Listen to the Episode (20:19)
Building good relationships with your investors is a must for Keisha. She believes that having a deal is a marriage.
You will be with them for several years, and creating that good environment for them ensures that they understand before investing in a deal.
Keishia is an army veteran with six years of service in the Army National Guard. During her enlistment, she was a Human Resource Specialist and also deployed to Kuwait as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. She has also pursued education by earning a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry as well as a second Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and a Master of Arts in Homeland Security.
Following her enlistment, she began investing in real estate in 2011 and has been expanding and managing her portfolio of properties for the past 10 years. In April 2021, she decided to take the next step on her entrepreneurial journey by founding Kennedy Remedy Investments. Kennedy Remedy Investments will focus on investing in commercial multi-family properties in Virginia, with plans to expand to other southeastern states.
[00:01] – [03:36] Opening Segment
- Keisha Kennedy focuses on multifamily real estate
- She started investing eleven years ago and has been successful so far.
- She is a passive investor who buys bank foreclosed properties and then invests in new multifamily properties
- Focusing on apartment investing and she thinks she can do it alone until she finds out about apartment syndication.
[03:37] – [15:32] How to Become a Limited Partner in Real Estate
- Keshia suggests educating yourself first before investing.
- Through syndication, a partner can have a faster growth rate than if they were to do it independently.
- General partner vs. Limited Partner: What’s the difference?
- General Partner is Active Investing
- Limited Partner is a Passive Investing
- Keisha does both
- Surrounding oneself with investors and picking deals based on personality
- Living the Luxury Life as a General Partner in Kuwait
- Keisha recommends becoming a general partner while living in a different country, giving you more perspective on the industry.
- Establishing good relationships with operators and investing in deals
- Keisha also shares how she started building her investor base
[15:33] – [18:26] Secrets to Keisha’s Success: Building Financial Freedom and generational wealth
- The key to Keisha’s success is credibility and building a brand
- She emphasizes the importance of time blocking and auditing one’s progress to ensure that they are making the most of their time
[18:27] – [20:17] Closing Segment
- Reach out to Keshia
- See links below
- Final words
Tweetable Quotes
“I believe in educating all of my investors first and foremost, prior to them investing in apartment syndication, because this is foreign investment for most. And a lot of people have never heard of it.” – Keisha Kennedy
“I built those relationships prior to investing with them. Because it’s just like a marriage. If you’re investing in a deal, you’re with them for X amount of years. As long as the deal makes sense, as long as the numbers pencil, and as long as I have that relationship built over. And I really look through the deal. Then I will go ahead and share that deal with my investors and ensure that they understand prior to investing in the deal.” – Keisha Kennedy
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Connect with Keisha Kennedy on Instagram and LinkedIn. Visit her website
you may download The Beginners’ Guide to Investing as A Limited Partner here:
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I love helping others place money outside of traditional investments that both diversify a strategy and provide solid predictable returns.
