11 Real Estate Business Success Stories [2024]
Are you a qualified architect with a broad range of knowledge in the real estate field? Starting a real estate business can be a profitable venture.
Real estate involves purchasing, selling, managing, or investing in land and buildings.
To become a successful real estate business owner, you must have finely honed visual awareness and a strong understanding of various building materials and structures.
In this list, you'll find real-world real estate business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a real estate business that makes money.
1. Open Door Capital ($18M/year)
Brandon Turner, founder of Open Door Capital, came up with the idea of starting a real estate investment company after experiencing financial freedom through renting out properties at a young age. Inspired by the potential for passive income and property appreciation, he decided to focus on real estate instead of pursuing law school or selling kites online. Now, Open Door Capital has over 5,000 rental units and aims to make a billion-dollar profit from selling properties in the future.
How much money it makes: $18M/year
How much did it cost to start: $30K
How many people on the team: 23
Entrepreneur Brandon Turner explains how he started a real estate investment company, Open Door Capital, which now manages over 5,000 rental units, bringing in $30,000,000 per year in revenue while only working a few hours a week, and aims to cross $1,000,000,000 in real estate by the end of the year.
2. T. C. Lewis & Co. Real Estate ($6M/year)
Cory Lewis, founder of T.C. Lewis & Co, was inspired to start the company after witnessing the success of wealthy individuals investing in real estate in the Appalachian region. Coming from a long line of entrepreneurs and armed with a determination to make money in the industry, Lewis and his wife launched their own real estate investment and management firm, which has since grown into a multi-faceted company with numerous accolades and recognition, including being named one of the fastest-growing real estate companies in America and the recipient of the Tennessee Small Business Excellence Award.
How much money it makes: $6M/year
How many people on the team: 36
This case study is about T. C. Lewis & Co, a real estate investment and management firm that successfully diversified their approach to include sales, development, remodeling, and construction, with property management being the key to investor doors and organic growth.
3. Vesta Preferred Realty ($4.2M/year)
Grigory Pekarsky stumbled into real estate with no prior background in the field. After realizing that his competitive edge was his work ethic and ability to pick up the phone, he quickly became the top agent in his office and eventually started his own company, Vesta Preferred. Now celebrating their 10th year of operation, Vesta Preferred is the #3 real estate company in Chicago and consistently grows at a 20% pace, with plans to write 1000 new leases and sell over $120m in real estate this year.
How much money it makes: $4.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 2
Residential real estate company, Vesta Preferred, celebrates their 10th year of operation with 80% referral-based business and focus on relationship building, recently achieving their goal of 1000 new leases and $120M in real estate sales in 2019.
4. The Farm Soho ($3.6M/year)
Lucas Seyhun, the founder of The Farm Soho, came up with the idea after considering turning his loft into an unauthorized Airbnb. When a friend suggested doing an "Airbnb for startups," Seyhun realized the potential and transformed his loft into one of the earliest coworking spaces in New York City. Despite initial marketing challenges, the company survived and now offers flexible office space to a variety of customers, positioning itself for success in the post-pandemic coworking industry.
How much money it makes: $3.6M/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 15
The founder of The Farm Soho, one of the earliest New York City co-working spaces, shares how he built his affordable workspace model for solopreneurs and startups, as well as discussing his tips for attracting and retaining customers while navigating the challenges of running a business.
5. Jake & Gino ($2.4M/year)
Gino Barbaro and Jake Stenziano co-founded Jake & Gino, a multifamily real estate education company, after meeting while working in the restaurant and pharmaceutical industries, respectively. They started by selling a book and micro-courses, but realized the need for coaching and in-person events to provide a higher level of service. They have since grown their company to include a community of successful investors and have set ambitious goals for the future.
How much money it makes: $2.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $30K
How many people on the team: 10
Jake & Gino, a multifamily real estate education company founded in 2015, teaches people how to invest in apartments and become multifamily entrepreneurs, with over 125,000 monthly downloads on their podcasts and $4 billion in asset value closed by their students.
