Robert Leonard (02:51):

Why did you already have that interest in real estate?

Karina Mejia (02:54):

I took a class in real estate development in college. It really sparked my interest on that side of the industry, and during college, I also got my license as a real estate agent. So, I started doing some rentals and kind of getting some real life experience around that, and there was things about the field that I enjoyed. So, I thought that by getting the job that I got after college, I could learn a lot on the financial side of it because it was a valuation.

Robert Leonard (03:20):

When did you realize, how far along were you in the corporate world that you didn’t want to do that forever? And then why did you choose the path of being an agent as your way out of the corporate world? I mean, there’s a lot of ways you could go into real estate. Why an agent?

Karina Mejia (03:33):

I realized that very quickly. I basically stayed in the role for as long as I needed until I could get a loan to buy my first property because that W-2 did make me bankable, but I understood that just there was nothing gratifying about that role, and I’m just not that type of person. I wasn’t about to see my whole life kind of go in front of my eyes without finding something gratifying. So, I already had my license. It was just the next easiest step. I could’ve left the corporate world and tried to build a business, but that’s not what was the easiest next step for me. It was to be an agent because I already had some experience with it, and I thought I liked it. I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t done it full-time, and when I actually did it, I realized I loved it.

Robert Leonard (04:15):

You mentioned that having your W-2 made you bankable. So, why is that versus being an agent?

Karina Mejia (04:20):

It’s not that you’re not bankable when you’re self-employed or 1099. It’s just that you’re going to need two years of tax returns, and they’re going to take the average of those years because it’s commission based. But when I left my job, I knew that I wasn’t going to have enough income on the 1099 to qualify for a loan. W-2 is just, whether it’s salaried or not, you have a set income every week or every two weeks that you can expect, and the banks like to see that.

Robert Leonard (04:47):

When somebody becomes an agent, it sounds like you had a little bit of experience. You might have had a small book of business, but my guess is you probably didn’t have a huge book of business yet. You had to find your own clients. So, that means you probably weren’t going to make much money for a period of time. Even if you had somebody that was interested in buying a property, it takes 30 to 60 days to close on average transactions. So, you could have a period of time where you’re not getting paid. So, how did you know you were ready to jump from a consistent paycheck to being a full-time real estate agent?

Karina Mejia (05:13):

That’s a great question, and I didn’t have a small book of business. I had no book of this. So, I was like, “Okay, we’re going to just see how this goes.” I understood it that if I wanted succeed in this role, I had to do it full-time. I couldn’t just pick up a phone call here and there. It really had to be me being dedicated to it. The moment I decided to do it, I had already purchased my property, it was already rented out, I had some savings in my bank account, and I knew that if worst-case scenario, I am totally in need of money, I had people around me that I could ask them for help or for them to let me borrow money, my girlfriend at the time, my parents. I knew I had that in the back of my head, obviously, the worst-case scenario.

Karina Mejia (05:55):

When I decided to take the jump, I didn’t know who my next client was going to be. I didn’t know where my next deal was going to come from, and I had no idea if it was even going to work out for me, and I understood that, and I understood that if it didn’t, I could always return to… There could always be a plan B, especially at that age. It ended up being a pretty good first year for me, and the reward paid off the risk.

Robert Leonard (06:18):

How did you think about the benefits piece? I know a lot of times there’s people who want to leave the corporate world to become real estate investors, and one of their big concerns is healthcare, or maybe not having a 401(k), et cetera. So, how do you think about those things?

Karina Mejia (06:32):

That is great questions because this is maybe something I would think about now, but at 22, had just started paying my own health insurance because I’d just got that corporate job and I got health insurance through that, I didn’t begin to fund my 401(k). I just knew that this probably not going to be something I stayed on for very long, but all those things became, I mean, were not as important. I think they’re way more important to me now, and so that made it easier to take that risk I think.

Robert Leonard (06:58):

So, how are you handling it today? What did you find as the solution?