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Email me → sam@brickeninvestmentgroup.com
Want to read the full show notes of the episode? Check it out below:
[00:00:00] Keisha Kennedy: Massive action equals massive results. And because I’m putting in the work, that’s how I’m seeing the results
[00:00:16] Sam Wilson: Kesha Kennedy is the founder of Kennedy remedy investments. Her company focuses on building strong partnerships with fellow passive investors in multifamily. Keisha, welcome to the show. [00:00:26]Keisha Kennedy: Thank you for having me, Sam. I’m so excited to be here with you [00:00:30] Sam Wilson: today. Awesome. Glad to have you on the show. [00:00:32] Three questions. I ask every guest who comes on the show in 90 seconds or less. Where did you start? Where are you now? And how did you get. [00:00:39] Keisha Kennedy: Sure. I started investing about 11 years ago in the residential space and I have been still investing and I’m investing from a reside in a country called Kuwait. I am from Richmond, Virginia, and currently I help fellow investors invest in apartments through apartment syndication. [00:01:01] Sam Wilson: That is great. So 11 years ago you were investing in multi-verse give me a single. In what capacity were you buying them as turnkey properties? Were you buying them as, you know, buying them and managing yourself? What did that look like for you? [00:01:17] Keisha Kennedy: Yes. I started buying bank foreclosed properties, so. Those are no longer in existence, the prices that I was paying. [00:01:25] Right. And I was self-taught and I figured it out on my own. So my first property I paid $29,500 for it came with the lot next door. And I invested in this property in 2011. The property was built in 2010. So all I had to do was go in and pull up the flooring, lay down new flooring and stick a for rent, sign outside and figure it out. [00:01:49] Sam Wilson: Wow. It was a year old property you bought for $29,000. Now this was an REO or was this a foreclosure at the auction block? [00:01:58] Keisha Kennedy: Now this was the REO through the bank. Wow. And it came with the lot next door. [00:02:05] Sam Wilson: That’s crazy. That’s crazy. Why? 9,500 bucks you’ve replaced the flooring and put an REO or put a for rent sign out front. [00:02:13] Where did your business go? [00:02:15] Keisha Kennedy: Yes. And so the next year I said, man, this is pretty simple. Let me continue to grow and to invest in other properties. And so the following year I invested in another deal that was a bank foreclosure, and then continued the cycle. And then last year I decided to, I wanted to scale into apartments and I thought that I had to do it all alone. [00:02:36] And, but this. I’m not going to be, you know, I’m not gonna figure it out on my own. I’m not going to be self-taught. I went to educate myself. And so when I started educating myself through podcasts, reading books, blogs, and joining Facebook groups, I came across that little key term called apartment syndication and realized that, Hey, I can have a partner in scale much faster. [00:02:59] And so that has been the key to success to scale so fast within the last. [00:03:04] Sam Wilson: What do you, what were some things, you know, syndication is its own. It’s its own kind of sub world or subculture, if you will, because I was speaking to a very successful single family investor here in Memphis, then. You know, I don’t know, 800 a thousand homes. [00:03:19] And he goes, man, I still don’t understand syndication. I have no idea how that works. I mean, so there’s a lot of nuance to it, but I guess, were there some things that you thought that certain things had to be in place or worked in a certain way? That aren’t actually how they work? That once you figured it out, you’re like, oh wait, this is very different than. [00:03:36] Keisha Kennedy: Yeah. So I assumed of course that I had to be the one to sign my name on the loan and on the debt. And that is not the case and it’s called leverage. And that’s why I’m able to scale so fast. As I mentioned earlier through apartment indication and just, you know, as a general partner on a deal. Active in the deal. [00:03:58] Whereas a limited partner is passive in the deal. So limited partner investors, their capital, and the general partner is active. And so I have invested both as a limited partner and an active partner as a general partner. And so I’m getting the best of both worlds at this point. [00:04:18] Sam Wilson: Right, right. Yeah. [00:04:20] You said you mentioned something about signing on debt. I mean, as a general partner, You are signing on the debt in some capacity, whether or not it’s recourse or non-recourse is, you know, I got something else to talk about. So is that one of the things you’ve I mean, when you say leverage via syndications for the debt side of things is that what you mean by that? [00:04:38] Where you’re able to bring in other partners that can help you take it down and sign on the debt? [00:04:43] Keisha Kennedy: Correct? Correct. So we have key principles and sponsors that bring the net worth to the deal. Right. And so that’s what I meant by not myself, me