Learning From 2 Decades of Real Estate Experience
On this episode of Next Level American Dream, Abigail and Sean are joined by Dylan Tanaka. Dylan is a Real Estate Investor out of Michigan who shared with us how he got to where he is now. Dylan has 15 years of experience doing various avenues of real estate investing from single-family rentals to construction.
Key Topics
How to find, gain and release deals in a large metropolitan area?
What are some of the biggest takeaways from investing in real estate?
Connect with Dylan:
https://www.facebook.com/theDylanTanaka/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MichiganREInetwork
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SUMMARY KEYWORDS
deals, money, years, people, real estate, buying, metro Detroit, multifamily, day, wholesaling, big, rentals, Dylan, investor, building, American Dream, house, multi, talk, foreclosures
SPEAKERS
Sean Thomson, Abigail Thomson, Dylan Tanaka
Abigail Thomson 00:00
Welcome to the Next Level American Dream Podcast brought to you by Thomson Multifamily Group. Your hosts, Abigail and Sean, will discuss how you can take your American Dream to the next level through real estate investing, business practices, and personal development. Join us as we share our experiences as a father daughter duo who are trying to accomplish our goal of financial freedom. We hope you learn more about how to define and achieve your American Dream. Here's another episode of Next Level American Dream. On today's episode of Next Level American Dream, Sean sat down with Dylan Tanaka. Dylan is a very seasoned real estate investor out of Michigan to share with us how he got to where he is now. Dylan has 15 years of experience in various avenues of real estate investing, from single family rentals to construction and so much more in between. His current work focuses on connecting real estate investors together to help them scale their business to new levels. If you're interested in learning more about Dylan, check out the description below. For more about our sponsor and multifamily investing, visit thompsonmultifamilygroup.com.
Sean Thomson 01:11
Hi, Dylan, and welcome to the Next Level American Dream Podcast. Thanks for coming on. How you doing?
Dylan Tanaka 01:16
Good. Sean, how are you doing?
Sean Thomson 01:17
I'm doing great! I really appreciate you coming on. You know, you've got a lot of experience in real estate and being entrepreneur and things like that. And I was wanting to just talk to you a little bit about your path and your journey through that and, and where you're kind of headed today and that kind of thing. So I guess let's talk first about you've got 15 years experience in real estate. Let's talk about the beginning. What got you started in real estate?
Dylan Tanaka 01:41
Well, you know, I was a I was a full time salesman ever since my early 20s. And actually my late teens in and when you're in sales, you're kind of in business for yourself. Anyways, I worked at a company I was w two but it was 100% Commission. So kind of, I guess rewinding, I was a college dropout a couple times the second time I went back and I paid with my own money instead of wasting my parents, but then you know that that call of money, I just I couldn't I couldn't stay away from it. So I went into sales, because at that age and you know, we're talking shoot 2223 years ago, before the internet before all the crazy ways to make money when you you are like as kids can make money. Now, the only way to make a lot of money was in sales. Because you had an uncapped salary really, you know, so I started in commission sales. And inside of that business, I met a bunch of different guys and girls who had rentals, I didn't know any flippers, I didn't really understand that totally, you know, at 18 and 19 years old. But I understood that if you bought a house, a bank would lend you a certain percentage of the money. And then you kind of park somebody in there and 30 years later, you're rich if you keep doing it over and over. So I kind of just educated myself and and then by about 25 or 26 years, I bought my first property.
Sean Thomson 03:00
So that was so you, I guess just seeing them starting in real estate sort of got you heading in that direction. Talk about so you say you bought your first property was that it was up to you? Were you still in sales at that point did you still have your sales job, it was that kind of your side hustle was real estate.
Dylan Tanaka 03:16
It was so I was single for a long time, I didn't know I didn't get married for a long time. So everything to me could be a full hustle or side hustle because I work 24 seven, not just today, but always. But yeah, I still had my full time job. And then by the end of my second year, I picked up three properties. And these are all with bank financing. So I'd have to like save up my little 10 grand and then go get a mortgage and buy rentals save up my little 10 grand keep doing over and over and over. And then buy my third year I'd flipped about seven houses because, you know, I'd found out about creative financing and just different, different avenues. But I was still working full time until probably through that third or fourth year. And then I was making enough where I could jump out. But again, I was super early 30s, late 20s. So it wasn't where you are, I am now where you've got wife, kids and all these responsibilities. So it's a lot easier to jump ship back then.
Sean Thomson 04:08
Right in real estate probably wasn't really, in your mind. A destination necessarily was just just something you were doing as part of your daily hustle, right? You You weren't really thinking of I need to change careers or I need to change a path. You were just kind of hustling every day. Right? So it was it was kind of it was kind of a supplement to what you already had going on. It wasn't really a destination.
Dylan Tanaka 04:32
Yeah, exactly. I wasn't 100% sure what I was going to do I went back to school and I almost finished and then and then I was looking at moving companies but not positions still in sales. And and I you know I just wasn't sure which way I was gonna go. I did a lot with stocks and options. And I was always as you want to say hustling right? Because that's what I love. I love the action. And then as soon as I understood the different types, not all of it I still probably don't know all of it but the different types have creative financing out there. And that you could get money from private lenders that was totally foreign. because growing up probably like you, I didn't, you know, I didn't know that there was some guy on the other side of a video screen who lend me a couple hundred thousand dollars to flip a house, I figured you had to save up your own money. So once I learned that uncapping, you know, my potential in real estate really came from being able to bring in private lenders.
Sean Thomson 05:23
So when did you When did you sort of make the transition from sales to real estate being your side hustle to real estate being your full time hustle.
Dylan Tanaka 05:31
So I bought my first property in Oh, three. Yeah. And I didn't quit my full time job until like late Oh, seven. So it was about four full years of buying properties and flipping in any way that I could get into one, you know, when you're a kid, and even even a kid mentally in this business, when you first get started, I always talk about you have deal itis we just got to do a deal got to do a deal got to do a deal. And I would do I would take anything that I could. Now all this stuff was in the suburbs, I wasn't really messing around in the city of Detroit because I'm from Metro Detroit. And the city has changed immensely over the last 20 years. It's gotten much, much better. But I was I was buying and selling in the in the suburbs where I'd grown up and homes started at one 125 was kind of cheap. And most of the stuff was 175 to 250. So again, you know, looking at that, and not understanding, even though I was into, you know, the kind of positive mindset stuff and thinking grow rich. And I'd listen to Tony Robbins and read his books, and you know, all of that entrepreneurial, just positive thinking. But I still didn't really know that the power of you know what you could what you could achieve, which we still not, neither of us have achieved what we want to yet. But back then I really didn't know it. Because when you're an employee, they don't teach you that stuff. When you're a student, typically, they don't, they don't teach us that they don't want us to know that we can kind of like spread our wings. And none of us know that until we look around and see some of the guys and girls that have done it. And we say Holy cow, I think I'm kind of almost as smart as that person or half as smart. So if I'm half as smart, I should be able to make half as much and not being trapped in a W two job for some of us is that is the right way to do that. So you found that
Sean Thomson 07:09
you had to kind of overcome your programming, your mental programming, to convince yourself that what you were doing for four years and making all this money doing was real, and that you could you could rely on it to be to be there for you every day, right?
