Have you ever dreamed of building a multi-million dollar rental property empire—but thought your location, career, or lack of capital held you back? You’re not alone. For many, the idea of investing in real estate while holding a full-time job, especially in a high-cost city, seems impossible. Yet Brian Waters, a full-time fire captain in Los Angeles, shattered these limiting beliefs by assembling a $4.5 million rental portfolio spanning 25 properties—all in just four years.
In this episode of “Raising Private Money,” Jay Conner sat down with Brian to learn how he did it and how you can too.
Necessity is the Mother of Invention
Brian’s journey began out of necessity, not luxury. After a career shake-up and transitioning into firefighting at age 33, he realized he might not be able to depend solely on his job long-term. Inspired by modeling successful people (including Jay Conner himself), Brian jumped into real estate investing—but quickly encountered the sky-high prices of California. That obstacle turned into an opportunity. Instead of waiting for ideal circumstances, Brian dove into out-of-state markets, treating distance as an advantage, not a barrier.
Overcoming the Fear of Investing Out of State
The thought of buying property hundreds or thousands of miles away intimidates most new investors. Brian admitted his fear that you somehow had to fall in love with the property, or that you needed to be there in person to truly know what you were buying. What changed his mind? Focusing on the numbers, not his emotions. He learned to rely on systems, contracts, inspections, and, most importantly, his team—especially property managers and tenants. Technology and relationships enabled him to scale without ever setting foot in most of his markets.
The Power of Having the Right System
For busy professionals, a streamlined, repeatable system is non-negotiable. Brian’s approach was simple but effective:
- Get clear on your “buy box.” He defined precisely what types of properties and locations he would consider, down to zip code, price, and bed/bath count.
- Source deals (simply). He leveraged MLS listings using tools like Redfin and Zillow, proving that you don’t need complicated deal-finding strategies or expensive marketing.
- Analyze and act. By becoming an expert in his specific area and running conservative numbers, Brian minimized risk.
- Build a superstar team. He considers the tenant his top “teammate,” followed closely by a reliable property manager and agent.
Funding: The Biggest Initial Roadblock
Almost every investor hits the funding barrier—Brian included. After realizing his savings would only buy a few properties, he faced the daunting prospect of running out of capital. The answer? Raising Private Money. By documenting his journey on social media, sharing his story honestly (not boastfully), and creating trust within his network, Brian attracted $1.5 million in private loans—many from people who approached him, not the other way around. He didn’t chase capital; he demonstrated value and solved other people’s problems, turning them into partners.
Action Over Perfection
Perhaps Brian’s biggest differentiator is his attitude: ready, fire, aim. He didn’t let analysis paralysis stall him. He took action, learned from setbacks, and kept moving. Some properties worked out well; others didn’t. He calls it an “ever-evolving thing,” emphasizing that you’ll never have total clarity—but taking imperfect action is better than waiting for perfection.
Key Takeaways for Your First 30 Days
- Prioritize Landlord-Friendly Markets: Look for states with laws favoring property owners, affordable prices, and economic stability.
- Build Your Team from Day One: Don’t try to do it all yourself. Agents, property managers, and reliable tenants are invaluable.
- Share Your Journey: Let your network see what you’re doing. This opens doors for both deals and funding.
- Take That First Step: Don’t let fear or the pursuit of perfect timing stop you. Every seasoned investor started with a first, imperfect deal.
Brian’s story is proof that you can invest out of state, keep your day job, and overcome what you thought were insurmountable obstacles. The first step is always the hardest—but with the right system, a strong team, and a willingness to take action, you can have your first rental property under contract in 30 days.
Ready to ignite your investment journey? Revisit this episode and connect with investors like Brian. You have no excuse not to start today.
10 Discussion Questions from this Episode
- What were the initial fears or challenges discussed about investing in out-of-state rental properties, and how were they overcome?
- How did having a demanding full-time job as a fire captain influence Brian Waters’ approach to building his rental portfolio?
- What systems and processes did Brian implement to effectively manage properties in markets he didn’t live in?
- How important is building a reliable team, such as property managers and realtors, when investing out of state?
- What criteria did Brian use to choose which markets to invest in, and why were those factors important to his success?
- How did Brian approach the challenge of raising capital, and what strategies proved most effective in attracting Private Money?
- What role did transparency and documenting his journey play in building trust with potential private lenders?
- According to Brian, why is taking imperfect action often more important than waiting for the “perfect” moment or opportunity?
- What mistakes do busy professionals commonly make when starting in real estate investing, and how can these be avoided?
