feed the homeless. I know the homeless. I give them my card. They always tell me if they find stuff. But I have a lot of people that that are now know that I’m looking because I have my own base fan base on Facebook. They send me things. So. ⁓

  It’s kind of hard, but it’s not really hard because since I started 65 and stuck, I’ve been with a lot of women been reaching out to me their own, their homes that realize is my thing is house rich cash poor. Everybody is living in these beautiful houses and house is beautiful, but you are literally poor. You have no cash.

  Probably most everybody I talked to them took all the equity out their house. That’s another problem that I’ve been running to. Everybody takes out all the equity and want to charge you so much for the houses and the values. That’s not hardly worth nothing. I have a system. I can look up stuff. Anything I want. know how long you’ve been with equity. So now everybody’s starting to realize you guys are paying everything. Sell your house. Don’t even sell it to me. Sell your house. Take your 200 and 300,000.

  Even if you co-live with somebody, you got all that money in the bank, now you can live. What do you, my friend got five, six bedrooms. She’s a doctor. She’s hardly ever home, Dr. Donna. And then when me and her talked about it, I was like, Dr. Donna, I’m gonna start this organization. 65 is stuck. She was like, people stuck? No, people is stuck, y’all. And I’m not talking about, I’m talking about every race, every color that I’ve talked to in Walmart.

  my friends and everybody that’s stuck. Some of my friends into real estate. Why my friends are still working? 65 is stuck. Come on, guys.

  Dylan Silver (14:53)
  Yeah.

  I mean, you raise a really good point, which is, know, without a massive nest egg and without decades of solid investing, like you can’t just turn around this quickly. And one of the things that people point to and one of the like really escape hatches is real estate. Right. And so I think there’s not just, you know, one demographic or age group. You mentioned it’s across the spectrum.

  You know, you have people from all walks of life who are realizing, hey, there’s gotta be a better way to go about this. We actually are coming up on time here though on the show here, Debra. Any new projects that you’re working on as well, what’s the best way for folks in our audience to reach out to you?

  Debra Felder (16:20)
  Okay, well, yes, besides my 65 and stuff project that I’m working on, I am also working with some youth. I love the youth. I love the children because they are also our world. I have five kids, 19 grandkids and four great grandkids and I have one son that we’re waiting to go to the NFL. So I’m focused on starting the organization for them to try to help them stay in school.

  Learn real estate. Don’t everybody get stuck up in, you know, this whole world, this whole fancy thing. Let’s just calm down and get them ready to be able to be prepared when their parents turn 65. So they can be there. They can already build a well for them. their mom and dad out. Mom and dad can go on vacation with me. And that’s it. So that’s my next project. And my project always been

  As we are the homeless of the world. I love the homeless. I’ve been feeding them. Y’all can look me up on TikTok, HTW underscore homeless of the world. can find me on Facebook, Debra Felder. And my number is 9548166402. Look out for all my projects. Go look on Platinum Pearls and listen to my feature there. And yeah, and that’s just me. 65 is stuck.

  Dylan Silver (17:40)
  Debra, thank you so much. Thank you so, much for your time today. Thank you for coming on the show.

  Debra Felder (17:45)
  You’re welcome. Thank you for having me. Have a great day.