Dylan Tanaka 07:24
Yeah, and I joke all the time. It's hard. You know, I have a bad week or a bad month from sometimes I don't mean every day is bad. But sometimes, you know, it goes like this, right? All business does. And I say to myself, holy cow, man, am I doing the right thing. And it's like 20 years later, you don't have much of a choice anymore, I'm doing the right thing. But you've got to get over that. And I think as an entrepreneur, you have to have that positive mindset, even if you almost lie to yourself, but you can't look at all of the all of the tough things or bad things that can happen. You've got to leap over those, those negative thoughts and fears, and not be silly, not like Close your eyes and say nothing bad will ever happen. Or if I don't pay my bills, I won't get in trouble. But to say that, sure this could happen. But we're going to make that happen instead, which is so much better than the possibility of something negative happening, that it's just worth the risk.
Sean Thomson 08:14
Yeah, I just did an episode, it'll come out soon. But I just did an episode on fear. I think fear is a big component for you know, you can you can utilize fear to to propel you forward. But you can also have fears that just hold you back and they keep you pain. And that's generally what the problem is with, with fears. They keep you from achieving what you really can or can do. You know, you convince yourself that it's not possible somehow, when it's really it really is there's there's other people that have done it several times, you know, and you don't like even like you said, 20 years later, you're just like, what am I doing? Is this the right thing? You still have those, those moments where you're just exactly. But you kind of have to learn how to cope with those things.
Dylan Tanaka 08:54
Yeah, you turned me on to that book. Fearvana?
Sean Thomson 08:57
Fearvana? Yeah.
Dylan Tanaka 08:58
Yeah, that was like a year ago, probably. So I read it. And you know, I listened to it. I think I don't think I read it. But yeah, we're programmed. You know, you're from the college generation. I'm from the college generation. If you don't get a degree, you're not going to be anything and I don't know if they're telling us that. So we racked up school debt. I don't know if they're telling us that because we all need to stand it. I don't know why. But we know now you having a daughter the age that you do. The kids who are her generation, some of them have made their own their own way. And it didn't have to be through school necessarily, or they you need to keep learning every day. We're learning every day. I know I am. I know you do.
Sean Thomson 09:31
But it doesn't mean that has to be through you know, the University of Michigan or University of Texas. Sometimes it's a trade school sometimes it's being tutored or mentored underneath somebody and like guys who are good working with their hands you know, guys like that. I know guys like that. They might not be able to read and write well and pass the test. But when the end of the world comes, they can go hunting and trap stuff and fix cars and I can't, so they're worth more than I am at that point. You know, you're continually learning is a big deal for me. As well, I'm every day. So I have I have a few things that I do every day, I want to learn something every day, I want to challenge my mind every day. And I want to challenge myself physically every day. So those are, those are like the three fundamentals of my life every day. So learning is a big deal if it's a YouTube video, a podcast, or reading a book, or an audio audible book or something. So that's those are big deals for me, for sure. And you know, I think a lot of people, almost everybody I've talked to you actually, that's one of the things in their life is that they want to continually absorb information and learn their craft and learn, learn how to do their job better, so that they can continue to improve and, and succeed. So I agree. Let's talk about let's talk about some of the real estate specific things I know you've, you've kind of dabbled in so many different things. And you've had success and almost all of them really, and you know, failures along the way, I'm sure but you you've been able to kind of put your finger in a lot of different pies in terms of real estate itself. So you start out with the rental properties, which is kind of a strange thing. Most people today will start out wholesaling. That's the least the burden of entry. It kind of gives you some philosophy and your business gets you some cash flow going. And then you can start doing the larger, you know, rehab projects and rental projects and things like that, but you sort of started backwards rentals first and then flipping, talk about the different aspects of the business that you like and that you've had most success with.
Dylan Tanaka 11:19
So I think what I like most is I'm a relationship guy. So I've come to find out after all these years, my first my first few years I wasn't transactional, so I would buy rental properties, or I would buy rental property well with mortgages or I buy rental properties on seller financing up here, we call it land contract, nobody knows that term hardly. But like, you know, just an agreement for deed or just just to make payments to a seller until it's paid off whatever it is. So I did that the first probably four years. And because I'm a sales guy by nature, and I don't even mean like I've got the toothpick in the in the hairy chest that they used car dealership, but I like the idea that if I if I helped find you a house even even though you're focused on multifamily. If you found the right house flip, you might still do it because I will and I'll look into multifamily too. So I like that I'm not selling a house I'm I'm building a relationship with Sean. So I get to know you. I know what you like, I know your tendencies. I know how you rehab or whatever. So after all those years of just holding rentals, I started wholesaling, because we were forced to here in Metro Detroit because of the foreclosure boom. So I bought hundreds of properties over a few year period from banks, you never bought from private sellers, because they had no equity. And some did. But we were we were shooting fish in a barrel. With foreclosures, there was no reason to go after private sellers, it took way too long to buy a house from a private seller, we were buying, you know, half a dozen to a dozen homes a month from the banks. So I concentrated on disposition. Always. That's why I still preach this position all the time. And everybody thinks you don't have to work on this position. Because if you have a good deal, it's gone. Well, one day, good deals won't be good deals anymore. So you're going to have to know how to sell you're going to have to have guys and girls lined up who you like. And I think that's that's probably my favorite thing about real estate is the relationships that I've built and that I can make money and help them make money because my rehab buyers, the guys who Buy Wholesale from me and ladies, they make way more than I do on the deal and they're doing more work, but I find them for them. So I think rentals for me, I hated being a landlord. I never had a management company and 31 rentals at one time it was the most it was it was just horrible. Because I didn't you know, I didn't have a management company. So those people were calling me it was just so much work. And then when I got to be more transactional, I like that. And then I kind of moved from the rehabs to I mean the wholesaling to doing rehabs again a few years after the foreclosures were over. And then it went from rehabs major rehabs hundred thousand dollar rehabs to adding square footage to half a million dollar homes, to tearing down houses and building 500 600 $750,000 homes. And right now this minute, I'm in a I'm in a subdivision project. That's all new construction, that's 27 units. So when you see I kind of have my finger and the real estate pie everywhere I wholesale day to day and I'm building a 27 unit new construction subdivision at the same time. So I'm totally on opposite sides. I'll try to get in the screen here totally on opposite sides of the spectrum. But that's my long term play is that subdivision and my short term day to day is wholesaling. And that's what I that's what I really like best because, you know, I just like hanging out with real estate people. I'm a networking guy, and it's a big part of my life is spending time with other investors.
