Redefining Real Estate Investing by Flipping the Age Script with Ryleigh Eckles

[0:00] Welcome to the REI Agent, a holistic approach to life through real estate. I’m Matthias, an agent and investor. And I’m Erica, a licensed therapist. Join us as we interview guests that also strive to live bold and fulfilled lives through business and real estate investing. Tune in every week for interviews with real estate agents and investors. Ready to level up? Let’s do it.

[0:23] Welcome back to the REI Agent. I am fired up. I think, yeah, I don’t know. I think that people will probably start laughing at me as many of my friends do when they give me feedback on some of the podcasts that I do because they can see my excitement level rise as I talk. But I just had a really awesome conversation with Riley Eccles. Riley is 18. She flipped her first house at 16 and is just hitting the ground running. She is super motivated and really into this whole real estate investing space. She got her license, a real estate license here recently as well. And it just really excites me because of, you know, raising kids and how you want them to be involved or you want them to… Well, let me back step.

[1:16] I think that, you know, one of the things that I always think in the back of my head is, you know, how will what I am doing affect and impact my kids? And I think some people have the mindset of, you know, if they build up wealth, if they build up generational wealth, that they want to gift their kids and make them not have to work, make them have a luxurious life and give them the things that they could never have. And I very much don’t have that mindset. I think that, you know, there are… I want my kids to learn to, A, appreciate things, appreciate everything you have and appreciate, you know, simple things, enjoy the sunset. You know, it doesn’t have to be a rich, wealthy thing that they have to be able to enjoy, right?

[2:02] I want my kids to have a work ethic. I want them to feel fulfillment ultimately, because I think that it is a fundamental part of happiness is to feel achieved, to go out and have hardship to some certain degree and to overcome it. I think I am a big believer that I’ve talked about this a lot, I’m sure, but just kind of how we have to almost self-impose hardship since our society is so designed to remove it, like to have everything kind of easy and comfortable. And I think that to be happy and to be non-anxious often requires us to, you know, overcome things and to challenge ourselves and to, you know, exercise is a great example of that. You know, we don’t, we have to artificially impose ourselves into some, or artificially impose hardship through exercise.

[2:58] Like we have to go for, you know, even walking, like we have to actually make ourselves do it because it doesn’t happen otherwise, or running or lifting weights, high intensity interval training, all that stuff is things that we kind of have to do to ourselves because our natural environment doesn’t require it anymore. And I think that is a very fundamental part of being healthy, but also a fundamental part of being mentally healthy. And I think it really boosts your happiness and takes away stress and anxiety. So really believe in that. I think that in the same regard, you know, one of the big key indicators of true authentic happiness and optimism is, one of the big things for that is the state of flow.

[3:44] So getting into a state where you just are so absorbed in what you’re doing that nothing else can matter. Nothing else can distract you from it. For me, that could be like getting really into a song. If I’m playing and singing music, that can really get me into that state of flow. And I think that’s something that, you know, again, our whole society, our cell phones, everything is kind of taking us out of that. And so I think, you know, having, raising kids that are inspired, that are really passionate about something, is super exciting to see and to see somebody so young, get so inspired and take action on things that a lot of others would be fearful of. A lot of people are fearful of, even that are much older than them.

[4:31] So really, really fun conversation. I think, you know, ongoing thoughts about how to set your kids up for success is going to be a reoccurring theme in this podcast. I hope Riley is an inspiration. I’m sure she will be to many, many kids for years to come that may not believe they can do something because they’re too young. They may think that they can’t do it because they’re a woman or a girl. I mean, I know that a lot of different things like that come into people’s heads, and she is a testament to that not being true. And she went and just did it. She put in a lot of time and effort to learn, to network, and she’ll get into that. But she ultimately set herself up to be able to do a deal by herself at 16.

[5:23] So super cool episode today, guys. Check out Riley Eccles.

