623: 10th Grade Dropout to 400-Unit Apartment Complexes (WITHOUT Raising Money) w/Sofia Castro

Multifamily real estate investors almost always raise money for their deals, right? Some would call it almost impossible to try and build a huge real estate portfolio without borrowing money or partnering up to take down bigger properties. Sofia Castro, along with her husband, not only built a multifamily portfolio using their own money, but did so starting with a severe disadvantage. Both Sofia and her husband were high school dropouts, living without much money, and practically no experience. A local entrepreneur took Sofia and her husband under his wing, teaching them both how to become leasing brokers. From there, they started building their entrepreneurial endeavor, eventually selling their business a couple of decades later for a whopping billion dollars. With cash in hand and real estate experience under their belt, they began buying apartment complexes to flip them as condos. Once the recession hit, Sofia knew this was the wrong business to be in, so she pivoted heavily towards multifamily rental investing, specifically investing in “core deals”. Now, she has a streamlined process for finding deals, buying deals, and screening tenants. She gives some out-of-the-box, but highly useful tips on tenant screening, property management, and why “value-add” real estate isn’t all it’s chopped up to be. In This Episode We Cover: “Core deals” explained and why they often beat value-add properties What are cap rates and why understanding them is crucial when buying multifamily Condo conversions and the risk of flipping during downtimes in the economy Tenant screening tips that will get you the best tenants who pay on time, every month The right way to do property management and why you shouldn’t immediately outsource How to buy in the right real estate markets, plus the metrics Sofia looks for when investing And So Much More! Links from the Show BiggerPockets Youtube Channel BiggerPockets Forums BiggerPockets Pro Membership BiggerPockets Bookstore BiggerPockets Bootcamps BiggerPockets Podcast David’s YouTube Channel Ask David Your Real Estate Investing Question Listen to All Your Favorite BiggerPockets Podcasts in One Place Subscribe to The “On The Market” YouTube Channel David’s BiggerPockets Profile David's Instagram Dave's BiggerPockets Profile Dave's Instagram Rob's Youtube Rob's Instagram Rob's TikTok Rob's Twitter Rob's BiggerPockets Profile Steer Clear of Social Media Scams Should You Self-Manage Your Properties or Hire a Pro? The Beginner’s Guide to Buying Your First Multifamily Property Should You Raise Private Capital for Your Next Investment Project? Books Mentioned in the Show ABCs to Real Estate Investing by Ken McElroy Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Connect with Sofia Sofia's Instagram: @officialsofiacastro Sofia's LinkedIn Sofia's Facebook Sofia's Website Click here to check the full show notes: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-623 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Check out our sponsor page! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices