Transcript of Rich Younglord | Bridging Music and Real Estate: Insights from Rich Younglord

I tell sales people that all the time. Referrals are the shortest sales cycle you'll ever have.

Referrals are real. So always treat people good. Always do the best thing in a situation.

Your why might be your kids, but your because is the reason that your kids are your why. And so my because is to always fulfill promises. Right. Because I never wanna let someone down. Right?

Like, when people depend on you, you never wanna let them down.

So I think my because is to balance the books.

1 of the things I love about music producers is this right here, Rich. You get to work with people that have crazy cool egos. So what was it like working with Biggie and LL and Beyonce and DMX and all those folks?

Well, I'll say this, you know, Latoya's B. I. G. Didn't listen to anybody. He knew what he was doing, and he did it.

What's 1 of the projects you're most proud of?

I can't give you 1 record, but 1 thing I'm super proud of is growing up.

Welcome to Mick Unplugged, where we ignite potential and fuel purpose. Get ready for raw insights, bold moves, and game changing conversations. Buckle up. Here's Mick.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged. And today's guest is a Grammy nominated producer whose music journey began at 16 years old, shaping what we know of hip hop and r and b with legends like the Notorious B. I. G, LL Cool J, Beyonce, DMX, and so many more. But now he's a successful entrepreneur.

He's a legend and mogul in the real estate game. I want y'all to give it up for my man, Rich Young Lord. Rich, how are you doing today, bro?

Hey. What's up, man? How are you feeling?

Hey. I am trying to live in your shoes, man. I am trying

to live in your shoes.

Man, so, you know, all those accolades, man, working with so many of the who's who in the hip hop and r and b game. Starting at 16, man, like, when did you know that was gonna be a thing and and a part of your journey?

Man, I I didn't know it was gonna be a part of my journey. You know, when, growing up, I remember going to a party. I was probably about 13. My mom had this this party, and I have a cousin. He went to Harvard Law School, and he came back to the party with this girl that he was dating from the law school.

And she was, like, up to that point, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. So in my mind, I was like, I gotta go to Harvard Law School. You know, that was that was my plan. And then, when I went to high school, I, met this girl, and I was trying to get her phone number. I was walking her to the bus, and after she left, this guy was, like, watching me.

He he came up to me. He said, hey, man. Is is is that your girlfriend? So I was like, yeah. You know, wishful thinking.

And he said, man, you have great taste. He said, are you into music? And I was like, yeah. Sure. And, he gave me his card.

He said he owned the studio around the corner, and I was welcome to come by whenever I want. And I took him up on his offer, and he was a legitimate player in the music business. He gave us great clout, and he had a partner named Tony Dofat, who was also, like, a prominent producer at the time. And Yeah. Tony was producing Heavy B's, Blue Funk album, and Mary j Blige's remix of the 4 1 1 album.

And I got to sit in those sessions and, you know, then I got the bug, then it was all about music from then. So it was really right timing. There you go. Yeah.

There you go. So 1 of the things I love about music producers is this right here, Rich. You get to work with people that have crazy cool egos, and you, as a producer, have to tell them what to do. Right? And and sometimes you have to tell them, no.

That ain't it. Right? So so what was it like working with Biggie and LL and Beyonce and DMX and all those folks? Like, at 16, and then them having to listen to you, right, behind the glass, as we like to say.

Well, I'll say this. You know, Latoya's B. I. G. Didn't listen to anybody.

He he he knew what he was doing, and he did it. You know? You just kinda sat and watched with him, especially, you know, when I was around him. But LL Cool J, there's a reason why he's been able to stay consistent and be successful is because he encourages direction. He wants to hear your point of view.

He wants to hear what you're thinking to help him, and I think that's what allowed him to have success in so many different decades as he's, he welcomes that production, you know. And I I really appreciated that with him. And he actually taught me so many skills that allowed me to not only produce other great people, but deal with people in life, period. You know, he he man, I'm so thankful for my time with him, and it was, oh, man. It was just such a great experience.