[5:31] Welcome back to the REI Agent. I’m here with Riley Eccles. Did I say that right? Yep. Yes. I’m one for one in the sun. Riley, thanks so much for joining. I’m super excited about talking to you right now because it’s always fun to have somebody that’s, you know, kind of in the same world as I am. You are a licensed agent, but you’re also an investor. But more, you’re more of an investor than a licensed agent. You told me that’s just kind of helping your business. But more than that, it’s just super exciting to hear somebody that is into this in your age. Um, so let’s start there. How old are you? I am 18 years old. Yeah. And when was your first deal that you did? I did my first deal at 16, but I got started in real estate about probably 10 years old.

[6:20] I’ve just been surrounded by it my whole life because of my dad. Okay. Well, let’s get into that. Like what, what’s, yeah. What got you into it? What, what’s your dad do? Why, why are you a prodigy flipping the house at 16? So my dad, he owns, um, a real estate company, a business, and he had a W2 on the side. So, um, I guess we’ll start back at the beginning. So I was, I was a little kid. I was going around helping my dad pick up sticks in the yard or painting houses. Cause he used to do all the work himself before he hired it out. And I just kind of started to love it when my parents divorced because my dad was trying to figure out, well, how do I balance, um, being a single dad and then also running a business.

[7:10] So he kind of got lucky cause he combined the two out of necessity, but he got lucky because I started to like it a lot. Yeah. And I’ve been going to masterminds and I’ve been going to local groups. I’ve been reading books, um, listening to podcasts and it kind of got started. Um, when I was listening to a podcast to a mastermind group that we go to, um, a national one. And so I went there and started learning and that’s when I kind of got the courage to, um, uh, split my house at 16. Okay. Okay. Um, first of all, yeah. Lucky is right because I would love, I would love a kid to, to pick this kind of stuff up and show interest in it. Um, we try to get them involved too. Like we, we, we, uh, have them usually come along for the shovel snow.

[8:02] Yeah. That kind of stuff. It’s just, I’m, you know, hoping that a, at least they see the hard work that goes into it. Uh, and, and not just the benefits. So, yeah, I, I have people come up to me all the time saying, well, how did you do it? How did you do it? So finally we, uh, the local group kind of asks us to, um, speak on stage at our local. So a couple hundred investors or whatever. Yeah. And the presentation was titled how to get your kids involved in, in real estate. So that was one of our presentations that we had to do. Oh, that’s perfect. I love it. I did that about maybe 14 years old. Okay. So just a couple of years before I did that flip. Okay. Okay. So let’s, let’s, uh, I want to hear a little bit more about, uh, what your dad does.

[8:49] So he, he was kind of like a, he owned property to rent longterm. He was buying hold kind of, um, for this time. Then that’s what you were helping with is buy and hold properties. Yeah. Um, for a while we did buy and hold and then, um, we started getting into flipping. Okay. And then we did a little bit of wholesaling. Actually, wholesaling is illegal in my state, but, um, we did that maybe a couple of times. Um, but flipping and buying and hold, that’s mostly what we, what our specialty is. Okay. Um, yeah, that’s cool. And so I would imagine you’re also like, if there’s a property that makes sense to keep, you’re doing the birth strategy where you’re, you’re flipping it, but keeping it and refinancing it and renting it out.

[9:35] Oh, cool. That’s, that’s so fun. Okay. So you were started kind of getting involved with this at 10. When, when did he start investing? Like, was he doing this your whole life? Yeah. So he actually closed on his first property. I think, uh, when I was born. Um, okay. Like I’m like the week or something that I was born. So he kind of took our whole family around and we had dinners at these properties. Like he was swinging the hammer by himself. Like he was doing all the work by himself. So. Yeah. That’s, that’s a whole different game. I don’t do that. I manage, uh, people, but, um, we have a similar story where, uh, we, we found our first flip when, uh, a week before, uh, my wife was scheduled for a C-section for our second child.

[10:22] So we, we, we, yeah, I had to convince her that that was the best thing to do and to go under contract and this new scary thing that we’ve never done before. But, uh, hopefully this means that my kids are going to get involved. I’m excited. I feel like having a kid and also purchasing a property is not easy. Yeah. Well, and then the way I describe it too, is that I think that often, uh, people are wanting to nest at that stage. They’re wanting to kind of get all the house ready to like be secure and kind of batten down the hatches. And we’re going to, you know, get through this period of time. It’s going to be harder. We’re going to, you know, having to lose sleep, all that kind of stuff. And so to take on something new like that is, it’s definitely, uh, it’s not for everybody.