Karina Mejia (07:01):

Yeah. It’s fine. I think the reward of being a real estate agent and in a high paying commission-based job, it totally outweighs any match of a W-2 employer, health benefits. I think that with the income I have, I invest more into my retirement accounts I did when I had my W-2, and just because I’ve learned more about money. I have figured it out now and it doesn’t really affect my day to day.

Robert Leonard (07:28):

I actually have quite a few people who reach out to me on social media and email about wanting to become an agent. So, I want to provide them a bit of context around what it’s actually like to be an agent. What is the day to day look like for someone who is a full-time real estate agent?

Karina Mejia (07:44):

So, I would say every day is different. Like this morning, I’m here with you, and so obviously there’s some flexibility in terms of my scheduling and all of that. I do tell people you do go from having one boss to 10. Right? So, it’s not that you don’t still have to be responsible to because I’m responsible to all of my clients, and I need to be available for them whenever they need me to be, but I do have some flexibility in terms of being able to go on vacation if I’d like without requesting that time off, being able to schedule things in with whatever fits to my personal life and things of that nature. A lot of it is the day to day picking up calls, responding to emails, going on showings, and what I should be doing more of is allocating some time for prospecting, for working on the business, and things of that nature.

Robert Leonard (08:30):

Would you say that most of your days are spent doing showings, or are you mostly sitting behind a computer?

Karina Mejia (08:36):

I would say it’s half and half. I have days where, and these are actually my favorite, I like when I’m home and I can get so many things done behind my computer because when I’m not, I get those all done. They’re kind of all in the back of my head, but there are days where I’m on back to back showings and I’m literally grabbing Dunkin’ Donuts for lunch.

Robert Leonard (08:53):

What have you found to be some of the most successful ways to grow your book of business? How are you finding new clients?

Karina Mejia (08:59):

A couple of ways. Social media has been huge for me, and it’s only growing in terms of a lead source due to these podcasts that I’ve been doing and things of that nature. I realized that it really does help my book of business. I would say networking more. So, for example, I’m getting leads from a few people in my mastermind that I didn’t even think that anything would come of that for my real estate business. A lot of them are referral based. So, people will see that I work with somebody they know, and then they’ll reach out. And I would say about half though are produced via marketing spending.

Robert Leonard (09:30):

Where are you spending those marketing dollars?

Karina Mejia (09:33):

I spend a lot on Zillow, and I would say that’s the majority for now.

Robert Leonard (09:38):

Is that to just be listed as like a premier agent?

Karina Mejia (09:41):

Correct. It becomes pretty cold cut sales at that point. For example, you will pay for a certain share of a market in an area, and a buyer will call in about a specific property and you’ll get the call, and it’s really about, okay, how do I convert the person who just called about this property, how do I build some rapport, and how do I convert them to an actual sale. Usually, it has nothing to do with the first property they call. It’s really about meeting them and being able to build that rapport and gain them as your client which I have had a lot of success with.

Robert Leonard (10:14):

How has being an agent been different than what you expected before you started?

Karina Mejia (10:20):

That’s a question I’ve never thought about. I think that it’s actually very similar to what I thought it would be like. I love the freedom of being able to schedule things in like this on my weekdays, and I love helping people. I think I didn’t realize how gratifying helping people would be. I think that was a big surprise at the beginning, but also a big reason as to why I love it. Helping somebody buy a home can sometimes be a lot more than that. I love when I get to talk to my clients in a way that they’re not used to, about how they can change their lives and how this can just be their first one because I know that so many people grow up thinking, “Okay, I buy this one house and maybe I’ll sell it and then I’ll buy another one.” Me and you both know that anybody in America can buy multiple properties per year. We can change our lives and live a life by design. So, I kind of love being a sprinkle of that in people’s lives.

Robert Leonard (11:12):

What do you consider being the hardest part of being an agent?

