I have been a real estate investor for many years, actually over a decade, well before 2008.  I have invested in single family houses, international resort properties and apartment buildings. I have raised money from others to invest in these types of real estate, also. Learning how to invest in real estate is not difficult, but the nuances are many, and we need to be cognizant of them. I learned many lessons, including that investing just for the financial return did not satisfy me. I realized this while working with another real estate syndicator, a friend of mine, on  an apartment syndication. I could do the due diligence, review the numbers with the accountant and the team. Go and see the area, all of the things required to get a deal done, but it wasn’t fun, it felt like there should be more. I had a similar feeling when I first starting practicing medicine.

I then attended a course and learned about residential assisted living homes and how many of the current places that our grandmothers, grandfathers and other elderly family members are miserable. I remember going to a nursing home to sing at Christmas when I was younger and being very depressed about it. It smelled bad, the people there looked, to me like no one loved them.

What I learned about residential assisted living homes and how to build and run it more like a home where several seniors who needed help with their daily lives live. The houses this instructor showed us and took us to, made me happy, made me want to do this, made me want to have a positive impact on the lives of our country’s senior citizens.

When I started on my residential assisted living home the feeling that I had had, that there had to be more to real estate investing was gone. The house is built, we are taking care of seniors with memory challenges. We are making a difference in the lives of the people we care for and their families.

Make a Difference

 Impact investing refers to financial investments into companies, organizations, stocks, mutual funds or private equity funds with the intention of generating a measurable, beneficial social or environmental impact alongside a financial return. Or more simply, impact investments provide capital to address social and/or environmental issues.

There are a ton of ways to invest and make a difference. The deal that I worked on in the past with my friend is making a difference. They are providing good housing at a good price to people where there was not any. The previous owner of the units did not take care of them. I know other real estate syndicators who buy up whole neighborhoods of old, run down houses and rehab them and rent them at rates that the people of the neighborhood can afford. It makes sense to me that people living in a decent house will feel good and perhaps contribute more to society.

As I said, for me it was helping seniors live well and their families have peace of mind that started me on my journey of impact investing and finding impact investments for those that invest with me. Making a difference is important, leaving a financial legacy and giving back is equally important. I believe we are all driven to give back, to leave our families, our communities, the world better. How we choose to it is up to each of us.

If building wealth through social impact investing in real estate and business projects, with someone who builds strong teams and is working hard to leave her own legacy of helping others build wealth, contact me at felecia@narwhalinvestmentgroup.com and put Make a Difference 2020 in the subject line.  Let’s see how we can change the world together.