Meet Isaiah Henry of First Position Real Estate

Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaiah Henry.

Hi Isaiah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo, ON Canada) with a degree and found myself with a nice government job in law enforcement… I thought I was set, I did everything I was told to do but when I mapped out my future the thought of working 30+ years for someone else did not seem like a path I wanted to pursue.

Don’t get me wrong, I was grateful for what I had but I knew there was more out for me and my future family.

I was always involved in business and had a lot of different side hustles growing up from a t-shirt business, selling pop and chips out of my locker at school, and most notably my first aid company. Although these businesses were fun and profitable they were not helping me build the wealth that I wanted for my future.

With my entrepreneurial mind always on the hunt for something new, I stumbled across an ad in the paper for a new build condo. At this point, I had never considered real estate to be a business or wealth-building strategy but I was interested nonetheless.

I took that ad from the paper, showed it to my dad, and explained to him that I was going to buy a house this weekend. I still remember his face when I said those words to him… pure shock. However, even in his state of shock both my mom and dad were supportive of the idea. That Saturday morning we all drove into Toronto and I put the deposit down on my first real estate property.

Fast forward a few years… I now have my own real estate investment company, I have engaged with high-level coaches and mentors in the industry, I have successfully executed multiple real estate investment strategies in multiple geographic markets and I continue to expand my network to better serve my investment partners and others in the real estate community.

My company, First Position Real Estate helps government employees invest in real estate so that they can build wealth and retire early. It has been amazing to see the growth in myself and my company over the last few years. As I continue to grow I am excited to work with new investment partners and help more people build the life of their dreams.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Building a business, especially a real estate business has been far from a smooth road. Here are some of the challenges I have dealt with along the way.

Tenant issues – As a landlord, no one will care for a property the way you would and as a result, there have been many times when my tenants and I do not see eye to eye. Whether it is a disagreement on a maintenance item or a disconnect on a legislative policy regarding their tenancy, struggles with tenants will always have to be overcome when building a real estate business.

Through successful partnerships, education and empathy I believe I have done a great job mitigating these issues and as a result, I have built better relationships with my tenants as well as vendors involved in the upkeep of a property.

Being at a distance – While other real estate investors invest close to home or where they live I have chosen to revolve my strategy around long-distance investing. Although there are many benefits to investing hours from where you live there are also a lot of struggles. Completing property walkthroughs, maintenance calls, and the speed at which you can complete tasks are only a few challenges I face as a long-distance investor.

However, becoming an expert in the market where I invest has helped me mitigate a lot of these risks and challenges. As a result, my investment partners have found great value in working with me as I continue to grow and scale the business.

Renovations – One of the main strategies that I use in my real estate business incorporates strategic renovations to the property. Sometimes the renovations are quick and easy while other times they are vast and complex. No matter how you slice it the renovations have been a big challenge while growing the business.

Things like coordinating contractors, financing materials, and getting permits from the city are only a few examples of struggles I have had to overcome. With a strong team and an open mind, I have been able to overcome these challenges and successfully complete multiple renovations on a number of different properties.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about First Position Real Estate?
I help government employees invest in real estate so they can build wealth and retire early

At First Position Real Estate, I source and acquire distressed, mismanaged, or under-rented properties (Single Family or Small Multi-Family) and add value to them by way of strategic renovations, automated management, and rental increases which translate into generational wealth for my investment partners.

At First Position Real Estate, I strive to provide high-quality housing solutions for community members, clients and investors while adding valuable, attractive, and stable investment opportunities for my partners with a focus on generational wealth.

I am most proud of the Student Co-op Program and The First Position Real Estate Scholarship Awards

I want people to know that investing in real estate does not have to be scary. When working with an expert, like myself, an investment in real estate can change the wealth trajectory for you and your family. By investing for the long term with solid fundamentals I am excited about helping others build their wealth and earn an early retirement.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Investing in real estate comes with its own set of risks but I think I have taken it a step further with long-distance investing. Most of the properties I invest in I have never seen physically and as a result, there is an inherent risk in investing this way.

With this being, said becoming an expert in real estate investing as well as an expert in the geographic area you invest in helps to mitigate these risks. Together with ongoing education, a commitment to relationship building, and an abundance mindset the risks of long-distance real estate investing can translate to major wealth creation.

In regards to the concept of risk, I believe everything has risk. Driving a car on a highway has risk, having a single source of income comes with risk and of course, real estate investing has risk. The reason some choose some risks over others is their ability to control or mitigate those risks.

People mitigate the driving risk by taking driving lessons, following the rules, and buying safer vehicles while I mitigate the risk of real estate investing with education, leverage, and relationships. All things have risk, the question is how are you going to mitigate the risk?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://first-position-real-estate.mailchimpsites.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmrhenry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FirstPositionRealaEstate
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtVOJ9REWeazii4UBQ-XGpw/featured