personally, I do not have to sign on the debt just yet. I’m still building my net worth and eventually I will, but I’m so blessed to partner up with people that are willing to sponsor and be a general partner and a key principle [00:05:04] Sam Wilson: in the deal. [00:05:05] Right, right. Yeah. That’s necessary, absolutely necessary bringing on either a balance sheet. Or KPI’s that have the net worth to to make the deal go around. That’s a that’s really cool. How did you get involved in your first deal? And tell me about that experience, that process, why you decided that was the deal for you deal as you passed on. [00:05:24] Give us, they’ll tell us about the first deal first. Then we’ll talk about deals. Maybe you’ve passed. [00:05:28] Keisha Kennedy: Yeah, absolutely. So I’ll tell you about my first limited partner deal that I invested in on. And then I can also tell you about the first co GP deal that embassy and on. So the first limited partner deal was located in Richmond, Virginia. [00:05:43] I am from that area. And so that was the first deal I invested in a year ago, back in may of last year. And so I was still new to the commercial space. However, I had to educate myself and understand the terms, cause it’s just like speaking a second language. And so I already knew the market. I knew where I was going. [00:06:03] I just had to understand how the numbers, you know, work in the commercial space. And so. I consider it a home run because you invest your capital in the deal. After two years, there was a cash out refi. So I was getting a hundred percent of my invested capital back. And then I was still remaining in the deal until it’s, it sells, you know, between year five and seven. [00:06:28] And then there was an exit strategy. One of the exit strategies is to sell each unit as. A condo. And so this was a, no-brainer already had the capital just sitting in my account and I wanted to make my money work for me and test out how it, you know, the perspective of being a limited partner since eventually I wanted to become a general partner. [00:06:49] And so I was really excited about the deal I’m from the area. And I knew that I would, you know, get my money back in two years. So that was a no-brainer and I consider that a home run for my first limited partner [00:07:01] Sam Wilson: investment. Has that deal [00:07:03] gone as you expected? [00:07:06] Keisha Kennedy: Yes, it has. It has. And that has also allowed me to invest in other deals. [00:07:12] So the first deal I invested in was 27 units in Richmond, Virginia. the home run deal that I just mentioned. The second deal I invested in was in Florence, Kentucky that same month in may of last year, 81 units followed by two more deals, which was student housing in July. [00:07:28] So 19 units in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and then 24 units in Columbia, South Carolina. And those four deals I invested passively as a limited partner. And then fast forward to October, I had my first opportunity as a co GP on 56 units in Waco, Texas. So this time I was more active in the deal, so I helped raise capital and then I also helped asset manage. [00:07:55] So that was my first coach GP opportunity alongside I also invested as an LP and a month ago we close on 120 units in Des Moines. And I invested both as a GP and as a LP. And currently we are working on 174 units in Tulsa, Oklahoma. So I’m really excited about that. Followed by a couple of other deals that we have in the pipeline. [00:08:22] So a lot has transpired within the last year. And again, I am investing from Kuwait outside of the country. So I hope this inspires you along your journey, whether you’re on a journey or you’re thinking about investing in real estate and just remember me that I am investing outside of the U S and if I can do it and make it happen. [00:08:42] So can you [00:08:43] Sam Wilson: bright? Yeah, absolutely. I love the I love the starting as a passive investor first. I feel like that’s where a lot of people should start. Cause they ask me all the time, Hey, what’s the, you know, if I want to kind of grow bigger, it gets, you know, do some bigger assets. I would say start as a passive investor, like start there. [00:09:01] I mean, assuming you have the capital to do so to great way to learn. Early on and get a front row seat to how deals are packaged up. The things that people are doing, the investor communication styles, like you get to learn so much, it’s a pay to play program. Yeah. But it’s also pay get paid to play program. [00:09:18] So, it’s not a bad way to do it, especially if you’re halfway around the world. [00:09:24] Keisha Kennedy: Yes. I love how you put that in. And I also highly recommended as well. You know, a lot of people want to be so eager to jump into the general partner role. And I advise, you know, the same thing, go ahead and learn from an LP perspective. [00:09:40] So that way, when you are a GP, you can speak about your experience and that also builds credibility. [00:09:47] Sam Wilson: Yeah, well, for sure. And you get to see, , what other sponsors are seeing, what they’re thinking, why, , why have they chosen to invest in