Karina Mejia (11:16):

It’s not consistent pay. It’s consistent pay when you have a lot of deals and you’re doing great, which I’ve experienced, but it’s not reliable. So, I can only imagine how scary it is. For example, I don’t have children, but I do have responsibilities such as homes and things of that nature. I think I would be scared of not knowing where my next paycheck is coming from or my next capital when I had so many other things to think about. So, I think hardest part, I would say that and putting yourself out there. You really have to put yourself out there. You really have to be the person that gets the leads, that converts them. You know what it is? You are responsible for your own income, and that is a hard pill to swallow for a lot of people.

Robert Leonard (11:56):

Do you do anything to kind of simplify that ebb and flow of income? If you know you’re going to have a big month, do you kind of put some of that aside so that you can use it the following month if you know you’re not going to have as heavy of a month?

Karina Mejia (12:09):

So, those are the things that I should do. I should have an account where I’m funding for my taxes. I feel like all of it comes with time though. I don’t regret how I’ve done things. I’m just, I’m going. Right? I’m doing this, I’m doing that. I’m learning as I’m going. This is the year where I’m building systems so that I can be more organized. This is the year where I’m tax planning. So, all of that definitely comes with time. I wouldn’t even begin to worry about that at the beginning because if you do, then you don’t even know where to start. But yes, those are things that I’ll do better at. The goal here is to have big months every month, and so that I don’t have to worry about that.

Robert Leonard (12:43):

How do you determine which company or broker that you want to work with? What are you looking for in a potential company?

Karina Mejia (12:50):

So, that’s a great question. I think at the beginning especially, it matters a little less the more experience you get, but at the beginning, I think it’s crucial to join a team that you can directly work with in terms of hosting some of their open houses, helping them with some of their deals where you will get direct one-on-one support that you’re not necessarily going to get at a big brokerage unless you join a team. So, it’s either joining a smaller brokerage or a team within a larger corporation that is going to give you the support to get started.

Karina Mejia (13:23):

It does a lot for you, for example, to be a brand new agent and be able to post that you’re hosting an open house for X listing because guess what, now your network says, “Oh, she’s doing business or he’s doing business. They actually work in the field.” They start to look at you as somebody who’s actually working as an agent and not somebody who just has their license. That’s number one. But two is working with a team that is continuing to invest it in your own growth. Just in my own experience has come from a smaller, more niche brokerage, but I’m sure you can find that in some of the bigger ones within teams and things of that nature.

Robert Leonard (13:55):

Were you worried about brand recognition and people knowing the company from having going to a smaller or boutique firm over something like Keller Williams or Coldwell Banker?

Karina Mejia (14:05):

Yeah. So, I actually went from Compass to a small brokerage named EVO Real Estate Group, and that was one of my kind of pushbacks of why I didn’t want to leave Compass, and I have realized, and this is what a broker at EVO told me is somebody’s going to work with you because they want to work with you. They don’t really care about what broker you work with, and I think that when you’re brand new and you have no experience, that is really important because you’re thinking, “Well, I haven’t done anything. So, they need to at least recognize the name that I’m under.” But the more deals I do and the more I work that nothing can be truer than that. Nobody’s working with me because I work with EVO. They’re working with me because they want to work with me. I wouldn’t be too worried about that as a new agent.

Robert Leonard (14:47):

So, you don’t think that the brand helps give some validity or confidence to a brand new agent?

Karina Mejia (14:53):

So, I can see how being a part of a company like Compass, for example, their branding and marketing and their exposure all over the US can be an asset to somebody that has zero experience. I don’t want to negate that as also being a reality, but I think that more important than whether somebody’s going to recognize your brand is whether you can walk into that listing appointment and close the deal, and you’re not going to be able to do that if you’re part of a big brokerage and you haven’t had the mentor that’s walked you through how to do that. So, you have to understand that the latter is more important than that image of who you’re with.

Robert Leonard (15:31):

One of the most common reasons I hear from people about why they can’t house hack is because they live in a market that’s too expensive. You’re from the Boston area, just like me, where it’s pretty expensive. It might not be to the levels of San Francisco or maybe Austin.