6. Stacked ($720K/year)
Druce, one of the co-founders of Stacked, initially started the business as a platform to cut out the middleman in the real estate industry. However, they realized that the market wasn't ready for their product and shifted their focus to creating comprehensive and objective condo reviews, which set them apart from the competition. Their strategy of doubling down on content, including long-tail keywords, has resulted in immediate growth for the business.
How much money it makes: $720K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
How many people on the team: 10
7. Livit ($600K/year)
Lavinia and her business partner Michael Bodekaer, tired of the traditional 9-to-5 grind, set up Livit in Bali as a co-living community for founders. By evolving it into a support ecosystem over six years, they've inspired and empowered 750+ entrepreneurs, scaling multiple startups to 100+ team members and generating $50K monthly.
How much money it makes: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 24
Livit International, a support ecosystem and service provider for startups and scale-ups in Bali, has enabled 750+ entrepreneurs to build disruptive businesses with a global impact through its coworking spaces, innovation and event spaces, HR and Strategic Business Partner services, tech and non-tech recruitment, remote work education, and business support services.
8. The Rockville Real Estate Exchange ($180K/year)
Andy Detweiler, founder of The Rockville Real Estate Exchange, came up with the idea after realizing there was a lack of easily accessible information on condos in the Rockville area. He saw an opportunity to fill this gap and created a website where people could find comprehensive information on neighborhoods, properties for sale, and properties for rent, and connect with local experts. Through his dedication and bootstrapping efforts, Detweiler has grown his business to generate $200K per year in revenue and is now expanding and developing a proprietary technology platform.
How much money it makes: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 1
Founder Andy Detweiler shares how he bootstrapped his Rockville Real Estate Exchange into a profitable $200K per year business by focusing on solving a problem that people actually want solved, attracting organic traffic, and building a custom front-end tech product and sales team to scale.
9. Adventures in Mobile Homes ($120K/year)
Rachel Hernandez, founder of Adventures in Mobile Homes, came up with the idea for her business after becoming burnt-out as a landlord and deciding to sell her real estate portfolio. She read a book on mobile home investing and was drawn to the idea of being the bank rather than a landlord. Her first sale was a 2 bedroom, 1 bath mobile home that she bought for $3,600 and sold for $10,000, receiving her initial investment back within the first year. Since then, Rachel has built a successful business with a steady stream of passive income and plans to expand by buying land and moving mobile homes onto it.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $3.6K
How many people on the team: 1
Adventures in Mobile Homes founder, Rachel Hernandez, shares her experience of mobile home investing which has led to around $500 cash flow per month for every deal she does and has allowed her to achieve $10,000 per month from the business.
10. Momentum Property Solutions ($60K/year)
Jordan Fulmer and his wife Melissa, both mechanical engineers, were inspired to start their real estate investing company, Momentum Property Solutions, after a coworker left his engineering job to pursue entrepreneurship. They learned about creative financing strategies and focused on buying distressed properties, renovating them, and either selling or renting them. They now make $2,000 per month in rental income and are averaging one deal per month, thanks to their increased marketing efforts.
How much money it makes: $60K/year
How much did it cost to start: $25K
How many people on the team: 1
Real estate investing company Momentum Property Solutions, founded by Jordan Fulmer and Melissa, makes about $2,000 per month in rental income with chunks of capital from selling properties and averages one deal per month due to increased marketing efforts.
11. Send me South ($18K/year)
Marcia Solis launched Send me South in 2012 after realizing there was a need for legal services to assist expats looking to relocate to Costa Rica. The idea stemmed from her associate's frustrating experience navigating the country's immigration process, leading them to offer personalized services to guide clients through residency applications. While Send me South is not a profitable enough venture to make a living, its success lies in its commitment to providing top-notch service and a seamless relocation experience for clients from around the world.
How much money it makes: $18K/year
How many people on the team: 0
Send Me South helps people relocate to Costa Rica by providing customized services for residency and property purchasing, with clients from all over the world, counting the United States of America, Canada, England, Jordan, UAE, Belgium, and Spain.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
