E45: Achieving Financial Freedom Through Real Estate with Investment Expert Devin Elder

www.djetexas.com Every successful real estate entrepreneur has a story to tell and today’s episode delivers! Join co-host Rob Coldwell and DJE Texas Management Group owner, Devin Elder as they discuss how Devin grew his portfolio from one single family home to currently owning a quarter of a billion dollars in investments. The evolution of Devin’s real estate deals is fascinating and a must listen for new and accomplished investors! Devin Elder is sole owner of DJE Texas Management Group LLC (DJE), which manages all aspects of acquisition, repositioning, and disposition of single family, land, development, and multifamily projects in Central Texas. DJE has successfully completed over 200 Real Estate renovation projects, with renovation budgets ranging from $10k to $3M+. Devin has been a Principal in over 5,000 units of multifamily. No investor capital has ever been lost on any DJE project. The DJE multifamily portfolio is managed by DJE Properties LLC, the company’s in-house property management firm. As of October 2022, DJE Properties manages 2,270 doors in San Antonio. Prior to his Real Estate investing career, Devin earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio and enjoyed a near decade-long successful corporate career in Operations, IT, and Marketing roles at two of San Antonio’s largest employers, Rackspace and 3M. Mr. Elder is the host of The DJE Podcast, a weekly show interviewing the top Commercial Real Estate investment experts in the country, and is himself a regular expert guest on the top multifamily investment podcasts in the world. In 2020, Devin founded The DJE Foundation, a 501(c)(3) foundation, whose mission is to improve the lives of disadvantaged children. The non-profit supports the Heart of Texas orphanage in the Philippines, Aid the Silent, The Alliance for South Texas Orphans, and a growing list of other organizations. Mr. Elder is Co-Founder of ApartmentEducators.com, a consulting firm that teaches successful professionals how to invest in multifamily communities as passive investors and operators. Devin co-founded the Real Estate Brokerage Accelerated Commercial Real Estate in 2020 with his ApartmentEducators.com business partner to assist clients in sourcing and closing multifamily investments. Mr. Elder meets twice monthly with a private CEO advisory board and has a broad network of experienced and trusted advisors, attorneys, brokers, investors, and accountants that facilitate the continued success and growth of DJE. Devin has been married to his wife Amber since 2008. They reside in far North San Antonio with their three children. He enjoys family time, piloting planes & helicopters, playing golf, and spending time with his family at their Texas ranches. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introductions and Background 8:25 - DJE By The Numbers 10:00 - How do you grow from 1 property? 19:30 - Dave Ramsay’s influence 24:55 - The power of mentors 31:04 - What does your vertical integration look like 39:42 - Your acquisition story 43:11 - How do you take care of yourself 48:11 - Charity work Key Takeaways: Real Estate can be a vehicle to financial freedom and personal development What is the definition of wealth Hearing advice from a mentor is far more powerful than reading it Joining a group of peers can fast-forward your business dreams How being vertically integrated can help grow your portfolio The transition from single family to multi unit properties was the biggest game changer The people you surround yourself are who you will eventually become