[11:07] Yeah, definitely not. Okay. So you were surrounded by, you know, the whole, your whole life. Um, and then at 10, you kind of started going out and helping and getting more interested in as what you were saying. Yeah. So at 10 years old, my parents, uh, they divorced and that’s when, like I said, I had to get involved, um, just out of necessity. Sure. And so, uh, kind of the kickstart of it was we were in the car and he was listening to a podcast and he’d always been listening to like bigger pockets. And, um, that’s when he found our master, our national mastermind group. Okay. And, um, the guy on there was the host of it at the time was really goofy guy. He like, he had just such a great personality and I really connected with him.

[11:55] And that’s when I was like, I kind of want to meet this guy. And my dad had been going to these groups, this national group. Um, he, or he hadn’t been going to him at the time, but this was going to be his first time going. Okay. And I was like, can I come? And he’s like, I don’t think kids come to this kind of stuff. Like you go to, you go to, um, these real estate groups and you’re like, there’s no kids here. Like, why would they be interested in this? Yeah. So I was just, I was just intrigued by the fact that people make, are making millions of dollars doing this. And I just wanted to learn more. And my dad was like, well, I’ll tell you what, you make a video for this guy. And if I happen to see him, this is like an event for hundreds and hundreds of investors, realtors, whatever.

[12:44] And he’s like, I don’t think I’m going to see this guy, but whatever, I’ll make a video. So I’m, I’m making this video for this, this guy. And I’m like, Hey, I want to be a, I want to be a flipper just like you. I want to be in real estate, just like you. And I, my dad goes to the event. And on the first day, on the first break, the host starts walking down his aisle. And he’s, he’s like, this is it. I got to stop him. So we stopped the guy and he showed him my video. And the guy was like, what? I can’t believe like this. Cause I was 11, I think. Okay. Yeah. He’s like, I don’t, I don’t know how an 11 year old is watching my stuff, but good on her. So he sends me a video back. I’m all excited.

[13:30] And then he shows my video on stage. And so all these adults are looking at my video and they’re just like, wow, this is crazy. I’m sure they were loving it. I know. And hold on. Is it, is it Brandon Turner that you’re talking about or who? No, no, this isn’t bigger pockets. This is a seven figure flipping. Okay. And, uh, the host at the time was Justin Williams. Okay. And, um, so yeah, Justin shows my, my video on stage. And then he said that he was going to invite my dad. And I, uh, back out to California is where they were hosting it. And that’s where he lives. Okay. And we got to go to Disney and we got to meet his family and surf with them. And then he surprised me by saying that he was going to give me free tickets to the event that year.

[14:17] Wow. Okay. This is the formula guys. Get your kids involved. I mean, although you showed the initiative before the Disney tickets happened. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, you earned it. That’s, that’s amazing. What a cool story. Um, it’s, it’s kind of surreal, like looking back on it now, but that’s kind of what happened, like how I got really involved in it. Well, I think that’s one of the really cool things about real estate investing that the whole world, I think, uh, that whole world of the real estate investing, I feel like people are really, um, ready for people to get excited and want to pass on the knowledge. It’s, it’s something that there’s not really, I think the real estate investing world is very abundant.

[15:01] I feel, I feel like people feel that abundance more than other areas. Like I would say it’s more than real estate sales. I think that one tends to feel more scarce and, and, and fierce and competition oriented where I think the real estate investing side is, is a lot more abundant. And I think people are just kind of excited with open arms, ready for you to, uh, I just can’t believe that you’re that young and interested in it. So cool. So, um, let’s, okay. So let’s fast forward a little bit. So you, uh, your dad has now gotten you looped into different masterminds and local national, um, you’re, you’re being fired up by these often very motivating speakers and things like that. Um, so then you decide you’re going to do your first flip.