- How does focusing on win-win relationships with lenders and tenants benefit both the investor and those they work with?
Fun facts that were revealed in the episode:
- Full-Time Fire Captain, Part-Time Real Estate Mogul
Brian Waters managed to build a $4.5 million rental portfolio with 25 properties—all while working a demanding job as a full-time fire captain in Los Angeles and without ever quitting his day job. - Invested Without Ever Visiting Most Properties
Brian has only been to approximately four of his 25 properties in person and hasn’t even visited 80% of the states he invests in, relying entirely on technology, strong teams, and analyzing deals by the numbers rather than emotion. - Raised $1.5 Million in Private Money—Without Ever Asking Directly
Brian successfully raised over $1.5 million in private funds to fuel his investments—not by pitching or chasing investors, but by authentically sharing his journey on social media, which organically attracted interested partners from his network.
Timestamps:
00:00 Building a rental portfolio remotely
05:47 Overcoming emotional real estate investing
08:48 Finding a mentor in real estate
11:46 Finding a Reliable Property Manager
15:15 Following other investors’ footsteps
18:20 Dealing with real estate hurdles
22:21 Raising Capital Without Desperation
24:05 Overcoming obstacles in real estate
26:59 Impact of private lending on retirees
28:46 Connect with Brian Waters
https://www.instagram.com/mr.brian.waters
https://www.facebook.com/mr.brian.waters
30:39 Encouraging to share the episode
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Jay Conner is a proven real estate investment leader. Without using his own money or credit, Jay maximizes creative methods to buy and sell properties with profits averaging $67,000 per deal.
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Scale Your Rental Portfolio With Private Money and Smart Out-of-State Investing with Brian Waters
Jay Conner [00:00:01]:
Let me ask you something. What if you could build a multi-million dollar rental portfolio without quitting your job? What if you could invest out of state even if you’ve never, never stepped foot in the market? And what if raising over a million dollars in Private Money did not require begging or pitching or chasing anyone? Well, today’s guest did exactly that. My guest and good friend and fellow Mastermind member, Brian Waters, is a full-time fire captain in Los Angeles, not a full-time investor. And yet in just four years, he has built a $4.5 million rental portfolio with 25 properties. Now let that sink in. While working demanding shifts while living in one of the most expensive cities in the country, he figured out how to consistently buy cash-flowing rentals in other states and then turned around and started teaching other busy professionals how to do the same thing. Oh, and he’s raised over a million dollars in Private Money to help fund those deals. So if you’ve ever said to yourself, I don’t have time, or I don’t live in the right market,t or I don’t know where the money will come from, this episode is about to remove every one of those excuses.
Jay Conner [00:01:22]:
I, I’m Jay Conner, the Private Money authority. This is Raising Private Money, and you’re going to meet Brian Waters right after this.
Announcer [00:01:32]:
If you’re a real estate investor and are wondering how to raise and leverage Private Money to make more profit on every deal, then you’re in the right place to raise Private Money. We’ll speak with new and seasoned investors to dissect their deals and extract the best tips and strategies to help you get the money. Because the money comes first. Now here’s your host, Jay Conner.
Jay Conner [00:02:01]:
Brian, welcome to the show, my friend.
Brian Waters [00:02:03]:
Thank you, Jay. It’s so awesome and an honor to meet you. I met you in person, but I am so excited to be here. So thank you so much for having me.
Jay Conner [00:02:10]:
Well, we’re excited to have you. Let’s go ahead and dive right in. You are a full-time fire captain out there in Los Angeles. So let’s start here. How in the world did you build a four and a half million dollar portfolio while working a demanding job like that?
Brian Waters [00:02:28]:
Yeah, honestly, it came out of necessity. I got hired late as a firefighter. I got hired at 33. I was an airline pilot for several years. Got laid off. That’s a lot of people who don’t know that about me. And so it was kind of out of necessity. I really didn’t, I really wasn’t sure that I’D physically be able to do the whole career or mentally in the fire service, because it’s very demanding.
Brian Waters [00:02:48]:
And so I looked around at all the successful people, one being my man in the room, Jay Conner. And what you always want to emulate is what the successful people are doing. They were doing real estate, and so I jumped in, and I’m sure we’ll get to that later, but real estate’s expensive in California, so I, out of necessity, had to go outside of my, my, my area and go invest out of state. So there, there, there we are.
Jay Conner [00:03:10]:
Right. Well, when you started investing out of state, what was your schedule as a fire captain? What was your schedule looking like? Like, did you have quite a few days on and then you got some days off and back and forth?