And then another really cool thing is early on, I got to meet babyface, and I got to sit in a bunch of his sessions. We did his New York sessions for the Waiting to Excel soundtrack. I got to sit in his sessions and watch how he communicated with the artist. So you see, like, somebody like Diddy who was always, like, screaming at people, yelling at people. Babyface is very quiet.

He's very, like, cool. But Yeah. Don't let that fool you because you the power is still the power. So he'll be calm, and he'll he'll he'll whip you. You wouldn't even know you whipped, you know, but he didn't raise his voice.

But it it he got the message across, and I I loved it. And I think that that I kind of went that direction. You know?

So let's talk about those 2, the the lessons and mentorship you got from LL and Babyface. Because, you know, LL said something recently, and I totally agree. He probably is the most important person to hip hop or in hip hop. And I would say Babyface is probably the most important person to R and B. So Mhmm.

What are a couple of things that you learned from both LL and Face?

Alright. So let's start with LL. So we were working on some songs. And this 1 song, we wanted KC and Jojo to sing the hook on. And, you know, they were hot as fish grease at this time.

Yeah. And they came in the studio, and I couldn't give them direction. They would not take direction from me. You know, I would say, hey. I want I want it done this way, and they wanna do it a whole different way.

And they came in intoxicated, the the the total, like, worst scenario that you can imagine.

Mhmm.

And LL could see that I was drowning. You know what I'm saying? So he put me to the side. He's like, look. I'm a show you how to deal with situations like this.

He's like you know? So he was like, you know, sometimes you gotta let people express themselves, hear them out, give them a little bit of what they want, and have them give you a little bit of what you want, and go back and forth until you get everything that you want and then scrap what they wanted. You know?

Right.

And, you know, once I had that kinda blueprint, it allowed me to to do that. And not only with just them, but anybody else who was really, like, stuck in their their opinions. A lot of times, rappers, you know, welcomed direction. You know? Artists, period.

Because they don't wanna be in there alone and and as you know, a lot of times, as focused as they are, as successful as they are, you know, these guys have some insecurity sometimes. You know? So they wanna be assured. So you gotta create that atmosphere where they can totally give you the best that they can. And I learned all of that from LL Cool J.

Now Babyface, which was real cool and you're right. He is 1 of the most just influential r and b writers, producers that that ever existed, and I got to meet many of them. But what was real cool with him is, just his focus and his ability to get what he wanted. And how how I met him was, in 1995, I was kinda supervising a Faith Evans session at this place called The Hit Factory. And this was a big studio, you know, so at any given time, you have a whole bunch of people working through.

And at that point, you could kind of, like, knock on the doors and meet people. And he came into the Faith session just to say hello. And I didn't know him, but he's baby faced, so I'm bugging out, and I'm like, Hey, you know, I say, I can't think of nothing. I'm like, Do you teach? You know, he's like, Teach.

You know, so, I, you know, I just got to start the conversation. So, I asked him if I could take him to lunch. And he was like, you know what? Sure. He said, meet me at the studio at noon.

So I was there, and he didn't come in till about 4. Wow. But I was still there waiting. Right. Because I knew he had to come in.

You know, sometimes, you know, I'm sure he meets a gazillion people. So when he came in, he was, like, surprised, but he allowed me to sit in the sessions. And I got to witness him produce Mary j Blige's I'm Not Gonna Cry, Let It Flow with Toni Braxton, the song he did for Faith. I don't remember the title, but a bunch of phenomenal great sessions. And what I got to see is and I copied this whole formula from then on as far as, like, the the way he ran things.

But he, you know, would do all the backgrounds, and then he what he would do is he would let the singer their interpretation about 3 times the whole song. Mhmm. And then he would break down certain things that he wanted and do about another 5 takes of what he wanted, then he would comp the vocals to get each line the way he wanted. And, that was the first time I saw that. You know?