[15:44] Can you talk us through that a little bit? Yeah. So, um, let’s see, I fast forward a few years. I’m networking with people. I’m like connected with so many people around the country, uh, in my local RIA. And I, uh, let’s see. Oh, so I went to one of the events and I spoke on stage the year before, um, at the national group and it was how to get your kids involved in real estate. So one of the parents had brought their kid and their kid had listened to my speech. And then, um, it’s one of the, uh, the parent is one of the people on the crew of that runs the event. Okay. And he brought his, his little, little kid. I think he might’ve been 12 or 10. Um, just a little, a few years younger than me at the time.

[16:38] And that kid had done his like first flip or rental buy and hold. Okay. Um, and he was showing the process of how his kid was doing it. And he was calling up these people and he was, of course the dad was helping him a little bit, but like it was just getting the kid involved that it was like, Oh my gosh, I can do this. Like, I know I can do this by myself. I have enough knowledge. I have enough, um, you know, I, I can do it. So after that speech, cause he had, he had spoke the year after me saying how he did it. I started calling up all these wholesalers. I knew, um, I started talking to contractors. I knew started to figure out, okay, how do I raise money for this? Cause you don’t, I, as most of your people may know, you don’t need to use your own money.

[17:31] You can raise, you can raise money. You can use private money lenders. So, um, I talked to a contractor that was there and, he said, yeah, of course I can help you. I can help you do this. I was talking, um, to, uh, I think I, I think I got home and I was talking to these wholesalers cause that was like one of the ways I figured out how to find free leads. Yeah. Just talking to wholesalers. Sure. And so our local Rhea had a list on Facebook and I didn’t even have Facebook at the time. I had to download it. Um, and I was contacting all these wholesalers. And of course I got like a bit of like F you texts and whatever, because I don’t know. But then I finally found one of somebody who had a deal 30 minutes from my house.

[18:24] And I was like, okay, I let’s go look at this house. Um, looked at the property. The guy didn’t know that I was, uh, 16 years old. Um, and then, um, found it’s a good deal. I was like, okay. So I negotiated down like $5,000 and then, uh, sealed the deal. I found private money and I had that contractor who said he was going to help me. And the deal started. Okay. So, um, I’m kind of thinking through some of the logistics of this. I don’t, I would imagine to get a traditional mortgage, which I know you didn’t, uh, would, would require your parents, um, a, like for your, you know, income isn’t there, et cetera. Like, but, um, so there wasn’t any thing that your, your dad had to sign or anything as well.

[19:16] Um, did they, so he did have to co-sign because I’m not old enough. Okay. Um, but with the private money lender, it is somebody that I had already knew by networking. So he, it was basically him putting trust into me. Okay. So I, yeah. So we kind of called over the phone and made a deal with that. Okay. Sure. Wow. So, and he, he funded a hundred percent of the purchase and rehab. Wow. That’s why I was not able. That’s why I didn’t have to put any of my own money into it because I didn’t have any money. Sure. Yeah. Um, but it, but I just, I feel like people just skip over the fact that networking is very important. Like I, I wouldn’t have been able to do this if I wasn’t networking years and years before because I had these contacts.

[20:02] Right. And you know, they’re going to have more trust in you because they’ve seen you like show up and, and you’re engaged and involved. You’re not like, yeah. I’m not this random kid that came up and said, Hey, I want some money.

[20:16] I guess you’re going to have an extra hurdle to get past for sure. So, I mean, you really earned that, that right by, by putting in that time and showing that interest. And, and that’s, that’s so cool. Um, do you have by chance any of the speech speeches you’ve given, uh, on YouTube or anything that people could find, uh, for like how to get your kids invested? I, I mean, I’m talking, asking for a friend. I, I could give those two if I looked, because one of them, yeah, I might be able to, cause there was a Facebook live on it. So I’m not entirely sure, but yes, I can, I can try to find something for you. I mean, I feel like that would be really cool for a lot of people to see. I think, I think a lot of people listening to this would be really excited about that idea, um, of how, yeah, how to foster that.

[21:05] I mean, I think, I think with, uh, a lot of people, sometimes you see wealth really destroy families. And so I think that’s maybe something that’s been always in the back of my head as, as, you know, building up a rental portfolio that, you know, hopefully we’ll have, you know, lasting value for a long time. Uh, you kind of in the back of your head, think about how is this going to impact your kids and how can you make, you know, set them up for success. And obviously I’m not going to push my kids to do exactly what I do. It’s, they can find their own path. Uh, but I mean, if they would love to, if they would get into it, it would be amazing. And having them do something like that would be, yeah, just a, just a dream.

