Why Real Estate Investors Build More Wealth Through Partnerships and Collaboration

Apria Brown (00:00)
I just feel like nothing out of nothing is nothing. And a lot of us are doing things by ourselves and it’s so tough. And just imagine if it were four or ten of us doing the same thing. You know, we could make a hundred thousand dollars by ourselves, but we could make like ten million together. You know, and so it’s like, and— and what’s 10% of 10 million is still a lot more. It’s— it’s actually one million. It’s 10 times more than the hundred thousand we were doing, you know, solo. So just understanding the value of compounding efforts, I think, is— is really what I’m— I’m so— I’m supporting. I would love to discuss with other people.

Quentin Edmonds (02:18)
Hello everyone. Welcome to the Real Estate Pros Podcast. I am your host, Q Edmonds, and I am excited to be here today. I have another fantastic guest and I’m so excited. Listen, 24 years in the business. She started out in sales, became an investor in 2019. She’s investing in Atlanta and she’s on the Keller Williams— she’s actually served on the board, so she’s on the leadership team. And so I’m truly excited for us to peek through the lens of experience of Ms. Apria Brown. How you doing today?

Apria Brown (02:56)
I’m doing great. How about you, Quentin?

Quentin Edmonds (02:58)
I’m doing good. I love it. You are an “and you” person. My wife says when somebody asks you— you say to somebody, “How are you?” and they say, “I’m good, and you?” You are an “and you” person. And sometimes people are not an “and you” person. So I appreciate you being an “and you” person. I love it. And so, listen, I am the type— I like to dive right in. So I would love for you to tell the people what’s your main focus these days. And if you don’t mind, give us a little bit of an origin story, kind of how you got into the space that you’re in.

Apria Brown (03:26)
Okay, sure. So my name is Apria. I was born in Long Beach, California, raised in Atlanta. And my dad was actually in real estate when I was growing up. He worked new construction in Fayette County, Georgia. In Fayette County, back then, the— the African American population income-wise was— was higher than the rest of the population. So it was a wonderful market. We met a lot of great people. And just working new construction, like going back and forth on golf carts to different properties, really kind of put something in me. I will actually accredit both of my parents because my mom, while I was younger, she had a daycare. So I died from doing real estate and being on site, I also did a lot of babysitting. So I would say both of my parents sparked in an entrepreneur spirit, so to speak— spirit of service and— and service through others. So flash forward to call bef— graduating high school, I got my real estate license before I went to college. I went to college at Clark Atlanta University, CAU. Yeah, right. And then I was a PA mar— PR major. But graduating, kind of realizing the starting salary for a PR major back at that time, it wasn’t exciting. It was like under $30,000. And so I was like, “If I’m gonna settle for thirty thousand dollars a year, I might as well do this real estate thing.” And the wonderful thing was the whole time I was in college, for whatever reason, people knew I had my real estate license. It was something that I kind of talked about, which served well once we graduated, people got jobs and kind of we’re like, “We’re all connected now on social media. Hey, are you still in real estate?” So I’ve had a— a wonderful career— a wonderful real estate career. And then kind of getting in Keller Williams— or just real estate eighteen, going into Keller Williams at twenty-two full-time, I would say just the relationships that I have with multiple agents— people that have done well, people that have retired, people that, you know, have really built a legacy off of what we’re doing. And also understanding that, you know, most high-net-worth individuals have a real estate asset portfolio. So just looking at how I can play a role in helping people that I know in my community understand that, leverage that, and really live a better life through that is— is what I’m about.

Quentin Edmonds (06:55)
Ooh, ma’am, thank you. Thank you. So eloquently said, thank you for taking us on the journey. I see in pictures, so as you talking, I’m just seeing you riding on the golf cart. I see different things, right? This is what I— you— you’re playing the picture. And so I love how you mentioned that your parents kind of gave you that entrepreneurial spirit when you were younger. And so I often say destiny has no wasted moments, right? Meaning no matter what we go through in life, nothing’s random. We’re building on each moment of our life. So I would love to know throughout the journey— throughout this journey, what has it revealed to yourself? Has it revealed discipline? Has it made you humble? Has it changed your innovation when it comes to business? What has the moments taught you about you, Ms. Apria?