I was like, oh my gosh. That's so cool. We at Bad Boy didn't do stuff like that. Yeah. And it was it was great.

It was great. So I kinda got to understand, you know, first, you need to do all the background vocals to have it there. Do that on a whole separate day so when they come in and do the leads, it's just fresh for them. You know? Yeah.

And then give them direction, but let them express themselves. And then you come back and hone in on what exactly you want. And how that helped me is when I started, you know, really, doing vocals. And I've I've never been a master vocal producer, but I was able to camouflage that by, you know, just getting letting them do some really cool things and then becoming a monster, cop artist as far as, like, you know, tweaking it. And then, thankfully, technology changed with Pro Tools and all that stuff, so it made it easier to do so.

You know, if stuff was a little late, I could move it back. I could really get it the way I hear it in my head. But that that comes from Face, you know. So I, I'm so thankful for that experience.

That's awesome. 2 legends in the game helped shaping you, man. So here's what I know about the super elite producers like yourself. Right? So, like, you and Dre and even, like, Kool and Dre, like, those guys.

Right? Like, Jermaine Dupri, like, every great producer has a sound. Right? Like, you know a Timberland beat. Right?

Because it's Timberland. Right? Like, you know what Dre beat because he's gonna give you something funky in the very beginning. Right? Like, you know it's Dre.

Like, so for those that don't know, like, I know Rich. Like, what's the the iconic like, what's your sound? Like, what's a rich song? Like, how do we know it's a rich song?

I think that 1 thing when I look at my production career, I think it's funny. When I when I first got with with Bad Boy, Diddy, he didn't like my music. Right? He liked the fact that I made it into the office, and I was so young. When he said, you know what?

You're just, like, idolizing the wrong people. You know? Because at that time, when I got in, you know, it was like Pete Rock and the whole East Coast thing. And he had a different vision. So I think that as I got to sit in those things, my vision kind of became that.

You know? So I think my sound was heavily influenced in what, you know, he was doing at what we're doing at Bad Boy as a as a company. He had, like, a distinct sound as far as, like, kinda the drums we would use, the the placements of the percussions, and samples, sample heavy. And then I think I I grew into not using samples because it just became very expensive. And, but I think my sound overall on the hip hop side, the songs that would, I would say, would represent my sound is, big pun.

I did a song called You Ain't A Killer. That was his first record. But I loved it because it was, it was like a East Coast mixed with some West Coast vibes, and it was hard. You know? So I I really loved the that that kind of vibe.

And then there's a song that I did for new edition called Love Again. It was on the Home Again album Yep. That, it it this song was not successful at all. But I felt like there's certain songs when god is in the room, when when you could just feel that energy. And I felt like that was 1 of those songs.

And they were, like, 1 of my favorite groups, and I'm like, wow. I got to work with them. Yeah. So that was cool. But outside of that, there was a record, Come to Me.

That was the first single on Diddy's 1st play album. That was, the sound of it was was great. It was, like, sonically. You know? It was like, when you you talk about Dre, his his mixes were always great.

And I think that that record right there will be 1 that you can always play forever because of the Sonics. Yep. Yeah, man. But I I am so thankful to have that experience, that, that creative energy is like, you know, being a part of a great song is 1 of those feelings that, like, it's like when it's like, you know, my children being born, like, how I I would feel. You know what I'm saying?

Like, how I felt when they were born. It's it's just 1 of those great feelings whenever I hear it on the on the radio or when you first do it, it's just it's a great feeling. And I'm so thankful I got to have a lot of those feelings.

Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So so speaking of that, what's 1 of the projects you're most proud of? Like, what's the 1 project that, like, you could almost go back to every day and you're just, like, really proud of that project? I like making Rich think.

Yeah. Yeah. Project that I'm proud of. I'm I'm proud of, I would say all of them, but I think the, I have to say I I mean, I guess, I I can't give you 1 record, but 1 thing I'm super proud of is growing up. Like, even before I thought of doing music, you know, I'm I'm from New York, the Bronx.