Sean Thomson 14:37
That's an interesting perspective. What is so what is your what's your endgame? So like I know for me, my endgame is income, right? I want to I want to produce income for my self, my investors, my family. So for me, I'm always looking at income place, whatever that is going to be rental properties or, you know, when when you're wholesaling houses, it's hard to consider that an income play because you're having to regenerate that That, that cash flow every day, right? So if you if you buy a property and sell a property in a day, you got to do it again tomorrow. Yeah. Whereas if you buy a property, put a tenant in there, you're going to make money indefinitely. You know, it's smaller money, but it's a long term play, but it's an income play. Right. So what is your what's your I guess? What's your endgame with your business?
Dylan Tanaka 15:21
So endgame is I will probably always do some type of real estate transactions, because I like it. It's in my blood. Because of my network. We didn't talk about that yet. But I started a Ria, up here in Michigan in 2006. And I am super duper connected up here. So I have a lot of deals come my way a lot. So I can feel those deals, whether they're from new people or advanced, but a lot of times it's new people, they don't know what they're doing, necessarily, but they've got this deal. And then I might have an outlet for it. So I'm probably always going to be the networking guy or real estate networking, I Metro Detroit till I'm 80 years old. And then I'm kind of working on a couple different brick and mortar businesses that are in real estate, but not super focused on investing. So I'm kind of, you know, I'm kind of in it for the long term with real estate, I don't ever see me leaving. I think if I have enough capital, at some point, I would love to just lend. I like the lending side of it. I understand. I understand underwriting deals. And because because I've done resident as far as residential goes, I've done almost everything you can do. There aren't any deals and investors going to bring me that I'm going to be too nervous to look at. So I think there's a lot of money there. And I don't know, you know, I don't I don't have a real I'm a lot long younger than I look shot. I'm only 25. So No, I'm kidding. But even at my age, I'm 43, I still don't know what I'm going to do long term, you know, some of these brick and mortar businesses I'm working and I think they can, I can create a long term income from that, that I don't have to work so hard for. And then, you know, I just like spending time with other investors. So I like helping other guys do deals, and I don't mentor, I don't charge money. I don't do any of that. But in the network group that I've built, there's other ways that I you know, I get paid because of that, because I might help them actually put deals together not just from a coaching standpoint, but actually consulting them and, and helping them negotiate. I can sit in the living room for three hours and get a contract. I love doing that if I'm getting paid. So I like helping people get their deals done. I think somehow, some way, whatever that technology is, I'm looking for my phone. One day, we'll be able to like press a button like we do on Zillow now, right and somehow it's there's something with me helping guys get their deals done. That's probably I'm going to figure out a way to make money doing that. Not just coaching. I'm not sure what it is yet, but I'm figuring it out.
Sean Thomson 17:32
Yeah, you're, you're a bit of an anomaly. And I think you like the connections and connecting people and that sort of thing. I think most people are averse to that part of it. You know, I know for myself, that's my least favorite part. I I like just finding a nice asset. And, and parking that asset and making money you know, the what you do is the the daily grind that you are in is really active, active, active, active work. It takes it takes a lot of hustle every day for what you do what you enjoy. I guess that kind of fits your your temperament better.
Dylan Tanaka 18:06
Yeah, it doesn't. And I get energy from it, you know, during this COVID baloney, you know, talking about COVID is like religion and politics, which are in Michigan is a lot different than Texas, let me tell you but, you know, take it for what you will, there's a lot of people who have gotten sick or passed away because of COVID. So it's no joke, but for me, it's just killed me because I can't go to lunch with my guys. You know, I help them put deals together, I help connect things and like, I get deals out of that. I've just I've lost a lot of energy not being able to hang out with those people because I do three to six events a month, where I'm kind of hosting something, and I might not be the guy at the front of the room. But I'm the guy behind the guy at the front of the room. And that's just what I like to do. Because then it all kind of unlike the liver, it all filters through me so I get some of the bad stuff. But when some like that 72 unit or I don't even we talked about that earlier, but the 72 unit apartment building I bought years and years ago that came because this is how I got the deal. I told a big real estate agent who was a big foreclosure agent. So he was basically an investor back then, but he was more of an agent. I told him that I had a whole bunch of money, and I didn't know what to do with it, which was kind of true. I had private money behind me. He ran around telling everybody and he tried to broker a deal together. That's how I got a great deal on that multi unit just because of relationships. So you know for me and I only get a few deals a year from it that are like really good out of the blue. Hey, you know, Sean told me to call you because you're the guy up in Metro Detroit. I get a few of those here. Most of my deals come from marketing. But more and more I'm getting I'm getting those deals and you know the friends you and I have from being an investor fuel around the around the country, anything that comes out of you know, in into their inboxes that's in Metro Detroit, they're sending me and if I wanted to go into it, maybe I will one day in a multi. You got to fly around all over right? And look at deals you don't look at the ones in your backyard you can drive to all the time because you don't need to. That's the beauty of multifamily for sure.
Sean Thomson 20:03
Yeah, so COVID definitely, if you're a social person COVID definitely did put a damper on your life. I would imagine. I was kidding. The other day was somebody that I think I think I was doing social distancing before it was a thing, right? Because I, my life didn't really change at all, when when COVID hit, you know, actually, everything got better for me, because my wife started working from home, my kid came home from college, you know, so everything kind of got better for me. But because I, you know, I'm, I'm kind of a solitary, my business is sort of a solitary, lone wolf type business anyway. But yeah, so for you, I would imagine that it's been a struggle to kind of keep keep things sort of traveled up and going, while there's all this social distancing, and no one can be together and things like that. So
Dylan Tanaka 20:44
Yeah, no, it's definitely definitely part of the case. But we do this stuff, we do zoom I see my guys and, and whatever, but it's just different. When you're belly to belly, there's a report that gets built. The guys that investor fuel, you know, like you and James and myself, and some of the guys are like, over 40. You know, he got like, a, you got like a connection there. Because you just do, and you'll never lose that. But we would never have that on zoom. Not Not if we'd only met this way forever. There's just a big difference. You know what I mean? Oh,
Sean Thomson 21:13
Yeah, yeah, I like getting together with, you know, there's, I like getting together with the industrial guys and the group and stuff. It's, it's a lot of fun. I like being around people that are kind of like minded, real estate and stuff as me too. You know, most of the time I walk around thinking I'm the only one. I'm not, I'm not the only one. But it seems like a lot of people don't understand the way I think of what I'm trying to do and things like that. When I get together with with guys like you. It's like, okay, there's another one.