[21:47] So cool. So then 16 did that first deal. Um, have you been doing deals since then? So that’s what a lot of people ask me. Um, my, my comp, the company that my dad runs is dad and daughter by houses. So it’s, he wasn’t trying to like groom competition per se. I was just doing that deal because I just want to prove to myself, well, I can do this because this other kid pushed me. Cause I’ve been going to these groups and it was like 21 and plus going to these groups. So it wasn’t like I had peers around me kind of pushing me. Sure. But when he spoke on stage, it was like a push, the push that I needed. Cause I’m like, Oh, like I’ve, like I felt this not competition, but like I need to do better.

[22:31] So, um, yeah, I, I just did that. Um, and the profit I used on that, I bought my first car with, and then I also, um, it was just going to last me through high school. So I don’t know, just because I didn’t have a job, I wanted to go into this. So I wanted to kind of set myself up and then my dad and I are now working together. Like it’s, it’s our business. So we do deals is what I’m trying to say. It’s not like I’m going to be doing my own stuff. Yeah, that’s cool. No, that makes a ton of sense. And honestly, you’re going to, you could easily be that to a lot of other kids. Like, wait, she did it. Right. You’re going to be that inspiration or the, or the, you know, whatever competition. It’s all good.

[23:16] If it, if it motivates. Yeah. Yeah. After I spoke on stage about all that, and then I, uh, flipped that house more and more people, more and more kids started speaking on stage at the event, uh, the national group and more kids started getting involved. And then it sparked, um, I don’t know if you want to talk about this yet, but it sparked, um, the TV show kids who flip who, which I am going to be starring in. Uh, so cool. Yeah. No, let’s talk about it. Um, have, has that started filming already or what’s, yeah. So we just, um, got done filming a couple months ago and they’re just waiting to see who picks it up. So I’m not trying to, I can’t say too much about it, but what I can say is that you should definitely have your kids be watching it.

[24:03] It should definitely, adults can learn from it too. Yeah. It’s, it’s going to be exciting. So it’s just stuff that’s unheard of. Yeah. It’s, it’s, that’s like just a, so many adults are terrified of, of, of, of that process of honestly, like, you know, most people that buy a house for the first time in general, even if it’s turnkey, they’re going to be nervous and scared to do so. Um, so that’s like a nice shocking title.

[24:34] Yeah. Good interest. That’s, that’s, that’s going to be a hit. I love it. That’s so cool. Yeah. And I’m definitely, I’m definitely going to get, yeah, my, my kids. So I have, uh, a child turning eight on the super roll. Uh, so it, that will, I’ll, I’m excited to see what she thinks about it. Um, I know I’m really posting, um, when it comes out or anything. We, we did get months that it could have been, that it could be coming out, but they’re not sure right now. It’s probably, it’s most likely going to come out this year. I just don’t know when, because they’re trying, like I said, they’re trying to make sure it, it goes out, um, so that the most eyeballs can see it. Sure. Absolutely. Yeah. That’s so cool.

[25:18] Um, have you, have you done any YouTube stuff as well or? Yeah, I did YouTube stuff when I was, um, younger doing walkthroughs. Walkthroughs of our houses. Um, but we’ve kind of slowed down on that because the editing process is kind of haunting. So it’s a whole thing in itself. Yeah. Yeah. It’s another, it’s like when you run a podcast, I feel like, because you actually can attest to this, like you, you have a podcast. It’s like another job. Yeah. Is what I’ve heard. Yeah. And you know, we’re, we’ve definitely, uh, been doing some of the outsourcing to, to make it, uh, sustainable for what, uh, everything else we do. Um, but, but yeah, it is, I mean, there’s work editing, there’s work publishing, there’s work.

