The MSC Story

So I returned to real estate by using my bonus checks to buy and invest in rental properties. That’s when I really started learning about real estate. And believe me, the lessons weren’t all good. In fact, the first lesson is unfortunately still true today:

• This industry is jam packed with inexperienced people – people who got into the business thinking, ‘How tough can this be? Just collect rent. Simple!’ They truly believe their only job is to take money.

I would eventually turn that concept on its head: helping clients save and make money. In a word, I would offer value.

But before I could do that, I still had many more lessons to learn. For the next two years, I put in the hard yards, learned by doing; worked late and worked hard (I’m not afraid of work. Remember, I worked in construction.)

In those early days, I spent a lot of time interviewing realtors, property managers and contractors trying to coordinate all of them to get answers I needed. Often, it was a disaster loaded with poor communication, sloppy repairs, incompetence, inefficiency – even theft.

I learned the hard way that when you deal with inexperienced people, things get expensive fast. A house can become a money pit – if you get stuck with the wrong real estate advisor. Those who know little about:

• Screening and working with difficult tenants
• Maintaining a property and troubleshooting repairs
• The difference between a family home and a rental property
• Proper accounting and accurate bookkeeping
• Real estate law and contracts

Their lack of understanding has given the industry a bad reputation. But more importantly, their inexperience and incompetence are costing consumers dearly by adding unnecessary expenses and serious liabilities.

Honestly, all of the mayhem I saw first-hand didn’t get me down. Actually, it inspired me because I knew I was getting the exact experience I would need to make things better. And I knew my construction background alone could help me pinpoint the root of problems that surface in houses and apartments and I could find and judge the right contractors for the jobs. What’s more, I was gaining experience managing tenants – refining the people skills I got when I managed several departments and an entire plant in my printing days.

I had built real estate, bought it, sold it, rented it, remodeled it and maintained it. And I had faced and solved problems that often arise with properties. The more I worked in the industry, the more I learned how to protect myself from those who were in it for the wrong reasons.

Something else that inspired me was finding the right partner. Early on, I needed to know what areas were hot.

• Where could I get the best rental property for the money?
• What were properties renting for in that area?
• How much could I increase the rent if I added a bedroom and how much would it cost to add that bedroom?
• What improvements would I need to make to get the property rented quickly and for top dollar?

I needed a pro who truly understood the answers to these critical questions. I got lucky. A coworker at the printing company told me I needed to meet an agent, RaNae Rodriguez. I called her, we met, we talked and she blew me away. She proved not only to be a first-class realtor who had helped countless buyers and sellers, but she also had the knowhow, the insight and the confidence that sent my own real estate portfolio into stratospheric success.

I knew then that if I could succeed in real estate, I could help others do it, too.

So in 2009, I partnered with RaNae and started MSC Real Estate Advisors. Creating what we both knew the industry needed more of: good people applying hard-earned experience and a common-sense approach that yields:

• Higher returns
• Reduced costs
• Efficiency
• Lasting solutions

Delivering those benefits has allowed us to grow and offer more services all under one roof:

• Buying and Selling
• Property Management
• Maintenance and Remodeling

And as we’ve delivered those benefits and services over the years, we’ve also learned our way of doing business yields something even more important: trust.

We can say that because our clients have told us. We have a long list of people who’ve come to trust us with their real estate needs.

If you’re seeking a better experience in real estate, we invite you to join them and be a part of our journey and let us use our experience for you.