Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Middleton.
Hi Jessica, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got started in real estate back in 2006. I bought my first house then. Looking back, I made so many mistakes. I was young, I didn’t know the questions to ask, and nobody really guided me during that buying process. My roommate gave me this book on private mortgages. I had zero knowledge of anything real estate. No one in my family was in real estate and I was going to school to be a veterinarian. After reading the book, my interest was piqued. I also got introduced to Robert Kiyosaki. I read all of his books and just became mesmerized with the whole concept he was teaching. I was hooked.
In 2008 I bought my first multifamily property. I bit off way more than I could chew. I bought it from a slum lord, inherited really bad tenants, & inherited deplorable deferred maintenance. It was a lot and probably not a deal anyone would recommend for someone so new to the game.
Anyhow, I jumped all in and learned so much, I failed forward and eventually turned the property around. I honestly think that deal is what propelled me in my journey because I was so involved in everything. I was wearing all the hats- doing the cleanup, doing the evictions, collecting rent, managing the property, etc. So by doing those things, the amount of knowledge I gained from the hands-on experience was absolutely incredible. It led me to join local real estate groups and submerge myself in learning more and networking with as many people as I could.
I eventually gravitated towards learning more about distressed properties-foreclosures, tax delinquencies, probate etc. I learned all about them, what the processes were, and what ultimately happened to the properties and the owners for each scenario.
In the beginning I was so nervous to meet or talk with the owners. I would hear these horror stories from investors alike and how the owners would yell at them, curse them out, threaten them, etc. I gotta say it almost deterred me. But, listening to them, I knew their approach. They focused on the deal and the money at hand with pushy tactics and their pitch was all the same. “My offer is all cash, we close quickly,” bla bla bla.
To me, it was disrespectful and not very personable. I mean some of these families were losing their homes. So, I approached it with a different intent. I asked them about their story, listened to what they wanted from the situation, and from there I could form a plan of action. Yes, I still got cursed out, yelled at, etc but it was way less than the other investors. It also probably wasn’t the best business model because I lost a lot of deals! Once these owners learned about other options, they would explore them and ultimately, wouldn’t have to sell right away or have to sell at all. I did get referrals from them tho!
I had met with and learned a ton from other wholesalers, flippers, investors, but I knew I didn’t want to be like any of them. They were snakes. Not all of them, but most. They were just after the deal and the money. While I understand this is a business and the ultimate goal is to make money, I just wanted to go about it the right way.
My mom and dad got divorced when I was in 4th grade. Our house fell into foreclosure. I remember being so upset that we had to leave our home. Of course, due to my age, I couldn’t understand the entire story of what was happening, but as an adult I knew no one helped my mom. No one gave her a lifeline and said “hey you may have some alternative options here let’s explore them” So I feel for these families. To an extent-I know what they are going through. Yes, most of them need to sell so they don’t have a foreclosure on their credit, so we give them that relief and buy their property and everyone moves on. But quite often I come across homeowners that inherit a property that’s about to go to auction and they want to stop the sale, but they don’t know how. Or a homeowner that has a ton of equity in their house that’s scheduled for auction. Their plan was to walk away because they had no idea that they could sell it before the sale!
So, every deal I come across, my priority is the seller. I ask them 3 things. 1) What is their story? What is their situation? 2) What do they want or need to do? 3) What’s next? Are they selling to buy another house? Are they going to rent? My goal here is to get an aerial perspective as to what’s going on so I can help formulate a plan to move forward.
So that’s how and why I got into real estate. In 2017 I got my real estate license. I never aspired to be a real estate agent. Somewhere along the way an investor told me I should get licensed, so I did. I dabbled in being a buyer/seller rep, didn’t really enjoy it. That pathway was very boring to me. I’m a problem solver and an investor at heart. I love tackling problems and figuring out solutions.
In 2018, I started Particular Properties with the primary focus of working with distressed sellers. Homeowners that were facing foreclosure, tired landlords that were done dealing with tenants and repairs, and families that were going through probate and maybe wanted to sell their inherited property. It’s where my heart is and it’s what I do best.
In 2022 I got my Broker’s license and still have to this day.
Fast forward to present day-Particular Properties is a woman owned business that focuses on working closely with homeowners that are in tough situations. Our goal is to gather the info we need about their specific situation, cover any options they may have, and then create a plan to move forward.
We close on our own deals. We never put anything under contract we can’t close on. I think transparency is a beautiful thing and everyone should know exactly what they are getting into. We buy houses, multifamily, mobile homes and we’re starting to get into land. Due to our network, we can work the entire state of Florida, but our primary buying focus is in Central Florida. We love what we do, and I think it shows through our work 😊
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
So many struggles! Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. It takes grit, dedication, hope, faith, & consistency. All the things. Ultimately you have to love what you are doing so it doesn’t feel like work.
Obstacles and challenges: I think in the beginning when I first started out, it was having the courage and confidence to work with a homeowner. You’re not dealing with just a pile of papers. You’re dealing with someone losing their home. Or you’re dealing with someone who’s lost a family member and they’re in probate and they’re stressed out to the max.
Other challenges: I’d say scaling is hard. Building a winning team is hard. And keeping the flow of deals coming in is hard and expensive!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I covered most of this in the previous section, but I am a licensed real estate professional. I specialize in working with homeowners that are in distress. So, homeowners that are going through foreclosure, have liens, are going through probate, or just need to sell and cannot or do not want to sell the traditional route with a realtor. I’ve worked with hoarding situations, divorce, tired landlords, & condemned properties. You name it we probably have experience with it!
What am I know for?
I think I’m known for my character. I’m not your traditional sales rep. I do not push owners to sell sell sell. For instance. Cash offers are not for everyone. And at times they can be an insult if you are just throwing around low ball offers just to get a deal. You’re going to end up with some really upset homeowners.
Instead of starting off with a cash offer I get to know the owners and listen to what they are going through. What do they want or need? Once I have a clear understanding of their situation we can go over their options.
For example, a homeowner that is about to lose their home to a foreclosure auction is going to prefer the quick cash offer so they can possibly save their credit from having a foreclosure on it, and may even be able to walk away with some cash in their pocket.
Or you may have a homeowner that is not in a hurry sell, their home is in great condition, and they just want the “see” what a cash offer looks like. This type of owner is most likely going to be offended by the cash offer. They will be more interested in other options like listing their house with a Realtor.
Whatever the situation is, being transparent on the course of action is crucial. By explaining the process and laying out the information beforehand it puts the owner in the driver’s seat and allows them to decide how they want to move forward. Whether they sell via a cash offer or we list their property, it makes no difference to me. I just want them to make the right decision for them and their family.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I love about Orlando: We sandwiched between two great coasts! I love the beach and am so thankful to have the beautiful beaches like Treasure Island, Saint Pete and Anna Maria on one side and Cocoa, New Smyrna and Flagler on the other. I love having that opportunity. I also love our springs. We have some remarkable waterways that not many visitors know about. These too are a short drive from Central Florida.
What I dislike about Orlando: Our infrastructure is not built to withstand the growing population. There is a huge problem here and the rippling effects are tremendous. Our government needs to pause the growth and tackle our roads that have become unsafe and overcrowded leading to angry, upset drivers, speeding, wrecks and more.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.flpropertybuyer.com
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/particularpropertiesllc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ParticularProperties
Image Credits
Jessica Middleton