Molly Mal was like a idol. You know what I'm saying? You know, I got to look up to him, RZA, all those guys. And I got to work with a lot of their artists, you know, like Master Ace. I got to work with, you know, LL.

I got to work with Koogee Rap. But and, those experiences were were real cool. But I think 1 of the records I'm super excited about is actually a record that's about to come out next year. It's a record for Ghostface Killer. And, it's weird because I I stopped, like, creating full time, you know, sometime now, but it's a record that I knew was for him, and I sent it to him, like, maybe 8 years ago.

And then he you know, I got a call, like, you know, a few months back, like, yeah. He's ready to do it. And I'm like, what? So I think that is real cool. Whenever that is released, it's gonna be on this new album that, it it's I just like the experience of connecting with the artists and and working with let me say, it's so hard.

Big Punz, first single off the second album. That was 1 record that was really connected to because he was a friend, and we had success together on his first album. And, you know, we were planning to have bigger success on his second album before he passed. You know? Yeah.

And I was just lucky that I got to work with him so closely and then, in passing and then that kind of representing and taking the torch for him. You know? But, it it, that that record, well, I I think I'm I'm very proud of. I got to be a part of his story, his life. You know?

So that is my favorite big pun record right there. Right? And I I think it's more just because of a lot of symbolism. Right? You know, like, he kinda free flows a little bit or ad libs a little bit.

I'm sure I think it's ad lib or free flow, but you probably punched it in, like, for him. Right? But he's like, you know, he just lost the weight he's trying to live. Right? Like, he's acknowledging things and then it's like, damn.

Right? Like, that's my favorite pun record by far. And it's actually something that's in, like, my rotation. Like, you know how you get, like, your Sunday morning, I'm a cook breakfast, I need to flow. Like, I usually start with that song.

It's usually 1 or 2 just to get me in that groove. So, like, that, by far, my favorite pun record, bro.

That's cool. Yeah. Yeah. Working with them, Fat Joe, they they cool. Good people.

Good people, man.

Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So you were a titan in in music. You're still a titan in music, but knowing you the way you are, man, like, you were like, there there's more things I can do. Right?

Like like, I'm a beast at a lot of things. And so you get into the real estate game, man. And, like, all of a sudden, I'm sure it's because the work ethic that you have, the way that you you learn things. Right? It's like, let let me learn the angles and let me learn the way that people aren't doing things.

And what's the way that I can come in and be rich? You're now a, you're now a real estate mogul, a real estate beast, a real estate titan. Like, when did real estate become a thing for you?

Wow. You know what? Real estate, just like music, kinda like accident. You know? But before I I even go in there, you know, I wanna say I'm really thankful that, I met this, brother by the name of Clarence Avon who passed about a year ago, and I was able to build a great relationship with him and and kinda talk and get some lessons from him.

And 1 thing I learned from him is that, you know, you can do anything. You're not just 1 mode. You know? You don't have to just do 1 thing. You don't you know?

Because a lot of times, as creatives say, oh, I'm a producer. You get that kind of role stuck in your head. I'm a producer. No. That's not all you can do.

You can do this. You can do that. And what he kinda taught me was to try things. He's like, because something's gonna work. Your greatness is in more than 1 place.

You don't know where it's gonna do, so you gotta try. And it it's all good. So that always had me with a open mind for anything. You know? Mhmm.

And, I was able to become really close with this, guy. His name was, Oscar Days, who I met when I was a teen. He was a manager of this, group called the Burial Boys. And So funny. They were, like, nothing in the States, but they were, like, the Jacksons out out of the you know, in Latin America.

And what was so revolutionary about him was that he was a black guy, didn't speak any Spanish, and he had the Spanish compete put together. You know? The it was successful. So year years later, he said, hey, man. You know, you should get into real estate.

