First Deal 2 Units, Second Deal 144 Units with Ellis Hammond, Episode 118

Ellis Hammond started with a duplex before jumping into a 144-unit apartment syndication. He now manages a private network of investors that focus on acquiring multifamily commercial real estate. He began syndicating real estate projects in 2018 with the goal of helping his friends and colleagues build wealth outside of Wall Street. On this episode, he shares how he was able to transition from his first duplex to the 144 unit deal, key questions investors should ask when exploring investment opportunities and tips to use LinkedIn to grow your investor base.

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Key Insights

Wanted a different investment strategy from mutual funds
Acquired first duplex in Jan 2018, 144 units was his first syndication, 45 units was his next deal
“You have to do what you are best at”
What is your unique superpower? How do you leverage it?
Raising money is Ellis’s superpower
If you change your thinking, you can change your life
Top two aspects of a deal are the lead operator and second the market
111 questions to ask a sponsor
If I were to run a background check is there anything that would come up?
Communication expectations?
Financial Search – MyChicagoTitle
Started being active on LinkedIn, posting good content
It’s a billboard for you and your brand
Business owners, CEOs, founders of companies
Best way to engage is through interacting with other people’s content
Create good content, interact with other people’s content
Commenting on people’s content – example search #tech and engage with posters
The LinkedIn “About Me” section should tell others how you can help them
Ask yourself, “who do I want to read this and what do I want them to think?”
Good content: Video, how to videos, ask a question (here’s what I do, what do you do?)