In any asset class or category, we don’t want to be too top-heavy. That might lower our returns a bit, but we’re protected more.”
DAVEVANHORN
“The interesting thing was it changed my sphere of influence dramatically,” he said. From there, Van Horn went on to become the only one of his siblings to complete college, and the experience as a whole left an impression on him about how relation- ships can influence one’s path. Though he earned a degree in man- agement, working throughout school and paying as he went, Van Horn couldn’t find a job in his field and couldn’t afford rent. At 25, with a wife and son in tow, he moved home with his mother and worked for a painting contractor. The work was grueling and unglamorous. His moth - er suggested he look into real estate to supplement his income. Van Horn took her advice, becoming a residential real estate agent for a local brokerage. He was a great salesman, but real estate didn’t become his sole focus, even as he began investing. His first foray was a multiunit property, where he lived with his growing family and rented out the addi- tional units. As Van Horn learned the ropes as a landlord and handyman, he gained confidence to continue investing through buy-and-hold rental properties and fix-
16 | think realty magazine :: october 2021
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