You know? You should get into, flipping houses because, you know, you have, you know, you you you'll do really well in it. And and it goes in 1 ear after the other ear, for the most part. I wasn't really thinking about it because I'm in my music zone, but then you got mister Avot's, you know, lessons always running through my head. So I said, oh, okay.

Okay. So 1 day, I went with him to a closing. And on this particular deal, he made $300,000. You know, I'm like, what what just happened? He didn't rock nobody.

He didn't have to like, in music, like, for you to make that money, like, so many stars have to align up at the same time. I mean and it's totally out of your control. You know what I'm saying? Like but this, no. You it's a little bit more you can kind of ensure things happen.

And I'm like, what just happened? You know? So after that, you know, I kept it's like, you know, going up to his house and, like so he kinda explained to me and flipping that the concept of it. Mhmm. And the the way to to do it was, I guess, left to your own individual formula to create.

But I found that I had I did, in fact, have a unique, way to do it because I was in the music business. And in the music business, a lot of my contemporaries, you know, some years we make a ton of money. And then the next year, we might not make the same amount of money. Right. Some guys are still spending like the year before.

You know? And that's how you get into financial trouble. So, hey. If you're in trouble, I'll let me do a short sale on your house. You know what I'm saying?

And I'll make sure you make some money too, and everybody's happy. And then also with music, a lot of guys get divorced. And a lot of times so 1 or 2 things happen when they get divorced. 1, they have to sell the house, and then 2, they the the wife gets the house. And in that situation, she's gonna need to sell at some point because without the husband, chances are she can't handle the overhead that comes with the house.

It's just a matter of time. You know what I'm saying? So I was interjecting myself into those situations and became known as a person that could help you in those situations.

Mhmm.

And that started me off and running and not just, like, you know, small houses, you know, like, big houses and big divorces and big this. You know? Yeah. That started me in a game. And then once, you know, you you, get comfortable with it, show yourself.

And then I started doing, you know, 3 houses at a time and and 5 houses at a time, you know, once you build a team. But it was a lot because I never was the person to pick up a hammer. I didn't know anything about that well. So I felt that that's 1 way that I can get taken advantage of. So, thankfully, there were YouTube.

So I would watch I I would kinda create my scope of work to watch on YouTube, everything that needed to be done so I could communicate clearly with people on what needed to be done, how long it would take, how much it would cost, what materials were needed. And I could tell if somebody was on the point based upon what I see on YouTube. And it took a while until I, you know, built my my team. But once I got that, you know, we we were on the popping, man.

That's what's up. That's what's up, man. So, Rich, I'll make them unplugged. You know, we talk about our because, our purpose, that thing that drives us that's deeper than your why. Right?

Like, your why might be your kids, but your because is the reason that your kids are your why. Right? And so for me, my because is simple. It's a promise. Right?

Like, when I was 10, I made a promise to my mom. When I had kids, get married. I made promises to my spouse. I made promises to to my kids. Right?

And so my because is to always fulfill promises. Because I never wanna let someone down. Right? Like, when people depend on you, you never wanna let them down. So every day, I make sure I'm fulfilling the promises and keeping the promises that I said I was gonna do.

Right now, does it happen every day? No. But, like, I make sure that that's the focal point of of the things that I do. So for the listeners and viewers, man, like, I love to know what is Rich's because?

I think my because is to balance the books. And let me explain that. I feel that in my life, I've been blessed with so much love, support, and teachings. I, you know, like, I'm not gonna say that, like, hey. I'm a super smart person.

Just get this. I've been tutored. I've been mentored. I've been helped so much that allowed me to do these things. There's so many people that poured into me.

It's not even funny. And so my whole thing of balancing the books is make sure that I'm able to do the same thing, you know, do the same thing for my kids that would that my parents did for me, which was a lot. Do the same thing for random people that have done for me. You know? Like, it it's so much.