Brian Waters [00:03:23]:
Yeah, I think, I think we have this, the, the secret schedule that, that really, this is why I love teaching other first responders. We, we work really, really hard. When we’re there, we work 10 days a month. And that sounds like people are going to say, ” Oh, that’s not that much. But look, you guys, it’s, it’s 24-hour shifts, demanding, not sleeping, but we have 20 days off. And so there’s plenty of time during those other days off that, while I’m getting my rest and spending time with family, I have the ability to take those skill sets that I have in my job and go put them to work and do other things. So, you know, I’m just so type A. I’d probably get really bored if I didn’t have anything else to do.
Brian Waters [00:03:59]:
And that’s. It keeps me busy, for sure.
Jay Conner [00:04:01]:
I got you. Well, so in other words, you didn’t wait for the perfect situation, and that’s where most people, you know, get stuck, and you just, you know, dove in and took action. Well, you know, what was the moment? What trigger comes to your mind? You realize that you didn’t have to invest in your own backyard to build wealth, that you could actually do it, you know, in another market?
Brian Waters [00:04:27]:
Yeah, I think for me, there was, there was, there was a, there was a, actually a friend of ours who had invested out of state. She had purchased a couple of properties. I never even thought about it. I was like, it’s, it seems so scary, super daunting. But I think with technology and the way things are and the connections that you meet out there, there are so many possibilities. And, truthfully, I, I, I like it that it’s so far away because I would be tempted to go there. And this allows me to have this, although it’s not passive; it’s a semi-passive business where I can build those teams and do it. So it was a, it was a big leap of faith, honestly, Jay, and I’m glad I took it.
Brian Waters [00:05:02]:
But it was just meeting a few people who were doing what I wanted to do, and I saw that they were successful, and I’m a competitive person. I’m like, if they could do it, you know, in a healthy way, if they could do it, I believe in myself enough to give it a try. And I truthfully didn’t know what the heck I was doing. That first property. I almost just threw a dart at a map and made it work. But that just goes to show that you could, you could just take that first actionable step, and you’re going to be, you’re going to be fine, you guys.
Jay Conner [00:05:27]:
So I’m sure we’ve got some people listening to this episode, and some of them are thinking and saying to themselves, you know, investing in another market where I don’t even live, that like, really sounds risky. What were your biggest fears investing out of state when you started?
Brian Waters [00:05:47]:
My biggest fear was that I was always thinking that you needed to fly there and walk through it, and you know, you need to fall in love with the property. And what I finally realized is, is this business is more about, is, is about the relationships you make outside there, having those good teams there, but also analyzing a property more by the numbers. At first, I would try to fall in love with, like, hey, Brian’s going to live there. But,t you know, in my portfolio now, I’ve only been to four properties. I’ve only, I haven’t been to 80% of the states that I’m in. So I kind of had to relinquish that, that emotional side of it, and look at it more from an analytical side. And that really helped me realize that there are so many checks and balances in real estate, from contracts to how you pay people to getting inspections and appraisals. There are so many things that protect the people, and that’s a good thing that, you know, there’s going to be times I get knocked down.
Brian Waters [00:06:40]:
But if I could understand the best way to protect myself through those contracts and through how I analyze things, then I’m going to give myself a better option. And then on the flip side, I looked at, you know, you know, not to turn this into any other type of investing, but I didn’t have control. And the other investments I was doing were out of my control. It was whatever the company decided to do. To do and how their Q1 went. I didn’t. I kind of wanted a little bit more control because I am a firefighter, so I think that helped a ton.
Jay Conner [00:07:05]:
Was there anything when you were starting that almost stopped you from pulling the trigger and moving forward?
Brian Waters [00:07:13]:
Well, I think the. The elephant in the room, and this is where you’re going to come into my picture, was funding. Truthfully, funding was a big part of it. Right. And so, you know, it’s so hard for us to keep raising the funds. Not raising, but saving the funds to go buy your properties. And so I saw that as a problem early on. I was like, okay, Brian, you have the funding for one or two, and then what’s next? I was like, it almost brought me to tears going, I fell in love with real estate, and I was like, how?
Brian Waters [00:07:40]:
Where do I get the next amount of money moving forward? Am I done investing, or do I wait five years? And it’s like, almost like Jay Conner just appeared in my orbit at the right time, in the right place. And, you know, I’m sitting here, obviously, with my. With my copied book here, which I love, and I’m so, so blessed to have read that. And that was the biggest fear. And I. I do. I mean this from the bottom of my heart. I thank you for number one, your knowledge, but also for writing that.