this particular market or this particular asset? [00:09:58] And I think those, all of those are just little and again, none of it’s going to be the thing that’s oh, this is the pivotal moment, but it’s going to be all the little building blocks that help you along the way. How did you select. Your general partners to be a limited partner with, out of the gate. [00:10:15] I mean, that’s five different, , student housing in Scranton, Pennsylvania is not the same as an 81 unit in Florence, Kentucky. Those are very different asset classes that I’m imagining with different options. [00:10:26] Keisha Kennedy: Yes, absolutely. So out of the first four deals that I invested in as a limited partner, three of them are under the same operator. [00:10:35] And two of the student housing is under the, is with the first operator that I invested in at, from Richmond, Virginia. So. My thing is about relationships. Whether I’m eliminate partner or a general part, I’m going to make sure that I like no interest the operator. And I felt comfortable after the first deal. [00:10:55] So I was even more comfortable investing in the two student housing deals as well. [00:11:00] Sam Wilson: Got it. So they were the same operator. That’s really interesting. How did you have competence in this operator for student housing and multi-family apartments? I mean, cause again student housing, especially seems like a much more nuanced nuanced assets. [00:11:15] Keisha Kennedy: Yeah. Yeah. So both of the operators actually have experienced on the residential side and in smaller multifamily units as well. One of them in particular came from the hotel industry. So I was able to leverage his experience and, you know, believe in him. It’s all about trust, like it, knowing who you are investing with prior to investing in the deal. [00:11:37] Right. So. I was comfortable in deploying capital in the deal. The deal made sense. I did my due diligence, the numbers worked. And so I executed and I’m so proud that I did because man, the returns on that, because you know, you get to charge per bed versus, you know, three bedroom, two bedroom in some really excited when both of those deals exit. [00:12:00] Sam Wilson: Yeah, no, that’s really cool. I love that. And now let’s talk about the general partnership side of things. I mean becoming a general partner while living in Kuwait and working as, you know, as a, you’re a veteran working as a military contractor. I mean, at what hour of the day are you doing this? And then how are you making sure that what you’re packaging up and bringing to your investor group is the right answer. [00:12:26] Keisha Kennedy: Yeah. So I am seven hours currently. I’m seven hours ahead of Eastern standard time. So right now, as we record this podcast, it is [7:19] PM here. So the time difference is crazy. I’ll be honest. There are some nights where I’m up late. Early in the morning and even up in the middle of the night, but it’s how bad do you want it? [00:12:48] Massive action equals massive results. And because I’m putting in the work, that’s how I’m seeing the results all the way from another country again. And so I have to balance and manage my time. I do a lot of time blocking. I do time auditing as well. I’m a big believer in also working out I’m a bodybuilder. [00:13:09] So I find discipline in that and it helps me, as far as like my mental health and relieve stress and things like that. So if I can beat myself mentally and the gym, then I can, you know, face anything when it comes to adversity and challenges in life. And so the military has also taught me to be disciplined and, you know, go after what I want. [00:13:31] So. I believe in educating all of my investors first and foremost, prior to them investing in apartment syndication, because this is a foreign investment for most. And a lot of people have never heard of it. I didn’t even hear about it. And so last year to be honest, so I educated myself and so I want to educate my investors first and foremost. [00:13:51] And so I ensure that the deal makes sense. And it’s something that I personally wants to invest in. And once the deal does make sense. And I built that relationship to work with other general partners in the deal, because I built those relationships prior to investing with them. Because it’s just like a marriage. [00:14:08] If you’re investing in a deal, you’re with them for X amount of years. And so as long as the deal makes sense, as long as the numbers pencil, and as long as I have that relationship builds over. And I really look through the deal. Then I will go ahead and share that deal with my investors and ensure that they understand prior to investing in the deal. [00:14:31] And again, this is happening all the way from Kuwait outside of the U S but I’m investing in the U [00:14:36] Sam Wilson: S how has that worked for you? So now this is a lot of questions, or, you know, especially if those are scaling the question of how am I going to raise capital? How am I going to build an investor base? How have you gone about building an investor base? [00:14:52] Keisha Kennedy: Yeah. So I started with zero emails again. I started last year and I