Dylan Tanaka 21:41
We're all crazy in our own way. But yeah, you know, that's, that's the thing, like you talked about, like, the message you want some of your watchers and listeners to hear is, you have, it's okay to think that way, it's okay to be different, it's okay to, to know that your aunts or uncles or school buddies aren't gonna believe in you necessarily, or almost even be negative, I lost a lot of friends, because they thought they thought that I thought I was better than them or that I was getting rich by buying rentals. And you know what this is like this, you don't get rich buying rentals, I was broke all the time, I'm still broke all the time, I'm I'm pouring every dollar I have back into my business all the time. That's what I love to do. So you know, and they saw that drive, and some people are, they have to look in the mirror, right? And they say I don't have that drive. And and I say it all the time, I make a lot less money than I could, I could be a lot more of a killer, I could be more focused with my time. But in the end, I'm kind of happy to, you know, I'm happy to have the friends that I have. And you can send me an email and I'm like, Hey, I'm going on this podcast, and I'm excited about it. You know what I mean? Like that, that's worth more to me than then we close another deal and making a couple grand this afternoon or something like that?
Sean Thomson 22:49
Yeah, one of my goals with the podcast is for people to get to know people like you who are out there taking these risks. Because you know, really, there's nothing special about me, I just, I just decided to make this a reality of my life, right, I believed it was possible for myself, and I'm taking the risk to do it. And the funny thing is, if you put the energy into it, and you really focus and put the hard work in, it can happen, right? So you can find the freedom that you're looking for every day, you know, my life is hard to explain to people that aren't in this, you know, I, my wife just joined me. She's been she's been in a corporate America for 33 years. And it's unbelievable how happy she is. She just can't believe that she can just pick up and go see her daughter in Arkansas college anytime she wants, you know, we can go today, we could leave this afternoon. There's nothing holding us here. I write my laptop and I take my cell phone and I'm still in business. You know, so?
Dylan Tanaka 23:43
Yeah, we're, we're really lucky now more than ever.
Sean Thomson 23:45
Yeah. And I think not. This isn't for everybody. And not not everybody needs to do these things. But I think there's a lot of people out there that want to that are holding themselves back. And it's I think it's good for them for them to hear from someone like you who's kind of just out hustling every day. And and making it work and having a great life. You know, you're doing everything that makes you happy. It sounds like which is great.
Dylan Tanaka 24:06
Yeah, there's a lot of work involved still, but you know what, I work a lot. And some of the guys we both know will say that, you know, you're not supposed to work that much or whatever. But that's what I have fun. I don't have fun on the golf course anymore. I had a lot of fun. But now I just like working. I mean, I honestly do. But a lot of the work I do to me is fun. You know, I like putting deals together. I get excited helping a new person close a deal. I don't know why, but I do.
Sean Thomson 24:31
Yeah. Well, if that's what if that's what makes you that charges your batteries. And that's what you should be doing. Really? Yeah. You know, and that's great that you have that opportunity. You've built that opportunity for yourself. To have to have the opportunity to to help someone else and to fulfill your you know, what you want to do every day. That's an amazing story, right? What do you so what are you kind of working on now are you I know you've got you've got the pot. You've got it the show every day. You got a podcast going right, and you've got the Ria And you've got your real estate business. Talk a little bit about what you what you have going on today.
Dylan Tanaka 25:04
So Oh gosh, you know, I really have fallen into the trap of being somebody who's seen on social media all the time. And I was doing this kind of stuff a long time ago. So I started my Ria in oh six, and my partner at the time, who I'm still friends with today's not real estate anymore. We went to a Ria the night before. And for those who don't know, rheas are, they're kind of like, they're like a meetup, but they're a little, they're a little bit more structured. And it stands for real estate investors Association. And they're kind of the old way that we used to do meetups. So my, my partner says to me, because we would stand there, and we were kind of the new kids on the block, we were buying and flipping foreclosures, we had all this private money behind us that we earned. We didn't, we didn't go and get hard money. There was none of this lending home or Lima, one capital, and they didn't lend in Michigan anyways, if they were there. So we found guys not in real estate, who would lend the money, we put it all together, and we were, you know, flinging around 50 or 100 houses a year. So every day we were buying or selling or buying or selling, it was a lot. So I'd stand at a Ria, and I'd have a circle around me of guys your age, you know what I mean? And I would say, wow, these guys are like paying attention to me, I'm just doing it. I'm literally like, found money from guy, make offer by house, clean up a little bit and resell because you couldn't you couldn't assign those contracts because they were bank owned properties. So we had to close on them. And then one day, my partner says, You know what, we're gonna start the Ria. And they're in the county we lived in there wasn't a Ria, but right next door, there was an in Metro Detroit, it's a Tri County area, and everything's a lot most is centered in those three counties. So I said, Who's gonna run it? He's like you are. And I said, I said, I don't know what to do. And he goes, cool, standing in front of people and talk, that's what you do good anyways, because you get the X Factor. And I'm like, you know, years later, like I said, where'd you come up with that he goes, I just didn't want to get up and talk in front of people. So we started it. And for the first couple years, I mean, we were one of the biggest readers in the Midwest, I was friends with the owners of all these other areas. I mean, this is a long time ago, this is 15 years ago. And we would share secrets. And we had our own mastermind, that it wasn't a paid mastermind, we would get on the phone every so often, and like once a quarter and talk about different ways. We were doing things and I had, you know, a couple hundred paid members, and we'd have 150 to 180 show up every month. I mean, it was a big to do, we had 15 people helping us we had memberships going and 20 vendors, I mean, it was crazy. And then you know, once foreclosures drag on and on and on, it just kind of slowed down a little bit, the reo did. And things have changed to like, look what we're able to do today. Back then you were hauling around like your projector and your screen and your you know what I mean, and your PA system and your microphone. Now things are technology is moved so much quicker, so much further, so much quicker. So now you've got all this stuff online, too. So you know, I started a Facebook group only, not even a year ago, I formed it but I didn't do anything with it. Because I didn't know what I was going to do with this older Ria I had. So I kind of morphed it into a different type of group that's like a hybrid, and made all of our events free. All of our events, we have multiple a month. So I want to be the place where everybody just comes into in Metro Detroit for real estate investing. And then they kind of find the place that they fit in. We've got multiple different slots they can fit in. And in the end, you know, I'm just one of the founding members who's kind of there and I get to see what who's happening, what's going on with what, and maybe where I can fit in somewhere. Plus, like you said, You know, I get my energy from it. So I like doing that stuff. So I spend some time every day doing that. And like I said, just a couple other things that I'm working on kind of behind the scenes I can't really talk about yet. They're not very exciting, but they're just they're just in real estate, but not totally focused on real estate investing. And then talking to sellers, you know, helping, I've got a couple acquisitions, guys to help them figure out their deals, what's going on? And, you know, I've got multiple new construction projects going to so my days are just totally filled.