Brian Waters [00:08:08]:
For the. The world to read. And so that changed. That changed the game for me and my business. 100.
Jay Conner [00:08:13]:
Awesome. Thank you for sharing that. Was there any particular thing that gave you the confidence to move forward? Now, you did mention the word faith a few minutes ago, but. But what is it that gave you enough confidence to actually move forward?
Brian Waters [00:08:29]:
What I’ve realized is that with real estate, even if it’s not perfect, it’s still great. I mean, it’s the. It’s. We’re so blessed in. It’s the. It’s. It’s one of those things, being able to have your own properties and all that stuff. So for me, having a good W2 job has been the backbone for me to be able to take a little bit of those risks.
Brian Waters [00:08:48]:
But just, you know, believing in myself, believing that there are other people out there in real estate is a very special place. I think that people want to help you. So early on, I got a mentor. Just like how I’m now mentoring other people. I had my mentor, and so I felt comfortable because that person had done, you know, 20, 30 properties already, and I go, okay, they’re doing it; they’re going to help me. I’m not going alone. Just like in the fire service, we don’t run into a burning building alone, right? You gotta, you gotta train for it. You gotta, you gotta be around the right people.
Brian Waters [00:09:17]:
But I, I just felt like, what do I have to lose at this point? You know what I have to lose?
Jay Conner [00:09:23]:
Well, you broke through the fear; you pulled the trigger. You move forward. You got a mentor up front, which was very, very smart on your part. And so now let’s, let’s break down and dive into your system as to how it actually works. Walk us through your system, like finding deals, vetting the deals, managing properties, and markets that you don’t live in.
Brian Waters [00:09:51]:
Yeah, absolutely. I think the system part of it is so important, especially for us busy working professionals. The people who are doing the nine-to-fives, the super moms who are taking their kids to soccer and stuff, we don’t want another job. I have a busy job, a busy life. I coach football. And so having a good way to get number one. Well, there are a few things. Number one is you have to have the money, you know, so we’ve already talked about Jay and what he can help provide with that.
Brian Waters [00:10:17]:
Number two is you have to have the deals coming in. I’m kind of boring. There are a million ways to do it. People use fancy software. They, they get wholesalers, they do cold calling, then marketing. I’m too busy and too lazy to do any of that. And so for those who say there’s no deals out there, I’m going to put the hammer down and say there are probably more deals than I can, I can, I can do on my own. And so I just, I traditionally just use the MLS.
Brian Waters [00:10:41]:
I go on Redfin and Zillow. But most importantly, I get my buy box. And, however cliché it is to talk about your buy box, it is super important that you have it. Because I know, specifically down to the zip codes, the square footage, the price, the bed-bath count of exactly where I want and what I want. And being that specific is going to be very important for deals coming my way now. I, I learn, I study, I analyze it. Become a master of that little, small, little area. I’m not in 50,000 markets.
Brian Waters [00:11:10]:
I’m just in this little tiny nook. And when I get those deals coming across my way, I know that I’m going to jump on them. I know the names of the streets; I know the zip codes. I have my realtor that’s there, and then, you know, just like everyone else, I use my analysis software. I’m very conservative when I’m running numbers. I make sure I know the comps and all the fancy stuff. I use rent O meter for the, the, the rent amount. I talk to other investors, and on the back end, you know the other two teammates that are going to be the very most important, and I’m going to say I’m in order of who I think is the most important.
Brian Waters [00:11:46]:
I, the tenant, am going to be the biggest and best teammate you’ve ever had. So you know how to find a good property manager to find the best tenant. But your property manager is also going to make or break your business. Because I don’t manage my properties. I don’t want to; I’ve never even been to the States. You have to have that good manager, and after that, it’s set it and forget it. I prefer long-term because they hopefully are going to stay for a couple of years, and maybe once a month or every couple of months, so I’ll hear from them about a toilet. Other than that, Brian goes to work, fights fires, coaches football, is a good husband and dad, and that is it.
Brian Waters [00:12:21]:
So it’s just those systems and the right people in place,e really.
Jay Conner [00:12:24]:
Well, I couldn’t agree with you more. When it comes down to team members, I mean it’s the team members that make you or break you. In my business, my house flipping business, all the team members are so important. The real estate attorney for the closings, in fact, it’s really convenient. My real estate attorney’s office is right next door, like 10 steps down the sidewalk outside our building. And I was in her office two times yesterday and one time today. Selling two houses this week, buying another one on the first of next week. And so a real estate attorney is such an important team member in the house flipping business.