Karina Mejia (15:46):

Getting there.

Robert Leonard (15:46):

Yeah, it’s getting there. It’s getting there, but it’s still pretty expensive. Right? So, how are you able to make house hacking work in expensive market, not only once but twice?

Karina Mejia (15:56):

So, I think that owner occupant loans are the best way to be able to acquire properties in markets like ours. That being said, yes, there’s still a substantial amount over a market that is half the price, but I think that anybody on whatever your salary is, you can save for a three and a half percent down in our market. Right? So, the price, whatever that price point may be, whether it’s 400, whether it’s 800, it’s also understanding that you need some capital to get into the game. It’s a part of it, and a big part of what we do is learning how to manage our own finances so that we can have that capital. Anybody in my market would be able to do it with the right roadmap.

Robert Leonard (16:38):

How about not just the down payment, but actually making the numbers work? I know a lot of times, it’s not just coming up with a down payment, but it’s does this even make sense from a numbers perspective.

Karina Mejia (16:48):

When it comes to house hacking, and I always tell people this, don’t expect the same returns that you would with a 25% down investment loan. You have to understand that there are other benefits to house hacking that are a little less numbers related. For example, one of my biggest, let’s say, I have a client who wants to buy a house hack, but they’re concerned that it might not have cash flow when they move out. It might just pay itself off. I still think that’s a great investment. In our market where a multifamily home costs 800,000, and you can put tenants in there after you move out and the house pays itself off and in 30 years, you’re going to have an asset that’s close to a million dollars that you didn’t pay for, that is a benefit to me.

Karina Mejia (17:29):

When you look at the numbers compared to a cash flowing property, yeah, maybe it’s not going to have the same ROI or the same cash on cash, but you can exclude that as a reality of a benefit of having that asset paid down. How you can leverage the appreciation usually in markets like ours to buy other properties or to pay down that loan, it all becomes so much easier once you buy that first one and you learn how to be a landlord, you learn about equity growth, and how to capitalize on all about that.

Robert Leonard (17:57):

Yeah, you can tap into the equity a lot easier typically in these higher growth markets than you can in some of the more cash flow focused markets, and then you can leverage that equity into buying other rental properties that cash flow more if that’s important to you. Do you plan to continue house hacking, and do you have a plan on when you might stop? How many do you think you’re going to do?

Karina Mejia (18:15):

So, I’m thinking about it this year. I really like where we’re living now. We really like where we live. So, that’s becomes a little more difficult because I don’t necessarily want to sacrifice, move, and all that, but if it makes sense for us. At the same time, we know that this is not a forever home either. So, this is kind of just an interim. If it makes sense for us to do so, we wil.l If I can get similar returns or attain the same goal by buying properties out of state, I will do that as well. So, it kind of just depends as to what is the best way for me to do so.

Robert Leonard (18:47):

How do you deal with somebody that is kind of pushing back on house hacking? If you have a significant other and you want a house hack because you understand the benefits, but they don’t yet, how do you kind of have that conversation with them and get them on board?

Karina Mejia (19:00):

So, I was lucky in that sense that was never a issue I had to cross, but I think it’s really important that we are with people that are aligned with our values and our goals, and that’s a conversation of what you’re willing to give to get peer. I think that’s a couple conversation. I cannot get to my goals without discussing them with my partner if I’m going to spend my entire life with them. House hacking I think has a lot of benefits. Right? You’re able to save on your living expense, which can allow you to invest more money, which can you to retire earlier and spend more time together. You can sell the vision to them. I usually think advising people on like, “Hey, you should read this book. I think it did a lot for me.” You should listen to this podcast is a little easier than you as other partner trying to force that onto them, but at the end of the day, if there’s somebody that’s completely opposed to it and it’s something that you really want, those are issues you need to discuss as a couple.