[26:03] Yeah. Getting all the social media stuff out. So totally. And that’s absolutely true for YouTube as well. Oh yeah. But yeah. Okay. So, so now let’s talk about you getting your real estate license. Yeah. So, um, I started studying when I was 17 cause I wanted to kind of help, um, within our business. So like I said, I, like I told you, um, I don’t, I didn’t get my license to do retail, but if something falls in my lap, I’m not going to not do it because it’s also learning because retail and, and working with investors are kind of two different. They’re very different. I, I just, I agree. Like so worlds. Yeah. Yeah. So I got my license in September and that’s when I turned 18, but I had to get it in Iowa because, so I, for those who don’t know, my market is Omaha, Nebraska and I live here.

[27:04] Um, but we are like on the border where Iowa and Nebraska meet. So council bluffs is like 30 minutes away. Got it. And I had to get my life, my Iowa license first because Nebraska, for those who don’t know, 19 is an adult. So I’m 18 right now, just turned 18 in September and I couldn’t get my license in my own state. So I, I was able to sit in and do the test when I was 17, but it wasn’t actually allowed to apply until, uh, and do the application process until I was 18 exact. So. I’m so blown away by you. Like you’re like, like the day it happens. Yes. It’s like when you get your driver’s license, you’re like, I need to get it the day. Oh, that’s, that’s amazing. Yeah. I mean, I guess. So for a lot of people that wouldn’t be the case, they wouldn’t be eager to start a new job or whatever, but, um, as a high school student or freshly out.

[28:05] And so just, yeah. So to you to equate that to getting your driver’s license, uh, is very telling to who you are because that’s like this new sense of freedom. You have, right. Yes. Yes. It kind of, it kind of is right. I mean, you get to go to the property without having to go through somebody else if it’s on the market. Yeah. So, so when, uh, when, when you do turn 19, are you going to have the same kind of thing ready to go so that you have your license in your own state? Uh, yeah, I think reciprocity, uh, uh, I, well, actually, I don’t, I don’t know. I’ve been hearing different things, but I’m, yeah, I’m going to try to get my Nebraska right when I turn 19. Okay. And what do you mean, but like you might be able to get it without having to do another exam or.

[28:48] Yes. Yeah. Yeah. My broker told me that you don’t have to, but then I was talking to another person, another agent and they said it, it’s not a thing anymore or something. I don’t even remember, but, uh, whatever it takes, I’m going to do it. It doesn’t matter. You’ll be ready. Reciprocity or not. I’m going to do it. Yeah. Yep. Yep.

[29:08] Uh, so cool. Uh, so, so you now, um, are like full time with this business with your dad, right? I mean, this is, this is what you do. Um, yeah. Okay. So cool. So what, so what are your goals with that business? What are you, what are you all trying to accomplish a year or how do you kind of plan? Uh, is it something comes across your lap? Yeah. So this is going to be a big year for us. We’re actually starting to get into new construction, which is very different because we have not done new construction before. Um, but the market is changing. So I feel like we have to adapt to it. Um, there’s a lot of people need these lower, um, lower priced houses, like first time home buyers. Yeah. Um, so we’re just trying to kind of feel the need for that.

[29:58] The housing. Just trying to build something that’s affordable for people. Uh, yes, but for us to still be able to make a little bit of money from it. So that we’re not going broke obviously, but, um, we’re trying to figure out some layouts and, and places that need it. So. Yeah, that’s really cool. I mean, it is such a need and even, you know, there’s a, of course the whole trickle down kind of effect. If you do create housing, uh, supply in a, you know, in a certain price range, it does free up often, uh, housing in a, in a cheaper place. But yeah, that affordable niche is a really hard one. And it’s, uh, it’s a good one to fill because it’s, it’s always going to be in demand for sure. And so that would be for sale, not for rent, right?

[30:43] For sale. Did you say you’re going to sell those, not rent them? Yep. Okay. Yep. And we had kind of gotten the idea because, uh, in our national mastermind, I, I go back to this because being in a group really helps. And I know a lot of people don’t like to put in the money to be in a group, but it, it, it’s worth, it’s, it’s worth its price. I feel. Um, but, but the couple of people we know in the, the group, they are doing this kind of thing in different States. And so we’re trying to like copy that, um, that model layout. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The model. Yeah. Get our own. Yeah. No, that’s brilliant. I mean, you know, it’s, if it’s working, uh, it’s a great thing to, to go off of. And again, that’s like such a good example of how, uh, the investing space can be really collaborative and abundant and people are eager to help.

