Kibbee Jelks

My entire life I always knew the value of saving money.  Growing up, I was always aware of the burden of not really having enough money to do the things we wanted to do - we could pay the bills, and that was about it.  At the same time, I saw my grandfather who was also a real estate agent and a big-time saver - he always talked about finance, and being an only child I was frequently in the room when these financial and real estate conversations were happening.

One thing that always stood out to me from these conversations was this repeating theme of grown-ups always talking about a home that they had owned at one time in the past and what it’s worth today.  All of them expressed the wish that they still owned it because it would be worth so much more now - this always made me wonder, why didn’t so many of these adults keep these properties? Being a part of these conversations made me realize that the process seemed simple - just buy and hold properties for a long time and you can build a ton of wealth if you do. 

My experiences growing up led me to pursue real estate and finance in college and subsequently spent 13 years working in the finance industry.  Working with high net worth clients and their investments gave me insights into how wealthy people actually build their wealth - and a lot of them built it through real estate.

I started investing in real estate while I was in college back in 2005 after saving $8500 by busting ass at the cheesecake factory and as a valet in between classes. To purchase the property I had to co-sign with my parents to show enough income to get the loan from the bank.  My mortgage was $1100/month and that was the year I started living rent-free by inviting my college friends to be my roommates in that house - something that we call house hacking.  With my roommates paying the mortgage on my first property, I was able to start saving for the next property that I bought just 3 years later.  

My desire for financial freedom and passion for building wealth through real estate led me to leave the finance industry and jump headfirst into being a  real estate agent so I can help others do the same.  After seeing firsthand how quickly real estate can build wealth, I was inspired to start helping others just like me learn how to build a financially sound future for themselves and their families with investment properties.