In 2011 Tim VandenToorn took a leap of faith and invested $30,000 from his savings and ROTH IRA into a four-unit foreclosure. That was his first step into real estate investing and he's been going strong ever since, building a portfolio worth over $1 Million dollars. In this episode, you'll find out how he did it.
Tim and I also discuss his previous career in law enforcement, and why he traded that in to work with his family in property management at United Properties of West Michigan. Tim started as a maintenance tech and has since worked his way up to Managing Partner, where he oversees over 500 properties in the West Michigan area. Tim also started United Realty, which assists investors with the acquisition of investment properties.
Tim shares a lot of the experience he's gained during this time, such as buying multiple properties from tax sales, understanding the true expenses of investment property, the power of using 'other people's money', budgeting for capital improvements, and the functional issues tenants look at when deciding whether they should rent your unit.
Tim also spends a lot of time working with first-time investors, and shares his tips on managing your expectations in this hot real estate market, defining your goals, and where he sees the opportunities going forward.
There's a lot of great information packed into this conversation. If you'd like to contact Tim or United Properties, you can do so by email or website:
Tim can also be found on Bigger Pockets.