Sean Thomson 28:52
And are you doing more construction? Or are you just the 27 that you're dealing doing now? Is that kind of the end of it? Do you have a plan for doing more development?
Dylan Tanaka 29:00
It depends, you know, depends on the economy, it's different up here than down there. And when it gets bad up here, it gets real bad. And and i'm not i'm not saying that anything bad's gonna happen. I'm saying that we haven't had a tumble since 2007 2008. It was really oh six up here. So at some point, the cycle is coming back around and when it hits here, it hits harder. So you have to be careful because I saw a lot of guys who like whose lives were destroyed because they were sitting on too much what we would call dirt right in the building industry. So after this, this is kind of an empty nester, not quite 55 and over project but that's basically what it is even though it's not designated that so a lot of our buyers are cash buyers are selling really big homes and coming down into these ranch condos. So we're insulated from from a lot of what's going on in the economy. But then after that, the price of admission has just gotten so high because houses are selling for so much more than they were values are up so high. mortgage rates at the time of this recording are under 3%. It's not going to ever be like that, again, it certainly wasn't like that since the day you were born. And this might be the last time in my lifetime and yours that rates are like this. So as they creep back up, where are we going to go in the future? You know, like you're doing multi unit, and people ask me all the time, why aren't you doing Maltese, and I'm like, Well, I'd have to spend every waking minute finding deals, because they don't just pop up. And in this market, cap rates aren't that that, you know, exciting, you've got to find the right deal. Plus, you have to focus your life on it. And I don't have the time to focus my life on it right now. But I know, like syndicating, I know, there's a lot of different ways to do multi. But when we did ours, you know, we we did a private placement memorandum, we brought some money in, you know, we did a public offering. So I did all that on my first deal. I know how to do that stuff. I just don't, I'm just not there right now, with time. But I think and I know, and you can probably school me on this in a good market or bad market, or with a high cap rate or low cap rate, you can still make money in multi because there are multiple different ways you can package that deal up to the people you bring in, right or who you sell it to.
Sean Thomson 31:03
Yeah, it's it's you can layer deals a number of different ways so that they're profitable. So you know, it doesn't good economy, bad economy. When you're acquiring as long as you're acquiring with the trajectory in place, you know, what the economy is going to be kind of doing and you're buying based on? I expect a downturn or I expect this or I expect those those things to happen, then you're fine, right? So because you can you can account for the change in the market, it's the people that are in a deal, that didn't account for deviations that are in trouble, right? So it's those those are when you get in trouble. But if you're if you're acquiring and you and you anticipate, you know, downturns or drop offs or right like right now there's collections issues, vacancy issues, things like that, because of the evictions are things like that. But so if you kind of account for those things, as you're as you're buying properties now, it's doesn't matter what the economy does, you're kind of prepared for it. So yeah, multifamily. It's not like single family where there's a fixed value pretty much at the ARV. And you're just trying to kind of work numbers to kind of figure out how to get there and still make a profit right with with multifamily. You've got income strategies, you've got stabilization strategies you got you got all the resistors there's thousands.
Dylan Tanaka 32:17
Oh, right, right. Yeah, there's water conservation. I hear my guys, you know, my multi guys talk about it all the time. And there's all these tricks, not sneaky tricks, but good tricks on how to save money and how to make the project more profitable. And it's like what, you know, I was tearing down houses in a really like super hip neighborhood, Metro Detroit. And our buddy, Mike hambright would laugh at me because he's like, they don't have Hip, hip neighborhoods in Metro Detroit. But there are some ridiculously hot neighborhoods that are three $400 a foot for a house there, those are hot neighborhoods. So I'm tearing down a house that was 80 and a building a house that would that 750. So there's no economy of scale there when I got into the subdivision, which again, is very, very small sub compared to most big developers out there. But on 27 units, if I can save five grand and then make five grand, that's 10 times to seven times 27. A quarter mil, if I can double that it's a half mil. Same thing when we had our 72 unit 15 bucks made us 10 extra grand a year. What's that worth, you know, when you extrapolate it out when you're gonna sell it to somebody, so you know, because they're gonna pay him a multiple on top of that. So I do love that with multi and I think I have what it takes to bring them I know what it takes to bring the money in because I've raised under 10, but probably between five and seven mil in my illustrious career, and I haven't raised money in years. I don't take any private money. I'm not using any private money right now if I don't have to ever Oh, that's why I started wholesaling. So it was weird when he got the subdivision kind of accepted. And we had to go through all this stuff. It was almost like 2015 2016 we didn't break ground till 2019. So it just takes a long time. So we bought this when Obama was in, or we signed on this when Obama was president. Now we're almost through Trump's first presidency, right his first term. So that was that that's how long this crap takes what the heck could happen in between there too much stuff. So that's what makes me nervous. But at that point, I said I'm not rehabbing anymore. I'm not buying or building any new other new construction. I'm going to focus on the sub only. And I'm going to go back to wholesaling. And I love it. I was so happy to start wholesaling again, because the market is so hot, you could you can make 10-30k, I've made a few $40,000 assignment fees here in Metro Detroit. You couldn't do that back in the foreclosure day. There just wasn't enough juice in the deal that just didn't exist. Yeah, there's a lot of the houses even if you could do like a mini rehab, people are buying them cash back then two and 300 grand because they couldn't get financing. They just wouldn't give guys mortgages for a solid year and Metro to trade. Not on purchases, you know. So, I do love that about multi and I'll probably go there. My next. My next foray in a few years. If the market slides down a little once it slides down a little bit. That's when I'll jump on multi when the deals come out.
Sean Thomson 34:58
Well, you know, multifamily is really an incomplete Like that, like I said, so that's, that's the reason I'm heading in that direction is because it's, you know, for me, the, the ultimate goal is income, like I want to, I want to check every month. And I don't want to have to, I don't want to have to go out and hustle for it right? I want to just have that check to sort of show up. And so when you're ready to do that, you just give me a call, we'll figure we'll figure out a way.
Dylan Tanaka 35:18
Listen, it's 250 bucks. It's like what 450 probably first class to Texas and back. So you know, I'm there multiple times a year. But yeah, you got to go wherever I've got friends. Like I said, couple guys, a few guys, I'll connect you with that are originally from here that are doing deals multi deals all over. And it's just numbers. It's really simple. If you know how to tighten up the management, right, that's what you're almost looking for is where there's some holes in the boat and you can fill those holes. And if you can do that, then you can make a lot of money in Malta because like I said, one, one positive action can reverberate over hundreds or thousands of units. Whereas you can be the best house flipper in the world but not too many house flippers retire.