have an email list of over 600 people and it took some time. It did take some time. It took a lot of work. I post every day on social media. So I use that platform to educate, inspire, and motivate as many people as possible. And so, because I am speaking about my real estate journey, I am attracting investors on a daily basis. [00:15:23] I am also using a lead magnet. And then I’ll also mention previously that I had. So every month I have an educational webinar. I started this back in January. And so I have guest speakers that come and, you know, educate my investors on different topics like this month, tomorrow, actually, we’re speaking about infinite banking. [00:15:43] Back in January, we spoke about leveraging your self-directed IRA and being able to invest in apartments. You know, the next month we had spoke about investing in apartment syndication and just walking through investors on. How they can invest pass Libby passively in a syndication through a sample deal. [00:16:02] So again, I started with zero investors a year ago. I am constantly being requested to come speak on podcasts because people are blown away by how am I investing from Kuwait in the U S and it’s all about credibility, you know, building your brand. And then I’m basically just using social media as a platform to, as I mentioned earlier, to educate, inspire, and motivate, and just speak about my personal journey in real estate. [00:16:33] Sam Wilson: I love it. That is awesome. Yeah. And I love the idea of time blocking time auditing, and then just saying, Hey, how you know, what was your question? You said earlier, how bad do you want it? And I think that’s the question that many need to answer when they’re not seeing. Not seeing results as well. [00:16:48] How bad do you want it? And then take the necessary. So, you know, get in the middle of the night and doing a webinar, I’m sure is not priority, you know? Cause I guess that’d be, especially if you have people in the, all, you know, you’re doing a seven o’clock or [6:00] PM webinar here in the central standard time. [00:17:03] That means you’re up at one in the morning or no, it’d be two in the morning for you hosting a webinar. [00:17:09] Keisha Kennedy: Exactly, but it goes back to Sam. It goes back to your why, you know, why am I doing this? I’m doing this to not only help myself, but to help others build financial freedom, generational wealth, you know, educating fellow veterans. [00:17:24] And you know, my, my target investors are fellow veterans because I’m a veteran. My father was a veteran, my grandfather, my great uncles. And then also minorities. There aren’t many mines. Minorities in this space, especially women. And so I am being the voice to help others, you know, to acknowledge and let them know that, Hey, I started from nothing and you can as well. [00:17:47] And so just helping, bridging that, that wealth gap and continue to inspire, educate, and motivate others. I love it [00:17:55] Sam Wilson: . I love it. Yeah, that’s absolutely awesome. You know, that the idea that anybody can do, this is just something that people certainly need to hear. I had an interview with somebody else earlier this morning, and it was nine years ago. [00:18:06] They moved to the U S with 180 bucks in this. And now he owns like $40 million in real estate. It’s like, okay. He goes, Hey man. You know what? Nine years ago I had nothing. I was broke. But if I can do it, so can you, so that’s really cool. Keisha, thank you for taking the time to come on today and tell us what the secrets to your success. [00:18:25] And it sounds like a lot of it is. They get it done. You put your nose to the grindstone, figure out your plan and go implement it. And you’ve given us a lot of things here really, to think about. So certainly appreciate that if our listeners want to get in touch with you or learn more about you, what is the best way to do. [00:18:40] Keisha Kennedy: Yes. So I have a free guide. It’s the beginner’s guide to investing as a limited partner in apartment syndication. So if this message earlier resonated with you, feel free to get it from my website at www of course dot Kennedy, like the president, K E N E D Y. Remedy, R E M E D Y. Investments with an S. [00:19:02] So Kennedy remedy investments.com backslash. We are the remedy to your investment. So that’s the first thing. And then the second thing is to reach out to me on LinkedIn. I love getting on phone calls and getting to, you know, getting to know my future and fellow investors. And you can find me on LinkedIn Kesha. [00:19:23] K E I S H I A Kennedy. And I am also on Instagram, so Kennedy remedy. And then of course on Facebook, we have Kennedy remedy investment. So feel free to reach out and I would love to connect with each and every one [00:19:38] Sam Wilson: of you. It’s a lot of great ways to connect with you and we’ll make sure that we also put those in the show notes, Kennedy, excuse me, Kennedy Collie. [00:19:45] He got me saying Kennedy. The last thing you said Keisha, thank you for coming on the show today. I certainly appreciate that. [00:19:51] Keisha Kennedy: And thank you for having me. It was a blessed.
