Who We Are

Buibwa’s perspective is one we can only imagine. She was born in Zanzibar and grew up to work in a company that dealt with the lender side of the mortgage industry. Because of political unrest in her area of the globe, she decided to immigrate to the United States, where she worked long hours for another mortgage lender.

In 2016, after over fourteen years in the mortgage lending industry, Buibwa’s job was eliminated. After much soul-searching, she decided she didn’t want to work for corporate America. And at the same time, she received an invitation to a real estate industry seminar that sounded promising.

Buibwa and her daughter decided to check it out. They had nothing to lose; the seminar was free with no commitment expected. All they had to do was pick up their gifts, listen to a presentation, and leave if they weren’t interested.

At the end of the seminar, the speaker asked if anyone was interested in pursuing real estate as an investment strategy, and Buibwa’s daughter jumped up on her seat and waved her hands.

Buibwa took a more practical approach. She realized as she grew older, she needed a financial investment strategy that would generate passive income—one that didn’t require a strong, young body to make it happen. She knew real estate could fulfill that requirement.

So she dived headfirst into the real estate seminar industry’s intensive training to learn what she needed to know to make this dream come true. She met contacts who could help her move her business forward. Buibwa was also introduced to associations that would connect her with others forging a similar path and those with leads to help her find the right investment properties.

Buibwa connected with professionals throughout the real estate seminar industry. She found a team that helped connect her with wholesalers and others who could find the exact properties she needed to invest in. Her wholesaler helped her find the perfect property to meet her investment strategy, and with his guidance, she purchased her first property for $44,000 in 2017. Then Buibwa invested $60,000 in renovations to create a stunning property anyone would be proud to own.

What Buibwa learned from her first transaction was that the communication and information flow between her and the wholesaler was simple and straightforward. As she moved forward with rehabbing the new property, she discovered there was significant wood rot that needed to be addressed. But because she’d learned in her real estate seminar industry courses to add at least 20 percent to the rehab budget to cover unexpected repairs, Buibwa was more than able to cover the bill.

Lesson learned: Buibwa realized that the experts from whom she learned were spot on. If they tell you to build in extra to address unexpected items, lean on their experience. Because Buibwa built in extra to cover unexpected rehab costs, she was able to bring her first real estate transaction on time and on budget. Today Buibwa considers her first real estate transaction a fantastic experience. She bought the property for $44,000, put about $60,000 in rehab costs into it, and sold it for $175,000.

Buibwa is only one of hundreds or thousands of students who learned that real estate education can save you hundreds of thousands over the years. Education, regardless of your industry or pursuits, is important. It keeps you from re-creating the wheel and making the same mistakes others have made before you. If you’ve ever wanted a shortcut to success, education is the first step—especially in the real estate industry.

One lesson Buibwa learned through her real estate investing process was to pay attention to dealers adamant that you work with their contacts, whether it’s an attorney, lender, or others. One deal she considered was with a wholesaler who pushed hard for her to use his attorney for the transaction. As a precautionary measure, Buibwa contacted her attorney and asked him to investigate. Come to find out, her attorney advised her to limit her exposure to this individual because past deals weren’t successful. Thanks to learning the ropes from a trusted, experienced real estate industry professional, Buibwa knew to check out the situation being proposed.

She potentially saved thousands of dollars in bad real estate investments and several hours trying to work a deal with an inexperienced wholesaler. She passed on that deal because she’d learned what to look out for when structuring deals that build your portfolio instead of depleting it. She considers herself better able to evaluate potential deals because of her real estate industry education.

Buibwa challenges all real estate industry investors to learn what they need to know to determine who to trust. She feels the biggest challenge in real estate investing is finding a team you know and trust. Buibwa doesn’t believe in the maxim “money changes people” because not everyone exhibits these results. In other words, she believes that money only enhances the real person behind it. If individuals were dishonest and self-seeking before money came into play, they will surely show their true colors once money is involved. You must understand who a person is at his or her core before deciding whether to trust and do business with them. Sometimes this happens after people become flush with cash, which makes it harder to identify them. But it’s on your shoulders to understand each person you do business with and his or her why, or reason, for getting into this business in the first place.