Jay Conner [00:13:01]:
And then our realtor was critical. Critical, of course,e in your kind of investing. Your property management company, of course,e would be crucial in the flipping business. The relationship with the general contractors is critical. So. And my acquisitionist, my acquisitionist that talks to all the sellers of properties, her name’s Kim, she’s been with us on the team for over 20 years. I’ve been doing business with the same realtor for over 20 years. So it’s hard to put, well, you can’t, you can’t put a value on how important those relationships are.
Jay Conner [00:13:37]:
What are, what are some of your non-negotiables when you’re deciding on choosing a market to invest in? For your business model.
Brian Waters [00:13:49]:
So, for me, I like the states personally that have landlord-friendly laws. Number one, that’s a big reason why I get outside of California. I, people kind of, there are a lot of people who have a say about where I live. But right now I’m sitting in shorts and a T-shirt. Beautiful. I love the state more than anything. I’ll probably live here forever. But as far as investing, you’ve got to find places that are favorable to the landlords and the tenants, and what I mean by that is you’ve got to treat your tenants well.
Brian Waters [00:14:17]:
Like, obviously, Jay has all these business people with him for a long time because he treats them well. I treat my tenants the same way. I provide a very safe, reliable thing. I communicate really well with them. But for someone who’s taking their income in California and going to other places, that’s a kind of check and balance for me. I want to be able to make sure that my business is going to keep moving forward. So one is good landlord laws. Number two, I don’t invest in areas that have really bad weather because it may be insurance issues.
Brian Waters [00:14:46]:
It’s going to be harder on the property. So I’m looking for kind of. I like boring real estate. I truthfully do. And our price point is markets that are under $200,000. That’s just my personal preference. The reason is if my tenant moves out in California, I’m on the hook for a five-grand mortgage until I find a tenant that’s going to wipe out a lot of Brian, and the money I have where the mortgages in these states of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, they’re 800, 900, I can go have a lemonade stand and be fine. Right.
Brian Waters [00:15:15]:
So that’s part of the risk mitigation that I, I do. And then places that have a lot of jobs, and then the last thing I’ll say is I want to go where actually other investors are, however counterintuitive that might be. If other investors are there, if Jay’s there, obviously, they know that they know something I don’t. There’s enough, and it’s plentiful for everyone. But where other people are brings in resources such as contractors, property managers, and agents. I’m not going to rural America trying to recreate the wheel. I’m jumping on the tail, the tail code of someone like Jay who knows those areas. And I, I encourage my investor, Jay’s investors, clients to do the same thing.
Brian Waters [00:15:55]:
We’re out there providing all, you know, the hard work to get these areas. Just ask us. I’ll be happy to tell you where I invest. It’s not a secret.
Jay Conner [00:16:04]:
That makes a lot of sense, Brian, you know, you have built your business here in just four years, 25-plus properties. What do you think? And you may know for sure: what did you do differently to build this in just four years that the average investor doesn’t do and stays stuck?
Brian Waters [00:16:28]:
The most important thing is I operate off the ready, fire, aim mentality, which is you don’t need to have the perfect shot; you just need to take it. And so for me, it was that, that actionable step of just, just giving it a whirl. I’m still learning, you guys. I, you know, with the 25 properties that we have, things aren’t perfect. I don’t want to come off into this universe and say, Brian’s got it all figured out. I’m still learning and growing. If you’re not, then you’re not human. Right.
Brian Waters [00:16:57]:
And so what I realized is property one was okay. Number two was great. Number three sucked. Number four, the guy got better. Number five sucked again. Number six. It’s just, it’s just like an ever-evolving thing, and you’re never going to work it all out, but you’ve got to get moving, you’ve got to try, and you’ve got to get around the people that are going to help you. And I don’t know, I just, maybe I don’t care if everything’s perfect.
Brian Waters [00:17:20]:
I just know that it’s better than it was before, and that provides, and it’s cool to see where the portfolio is. In four years, I’m like, man, this has really changed a lot for us. But just don’t, don’t wait for perfection. It’s never going to be there. Even on your 50th, it’s not there. Just go, just go.
Jay Conner [00:17:34]:
Yeah, it’s like our good friend Tom Kroll says, in any kind of business, if you want to succeed, take massive imperfect action.
Brian Waters [00:17:44]:
That is it right there.
