Real estate has been my passion since I took my first Al Lowery class on real estate investing in the 1970’s. I vowed during that class that I would buy one property a year.

Over the next five years I bought ten properties and was hooked for life on making money for me and others in real estate. While I devoted my career to my manufacturers rep business ( HPT Plastics), my passion was real estate investing. I bought residential rental properties and even a bus terminal. I flipped houses. Then I moved to Florida.

In 2001 I started Market America Realty and Investments and brought on the instructor of my license class to be my broker. I added a few agents. This was during the beginning of the pre-construction boom. I bought and brokered many pre-construction deals and eventually wound up building over 300 condos after starting Briton Development.

In 2001 is also when I started blogging every Sunday morning to folks like you. I originally did that to sell the projects I was developing but the writing became cathartic and instead of selling I just shared my tips, philosophy, and observations. I continue to write today. Many of my subscribers are real estate agents and future retirees .

When the foreclosure market exploded in 2006, Market America became immersed in selling REO’s for the banks and asset managers. Through this business we added five more offices throughout Florida and at one time we had 60 agents. I surrounded myself with excellent people and because of this business thrived. When REO volume declined I wanted to make certain that my agents had the ability to grow and I franchised with Better Homes and Gardens real estate.

I soon learned that being a broker in the corporate world was not for me –I was an entrepreneur and a sales guy, not an manager. I sold the business and went back to selling and investing in real estate. For the last three years I was broker for one of the offices that I previously sold - Market America Realty Network. Here I acted more as an agent than a broker, it was small office with about a dozen agents. The owner had some health issues and his attention was justifiably elsewhere. This has spurred my decision to make a change.

For the past year I have studied the real estate brokerage business and have watched the evolution of technology completely alter this business. For the past six months I have been interviewing and trying to decide what I would do with my Real Estate knowledge.

I want to sell, mentor, and help buyers and sellers and agents. I don’t want to administrate.

I looked to see where other agents I respected were. Almost no one was ever in the offices I visited. (I visited the largest brokerage in Fort Myers and their gorgeous office that can house 100 agents, there were three agents the day I was there). Folks. Bricks and Mortar are things of the past.

After all my review I found only one company that originated in in the cloud and was solely FOCUSED on business in the cloud. This company did not have to re-purpose to adjust to the times, for they started out with a premise that began in the cloud. They are to real estate what Netflix was to Blockbuster and what Amazon was to shopping malls.

When I was approached by them two years ago I was not impressed. I didn’t even listen. I discounted it as a network marketing scheme that was smoke and mirrors, not real.

I was wrong.

I know now that it is the smartest real estate brokerage business model that exists. Both for clients as well as agent and brokers. One not tied to assets and buildings, but a business model that is unlimited due to the energy and imagination of not only its founders, but its agents (now over 17,000 agents strong) who have embraced the future of real estate. It is a model that is boundlessly scalable.

The network marketing model is really a revenue sharing model that creates stakeholders in the company’s success. Brilliant.

I like to say I am an immersion guy, and I certainly immersed myself into this new venture. My only regret is that I did not make this move sooner.

I am now a Broker Associate with The Market America Team, brokered by eXp Realty. Call me anytime! 239-734-7517