So, man, my life is, like, it seemed random at the time. But now, you know, hindsight is 2020, I could see that I was moved into certain positions to meet certain people to to get certain things. And, you know, when something, let's say, doesn't go right or something like that, it's, it's not I'm never, like, upset about, say, if I lose money on trying something on a venture or something like that. It's more of disappointing all the people who point poured into me, that being able to do right with what they gave me. You know?

Yeah. But I I'm, so blessed with with those people. So it's kind of balancing the books, you know. And in order for me to balance the books, I have to, you know, have the, quote, unquote, success or the the resources to do that, you know. So, yeah, you know, my parents gave me a a great experience as a kid, so I want my children to have the same thing.

Yeah. My parents, you know, when I first made the decision I wanted to get into the music thing, my parents really were a mess with me because I used to flip flop from idea to idea. But once they saw once I was able to prove to them that this was it, they came through big time. And by helping me with, like, you know, equipment, like, you know, 1 of I give you an example. I had this 1 machine, SP 1200, which was the machine at the time, but it was just 1 machine.

I needed more. So 1 day, my father went in to get a lotto ticket, and he came out. And I'm like, man, why'd you get that lotto ticket? I'm getting a lotto ticket. You know, I just start hitting him in the head.

And 2 of my brothers were with me, and they they joined in and started hitting him in the head too on my behalf. And we hit him in the head so hard that he took me to, Sam Ash, which is like the Guitar Center, you know, in New York.

And he

said he said, get whatever you need to compete. Don't worry about the price. Get whatever you need to compete. And, man, it felt like Christmas, man. It was Christmas.

Right. We came home. My mother was like, what the hell? You know what I'm saying? Because, you know, I came with all this stuff, spent all this money, I'm sure wasn't in that budget.

Yeah. But a you know, him doing that and then maybe about it was, like, a month later that I got with that boy, and I was able to recoup that. But him pouring into my vision, my dream like that, it's like so I have to be able to pour into my children's vision Yeah. To I I wanna do that. I wanna help.

I just wanna be a resource for people to help so I can balance the books because I'm not this is not me. Me being here, all of these records is is not me at all. I'm telling you. It's a collection of people that have poured into me. You know?

So I I I just wanna be able to to balance the books. That that's my whole thing.

I love that, man. I love that. And and I know that you live that too. Like, for those that are listening or watching, like, those aren't just words from Rich. Like, he really lives that so much so you know, Rich, we've been talking a little offline, and you were telling me, you know, 1 of the things that I don't wanna say it's surprising you, but this this niche that you have, and I'm sure it's coming from your heart, is helping senior citizens with with real estate and and and how to to navigate where they're at now too.

So I'd love for you to take just a few moments and talk about that passion that you again, as as you've been saying throughout the day, you just kinda it just happened. Right? Like, you didn't go seek it. It just happened.

Right. So that just happened as well, you know? So, what, you know, when flipping houses, of course, I have my music niche. But that, you know, like, I'm trying to do multiple deals. So I'm doing all types of marketing.

And 1 of the marketing that worked, 1 piece market that worked at a time, really good for me was bandit signs. And I put bandit signs near hospitals or just major intersections. And 1 day, I got a call from this woman, and they her name is, miss Babette. Her name was miss Babette. And she was, a 75 year old Jewish woman.

And I went and met with her. She wanted to sell her house. And we worked out a great price, and we're ready to go. Then, you know, I do my little research, and she doesn't own the house. Right?

And the reason why she doesn't own the house is because it's in it's her mother's house, and her mother had just died maybe 4 or 5 months ago at this point. So I was like, okay. Well, she had a brother who died. And so I'm like, okay. You just have to become the administrator and all that stuff.

Seemed like an easy process. I set it up. And during this process, instead of it taking a few months, it ended up taking 2 years. Right? 2 years.

And during this time, this woman would call me, and she would ask me to take her to the supermarket, take her different, you know, small things. But the deal that we worked out was so good. I'm taking her to the supermarket.