Jay Conner [00:17:46]:
Massive. Improving housing. Do you think, do you think some real estate investors, when they’re starting, just simply overcomplicate the process?
Brian Waters [00:17:55]:
I do, I do. And the thing that I see even in my community is that they’ll get one little knockdown, like a toilet problem, and they’re like, ” This real estate is so hard. I hate this. But you have to think of it like, think of your own home. If I’m not at Home Depot every other day because I’m trying to fix something in my own house, or you know, with your car getting oil Changes, that’s just part of the business. There’s nothing. There’s no perfect business out there. So, yeah, I don’t know, you just got to.
Brian Waters [00:18:20]:
You just have to take your lumps, have thick skin, in stuff. If it’s going to bother you, then maybe real estate’s not for you. So I get calls, and I’m not happy with them all the time because I’m like, I got to do this, or that,t or I just did this, and now I got to fix this. You have to analyze properties well enough, build your portfolio where you could start taking money from one property over to another, and everything’s going to be okay, you guys. You just have to take a deep breath, and you’re going to get through the stuff. I guarantee it.
Jay Conner [00:18:47]:
Yeah. All right, so we got an overview of your strategy, the system, the process, and how it works. So let’s talk about the bottleneck that holds people up that you already mentioned, and that’s raising Private Money. Thank you for the shout-out about my bestselling book, Where to Get the Money Now. How did you go? There it is. How did you go from not having all the capital you needed to raising over a million dollars so far in Private Money to help you fund these deals?
Brian Waters [00:19:20]:
I’m excited to share an update, by the way. It is now 1.5 million. Thank you very much.
Jay Conner [00:19:25]:
Oh, congratulations.
Brian Waters [00:19:28]:
So it’s just. It’s a tough conversation because I’ll get some brand new investors coming in, and they’re like, I want to raise Private Money, and I have to put myself in the shoes of the people that you’re asking, ng or you’re trying to partner with. If I came to you, Jay and I had zero experience. I’m like, hey, Jay, can I borrow a million dollars? And they’re like, well, tell me your experience level. I’m like, I don’t know. I just saw this guy on YouTube. I want to learn how to do it. So for me, it truthfully happened organically.
Brian Waters [00:19:52]:
And so as I started to get under properties 1, 2, and 3, my mentor at the time said something that I really, really, really feel is important. And I hope that people are going to listen to this conversation. Get your document. Document your journey early. So I’m on social media. It is embarrassing, you guys. Every time I hit send, I want to crawl under their bed and just hide. It’s uncomfortable.
Brian Waters [00:20:19]:
But what happened is I was starting, and this is what Jay talks in his book about, about your warm circle. So what happened was I started documenting my journey, posting pictures; it wasn’t flaunting. I was just like, ” This is cool. I want to look back at this in 10 years and be able to look back at what I was doing. And as I was doing that, the weirdest thing happened. People started asking me questions like, Brian, what are you doing? I’m like, okay, this is a very good way to have that conversation. Instead of me going to someone and asking them, they’re now asking me. It became the most organic, easy conversation I ever had.
Brian Waters [00:20:54]:
I talked to them about what I’m doing, and they’re like, ” Hey, I’d love to show you how to invest out of state. They’re like, I don’t want to do that, but I do have $200,000 sitting under my mattress at home. And I’m like, this is a perfect segue into the opportunity of having that conversation. But if I hadn’t been on social media and they didn’t see it, or I hadn’t documented my experience, for them to start seeing what I was doing, I would have been dead in the water. And truthfully, Jay, that is how I’ve raised $1.5 million. I’ve. I don’t even think I’ve ever asked anyone for money. They’ve come.
Jay Conner [00:21:22]:
I haven’t either.
Brian Waters [00:21:23]:
Yeah, I’ve never asked someone. I just took some. Two people out to lunch this week, and that’s how I raised an extra 500 grand. I presented them with the opportunity because they know what I’m doing. They see me active in the community, and they. They already have that trust built in. And the majority of people that I invest with are people that I’ve known for years.
Jay Conner [00:21:44]:
Absolutely.
Brian Waters [00:21:45]:
You know, Jay talks about opening up your phone and scrolling through it. You have 500 people waiting with money for you, so you just gotta. You gotta. You gotta shout it from the mountaintop what you’re doing, and not brag. Just get out there and put your. Put your face on social media, get uncomfortable, and it’s going to start coming in. And if that. If I didn’t learn that tip from you, Jay, I would have.
