Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Eford and Felicia Cameron. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Back in high school, Felicia was introduced to real estate investors by her mother who was an entrepreneur. She had plenty of on-the-job training with contractors, real estate agents and architects. Brandon was always business minded growing up. He wanted to create a better life, financially, for his family than what they had been accustomed too.
During college at the University of Central Florida, Brandon and Felicia realized that they had similar goals and ambitions. The two began their journey in real estate through wholesaling residential properties to buyers interested in the Central Florida area. Over a decade later, they have dove full force into the real estate field. In 2019, Eford Investments, LLC was founded by the two. Felicia also acquired her real estate associate’s license. Eford Investments currently own multifamily properties throughout Tennessee. They also manage 14 beachfront vacation rentals in Florida.
They have learned a lot over the years about dedication and perseverance through working W2 jobs and overcoming the curve balls that life tends to throw at us all. Eford Investments’ ultimate objective is to buy and hold commercial multifamily properties to generate long-term passive income. They then utilize the capital from real estate to help fund other properties and business ventures, give back to their community, and help create generational wealth.
In addition to real estate, Brandon and Felicia currently own a digital marketing agency, REP Ad Agency. Real estate investing has also funded their partial ownership in Pop’s Sop Shop (a family-owned soursop tea company); and Around the Dinner Table (a culinary incubator program/cookbook). They are currently working on the start of other business ventures and continue to contribute their resources back into the community through non-profit organizations like the Darcy J Foundation and the Way of Hope Ministries.
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?
The road to entrepreneurship has been a bumpy one. We joined a real estate investment group, where we were given modules to learn from, access to a very large network of investors, and provided a mentor who has been in the real estate business for over 20 years. However, after a few months, our mentor actually conned us, and we lost money on a potential venture! In business, and life in general, these things can happen, so we just take it as a lesson learned. Now, when it comes to partnering in any business endeavor we only work with trustworthy people.
We initially thought that once everything opened back up after the shutdowns, we would be ready to roll and have cash flow to run our business. It turns out we were wrong. We planned on acquiring two to three additional multifamily properties at that time, but several of our markets of interest were being greatly overpriced. Also, at that time, we had partners, but no employees, therefore we did not qualify for the PPE loans from the government. Being an entrepreneur means wearing many hats, so we had to tend to other means while the market was down. In addition to being a licensed real estate agent, Felicia is also an elementary school educator. Last year, she planned on resigning and working the investment company full time. Instead, she returned to teaching while working on real estate on the side. In addition to the continuous search for potential real estate deals, Brandon manages their other businesses and has a couple of side hustles as well.
Even in today’s society, discrimination tends to rear its ugly head at times. Throughout our journey, we have been deprived of opportunities with brokers, other investors, and lenders, banks specifically. Other real estate “professionals” have outright lied to us about properties that we were interested in. Brandon once made a phone call to tour a property and was told the property was no longer for sale. A few minutes later, we had a Caucasian friend call the same broker regarding the same exact property, and they were scheduled for a tour of the property for the very next day! This is just one example of the prejudice that we have experienced in the past. Nonetheless, these obstacles are just that. We will always remain positive and professional. We look forward to connecting with anyone, and everyone, who shares our passion for real estate in addition to maintaining professional ethics and values.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Eford Investments, LLC.?
Eford Investments was founded with a single mission: to solve problems in all aspects of Real Estate. Our team carefully evaluates potential deals to provide the highest quality results for our communities and residents while maximizing financial gains for our investing partners.
Furthermore, with the recent boom in the short-term rental market, this upward spike doesn’t seem to be fading anytime soon. Thus, Eford Investments also has an active hand in the Florida vacation rental scene, as well as an extensive knowledge of market trends through research and analysis.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Upon deciding to open our real estate investment business, immediately we were hit with the COVID pandemic. Originally, we were educating ourselves further on the ins and outs of the business through attended meetups and seminars. With the pandemic came the quarantine phase, which resulted in the networking that is so crucial as an entrepreneur being altered. We had to adjust to make our first impressions through emails, phone calls, and zoom meetings. Certain aspects of the business, such as capital raising and construction, slowed up for a few months, but overall, we fared well.
Looking at the glass half full, we were nonetheless grateful for the time that the pandemic gave us. We were able to hone in on our craft, attend virtual trainings at our own pace, and get all the behind the scenes business stuff set up. Throughout this time, we discovered that you will continuously come across small obstacles in real estate. Therefore, it is important to always continue to educate yourself through reading and networking.
Contact Info:
- Email: services@efordinvest.com
- Website: www.efordinvest.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/efordinvestments/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EfordInvestmentsLLC/?ref=py_c
