In this episode of the Get Wealth Show, Michael Hoang sits down with real estate investor and private money lender Jose Cortes to break down his journey from wholesaling and fix-and-flips to rentals, Airbnb arbitrage, out-of-state investing, and eventually private money lending.

Jose began educating himself about real estate in 2008 before eventually taking action through mentorship programs, local real estate investing groups, relationships with agents, and MLS opportunities. His journey took him through wholesaling, his first fix-and-flip in Colorado, Airbnb arbitrage, long-term rentals in Florida, and an out-of-state portfolio in Minnesota.

After experiencing the challenges of managing properties remotely, Jose sold his portfolio in 2024 and began focusing more heavily on one of the biggest problems he had encountered throughout his own investing career: access to capital.

Today, Jose helps investors through private and transactional funding, including earnest money deposits (EMD), double closings, and gap funding. He explains how these funding strategies can help investors close deals without tying up large amounts of their own cash.

Michael and Jose also walk listeners through practical ways to find deals without a huge marketing budget. They discuss searching the MLS, building relationships with agents, networking at local RIAs, identifying pre-foreclosures, comping properties correctly, underwriting deals, door knocking, and approaching distressed homeowners with solutions instead of simply trying to buy their houses.

The episode is ultimately about using relationships, education, creative problem-solving, and access to capital to help more people close real estate deals.

Chapters

00:01 – Meet Jose Cortes
00:44 – From Wholesaling to Private Lending
00:59 – Jose's Real Estate Education
02:00 – Finding Deals Through Agents & the MLS
03:15 – Jose's First Fix-and-Flip
03:38 – Getting Into Airbnb Arbitrage
04:12 – Buying His First Long-Term Rental
05:00 – Why Jose Invested in Minnesota
05:42 – The Problem With Out-of-State Rentals
06:37 – Selling the Portfolio in 2024
07:00 – Why Jose Became a Private Money Lender
08:06 – EMD & Double-Close Funding
09:05 – Understanding Seller Carrybacks
11:50 – How Transactional Funding Works
12:48 – Why Investors Need Transaction Coordinators
14:53 – How to Find Your First Deal
17:00 – Jose's MLS Buy Box
19:27 – Find the Buyer Before the Deal
20:36 – How to Run Real Estate Comps
22:49 – Finding Distressed Properties
24:10 – Making Offers on MLS Deals
24:45 – Finding Pre-Foreclosure Leads
27:22 – How to Contact Homeowners
28:21 – Why Door Knocking Works
29:07 – Helping Sellers Instead of Just Buying Houses
31:11 – Funding Pre-Foreclosure Deals
31:45 – Helping a Homeowner Avoid Foreclosure
33:00 – How Fast Can Jose Fund a Deal?
35:41 – Jose's Favorite Business Books
38:03 – Free Funding & Underwriting Help
39:17 – Purpose Over Profit
40:53 – Connect With Jose

Connect With Jose Cortes

Jose Cortes

YouTube: @JosePurposeOverProfit
Instagram: @JosePurposeOverProfit
Facebook: Jose Cortes

Funding: joselensmoney.com

Email: [email protected]

Jose also has a digital business card containing his phone number, email, social profiles, and funding websites, which he offers to send to people who contact him.

Download your Free Resources now

Michael Hoang's free real estate resources:

MichaelBeSomeone Linktree

Connect With Michael Hoang

Michael Hoang

Instagram: @MichaelBeSomeone