Brian Waters [00:22:09]:
I would have been stuck at 4. Now I’m closing it on 25. So it’s opened up. It’s opened up the gate. And the cool thing is, I’m not only the one making money, but my investors are crushing it right now. Right, sure.
Jay Conner [00:22:21]:
Well, I’m so glad you shared that story and that part of your journey, because truly raising capital, raising Private Money, it’s all about no asking, no begging, no selling, no chasing. And you have probably discovered the same thing I did, Brian. And that is, you know, the worst time to be raising Private Money is when you need it for a deal. You know, when I’ve got a private lender, a new private lender that’s, you know, starting with, you know, a hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, and they’ve told me that’s what they want to invest. And then I say, okay, well, I’ll put your money to work for you just as soon as possible. That’s a whole different conversation than me saying, okay, well, I got a deal that, you know, you can fund right now. But when I call them up two weeks later, three weeks later, then there’s no desperation because, you know, desperation does have a smell to it. Right? And so, you know, so I come across, and you come across to your private lenders as serving them and delivering for them.
Jay Conner [00:23:25]:
And I learned long ago the private lenders actually need us more than we need them, because there are more of them than there are deals, to tell you the truth. And so it’s really all about creating win-win relationships and, you know, getting rid of that mentality of having to chase the money. Brian, what, you know, you mentor other people that are getting into real estate investing. What mistakes do you see busy professionals making? Of course, you target to help firefighters. What mistakes do you see busy professionals making when they’re trying to get into rental properties? What gets in their way?
Brian Waters [00:24:05]:
I think they get in their own way. Truthfully, what I see oftentimes is, number one, a lot of people join communities, or they’re first off, I think there’s so much noise out there. There’s so much you could do in real estate, from RV parks to just, you name it, from wholesale. And every one of them is great. So what I tell them is you’ve got to pick your strategy first, and you gotta, you gotta start moving forward with that. But I think they get in their own way because they oftentimes, it’s like joining a gym on January 1st. If you don’t show up and do the work, you’re not going to see any results. And so some people just join thinking that, hey, if I’m just in this community, I’m going to be successful.
Brian Waters [00:24:45]:
The most successful clients I have are the ones who show up in the calls. They, they’re taking the actionable steps that I’m giving them. But if you just get out of your own way and you actually do the work I’ve said, and so has Jay and his community. We’ve set these, like, these. These strategic things you need to do in a row. And if you just do those, you’re gonna. You’re gonna be successful. So they overanalyze, know they’ll.
Brian Waters [00:25:09]:
They’ll wait for the perfect situation. They just have to get started. So I’m pretty. Pretty adamant about that. Do you mind if I? I want to take it back to what you said about Private Money. I have this, really. It’ll make it quick, but I have a very.
Brian Waters [00:25:23]:
It almost brings me to tears. Tears in my eyes from the story of a lady that. That I. I partner with. It’ll make it real quick.
Jay Conner [00:25:30]:
Sure.
Brian Waters [00:25:31]:
I didn’t want to. To go back in time here, but Jay said something really important. You gotta. These lenders out there, they’re. They’re gaining as much as we are. But I had a lady in my warm circle. I won’t use her name.
Brian Waters [00:25:44]:
She came to me and said, Brian, she’s about 72 years old. She lost her husband. She. She’s working a job. She has two roommates, and she’s like, I’m so sick of working. She had a bunch of money in a CD account, making garbage money. And. And I just went to her, I was like, okay.
Brian Waters [00:26:01]:
She understands real estate. Didn’t want to do it. And I said, ” What number do you need to make this work? I want to get you to quit your job, and I want you to get those roommates out of there so you can live your life. And she’s been one of my best lending partners to this day. But it’s a mutual, amazing relationship. She’s able to make a fixed income from me. I’m able to scale. I’m doing multiple.
Brian Waters [00:26:22]:
Multiple properties with her lending. That’s what this game’s all about, because I’m not being this greedy guy, like, oh, it’s all about me. I made it work for her. She retired, got rid of her roommates, and she’s now loving it. She’s taking some of that extra capital to go do some trips that she’s always wanted to do. So make it worthwhile for the person on the other end. Just like treating your. Your.
Brian Waters [00:26:43]:
Your company employees well. She’s come back to the. I’ve come back to that. Well, many times. And she’s actually made more money because she sees this happening. That’s a relationship that you can never like. I’m so grateful for that, and I know she is too. So, anyway, I’m sorry I had to share that; I just thought it was.