Sean Thomson 35:56
Yeah. Well, it's because it's a it's an everyday grind. It's an everyday, you can't you can't put it in park forever. You just gotta you just gotta keep going all the time. That's That's the problem. I mean, it's a great business, you know, I've done I've done tons of wholesales and rehabs and I've had tons of rentals and you know, it, it's it's a great business and you learn a ton, but it's just it's an everyday grind every day if when your energy that works, but I'm not as I'm not as energetic as you are. So I need to find something that takes a little bit slower pace, you know.
Dylan Tanaka 36:29
I've lost it. I know, I've lost some of my my hutzpah. You know, I got a five year old daughter now she'll be six soon. And I got to go to karate now. And then and, and I'm not like a party guy or anything like that. I'm just social. So when when the guys would call me, and these are all my friends are in real estate, most of them are older than me. But now that I'm 40 something, you know, I'm 43. Like I said, Now there's some 25 year olds, 30 year olds coming up. And those guys like to go out after work and just to get a drink or go to a cigar bar or whatever. And if you would have called me and said, Hey, Dylan, I might have a deal. I'm like, we're I'm there because nobody could tell me no, before I didn't, I didn't care about being home, right. So I'd come and smoke cigar with you. And we talked about a deal, nothing happens. But we're you know, we're just cementing that relationship more and more. Now, as you get older, and you know this because your family's more mature than mine. But you have to you have to put that away a little bit. And you have to spend time with them. Because in the end, you know, your daughter's in college, and mine will be there soon, too, right? Even at six years old. So I don't want to miss that.
Sean Thomson 37:26
It happens really quick. Yeah, really quick. You know, the funny thing is, my kid wasn't really interested in my business at all until she got to college. You know, she went to college, and she started seeing, you know, what college is all about, and the kids are there. And she started realizing that that wasn't the path that she really was interested in. You know, so they call is they don't teach you how to be. They don't teach you how to make money. I asked her every time she comes home, if they tell you how to make money yet she's like, Nope, I'm like, Well, you know, but if you had to get student loans, yeah, they teach you. The Student Aid, the Student Aid office is very open all the time. But they teach you how to get a job really is what they're teaching you how to do, and which is great. I mean, that's, you know, the most people need to do that stuff. Yes, they're teaching how to work for somebody else, you know, even the entrepreneurship classes and things like that they're there. They're not quite what she's, you know, interesting. And I bring it up, like investor fuel, or some of the mastermind things that I'm in. And she learned so much just like, Oh, yeah, when she leaves there, she's just like, Oh, my God, it was it was all I could do to get her to go back to her last year at school. I said, Look, we've already made three quarters off. That's it, you know, you need to go back. She, she's like, I don't even need this college thing anymore. I said, Yeah, you do go back, you know.
Dylan Tanaka 38:39
She'll be happy when she finishes, it's important to finish, you know, people I've been looked down upon, I don't care what anybody thinks about me, except for my mom and dad. And you know, I mean, my kid, I guess. But I've had people say that, you know, What school did you graduate from? And I'm like, I didn't graduate from college. And they're like, Oh, I don't care because I more than half of them. I've done more and you know, out in the street, finding deals, putting deals together than they ever have. But it's still good to have that, you know, on the back of your baseball card your scorecard because it just shows like they always say that, you know, you can start something and stick with it. And you never know when it's going to help. You know, if she'd gone for accounting. Did you tell me that before?
Sean Thomson 39:17
no, she's so she's in Finance.
Dylan Tanaka 39:19
She's a finance major?
Sean Thomson 39:20
With a specialization in real estate, yes. And she has a minor in marketing. So she's heard her, at least her degree plan is tailor made for what she plans on doing in life.
Dylan Tanaka 39:29
And that's, but she'll have a foundation that you're not going to get Sean by, you know, knocking on doors and selling paint jobs and trying to wholesale when you're 20. She's going to have that foundation, which is important for her to have to Well, I can especially the multi.
Sean Thomson 39:42
Yeah, I can teach you how to make money. So if they're teaching or something else in college, that's, that's fine. I'll teach you how to make money every day. So yeah, that's awesome. Well to do let's talk about that, you know, the name of the podcast is next little American Dream, right. So I always ask everybody that comes on to questions right? So the first question is, what is your American Dream? Because I, you know, I, I believe in the American Dream, I believe the old American Dream of getting a job going to college, that sort of thing. It's kind of dying off, if it's not already dead, I think everybody has to has to take responsibility for their own finances their own future, in this world nowadays, you can't kind of just cruise through on the plan anymore. But I do I still think the American Dream exists. But I think it's kind of different. Now. There's a lot of forms. So I want to know what your what your idea of the American Dream is, first of all, and then what are one or two things that you've either done in the past or that you do every day that you would say to somebody that, hey, this is really what's helped me kind of take my American Dream to the next level.
Dylan Tanaka 40:41
So I do, I've been a high school mentor with a nonprofit organization called winning futures for a decade. So I do some of the stuff with my students. So I kind of have the cheat code for for answering these questions. But to me, you know, in my heart, the American dream, I think, is being able to do what you want, when you want, but being fulfilled with what you're doing. So like I said, I could be and I had been before, I've been way more serious. And if you ask me do a podcast, I'm like, that's not making me any money shot, I got to go like, I'm some new york stockbroker. And I don't want to live like that. I don't want to have, you know, a red face and heartburn all the time, and have that that like negative inks. To me, that's just me. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it. I just spoke to a guy from New York this morning. And he's f bomb and me on the phone about deals. And I'm like, just like you're talking to me, and not one of the girls in the office? Because I'm like, I can handle this, but they can't. I'm like, take it easy, you know? So I think that I think that when when we look at, you know, like you look at your dad and your grandpa's generation, right? And what did those guys go through? What did they have to do to build this country or whatever country they came from? What What did they not have that we have every single day, right? You're talking about Abby's head, five, five flat screen TVs in her life already, right? You know what I mean. And by their age, they hadn't had a color TV yet, but when they were her age, so I just think we're so spoiled, that none of us look at what we have, versus, you know, just only worrying about what we don't have. So that's what I think like the the American Dream is, is just being happy with what you have. And then making the best of it, and not worrying about what you don't have and what you should have. And all that. Just, it's all about, you know, money and big cars and SUVs. And you and I both know guys with a lot of money, and they don't show it off, and they're embarrassed about how much money they do have sometimes almost, you know, because they're just that kind of a guy in their heart, or ladies too. But I think to me, it's just waking up every day and being happy with wherever you're at. And not saying you don't want to do more, but you still have to be happy with who you are. And I think a lot of people run for that. I think, you know, there's drinking and drugs and just anything that's negative, I think people use those those those vices, to never just look in the mirror and say, Hey, it is what it is, this is who I am. And I should be happy. Because there's a lot of people who aren't even here anymore, that didn't make it aren't as lucky as me. And instead, it's more like what was me instead of Look how lucky I am for what I have. So to me, that's the American Dream is knowing that you're here, and you already have it. And that you can make anything that you want happen within reason. Like I say, I can't do a 360 slam dunk from the from the free throw line. No one's done one yet, but I certainly can't do that. But I know I can wake up, I know that I could fly down to Texas tomorrow and go look at deals with you. I could do that for a couple hundred bucks, right? Or I could go door to door and sell something or I could go door to door and help people. So to me, I think that's that's what it is, is having, knowing that you have that that freedom, and that you use it the right way. Or you look back when you are 65 or 70. And you say, Man, I wasted everything. And I should have, you know, I should have punched in every single day for the for my whole life. Because I'm not really fulfilled.