Apria Brown (07:37)
Well, I will definitely speak on the humble and the humility aspect of it. And so growing up, my grandfather, my father’s dad, he was adopted and he was like the only kid kind of in— in his family. So he inherited tons of properties— more properties than I ever saw, but the ones I saw were amazing. And I just remember being younger, the upkeep of them was— was just so crappy. And I’m like, “Why didn’t he do this? Or why didn’t he do this?” And now kind of being an adult with multiple properties, it— it is definitely a labor of love and, you know, just it— it— it is a lot to— to care and really have well-curated spaces, which is— where I’m moving to now as far as just having so many. I’m like, “Okay, what if I never get anything else? How can I really make the spaces that I have just amazing?” Yeah. You know, like— like well-curated and something that people are like, “This— this just feels wonderful.” So—

Quentin Edmonds (08:37)
Yeah.

Apria Brown (08:45)
Just the— the humble, the humility in the caretaking and— and the amount of care that it does. And also realizing that again, when you do have the cash flow, it’s— it’s a great place— real estate is a great place to use money because you can never, I think, invest too much in a property. It— I think it always will just— you’ll get that or in some type of return. So yeah, real estate and— and is— is very taught me a lot about being humble. I’m also just super again thankful, you know, for the— for the spaces that I have. And I can— I can speak as far as like being an investor that you’re in your area. But when you have something, I know a lot of people are into like investing abroad or investing, you know, in— in places that they’re not local to. And what I will say about that is again, you’re all— you know, you’re only just as good as your team. Being a person that I have a property in a beach town on an island, you gotta take a ferry, you know what I mean? And so things will happen up there or up here, because I’m currently here right now. And it’s like I— I can’t, you know, I’ve got a— I’ve got a client texting me freaking out, and I’m— I’m only as good as my property manager—

Quentin Edmonds (09:45)
Yeah.

Apria Brown (10:05)
—yeah, at that time, or the housekeeper up here and what they do. And so just kind of understanding that, really making sure that you have the team. You know, I’ve— I’ve recently had clients kind of looking for large acreages, you know, and big kind of historical homes, understanding again just more of the ecosystem of how those towns work, especially if you’re not there— from there, I would say, you know, is important, and to do your due diligence. And then of course, if you don’t have to do it alone, that’s also great as well.

Quentin Edmonds (11:13)
Yeah. Yeah. I love it. I love it. Listen, as you was talking, I wrote down three words that you said: servitude, care, and curating. Right. And I think all of those are just great things that you put in an ecosystem. And so I want to ask: what’s one operational thing that you’ve put in place like the last two years that’s made it— that’s made like the biggest difference when it comes to like that servitude, that care, and curating the space that you want? Like, what are some operational things that you’re putting in place that’s helping your business run deals?

Apria Brown (11:47)
Yeah, so really I’m gonna say leverage. So really kind of letting go of the things again that I can’t— I can’t control. And then also utilizing AI because what I’m advising is it’s gonna be smarter, more efficient than the human could ever be, just in some spaces and responding to emails, you know what I mean, and— and things like putting out quick content and— and storyboards. So learning not only for myself but also then giving my team those tools to— to just leverage. Like— like I always say, like I tell my team, if the purpose of you being in this space is not for you to stay here. Like, if you love it, great. But if we can grow you into wherever you want to go, that— that’s the goal. So just I think always kind of understanding and— and being in touch with great talent and knowing what that looks like. And also just leveraging resources and— and—

Quentin Edmonds (12:47)
Absolutely. Leveraging resources, utilizing AI. So obviously it’s going to be— it’s going to impact the future. So let’s talk about the future a little bit. What is the next real goal? What are you looking to solve or scale next for your business?

Apria Brown (13:01)
Yeah, so right now I see like having funds as— as an opportunity. And so for our entire community, having funds at the affordability level where people could use help with down payment assistance, or people could use maybe like a special type of loan because they can’t qualify all the way for traditional financing. I— I see opportunities there. I also see opportunities for us at a high-net-worth space acquiring properties that— that we’re selling, blocks that and communities that are important to us, not losing those to developers that then kind of come back and resell them to us. So having funds right now to deploy—

Quentin Edmonds (13:49)
Yeah.

Apria Brown (13:55)
—where we see fit as a community, I think is— is a very big opportunity.

Quentin Edmonds (14:00)
Love it, love it. I love how you build it for the community. You’re thinking about others around you. And so I would love for you to talk a little bit to me about relationships and your business relationships. What’s your philosophy when it comes to building business relationships? Who are some people in your circle? You’re obviously on Keller Williams leadership team. So talk to me a little bit about the relationship aspect of building a business. And who are some of the key players that’s really helped you within your business structure and building your— your ultimately your legacy?