Robert Leonard (19:56):

You have so much knowledge of your local market from being an agent, working with investors, and even investing in your two house hacks yourself. Why did you choose to invest long distance after you already house hacked two times in your local area?

Karina Mejia (20:09):

It was really just a matter of wanting to continue buying properties, knowing that I couldn’t house hack twice per year. It’s only once per year, and just wanting to still continue that growth, and the capital needed in a market like Georgia is a lot less than the capital I would need for a property in my market in Boston. So, it just became the easiest next step for me is to look at a market where I had enough capital that I could make the next move, and I met somebody that’s local in that market. He kind of plugged me into his resources, and after that first one, it became pretty easy to buy that second and the third and so forth. So, it was just a matter of what worked out the best for me at that time. I switched over from my W-2 to 1099. So, I was no longer bankable. These loans that I was getting were commercial loans. Sure, I could have done that here in Boston as well, but again, much higher price points than in Georgia.

Robert Leonard (21:03):

How did you find the market that you’re invested in long distance? You said it was from somebody that you just met. How did you meet them and how did that kind of come about?

Karina Mejia (21:11):

We’re in the same mastermind. It’s called Rat Race To FI. It’s actually led by Felipe Mejia and Diego Corzo. I know you had Felipe on the podcast before, but it’s basically made up of a lot of investors all over the US, and at a networking event, I met a CEO of a pretty big management company in Augusta. He’s an investor. We’re in the mastermind together. I feel like I can trust him, and it made that jump much easier than not having somebody that I feel like I could trust.

Robert Leonard (21:40):

Did you fully take his word for it on that market, or did you end up doing your own due diligence and kind of looking into it as well?

Karina Mejia (21:46):

So, one part was the relationship based trust level. The other part is of course still making sure that this is a market that makes sense. I discussed this with multiple investors, not just this person, and I also check on the market stats. Right? So, there are population growth metrics. It has a military base which provides a good amount of rental support for the immediate neighborhood. Real estate has been appreciating, not at the rate that we see in markets like the one we’re in. Oh, there was like employment diversification. There was all these factors that made it a good market. It is also landlord friendly, and the price to rent ratio just made sense. When I went and I started plugging the numbers for a couple of properties on Zillow, had a lot more that made sense than in the area I’m in.

Robert Leonard (22:30):

Before you started investing long distance, did you decide which type of assets you wanted to buy, like say a single family or a triplex before you determined that you were going to invest in Augusta, or did you let the location you wanted to buy in drive which type of asset you were going to buy?

Karina Mejia (22:45):

I think I let the location drive it. I think I’ve always wanted multifamilies just to begin with. That was my first house hack. In general, that’s what I’ve always wanted. Right? If I can have more tenants under the same roof, I would much rather that than have them all over the place, but then I directly contradicted that when I bought my first property in Augusta, Georgia because that’s what… There are more single families, and I actually, interestingly enough, realized that I’m not sure if I fully like it more, but I might because I realize, oh, I don’t have to worry about cutting the grass. I don’t have to worry about anything basically. This tenant takes care of everything. Well, for the multifamilies I’m buying out there, oh, okay, now there’s common area, things I have to think about, like snow removal and all this, when in a single, you can’t pass that on to the tenant which I really have enjoyed.

Robert Leonard (23:30):

Are all of your rentals in a Augusta single family?

Karina Mejia (23:34):

No, there’s two duplexes.

Robert Leonard (23:36):

It’s interesting you mentioned that about liking single family because I feel the same way. I had a very similar path. When I got into real estate, I was like, “I’m only buying duplexes and multifamilies. I’m not buying anything that’s only one unit because I don’t…” If there’s not rented, then I have to cover the mortgage myself. I just thought that was too risky. And then I started buying single family, and I understand what people don’t like. Right? It’s hard to scale, but what’s nice about it is all things you mentioned, and what I found is you can get higher quality tenants a lot of times. You get a lot of pride of ownership. They handle, like you said, mowing the lawn, et cetera. They handle most of the utilities. So, for me, I do really like the single family space. It’s hard to scale, but I do like it.