Sean Thomson 43:51
Right. So just gratitude is a big thing for you. And then and then achieving a level of freedom that gives you that gives you control of your day every day. Those are your two big things is being able to make your own decisions. But then also understanding that the position you're in is a very lucky one. And that you're that you're grateful for it right.
Dylan Tanaka 44:11
And even if we ever punch in a clock, we're lucky that we're punching the clock, right? Look what happened with COVID people lost their jobs, we don't know what's gonna happen. We don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow. So maybe that's the whole gratitude thing. And, you know, I know that's like, cool now, but it's always been like that for me because I just, I don't know, just how I'm built. I kind of have that little bit of hippie in me. But I like to make a lot of money. So I'm like a hippie that wants to make money. I'm not a good hippie, like an evil hippie.
Sean Thomson 44:35
Well, you know, there's all there's all levels of happiness, I think, right? But the so what is a couple things that that you might say to somebody that hey, you know, I look out for my health right? Or I you know, I take opportunities where I can get them or in your case, probably building a network of friends and family or friends and workers and stuff. to kind of help you through your process. What is it that you think is kind of helping you Your your level of gratitude, do you have any level of success in your life?
Dylan Tanaka 45:04
I think like you said, you know, building that network and helping people. And I mean, it's as simple as if you're in the grocery store and some, you know, short, nice old lady is trying to grab something, some grandma and you just grab it for I've always been the guy that does that, because it's just how I was taught, I hold the door open for somebody that doesn't say thank you, I don't care that they don't, don't say thank you, I let people in right when you're driving, I don't care if they don't wave. Because I always just feel like if you're doing something good, it keeps pushing that around and around and around. So for me, that makes me like I said, that whole inks thing, like, you know, we're guys, and even though we're like getting older, we had that testosterone at one point where you never let pride and get mad all the time. And those guys are always screaming, like pounding their fists. And like, for me, I don't ever want to be like that. So you got to have a little bit of peace. And I think that if you can, if you can, like shut all your stuff down your phone, your computer and everything. And once in a while, some people aren't in the business like we are. So take your notebook, and you don't have to write about business. For me, that's mostly what I write about. But go write about your kids go write about anything read about your grandma from 50 years ago, but just go sit underneath a tree with a notebook with no distractions and no, no family members. They're just by yourself. And I think sometimes get your thoughts out. I think it's like kind of cleansing to where a friend of mine does this every year, he only goes up. He's a broker, he's got 400 agents. So imagine what his life is like. And he's his own brokerage. he's not, he's not a big name broker. He goes up for like, one day at Christmas, you know, we go up north here, that's a big thing in Michigan. So he goes out to a lake, it's all frozen. It's his dad's hunting cottage or whatever, Kevin, and no phone calls, no nothing. And his brain just shuts down. And then he says his best ideas come from that one day a year when he goes up there. So I think for me, I try to do that too. And I'm not I'm not very successful at it. And like you said, taking care of your body. That's super important. I have been really bad at that. It was a big, big thing for me when I was younger, and I always say I'm gonna get back into it. And no one ever holds me accountable. So you can try Shawn, but my excuses all the gyms are closed because of COVID.
Sean Thomson 47:06
I'll hold you accountable. That's right, you know, I ride my bike every day, the last two years, I've committed to that, you know, when I first started my business, that's one of my things is taking care of my house, my first time my business I gained 60 pounds, right, because I was just ignoring that part of my life that that component of my life was being neglected because I was trying to achieve this other thing. And what ended up happening was I've got horrible blood pressure, you know, I've got migraines every day, and just my life is kind of falling apart. Because I'm not looking out for myself. As soon as I started looking out for myself, that's when my my clarity came back. And you know, I started I started changing, my whole life started changing again. So if you want help with that, you let me know, I'll be your accountability account, okay.
Dylan Tanaka 47:46
And then listen, I'm not lazy, I get up at 430 or five every day, it's just instead of putting shoes on and even just going for a walk now that the gyms are messed up or whatever, I open that it's like the devil, I cracked this computer open. And I'm not bothered for like two to three hours. And I can get so much done, especially with content creation. Because I create a lot of content, we do a lot of seminars and workshops. So it's hard to do that during the day. Because, you know, I've, I've done so much stuff today already that I've got all these deals crawling in the back of my head, and I'm talking to you, and I'm not gonna be able to sit around and write for two hours, you know, a new blog post or something like that. So I do that in the morning. And I don't get that exercise and and then now that again, you know, you got the family and stuff and it's hard to go home and neglect my my daughter and and just go for I can not that I can't take her and help exercise. But you know what I mean? Like you got to get it done. To get it done. You got to have your time to get it done.
Sean Thomson 48:39
Yeah, exactly. Well, you got to prioritize. Yeah, let's talk about the other two things you talked about. So the one the first thing you mentioned was your you you try to be kind I think throughout your day you try it, you try to not worry about those things that are going to disrupt your your kindness or your happiness in your day. And you try to I don't know if outreach is the right thing. But if you try it, you try to give as much as you can look out for other people and you know, in your in your world as much as possible, right. So you're just trying to guess essentially just trying to be a good human and be happy with that. Right? Even though even though it may be hard to do with someone cutting traffic or whatever. Sure. And then what was the second one? You said? you're you're you're just trying to try to educate yourself, or what was the second one?
Dylan Tanaka 49:21
The second one was I think just being able to kind of unplug from everything. Right. That's and and journaling. Yeah, and journaling is good. I think I've always been able to do that. I've always been a big creative writer. I don't know why I don't know where it comes from. But I could definitely write fiction books because I can just write and write and write and to me, I think it just helps me forget about everything else, even before I had business and stress or whatever. I could just get lost in my own in my own writing. And, and I like to read so I think it all goes together.
