We Take The Plunge
Our real estate investing journey begins. We become REIN members and buy 11 houses over two years. We are working full time, buying as many properties as we can. We're making a lot of guesses as we have no structures or systems and no personalized guidance.
Quantity over quality
This is the start of the demise of our portfolio. We “hired” a real estate coach for FREE! He ran a large real estate education business and had offered to coach us as we built our portfolio. We bought 64 properties that year! F*ck systems, structure, the right kind of properties or anything to do with our partnership/relationship as a couple – there was no discussion about any of this. The name of the game is quantity – buy as many properties as possible. All Jared can think about is getting the pin for owning 100 properties while Krista is more focused on working as a massage therapist.
Everything is running smoothly
Everyone is a genius. The economy is hot and everyone seems to be making money off real estate. Our buying year continues – we buy 64, 25 and 30 properties respectively through these years. Krista sells her massage therapy business after having our first child so she can focus on helping more in the real estate industry. We’re getting more involved as a team and as a family.
Things Come Crashing Down
The global recession hits. We owned over 100 properties when it did and had access to cash through our savings. We quit our jobs and had 2 small kids at home (ages 1 and 3). We have no knowledge of a recession and how it would impact the housing market. We thought we had it all figured out. We thought our portfolio was big enough to absorb the hit.
We're stuck.
Every day we thought the recession would end. We are living off our savings. We’re stuck with a sh*t portfolio. The properties didn’t cashflow and we’re feeding them mass amounts of money every single month. We’re still REIN members and the messaging from the stage was that it was more “Gloom than Doom”; things weren’t as bad as they seemed. We’re told it was a time to get on the offence (verses defense). This was bullsh*t. At this point, Krista isn’t participating in REIN as it’s too much hassle and expense to get a babysitter.
Insufficient funds
Jared drives his Porsche 911 to the Safeway to buy groceries and gets denied due to insufficient funds. We were out of money and only months from bankruptcy. We have to make a choice to either sink or fix it. We’re accountable to joint venture partners to the tune of 20 million dollars. We decide to start our own property management company to give ourselves an income (also because the property management company we were using was absolutely terrible – but that’s another story). Krista reluctantly takes on the ‘controller’ position for our company, as we didn’t have the money to hire anyone as good as her!
We need support
We change our real estate investing strategy. We start rebuilding our portfolio based on what we had learned through the recession. We start buying suited houses that cashflow well. We create the systems and structures needed to “recession proof” our portfolio. Krista joins a women’s entrepreneur group, knowing she needs support for all the work she’s doing in her partnership with Jared. Eventually, we both do coaching sessions that help us realize we need to get on the same page.
We're learning a lot
Jared is speaking on the REIN stage sharing the lessons he's learned. He is one of the main speakers, and presents over 140 times from 2012 - 2017 on the practical aspects of buying real estate such as how to find the right property, property management, negotiations and how to structure your real estate investing business. Together, we start seeing that we need more help to work as a couple and a team.
We choose us
We hit a turning point. We realize that we are both going in totally different directions. It was time to make a definite choice. We choose ‘us’ and dig in deeper with an amazing coach. We finally hire a controller for our business (against Jared’s judgment due to the cost)…. It ends up being one of the best decisions we ever made for the business AND for us. Krista completes a bucket list dream and takes her yoga teacher training certification. It motivates her to finally follow her true passion after years of being coached and reading every self development book. She takes the plunge and begins her coaching training.
"This is bullsh*t"
Jared has a “this is bullsh*t” revelation. As well intentioned as he is, and as hard as he tries, preaching to groups from a stage just doesn’t work. In fact, the pure format did more harm than good. The information wasn’t bad – but it was general, which limited its value. There is also a major disconnect between theory being taught on stage and implementation. We go to our first workshop with our current teacher, John Wineland. This is the instruction we've have been missing to truly have a great relationship as a couple and a team. Krista continues her yoga training journey taking kundalini teacher training in New York.
Tilt and tips get launched
We decide to launch TILT Property Group in Edmonton. This is a big step to expand our previous property management company to include other divisions like repairs and renovations. Tired of the bullsh*t, we also create our own real estate investing education program called T.I.P.S. (TILT Income Property School) to give advice and support in the industry. With TIPS, we host our first small group program. It was good, but still felt like just a smaller more intimate version of REIN.
It's time to change the industry
F*ck trying to fix or improve upon what was currently being done. It was time to flip sh*t on its head, so we dove in. We realize that there were more disconnects than just theory and implementation. We learn that to be successful, people need more than quality real estate information specific to them (although this was an awesome start)! The education on the business aspect of real estate investing had to be killer – that was a given. But beliefs and behaviours had to align as well so... We welcome Krista and performance coaching to the TIPS program!
We find our secret sauce
We find our SECRET SAUCE in Carla Berrie, our COO guru who keeps us all in check. Carla first comes on as our Head of Marketing, but her experience of over 20 years in community planning, project management, and operations shines through from the very beginning. Carla becomes an integral part of planning our coaching programs - creating our marketing initiatives and coordinating our systems for TILT Property Management. The second she asked Jared if she could use the whiteboard, she became one of us, and she rocks it every day!
COVID-Proof portfolio? Hell ya
Covid-19. This is the real test. We’re confident our portfolio and the strategies we’re teaching are recession proof, but are they PANDEMIC PROOF??? F*ck ya they are. We’re happy to report that our portfolio as well as our clients continue to be well-positioned and performing well!
We're ready to dive deep
Our coaching program is continuing to evolve and get better, every day. We’ve expanded our program to have 2 different offerings based on client needs. Both are personalized and both take a holistic approach to supporting your success. We cater not only to new investors but investors in the same position as us in 2008 – i.e. people with sh*tty portfolios that need a lifeline, and everyone in between. We’ve redefined a new standard for “personalized” education with our Deep Dive Sessions. We continue to partner with other great organizations and people in the industry, always raising the bar of our programs.