[31:40] Um, if you were in the same market, maybe not as much, but yeah, maybe not quite as much. They all have that abundance mindset until they have the scarcity mindset. When you come over to.

[31:52] Yeah. Yeah. If you’re, if you’re going to build the exact same product right beside them for $5,000 cheaper, that might be a problem, but yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s great. I mean, that’s, that’s, I agree with you completely. I mean, being in a, in a group really opens doors. Uh, it, it helps you think in new ways, uh, and gives you new ideas. It gives you people to talk to. If you have an encounter or problem to see if you, they’ve ever encountered that problem. Um, I mean, you can get recommendations for insurance, for mortgages, for all sorts of different things. And it just really does help. And I think that’s true, um, on the sales side and the investing side. Yeah. And our group especially has accountability groups.

[32:30] So it’s easy for us to kind of stay accountable because we have those people around us. So, so Riley, are you actually like in your own kind of group for accountability or are you in it with your dad? Um, I typically do my own group. Um, I used to do with him, but it’s, it’s like a weekly thing. And I was paired up with, um, um, another girl that’s my age. So she’s also on the TV show and she also does stuff. So we kind of keep each other accountable. Yeah. Like we’re, we’re like really good friends outside of everything because we’re, we’re both the same age. We like to the same stuff. Obviously our passion is in real estate. So it’s not easy for me to find people like that because who around me is, you know, yeah.

[33:25] Into all this entrepreneurial ship kind of stuff at my age. I don’t know. No, totally. I mean, I, I have the same kind of, you know, there’s, there’s definitely people that I can talk to about certain things and people I can’t. Um, and you know, it’s much more common at my age. Yeah. So that, that’s awesome. So, I mean, yeah. So you’re, you’re like tracking goals kind of thing. You’re, you’re, you’re, you’re setting what you want for the year. Yeah. Smart goals. Yeah. Cool. Yeah. So cool. Now what a great habit to have. I mean, at your age, like I, yeah, so cool. Yeah. Even if you’re not an accountability group, so I would say find that person that helps you keep accountable. Yeah. Cause you don’t need a whole group, but you know, it’s just kind of easy to have that person with you.

[34:14] Yeah. Cause if you don’t do these things, really life happens to you. You just kind of, a lot of people just go through life and it just happens to them. And, uh, this is a way for you to, to, to set forth your dream, like, you know, find your dream, go after it and really make it a reality and learning how to do that at 19. I mean, the sky’s the limit. Awesome. 18. Sorry. Yeah. I even, I know I wish earlier. Yeah. Right. You probably started tracking that stuff earlier. That’s just so cool. But, um, what, what are your, I mean, do you have like big aspirations for the future? Like, I mean, what you’re going to be financially set, uh, a lot earlier than a lot of other people. That is the goal to be financially stable.

[35:02] Um, I want to be able to travel. I feel like everybody has that same goal, but I just, I don’t know. I just want to travel. Um, one of the, one of the kind of weird things that nobody really knows is that I, I’m really into fitness. Uh, I, into the gym. So I kind of want to open my own gym. That’s like a thing that nobody really knows actually. That’s cool. But, um, putting it out there. I want to, I want to open up my, my own gym. Maybe, maybe have a few, um, don’t know where, don’t know when I just, that’s just been a goal of mine because I love fitness and I love real estate. So how do you combine the two? There you go. Uh, yeah. I mean, and that’s often one of the people’s goals as well as something health related, right.

[35:47] To, to kind of live a balanced life. So that’s really cool. Uh, have you heard of Alex Hermizey? Have you read any of his books? Alex who? Alex. It’s, I think the last name is Hermizey. He’s, he’s a influencer guy. He, he is like business guru, uh, really, really smart, really good books, but he started with gyms. He, uh, he, he created a product that could get gyms more profitable basically and sold it to them. Oh, cool. Um, but he, it would, yeah, I mean, he’s, he’s great. A hundred, a hundred million dollar leads and a hundred million dollar. Um, what’s the other one? I, shoot, I can’t remember it. Look up a hundred million dollar leads and you’ll, and you’ll find them. And that’d be one of the books, but he’s, he’s prolific on his social media, YouTube, all that stuff.

