Take the example of Martinez Addae, a colleague of mine in Wash - ington, DC. Martinez still has her full-time job as a program manager for a Government Contractor on Ft. Meade where she manages a team of around 40 people during the day. The rest of the time she is a sin- gle mom and an accomplished real estate investor. She has invested passively in deals and purchased rental properties for her own port- folio. She is currently working on her first commercial acquisition and manages a team of investors actively pursuing residential assist - group. Since then, she has complet - ed four commercial deals including three apartment complexes and is working on her fifth. Stephanie has found a unique way to combine her insurance experience with real estate investing. She offers an approach for investors to get “double dip” returns by having their funds invested in a whole life insur - ance project and a great real estate project at the same time. This kind of creative approach is exactly what sets her apart from other real estate investors and gives her an edge over her competition. Stephanie embraces the concept of investing as a team sport. She typ - ically works with partners and focus - es her efforts on raising money for deals. The freedom and confidence to create a niche within real estate investing is part of what she enjoys about it. She loves talking with peo - ple and has met many interesting investors through her fundraising efforts. Stephanie also credits her insurance business for developing the networking, people, and sales skills she needs to be successful at raising funds. These skills continue after the sale to impress her inves - tors with regular communication
ed living homes. All this progress has occurred over three years – even becoming investor of the year at the District of Columbia Real Estate Investors Association (DCREIA). In addition to her investing, Mar - tinez is a real estate agent who has a passion for assisting relocating military personnel and helping other budding assisted living owners find the right property. She dreams of building a business and a legacy she can leave to her son. Martinez recognizes the uncertainty in today’s business climate and wants multiple streams of income to reduce her risk. about the project and keep them as investors for life. Are there challenges being a wom - an in the investment world? Steph - anie acknowledges that there are some investors who are less com - fortable with a woman in charge. But a positive attitude and profession - alism typically overcome even the objections of these investors. Being a woman today is neither an advan - tage nor a disadvantage. While Stephanie and Martinez are impressive examples of women investors, they are not alone. Wom - en investing in real estate is normal. It’s expected. The surprise is really when someone still has a problem with a woman running the deal or taking charge. And the dinosaurs who believe that are slowly going extinct. So where are the women to watch in real estate investing? They are everywhere. •
Martinez Addae
Stephanie Walter
And look at Stephanie Walter from Lakewood, CO. Stephanie built a successful insurance business over the past 16 years but is now leav - ing that business to focus on her real estate investing. She began investing in 2004 and for a long time focused on residential investments and small commercial properties. In 2016, however, she began working with Dave Lindahl and the REMentor
Steve Streetman is a real estate consultant specializing in deal structuring and the use of cryptocurrency. Look for his book
“Cryptocurrency and Real Estate: How Bitcoin and Blockchain Will Transform Real Estate Investing” available on Amazon early in 2021.
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