real estate investor
My parents did real estate, but they never really talked about it. hey speak Spanish; they don’t know any English. So, they just ran into accidental real estate right around when the market crashed in ‘08.
I graduated from Dieruff. You know, I did OK in high school, but I really became a better college student. The Allentown School District, you know, obviously there’s concerns there. But you know, we made the best that we could, and Allentown ultimately, I just love what’s happening. If you look at all the surrounding buildings right now, this is a great place to be.
You know, I was reading The Morning Call maybe like a couple weeks ago. It’s projected that a hundred thousand people are gonna move to the Lehigh Valley within the next 10 years. So, I just want a piece of that.
Right now, I’m at 20 doors that consist of three different properties. One is a five-unit, one is a four, and I have another 10.
You have to initiate the change that you want to see. And to me, I wanna invest, like I have a building I’m doing now. It’s gonna be higher-end living, but I actually want to focus on developing affordable housing and having these workshops.
Like the violence, you know, the robbery. And it starts with the kids, like the youth, the high schools, the middle schools, like I think it does in the Allentown School District. I’m a product of the Allentown School District. And I think that there has to be more of an emphasis on the opportunities out there. You don’t have to resort to violence. You don’t have to resort to crime. You know, there are workshops and they are really starting more volunteer programs and allowing the community to catch up. This is a beautiful place.
You know, it’s definitely a place that I want to have my kids grow up in. I think there are just a lot of beautiful things happening, ‘cause essentially real estate is like an ecosystem. So, you build a building that means more jobs. The PPL arena created more jobs for people. And I take part in being able to provide people with housing.
You need everybody to do their own things and certain things require a path. But if my son tells me, “Hey, I want to be like you,” I’ll be like, all right, let’s talk about it.”
I’m definitely gonna want my kids to pick up and surpass me, so by the time I have a son or daughter and I have 50 units or a hundred units, I want them to have a thousand. Why not? You know? Cause when I start from nothing, they’re gonna have a little bit of an edge. I don’t want them to be stuck up or spoiled, but I want them to have a healthy balance.
You know, your first school comes from home. And that’s what I see. I want my kids to learn from me first, but then I also want them to go to a place where they get the most that they can.
I want to be successful in every area of life, spiritually, as a family man, you know, health-wise, everything because that’s ultimately the legacy that you leave behind is who you are as a person. And I want to be great.
I’m grateful, but not satisfied.
Interviewed by Madeline Anders ‘25, Fiona Doherty ‘24, and Elizabeth Rosario ‘24. Photo by Joe Romano ’23
