Episode 13: Consistent and Disciplined Action to Arrive at 70 Units in Dupage County with Ben Walhood

There's a reason Ben Walhood has already been a featured guest on numerous high-profile podcasts, including Bigger Pockets, The Best Ever Real Estate Podcast with Joe Fairless, Target Market Insights with John Casmon, and has been interviewed by CNBC and The Chicago Tribune. Over the last decade, Ben has consistently grown his portfolio in Dupage County by expanding his network and buying the best property available to him at the given time. Like many investors, there were initial painful experiences, and we discuss how these experiences became the foundation for Ben's success, and eventually allowed him to leave his well-paying job as a neurosurgery sales rep. Ben's story is a great example of how to continually evolve your approach while remaining disciplined to long-term results. Take a listen as Ben provides granular advice on networking, adjusting your strategy, and of course, how to succeed in the different Suburbs of Dupage County. Ben is also the previous president of Chicago Area REIA, which is linked if you're interested (check it out, for real). If you found this valuable, please subscribe to our channel for all our updates and find us on Facebook! ----------------- Connect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com Email the Show: [email protected] Guest: Ben Walhood of Apex Landlord Services First National Bank of Brookfield: https://www.fnbb.com/ Chicago Area Real Estate Investment Association: https://www.careia.org/ Rich Dad Poor Dad: https://www.amazon.com/Rich-Dad-Poor-Teach-Middle/dp/1612680194 ClickInvest: https://www.clickinvest.com/ ----------------- Landlord Tip 4:30 Guest Intro 6:20 Guest Questions Accounting for property value when comparing brick vs frame 3:14 What types of deals are you focusing on today? 7:25 How has DuPage County changed since 2012? 10:00 What was the acquisition strategy for bolingbrook? 11:40 When you're relying on third parties for deal finding, how do you keep consistent? 14:18 Tell me about DuPage County and what you like about it? 16:55 What's the housing stock like in the western suburbs? 19:50 How has your financing strategy evolved over time? 24:25 Are there any banks in the western suburbs that you'd recommend to investors? 26:10 What are some nuances between suburbs you invest in? 27:00 What turning point in your career gave you the confidence to go full time REI? 31:05 Where there any big mistakes you made early on in your career? 33:10 How did you get involved in the Chicago Area Real Estate Investment Association? 36:00   Wrap up questions What's your competitive advantage? 38:00 Can you give one piece of advice to a new investor? 38:59 What do you do for fun? 39:45 What's a good self development product you're using? 40:00 Name one person in your local network you'd recommend to investors to utilize. 40:50 How can people learn more about you? 41:23 ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Straight Up Chicago Investor 2020.