[36:33] So. Oh, cool. Really good resource. Um, so speaking of which, uh, I wanted to talk to you about books. Uh, you, you have one that you think is really good for people to read or one that you’re enjoying. So I actually, I brought it with me. So I, I chose rich dad, poor dad for teens and not just the original, but for teens, because, um, my story kind of stems off of, from me being a younger person getting into the industry. Um, so I think, so the reason why I brought this book with me is because this is like one of the books that got me started a little bit. My dad gave it to me and he’s like, here, read this. And I was like, okay. So I was, what age were you when you read that the first time or probably 10 or 11?

[37:25] Not even a team yet. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You’re, you’re wanting to have it done by the time he became a team. Yes, exactly. Exactly. So I, I was prepared just like the licensing, just like, no. Um, but I, I brought that book because I, I feel like people who are listening to this, even if you’re not just starting, at least maybe get your kids involved. Um, it is hard because kids are very impressionable at a younger age. And then when they become teens, they’re kind of like, Oh, I don’t really care about that. Right. So it’s hard to kind of get them involved if they’re a little bit older, but it’s not impossible. I’m just saying you got to make those impressions at a younger age because they’re still sucking up everything like a sponge.

[38:10] Like they want to learn and they want to be curious about everything. Um, yeah, so. I love it. And I, and I told you this off camera, but I, I, um, I was working at a high school and kind of in a behavior, uh, role and trying to give, you know, good, solid kind of fundamental skills to, to the people I was working with. And I, uh, had already read seven habits of highly effective people. And I found a teen version of it and, uh, read it again with the students and try to teach them. And there was like actually a workbook that came along with it. And as I was reading, I was like, this is way better than the original. Like, I don’t, I, maybe I’m not mature enough to be considered, but I, I way prefer the teen version of it.

[38:56] So, um, yeah, I, I don’t know. I mean, did you have any kind of incentives to read that book when, when, or you just were motivated to, to do it? Like, did, was there any kind of rewards for finishing it or anything like that, that your dad put in place? No, he was just like, you want to get involved. You want to, you should start reading some books that help you out, I guess. Uh, I mean, I think I had some interest and that’s why he gave it to me. Sure. He didn’t force me into anything. He, he just gave me the book to be like, you’re interested, read this. You know, if I didn’t read it, then it was like, well, she’s not interested enough. Like he just, he doesn’t want to push me or not, not push me.

[39:38] He doesn’t want to force me, but he does want to like, set, like we were talking about, set me up for a better future that he thinks that I would have. Yeah, totally. And that’s probably a perfect line to walk that you, you, he was fostering your interest, um, and, and helping develop it. Uh, but not, not pushing you in a direction. Cause I think that’s often something, uh, especially a teen would respond negatively towards. So that’s really cool. Kudos to him for, for all that. yeah, my dad is my, my biggest, like he is my mentor. He’s my biggest inspiration for all of this because without him, I don’t know if I would have found real estate by myself. Yeah, yeah, that’s awesome. Um, if people want to follow you for any reason or also to see when the show is released, uh, what’s the best place for them to do so?

[40:31] So my personal account for real estate is Riley dot real dot estate on Facebook and Instagram. And then, um, for my dad and my business, it’s urban firebird, um, urban underscore firebird. Okay. Or urban firebird home solutions on Facebook. Okay. Um, and then also on YouTube as well, if you wanted to see my old walked videos, I do. And then I’ll send you those, um, the, the presentation. Yeah. After we’re off the call. Yeah, that’d be great. I, I really look forward to it. Uh, it’s been a lot of fun talking to you. Uh, you’re inviting me. I think, I think there’s going to be a lot of people inspired by you. So, I mean, keep up the good work and, and, and put your story out there because it’s such a cool one.

[41:20] Thank you. Thanks for listening to the REI agent. If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe to catch new shows every week, visit REI agent.com for more content until next time. Keep building the life you want. All content in the show is not investment advice or mental health therapy. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.