Apria Brown (14:34)
Yeah, I mean I’m— I’m— I’m thinking about everyone, but what I’m— I’m not gonna name any name. I have been again just in the industry for a while. I’ve served with many people. When I travel, I go to offices out in those locations and build relationships. So I think really just being open—

Quentin Edmonds (14:41)
Okay.

Apria Brown (15:00)
—what I’ve realized is each connection is an opportunity. So just being open to whatever that is. And— and for me, my— one of my weaknesses is— is road rage. I get really bad at road rage. And so I’m only saying that because I’ve been really conscious. Sometimes I— I can’t prevent the road rage, but once it happens, I’m like, “Where is this coming? Why are you like… what is giving you that?” And so just really being mindful of people and relationships that I leave feeling like, “This is great.” Yeah. And so when I serve, when I do an event, when we’re— when we’re giving out estate planning tools, when we’re at the schools, I’m very— like, those leave me on highs, you know, and I— I wanna do more. So being mindful of the things that really pull me in. I also do consulting, and I— I work out a lot. I consult for a gym and— and then again, being there, it’s a great place. It’s a— a wonderful feeling. And so just leaning into those and using those relationships and those— those feelings to help me grow and push me more into spaces that I should be. So even during this podcast— this podcast and talking is something I absolutely would not normally do, but I was like, “Hey, you could use the exposure, you know what I mean? You’re doing some really great things and people need to hear from you.” So yeah, I’m thankful.

Quentin Edmonds (17:13)
Absolutely. Nope. People would definitely need to hear from you. And with that line being said, if you could talk to leaders out there, what’s one tool or piece of advice you would give leaders that’s listening to that?

Apria Brown (17:24)
So again, just feel like nothing out of nothing is nothing. And a lot of us are doing things by ourselves and it’s so tough. And just imagine if it were four or ten of us doing the same thing. You know, we could make a hundred thousand dollars by ourselves, but we could make like ten million together. You know, and so it’s like, and and what’s 10% of 10 million is still a lot more. It’s— it’s actually one million. It’s 10 times more than the hundred thousand we were doing, you know, solo. So just understanding the value of compounding efforts, I think, is— is really what I’m— I’m so— I’m supporting. I would love to discuss with other people. And if you’re looking to build, if you’re looking to make your first step, here for you as well, but yeah.

Quentin Edmonds (18:21)
Yeah. Well, listen, you said you’re here for the people. And so let’s talk about how we can get in contact with you. So if someone wanted to reach out to you, connect with you, collaborate with you, learn more about what you’re doing, how can they get in contact with you, ma’am?

Apria Brown (18:36)
Yeah, so Apria— Apria A-P-R-I-A, Brown is my name. You can search. I’m also— that’s where you can find me on LinkedIn. I’d love to connect at Apria— A-P-R-I-A, Malita— M-A-L-I-T-A (@apriamalita) on Instagram. And then I also— I believe you— you can link to things like my real estate website, but I’ve also— I’ve also started doing some really— some action, putting into action them some things around funds and investing. So if you’re looking to just talk, see what I’m doing, I’d love to know what— what you’re up to. Let’s do that. My number, my email, whatever you need. But [email protected] is my email. And then my phone number is (770) 899-9141.

Quentin Edmonds (19:31)
There we go. Well, Ms. Apria, I want to say three things to you, ma’am. One, thank you for your time. I think time is our most precious commodity. So definitely, thank you for your time. Thank you for your story. Showing up as your authentic self, your integrity. I think our story is plants little seeds and they’re going to take root in people and they’re going to grow. And we don’t know when they’re going to grow, but the seed is there. So thank you for planting seeds. And thank you for your mindset. Thank you for bringing that mindset to this platform. I greatly appreciate you coming on today, Ms. Apria.

Apria Brown (19:57)
No problem. Thank you, Quentin.

Quentin Edmonds (19:58)
Absolutely. So y’all heard Ms. Apria, her information is in the show notes. So please get in contact with her, but definitely make sure you are subscribed here, because I promise you, we’re going to continue to bring up amazing people, just like Ms. Apria. So ma’am, I say thank you again, and everyone else, y’all have a fantastic day.