Making room around a demanding career
Ray joins the conversation from his office. He describes his financial-services work as closer to nine-to-nine than nine-to-five, with responsibilities spanning retirement plans and private wealth. Real estate had to fit around that existing career.
His projects took him beyond New York. In the interview, he says most of his deals were in Florida, with others closer to home in Philadelphia. His mother also helped as his real estate assistant.
Building a team where the properties are
Ray explains that he built a network in each area instead of relying on frequent site visits. He sometimes traveled around a purchase or toward the end of a project. He also describes Florida deals where he never personally visited the property.
That distinction matters to his story: working remotely still involved building relationships and coordinating people on the ground. It was a way of organizing the work around the time he had available.
An early loss, then a change in approach
Ray says he initially tried to follow parts of his own approach and lost money on his first deal. He describes changing how he worked after that experience and reports that his subsequent deals had been profitable at the time of the interview.
He also says he had just put his 18th deal under contract. That is a milestone in his account, rather than a claim that all 18 projects were completed. His story includes both the progress and the first loss that helped shape his next decisions.
This story summarizes the student’s account in the archived video. Experiences and reported results are individual, have not been independently verified, and are not a guarantee of income or funding. Program details may have changed since recording.
