Read the numbers carefully. Then read them again.
Investment-advisory work is one of the longest-running parts of the practice. It's also some of the work I'm most particular about. Before I bring an opportunity to a client, I want to understand the income, the expenses, the deferred-maintenance picture, and the realistic exit — not the broker's pro-forma version of any of those. The numbers don't have to be exciting. They have to be honest.
A typical investor engagement starts with a conversation about what you actually want — yield, hold period, leverage tolerance, the geographies you'll consider. From there I source carefully, both on the open market and through relationships I've built over more than twenty-five years. Every property I bring you comes with a one-page underwriting summary so the early conversations are about the math, not the listing photos. I tour fewer properties than most agents would, and I want each tour to be useful — what you most need to verify in person, in a half-day rather than a marathon. After your offer, I quarterback inspections, lender coordination, and any 1031 timeline. After close, I'm still here — refinance timing, exchange planning, the introductions you'll need. The relationships are the work.
Buy-and-hold investors operating in coastal Southern California. The work spans single-property acquisitions and small-portfolio engagements across price tiers; the discipline is the same at every size. First-time investors are welcome — we just take more time on what 'good enough' looks like for your specific situation. If you're not sure whether the engagement is the right fit, we'll talk it through before either of us commits.
How it runs.
Criteria conversation. Yield expectations, hold period, leverage, geography, the things that are deal-breakers for you. Forty-five minutes; produces a one-page criteria document we both work from.
Sourcing. On-market and through relationships. I bring opportunities with a one-page underwriting summary so the early conversations are about the numbers, not the photos.
Tours. Constrained — usually no more than three properties in a half-day — and structured around what you need to verify in person.
Offer + escrow. I draft, you approve, we negotiate. During escrow I quarterback inspections, lender coordination, and the 1031 timeline if applicable.
Close + after. Most investor relationships continue past close — refinance timing, exchange planning, occasional property-management introductions. The long relationships are the work.
About this engagement.
Do you work with first-time investors, or only experienced buyers?
Both, and gladly. The underwriting discipline is the same; the conversation cadence is different. First-time investors often want more time on what 'good enough' looks like for their situation, and that time is built in.
Is there a minimum engagement size?
There's no hard floor. What matters more is whether the underwriting time and the engagement actually pencil for both of us. For smaller acquisitions, that often means the property is the start of a longer relationship — portfolio work, future exchanges, or the first of several. We'll talk it through honestly before either of us commits.
Do you operate properties for clients after close?
Not directly. I have a small set of property-management partners across Ventura, Santa Barbara, Riverside, and Orange counties whose work I've watched for years. Introductions are part of the engagement, with no additional fee.
Bring me the numbers you're looking at. I'll tell you what I see.
Replies within one business day — usually within four hours. Confidential, no drip sequences.