Karina Mejia (24:12):

I agree on all those points, and in my market, I know that as a renter, people love that. If you have a family, who wouldn’t love to rent a single family out and feel like you have your own space without having to own? So, I do, I agree that the rental demand is definitely there.

Robert Leonard (24:28):

In one of the cities that I own single family properties in, they actually fine you if you don’t cut your grass. So, if your grass gets too tall, they’ll actually fine you. And so, we got to fine the other day or a couple weeks ago from one of our properties, the grass was too tall, and we just passed that along to the tenant because if we were responsible for cutting the grass, then we would’ve had to pay the fine, but we passed it along to the tenant because it’s their responsibility and they didn’t mow the lawn so they need to cover the fine. Once you knew where you were going to invest, how did you build out your processes and systems to make that actually possible?

Karina Mejia (25:01):

Again, this is my big year of systems and processes. So, all of that, I feel like I’m still working on that. Again, it’s really just taking it, for me, it has been taking one step at a time. So, if it was this property, okay, who are the… Now, I need a lender. So, now I’m interviewing lenders. Now, I’m all doing all of that. Having a property management has made it pretty streamlined. They take over after the deal closes. They make it rent ready. They rent it out, and then I start collecting the cash flow, and I had never even seen these properties in person. I’m still working on building the systems and processes.

Karina Mejia (25:32):

For somebody who’s doing it for the first time, you just do it and then you systemize. You say, “Okay, what was the first step I took? What was the second step I took?” For example, other lenders that I talked to that first time, I kept an Excel, okay, this is what their terms were. So, that second time that I had to go back, I didn’t have to call every bank to figure out what their terms were. So, just incorporating things like that.

Robert Leonard (25:52):

So, I know people really like to hear numbers. So, if you don’t mind sharing, tell us a bit about what maybe the down payment looks like, what your rents are, cash flow, et cetera. Share anything you’re willing to share.

Karina Mejia (26:05):

So, I’ll take one deal in Boston and I’ll take one in Georgia just for comparison purposes, but my best deal has been my first house hack. I actually just had a tenant move out and his new one is moving in tomorrow, and I was able to raise the rents by 400, and that’s pure in my pocket cash flow because the rest, it has been. So, the numbers are great. But for example, in the greater Boston area, bought a property for 560, three and a half percent down. All I really needed was 20,000 for the down payment, plus the closing cost. So, call it 25, 25, or actually, I forgot, this deal I incorporated the closing cost into the purchase price, but for those that don’t, you have to account for that money regardless.

Karina Mejia (26:43):

The rental income is in total now 5,700. My mortgage is about 35 000. I gross 2138, just go have the Excel in front of me, and then if I would take out vacancy CapEx, that gets reduced to like 1,600. Great deal, three units there. In Georgia, I have a single family, for example. It was 120 in this market. I actually needed 30% for this particular deal. So, it was 40 grand. This is just because I had to go hard money and had some issues with the lending, so ended up putting down 30. That is taking out 8% management, 5% vacancy, and 5% CapEx. Property was renovated recently so it hasn’t had any CapEx or expect any recent CapEx.

Robert Leonard (27:27):

Is that the duplex or is that a single family?

Karina Mejia (27:28):

That’s a single. Cash on cash on this, taking all numbers out is about 10%. Cap rate is about 8%.

Robert Leonard (27:38):

What have been some of the biggest mistakes that you’ve made, whether it be with house hacking, going long distance, or maybe even as a real estate agent? What have you made for mistakes, what should you have done differently, and what did you learn from them?

