When you work in a high-earning job, you may wonder what the best use of your money is. You likely want to take measures to secure your and your family’s future and find ways to become less reliant on your day job.
We spoke with Peter Kim, who’s something of a triple threat, about how he manages working full-time, investing in real estate, and running a blog. He shared his best-ever tips with our audience to help them get started in the industry.
If you want to learn more about putting your money to work, balancing work and family life, and carving out space online, read on for some of Peter’s top advice.
How to Get Started in Real Estate Investing Even When You’re Busy
If you’re working a full-time, high-paying job, you’re likely busy for many hours each day. Throw in a family, especially one with small children, and you may feel like you have nothing left to give when it comes to starting a side business.
Peter’s advice is to prioritize. You obviously have to spend time on your primary job and family, but what do you do with the rest of your time? If you truly want to succeed in real estate, you may have to sacrifice your free time, especially in the early days.
Kim would often stay up for hours after his kids went to bed, sacrificing his free time and his sleep, to get his business off the ground. He worked his way into the industry and eventually his late nights paid off.
Transitioning From Being a Passive Investor to an Active Investor
Peter started with passive investing for a few reasons. First, he felt that he didn’t know commercial real estate well enough to do a lot of it on his own. He started with crowdfunding and syndication initially because it was less risky and was a good way for him to learn the ins and outs of commercial investing.
As someone with a high-earning job, it can be challenging to change your mindset to other types of earning. You’re used to actively putting in the hours at your job in exchange for money, but with real estate, you often do a lot of research and work upfront, but then you have to be patient while you wait to see results.
As he grew in confidence, he got into active investing. He started with a single-family home and then worked his way up to multifamily commercial properties. He does well as an active investor, but he didn’t stop passive investing either.
Peter’s strategy is to diversify his business. That way, if one of his investments isn’t doing as well, he has others to fall back on. Passive investing is also a good way to earn money without having to continually put in long hours. If you go through a busy time at your day job, you’ll still be earning through your passive investments.
What to Look for in a Syndicator
Peter puts a lot of emphasis on finding the right syndicator, especially when you’re just getting into commercial investing. Since the syndicator will be making decisions on your behalf and those decisions will affect your finances, you want to make sure you have someone who knows what they’re doing.
When vetting a syndicate, you want to first find candidates who’ve been in the game for a while and have some experience with the type of investments you want to do. Look into their track record. You want someone who is successful. Some failures are okay too; a lot of it comes down to how they navigate difficult situations.
The next thing to look for in a syndicator is who else has invested with them. If there’s someone you know and respect who also invests with that syndicator, then that’s a good indication that they’re good at their job. Finally, you want to meet with any potential syndicators. Even if they have a good reputation, you want to make sure that the two of you get along and that they understand your needs and concerns.
Don’t Wait — Just Jump in and Learn as You Go
When people decide to get into commercial investing (or any new business venture), they often spend a lot of time researching, going back and forth between passive or active investing, and basically just waiting around until they feel comfortable spending money.
The problem is, you’re never going to feel 100% confident about an investment, and if you wait around until you do, you’ll never invest. Peter’s advice is to do a little research, then dive in. You’ll be taking some risks, but you can learn as you go.
Blogging and Real Estate Investment
Peter started blogging as a way to give his friends advice about getting into commercial properties. He didn’t expect his blog to blow up the way it did, but once he saw the opportunity, he seized it. He discovered that his blog was another way to make money, and he’s used it to grow his income.
Although it takes up more of his time, Peter makes sure he’s consistent with his blog and posts often to keep his readers coming back. If you’re interested in starting a blog, you don’t have to be an expert. Peter said that when he started, he was by no means an expert on investment — he was just a few steps ahead of his readers, and thus able to offer advice.
Final Thoughts
If you’re in a high-earning field, you can make your money work for you so that you don’t always have to rely on your income from your job. It can be time-consuming, but if you’re willing to put in the work and sacrifice some of your free time, it can definitely pay off.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as an offer to buy or sell any securities or to make or consider any investment or course of action.