It's not

it's it's not a problem. Right. I'm having somebody deliver some it's not a problem.

Yeah.

So through that, you know, we got to talk many times and just have good conversations. And and 1 day, she called me, and she was like, Rich, what is taking so long? I wanna sell this house. She's like, my friend, let's change the name to protect the, the the innocence. Let's say my friend John doesn't believe me that I'm a sell the house.

You know? I keep telling him to sell the house. I was I was like, good friend, John. So I was like, well, let me meet this friend, John. Right?

Yeah. Because it sounded you know, I asked her a few questions. He's, like, he's in his late fifties. And I just she's under my care.

You know

what I'm saying? Like, even though we're doing the deal, I'm seeing she's she doesn't have a lot of family, and I'm just hearing this. I wanna see make sure that he's not taking care of her. And I met him, and, you know, they were friends. And he was actually he had a whole family, you know, and she was friends with the whole family, I guess, but she had given them some money or something like that.

And, you know, when what I realized is that when the older person is connected with somebody, it's like, you can't there's nothing that I can necessarily do but keep an eye out

on Yeah.

On what's going on and and try to make sure everything is on point. So I would kinda just make sure that I would be involved a little bit more, and that that family ended up moving in with her. So the process took, like, 2 years. And what we found the out the problem was is that once she her mother died, I so the it was being held up by the nursing home. The nursing home that her mother was in, they wanted their money.

They were owed some money. And they didn't believe that they would if she was the head of the state, that they would get their money because once her mother died, she took out $300,000 from her mother's account. I said, miss Bett Bett, what did you do with this money? She's like, oh, I

had to I went on a vacation. I had

to buy a few things. I'm like, you know, that might $300,000 just don't disappear. So I'm thinking maybe she hid it in the walls or something. You know? Yeah.

But or maybe she gave it to her friends. We we we we don't know. So once, she, we got I had to pledge payment. You know? I guaranteed the payment to let her become the administrator.

And, of course, you know, yeah, I'm buying the house. This is you know, I'm not I'll make sure they get the money. So once she becomes administrator, we go into her mom's safety deposit box. We find out the mother has, like, over $1,000,000 in bonds in the safety deposit box.

Wow.

So she's happy since I get them a new place. She the family moves with her. They, you know, clearly kinda try to take advantage. But there's nothing I can't do except make sure that she has full control and that she's making decisions that she wants to do.

Yeah.

So the day no. Maybe about a week after I get her the new place, maybe about 3 days before we're supposed to close on me purchasing the house, she goes into a coma. Right? And she it's just like you know, they're like, yo, you know, call the family. You know, she ain't coming back.

Yeah. So I'm, you know, like, oh, because I invested lots of funds. But even beyond that, at this point, you know, I've gotten to know this woman, and she's a friend. So, you know, I go to the hospital, and and they're like, you know, highly unlikely she comes out of this. So but maybe about 3 weeks after, she comes out of the coma, right, miraculously.

So I'm like, wow. You know? During this time, the family that she took in, you know, they are trying to become the administrators of the estate to take control of funds and everything like that. And, so when she comes back, she's like, you know, I wanna sell you the house. You know?

Because she's real, like, you know, we're we're we're really tight. You know? Yeah. And, we set up to do to do the closing in the hospital. Our attorneys go to come to the hospital, everything.

And the day before that happened, she goes back into a coma. Wow. She comes out. And as I say to her, I say, look. You know?

I say, if you're coming back to sell me this house, you know, don't worry about me. I'm I'll be alright. You know? Do do what you gotta do. You know?

Like Right. Go on whatever path you have to go on. You know? And, then the next day, she she passed. Right?

Mhmm.

So that family, like I said, they're trying to get the estate. But what what was real cool is I remembered all of those times that we spoke, and she was telling me she she had a brother who had 2 daughters that she hasn't spoke to in 30 years. Mhmm. You know? And I remember her telling me, you know, about them.