Karina Mejia (27:52):

My very first property, I didn’t truly vet a tenant. I met her in person. She seemed like a nice person. I didn’t do what I would’ve done for any of my other clients which is truly vet the applicant. I learned lesson there, some issues with her in regards to her breaking the lease. It was weed related in the sense that she was smoking weed, tenant upstairs didn’t like it. So, managing those relationships and also learning that basically that it’s super necessary to completely check the background and assets and income of whoever yours tenant are because when I asked her to vacate, she was like, “I have no money.” All these things came out. I can’t pay rent, and I just ended up giving her cash for keys and she left.

Robert Leonard (28:32):

For those listening, who aren’t familiar with cash for keys, what does that mean, and how did you go about that?

Karina Mejia (28:37):

That is when you don’t want to evict a tenant. They don’t want to leave. So, instead of going through the eviction route, you offer them cash. People ask like, “Well, how much?” It really all depends on how much that person will take. You kind of negotiate. Right? In my scenario, she needed the moving costs, and I basically was like, “I don’t want to deal with this headache,” and I paid for it. I ended up helping her find another rental to move to and they paid me a broker fee. So, I ended up getting some of that money back, but basically, just a big learning experience to make sure. Instead of trying to fill a unit quickly, make sure that tenant is actually qualified.

Robert Leonard (29:15):

And for people listening, one of the reasons why you’d want to do that is a lot of times, cash for keys is cheaper and quicker than going through the eviction process. So, obviously, if you have to pay that person more than it would cost to evict, then it’s probably not worth it, but a lot of times, you can do it for a fraction of the cost is what I’ve seen in my experience. What has been the most influential book in your life?

Karina Mejia (29:36):

I think it has to be Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I know that everybody always says that, but I think there’s a lot of great books I’ve read since then. I remember reading that when I was still in college. I think it was recommended on like a BiggerPockets forum or something that I was… Or some of the speakers were recommending it, and I remember reading it, just reinforcing everything I was hearing on the podcast and reading the forums, and I think that graduating with that mindset is the reason that I was even able to make the recognition of I don’t see anybody around here at my workforce that I want to be like, this isn’t for me, I should take the risk, don’t just take no for an answer, ask how, all of those little tidbits that you hear and they just start to get ingrained in your mind I think played a huge role in how my life has played out until now.

Robert Leonard (30:24):

Before we give a handoff to where people can find you, I like to wrap up the show by turning the tables and letting the guests ask me a question. So, Karina, what question do you have for me?

Karina Mejia (30:35):

Okay. What has been the biggest benefit of hosting a podcast?

Robert Leonard (30:40):

Probably the networking and helping people. You mentioned earlier that when you got into being an agent, you didn’t realize how much you would enjoy actually helping people and how good that would feel, and that was the exact same thing for me. I got into podcasting. I did want to help people, but I didn’t realize how good that felt. I kind of, honestly, I’ve mentioned it on the podcast before that people always say that helping people is more important than money, and I always thought that those people were just kind of BSing us. I thought they were just like… I was like, “No way, the money is better.” And then the podcast has gotten pretty big. I’m helping thousands and hundreds of thousands of people, and it’s really impactful for me.

Robert Leonard (31:14):

And then also networking, getting to talk to really great people like yourself and all the other guests that have come on the show. Our relationship as a podcast host with our guest doesn’t necessarily end when the mic turns off or the episode ends. Right? We still have that relationship. We still have those emails. And so, there’s a lot of times where I’ll reach out to somebody that I had on the show and they’ll help me with things. So, those are the two biggest benefits of having the podcast. Where can the audience go to connect with you? Where’s the best place to find you?

Karina Mejia (31:42):

Best way would be my Instagram which is Karina_Mejiaa. So, it’s K-A-R-I-N-A_Mejia, M-E-J-I-A-A.

Robert Leonard (31:53):

I will be sure to put a link to Karina’s Instagram in the show notes for anybody that’s interested in connecting with her. Karina, thanks for joining me.

Karina Mejia (32:00):

Awesome. Thank you for having me on.

Robert Leonard (32:03):

All right guys. That’s all I had for this week’s episode of Real Estate Investing. I’ll see you again next week.

Outro (32:08):

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