Sean Thomson 49:49
I do the same thing. I've got my journal and keep up. And I was gonna tell you that you know, Gary Harper is a friend of ours. Gary does what's called the clarity break. He does it every Friday. So he does it every week, I do it whenever I need it, you know, I kind of I start to feel a little bit pent up, and I think, okay, I better get some of this out, you know, I feel like your brains a little foggy, and you can't make good decisions, that's when I do right I should, I should be better at doing it, you know, on a regular basis.
Dylan Tanaka 50:15
Whether it's a whiteboard or journal, big sheets of paper, and I just call it like, I drink a bunch of coffee and puke on all these crazy ideas. And then they're out and they sit in a pile and maybe I go back to them, maybe I don't, but at least now it's like, you kind of reset and what you know what, what's most important, then you start layering on the crap, that's that is important. And you got to get rid of it. Right?
Sean Thomson 50:36
Yeah, I do that, especially with fears. And I equated to, if you're carrying luggage, right? So you just keep piling this luggage on your back all the time. And at some point, you need to start putting some of that luggage down, otherwise, you're not gonna be able to move anymore. Right? You know, I that's a good, that's a good practice, I think is clearing your mind clearing your thoughts, your you know, your fears, your worries, they've also clearing out some of the great ideas you have, and some of the gratitudes you have as well. So I try to journal gratitudes, you know, to remind yourself that there are wonderful things in your life that you should be happy about every day, too. So
Dylan Tanaka 51:10
yeah, I think if you wake up every day, and one of my private lenders does, then he's pretty religious, but not not like over the top. But you know, he's always like, he always looks at me when I start complaining and it's over. It's about business. It's never personal. And he goes, You know what, we're blessed Dylan, don't forget that. And I'm like, I know, I know. And he's like, what about this? What about this? What about this? What about? I'm like, I know, I know. And he's a beer drinking, you know, rootin tootin, tough guy at the same time. But he always kind of brings me back and he's like, don't forget about that. He's like, you still got a mom and dad. A lot of people don't. And I'm like, you're right. Because one day when I don't you know what I mean? then then then I'll be sorry that I was worried about some stupid drywall patch or whatever it is.
Sean Thomson 51:50
Well, yeah, and your daughter is adorable. By the way. I see her pictures all the time on your Facebook. Yeah, she's gonna she's gonna be a grown up really quickly. So it's great to spending time with Yeah, you know, and that's amazing thing that did you have the time she's
Dylan Tanaka 52:04
ready to start her own show. Pretty soon. She's like, we're gonna do a YouTube show. I said, All right. Listen, there's one rule. I said, once we start, we never quit. I said, that's the only rule. I don't care what we do it on if it's slime, or Barbie, or whatever. But once we start one, we never quit. So she's just about getting ready. So I'm setting some stuff up in my house. So we can have a set, you know, and just sit there. And I don't know what we're gonna do. But yeah, you know, it's just cool to see that creativity. I don't necessarily wander on YouTube and making movies or whatever. But whatever, whatever she's going towards. I wanted to do that. Because I think that's, it's crazy that five and six year olds think that way. You know,
Sean Thomson 52:40
that's a different world. Well, so Dylan, if someone's in the Detroit area, and they want to kind of get in touch with you, or just in general, where should they go to kind of find the Ria, or find your website or just find more information about what you got going on?
Dylan Tanaka 52:56
Sure. best place to find me is right on Facebook. And it's The Dylan Tanaka. You can go to Dylan Tanaka. That's my personal profile. But I don't put anything on there really business or real estate. If I do, it's overflow. But that Dylan Tanaka, that's my public profile page. And then our group is called it's really long. It's called Michigan Real Estate Investor Network. But our nickname is #thenetwork. So anybody you're interested in any type of Michigan real estate investing can come on there. That's pretty much all it is, you know, it's only for Michigan. So if you get on there, you can learn a lot of good stuff, too. Because our you know, what we talk about goes all the way around the nation, but most of the investors on there, of course, they're you know, buying and selling deals in Michigan, flipping houses. But yeah, I'd love for anybody to reach out any any thoughts, questions, you know, always happy to help in any way I can.
Sean Thomson 53:45
What's your what's your podcast that you're doing?
Dylan Tanaka 53:48
So I have multiple podcasts, but I started a new one right now. And I didn't put it out yet. Because I was waiting, I was waiting kind of till fall so I could focus on it, but it's called "Why I Flip." And instead of me talking to you, Sean about all of your real estate conquests, because like we talked like we can talk about this stuff all day long. But what I want to know is why you do what you do but even deeper, kind of like what we just talked about a little bit and like you know, when you when you talk about how can you help other entrepreneurs or even side hustle entrepreneurs understand why why you went that way, you know, why you think different? And how thinking different is, is has changed your life, hopefully for the better. And look at what it looks look at your daughter's mindset and And to me, that's what it is. It's this, it's always going downward, right? In a good way. So her mindset has changed because of you. She you know, she was she's gonna go to college anyways, but when when she's heard and seen some of the stuff and like when she came to investor fuel that time, she's meeting guys who I don't know, there might be people in that room who didn't even finish high school that are multimillionaires. Not that you shouldn't finish high school, but you can you can do anything you want. Pretty much right. So I think that that's superduper cool is to get Feel and help people understand that. So anyways, that's the new podcast is why I flip. And it's not just going to be for real estate people, but just like you, like everybody, hey know is in real estate. So I'll have some authors and some entrepreneurs on there too. But I'm kind of excited to do it because it's going to be more of a nationwide field set of I'm super Michigan focused all the time. And I get yelled at from some of the bigger name guys. And they're like, why don't you go out further and I'm like, Alright, I'll try. I just I don't have anything to sell, you know. So I don't, I care. But I don't. I just want to do deals. So and I'm not doing deals out of out of the state out of state right now. So maybe that's a good foray. So I build my network even bigger. So when I want to come in and buy all the multi units in Dallas, I can do it because they're building zillions of them. Right.
Sean Thomson 55:46
Yeah, exactly. Well, thanks for coming on the show, man. I really appreciate it. Hopefully, someone, hopefully someone got something out of that. You know, I know you're out there hustling your American Dream every day. And it's good for people to hear that. So I really appreciate you coming on and sharing all that with us.
Dylan Tanaka 56:01
Absolutely. Sean, I'm happy to happy to be on anytime. And it was a great show. I'm excited to see what what what the future holds for you guys.
Sean Thomson 56:08
Yeah, thank you. We're trying hard to make some success out of our, our little business here. So we'll see you soon hopefully. And thanks again for coming on. We'll talk to you soon.
Dylan Tanaka 56:17
All righty.
Abigail Thomson 56:19
Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level American Dream. If you would like to learn more about what we talked about today, want to contact a team directly, or interested in passively investing and being a part of our deal room, head over to our website at www.thomsonmultifamilygroup.com. Before you go, please leave a review! Your comments help us create more episodes for you to enjoy.