THE BIG PICTURE
TRENDS & ISSUES
Basic Training SERVICE VETERANS CARRY ON A MISSION TO HELP RETURNING PERSONNEL TRANSITION AND SUCCEED THROUGH REAL ESTATE.
by Susan Thomas Springer
HELPING VETS ONE BASKET AT A TIME V eterans returning home to Citrus County, Florida, are welcomed with appreciation parties and gift baskets, thanks to one warm-hearted Realtor and a generous community. RE/MAX Realtor Barbara Mills in rural Inverness, Florida, loves helping veterans, so she initiated the parties and the gift baskets, which are worth about $1,000. Mills gathers gift cards from local busi- nesses such as restaurants, movie theaters and the car wash and packages them with T-shirts and other goodies. She even adds a bottle of Jack Daniels, except for the few baskets given to veterans under age 21. It adds up to about $500. At the party, community groups such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Operation Welcome Home and Rolling Thunder give thanks and plaques to the veterans and add another $500 in gift cards. Mills estimates they have given about 400 baskets since she started the “thank you” events in 2007. Mills was inspired by her son, a career Navy man, when she learned the hard- ships of military life. In addition to the parties, Mills has connected a single father with a job when he returned, serves on the boards of veterans organizations and helped rehab a female vet’s house. “The satisfaction is very rewarding,” says Mills. “My heart just goes out to these veterans, and I do whatever I can.”
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ransitioning back into civilian life after military service comes with many challenges for veterans – the most practical one being how they’ll earn a living. The real estate industry is helping in many ways, from both organized and grassroots efforts. It’s an industry that has some natural similari- ties to being in survival mode. “In real estate, it’s feast or famine. You eat what you kill,” says Andy Williams, a Marine and founder of Recon Realty in Texas. “There’s always a hunt, and there’s always a way to scale. And if you get really good at fishing or hunting, you’ll never starve.” BRAVO ZULU Veterans hoping to hear “well done” again can find that praise in real estate. When Williams returned from mis- sions, he bought investment property as a way to “stay relevant.” By the time he left active duty, he had amassed a portfolio. He soon realized he wouldn’t fit into a corporate structure so he earned his master’s in industrial and organizational psychology to add to his bachelor’s in entrepreneurship. In 2015, he founded Recon Realty in Fort Worth, Texas, which is part of his mission to “empower the veteran community while navigating entrepreneurial ventures.” Williams has tried several business models to help veterans, from hiring them for construction and cleaning jobs, to helping them invest, to showing
them that real estate includes a breadth of employment options beyond agent, including appraiser, finance, title com- pany and marketing. Marine veteran Tom Brain began buying properties around Phoenix, Arizona, in 2010 while educating him- self on smart acquisition strategies and financing options. His military back- ground, along with corporate experi- ence at Honeywell Aerospace, helped him automate processes and assemble an effective team. Brain shares his success through military networking groups and by mentoring vets. A couple of his mentees now run their own real estate investment companies. Brain has distilled his real estate experience into a workbook that he shares with other vets. Rather than learn through the school of hard knocks or invest in expensive mentors, Brain wants to pave their road to success with his standardized processes and advice. He coaches students with full-time jobs to allocate time each week to finding real estate deals as part of their exit strategy. “Over time, it can replace their cur- rent income so they can be financially free and able to live life as an entre- preneur and not be tied down to a job anymore,” says Brain, senior managing partner at Peak Realty Solutions.
Andy Williams, foreground, along with Recon Realty team members Richard Mack and Ryan Leonard.
carrying out roles within a team, are of- ten one step ahead in the world of work. “The comradeship that you have in the military can be carried over into de- veloping a community in this field,” says Brain. “What I learned early in my real estate investing career is that the larger your network, the larger your net worth.” Another skill that makes veterans well-suited to real estate? The ability to follow a uniform process rather than winging it. “Being in the military, you’re very used to following a certain documented process and system,” says Brain. “Why not use something that’s already proven and that works versus trying to reinvent the wheel?” Also, both the military and business
can be battlegrounds. “Military veterans who are transition- ing back from conflict or combat have a unique set of skills that fit perfectly into the entrepreneur environment simply because it’s all about winning,” says Williams. FUTURE MISSIONS Brain is writing a book teaching investors how to locate tax-delinquent properties, a strategy with which he’s been successful. He’s also coaching students on the step-by-step process of flipping properties. “I’m trying to be of value and service to people,” says Brain. “I want to help other people learn what I’ve learned.”
Williams recently added televi- sion host to his resume. He and wife, Ashley Williams, also a veteran, star in HGTV’s “Flipping Texas.” Williams wants to be a change agent who shows veterans this is an industry where they can win. “My mission is to expose this in- dustry and empower other veterans so that they have the opportunity to own a piece of America and at the same time go into a community and add a lot of value,” says Williams. •
GOTYOUR BACK Military life is big on teamwork. Veter- ans, who are experienced at successfully
Susan Thomas Springer is a regular freelance contributor to Think Realty Magazine. Contact her at susan@susantspringer.com.
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