Jay Conner [00:26:59]:
No, I’m glad you did. I mean, to complement and to go along with what you just shared. My wife Carol Joy and I have, over the years, we have received. Thank you for the handwritten notes in the mail from our private lenders thanking us for changing their retirement years. One in particular, one in particular couple that I’m thinking of, they wrote us this note, and they said if it had not been for your private lending opportunity for them to invest in, they said we would not have been able to travel to Florida and visit our grandchildren anytime we want to. Whereas before becoming private lenders, they couldn’t do that. So talk about an amazing supplemental income. I’m thinking of another private lender who lives in Mississippi.
Jay Conner [00:27:53]:
I’ve got private lenders all over the nation. I’m thinking of another private lender that I. I had Brenda, my office manager, just pull the numbers she has made from my company’s Private Money. Interest. $578,000.
Brian Waters [00:28:13]:
Oh, my gosh. Wow.
Jay Conner [00:28:15]:
And interest. And interest since she and her husband became private lenders. And I mean, that’s. That’s sort of transforming, right? Yeah, it is.578,000 paid to a private lender. Brian, to start wrapping this up, I know we’ve got listeners that want to reach out to you to learn more about how it is that your system works and how you could help them, you know, in their real estate investing journey. So what’s the best way for people to contact you, Brian?
Brian Waters [00:28:48]:
Absolutely. I pride myself, you guys, on communicating. When you reach out to me, it’s not going to be Robot Brian. It will not be AI Brian. You’re going to be talking to me. I love this stuff just as much as Jay does. But to answer your question is @Mr.Brian.Waters.
Brian Waters [00:29:05]:
Mr. Brian Waters. That’s on Facebook, that’s on Instagram, that’s on YouTube, that’s on TikTok, all the things. I just made it easy because that’s what would be easy for you. Just, just DM me. I’ll give you my personal cell phone number, and we can have a conversation. Yeah, that’s.
Jay Conner [00:29:22]:
That’s simple enough. Yes. So you’re listening to this show. DM Brian; his handle is @Mr.Brian.Waters with an I B R I I N DOT waters. And yeah, he’ll give you his personal cell phone number, and y’ all can have a great conversation. Brian, thank you so much for joining me in raising Private Money. Absolutely,
Brian Waters [00:29:45]:
Jay. Honestly, it’s a privilege of my Life. It’s, it’s not often you get to, like, get into someone’s orbit four years ago, read their book. And I mean this from the bottom of my heart. I met you recently in person, and you’re about as authentic a human as I’ve met. And for those who are curious about it, get iintoJay’s world, please. It could change your life as it did for me. So I cannot wait to see you again in Nashville.
Brian Waters [00:30:08]:
And it, I, I mean, it’s just an honor, man. I, I’m so grateful. So thank you. Well,
Jay Conner [00:30:13]:
I appreciate you so much, Brian. And since you’ve talked about my book so much, we might as well remind the audience how they can get my book for free. The name of the book is ” Where to Get the Money Now. All about raising Private Money. Very, very easy to understand. And just cover shipping and handling. You can pick it up at www.j Conner j-a y c O-N-N-E-R.com o forward slash book. That’s jconnner.com book.
Jay Conner [00:30:39]:
I’ll autograph it and we will rush-deliver it right out to you. Well, let me leave you with this. If Brian can build a four-and-a-half-million-dollar portfolio while working full time, then let me ask you, what’s really holding you back? Well, I can tell you it’s not your job, it’s not your market, and it’s definitely not the money when you know how to raise Private Money. It’s just that you hadn’t seen the path clearly until today. So here’s what I want you to do right now. If this episode gave you even one breakthrough, one shift in how you think about raising Private Money or investing out of state, don’t keep it to yourself. Share this episode with one person, just one person. Text it to a friend, send it to a colleague, post it on your social media that Brian was talking about, and tag me when you do it.
Jay Conner [00:31:35]:
Because here’s the truth. The more people you help win, the more opportunities are going to come back to you. And if you want more conversations just like this, more strategies, more real-world stories of how investors are raising millions without asking for money, make sure you subscribe to this podcast, Raising Private Money. I’m Jay Conner, the Private Money authority, and I’ll see you right here on the next episode.
Announcer [00:32:06]:
Are you feeling inspired by the knowledge you gained in this episode? Then head over to www.JayConner.com/MoneyGuide– that’s www.JayConner.com/MoneyGuide,-and download your free guide that shares seven reasons why Private Money will skyrocket your real estate investing business right now. Again, that’s www.JayConner.com/MoneyGuide to get your free guide. We’ll see you next time on Raising Private Money with Jay Conner.