The sooner you can identify those whose colors change over the course of a transaction, the better you can manage your business. But sometimes people don’t change until the money transactions become large.

It brings out their inner demon that tells them, “You need more.” These are the individuals you must avoid because they’re only in the real estate business for themselves. They don’t seem to grasp the truism that when both sellers and buyers succeed, we all succeed.

What most people don’t realize is that the real estate industry is governed predominantly by males. Buibwa was told early on in her career that women don’t play a big role in the industry. Her advisor told her, “I really admire you for doing this.” Buibwa responded, “I really don’t have a choice, but real estate is the one choice that can make a difference in my life.”

Buibwa feels that real estate is the one area she can break into rather easily. It’s all about problem-solving, and she knows she can find wholesalers, contractors, and others who can help her succeed.

You can weed out the less-than-stellar wholesalers, real estate agents, and lenders. Buibwa feels the deal revolves around finding the right contractor who can help you rehab the property within your budget and time commitment, so you can quickly sell a refurbished property that’s worth more than what you purchased it for.

Buibwa also feels it comes down to an acceptable business risk. And part of an acceptable risk is finding the right education sources that don’t walk away when the situation becomes tough. Buibwa reached out to Irving, her real estate seminar industry expert, and he was able to help her identify area contractors she could trust with her business.

Going on three years, Buibwa has reengineered her life around her goals. She drives for Uber when she feels moved to, she invests in real estate in and around Atlanta, and she started an Airbnb business that is thriving.

Buibwa can’t put a price on the education she received in the real estate industry. She truly believes she wouldn’t be where she is today without the investment she made in the real estate seminar industry. She’s come to realize there is no price tag she could put on the education she received. More than a shortcut to get started in the industry, she feels confident that what she has learned has saved her countless hours and thousands of dollars trying to figure out the industry on her own. Buibwa firmly believes those who view education and its expense as a drain on their finances are missing the boat. Not only can you decrease your time to launch, but you also can avoid the common mistakes others make that cost money, time, and energy to fix and move forward. Consider education an investment in your future. If it can save you from making stupid mistakes and spending money you don’t need to, it’s well worth the investment.

All humans are born knowing nothing, regardless of where they are born. And if you’re smart, you never finish learning. Life teaches us something new every day until our last breath. For many of us, we turn to experts to help us learn. For others, it’s more “my way or the highway.” When you keep an open mind and commit to learning from others, you may find yourself broadening your avenues of success. Buibwa is adamant that you know something she doesn’t know and that she knows something you don’t know. But when you get together and exchange ideas, magic can happen.

So, in essence, you have two choices:

Paid education. You can pay experts to teach you what they know so you avoid the mistakes everyone else makes.

School of hard knocks. You learn by doing, investing your time and money to gain knowledge the hard way, by making mistakes and figuring out how to fix them.

Real estate isn’t an up-and-coming business like technology that changes on a dime. For years before you, people have learned and done it. Why not leverage your business on what they can teach you to reduce or eliminate the learning curve?

One thing Buibwa is very thankful for is having a coach like Irving who is as dedicated to her success as he is his own. For Irving, if his students don’t succeed, it’s as much his failure as theirs. So he works overtime to help students like Buibwa find and make deals. In fact, more than a year after Buibwa’s flyout experience with Irving, she knows she can still pick up the phone, tap into his knowledge, and make the right decision for her real estate business because Irving is always there when she needs help. Buibwa credits Irving’s friendship, which goes well beyond his coaching role, to her success.

The real estate seminar industry doesn’t put a timeline to your success. The vast majority of experts are committed to helping you succeed, regardless of when or how you need help.