Bruce Petersen is an award-winning real estate syndicator, TV personality, public speaker, and business coach based in Austin, Texas. Bruce’s portfolio of large apartment complexes is spread between Austin and San Antonio, and he has syndicated over 1100 units in less than eight years. Bruce and his wife own a management company and a construction company so they can oversee quality control throughout the entire process. But he didn’t even get into this business until he was forty-three. In the latest episode of Real Estate Investing for Professional Men and Women, Bruce shares his story and discusses some of the best practices that brought him immense success in the world of real estate investing.

Expanding into New Markets

Austin has seen tremendous growth since Bruce started in that market. The pricing continues to rise, but it is still a terrific area for investors if you use the right strategy. In the apartment syndication world, you aren’t affected by market fluctuations in the same way owner-occupants are affected by them. Bruce is also looking to expand into other markets as well, but there is a lot that goes into the decision. He is looking for landlord-friendly states with dynamic markets, as well as a net growth in population, wages, and jobs. Bruce recently opened his second management company in Nashville, Tennessee, which serves as a base of operations for tapping into the hot Southeastern markets.

Play the Long Game

Everything Bruce and his wife purchase has a target of a six to eight percent return in the first year because they are playing the long game. Many investors bank on appreciation and accept a negative cash flow for the first couple of years because they are anticipating it will go up. Instead, Bruce anticipates a potential downtown and prepares himself to ride it out. He might not be hitting any home runs that way, but he has a bulletproof portfolio that will payout for a long time. Bruce’s strategy coupled with extensive research and data gathering makes the transition into a hot new market relatively seamless. To learn more about Bruce’s investment strategy, listen to the latest episode of Real Estate Investing for Professional Men and Women.