So I hired a private investigator, and I found them.

Wow.

And so what that did was that stopped the friends from getting the estate. Now I was in her Her family. Nieces. Yeah. Her family.

And they agreed to honor the contract that she signed, and I still I was able to purchase the house, and they were able to get that money, and it was kept in front, you know, within the family. So I said, wow, man. I was inexperienced. Yeah. And then, you know, I also started working with another, senior from assigned.

This is all from bandit signs because seniors are old school. They're not on the Internet. They're not Right. You know, like that. So if they see, sell house.

I need to sell a house. You know? So this woman, she was, older, and she felt that, like, 1 of her tenants was, like, you know, taking advantage of her, like, maybe so she had all these problems with the house. The town told her to get out of the house, and she wanted to just rid herself of the situation. So, I'm looking at everything, and I'm like, well, the best way to do it is to short sell.

But she was a older woman who was proud that she makes all the payments. And I'm like, then you can't live here. You can't so stop making these payments. You know? And I had to get her kids involved because 1 thing, I don't ever like to work with, seniors by themselves.

Like, I wouldn't work with children by themselves. You know? I want Right. Families to be involved because I'm not gonna take advantage of it. I want them to know that as well.

Correct. You know? It's just a family thing. And we were able to get her out of that situation, and and I took care of all of the liens and all all of that stuff and and was able to get the house. But a lot of times, that that happens where the they get fines for certain things, violations.

They don't understand how to take care of it. And then sometimes, you know, the family just they it's time for them to downsize, go to, like, an assisted living facility or something like that. So a lot of times, I would help facilitate that, find a place, and do all of that that work to get them in a place and then, you know, sell the house and, you know, do all that stuff. So I became, I guess, just by accident or by my way of marketing, the old school marketing, that I would end up working with a lot of seniors. So I kinda created a system to help them help them understand, with their level of understanding.

And and what I mean by that is not that they're stupid or anything, but, you know, instead of having everything online, which we do, you know, but have have some stuff on paper. They need to touch and feel things and kind of be have the patience to explain the process and and really make moves within their vestiges. So I give you an example. 1 lady called me. She she wanted to get rid of her house.

She had, like, a lot of stairs. It was like 1 of them townhouses kinda things. It was a bunch of stairs, and she felt that she wasn't gonna be able to do the stairs for much longer.

Mhmm.

But she had you know, she was almost done paying it off.

Yeah.

And, you know, now rents anywhere are just super high. Yeah. And, you know, I was like, look. You have to stay here. Let's you know, I'll help you.

Shoot. I'll I'll even front the cash, and you could pay me back monthly to get you 1 of them elevated things just because there's if the money you get from selling this house you know, even if we sell it to somebody from retail, in today's rent, it's gonna last you, you know, maybe 3 years. You know?

That's right.

And then and then you're done. Yeah. You know, she was, like, in her late sixties. Like, you know, you still have a lot more life to live. Mhmm.

You know? And you need to be flexible with what you can do when you need to do it. And right now, you know, a mortgage was like a mortgage and maintenance is maybe, like, $1400. You're not gonna get that anywhere, not even in senior housing, which is backed up forever. So, you know, and I just felt like, alright.

You gotta stay here. What do you need to do to stay here? You know? So once I, you know, I said, wow, man. I gotta get, you know, some information out there to to to let them understand because she I understand.

She wants a place that you know, condo. She lives in an elevator. But with that, you can't control the expenses Yeah. You know, like you can within a a home that you have. You know?

So, sometimes, they they need to stay. Or sometimes you know? But it's, that has become a way for me to, a, find find leads that nobody wants to deal with. Yeah. Because a lot of people don't have patience, don't have the, I don't want to take the time to deal with that.

You know? But it's also become a a way for me to then balance the books and and help out because that's how I would wanna be treated or how I want my parents treated. And, you know, you you gotta push it forward. So I'm happy that I'm able to do that and and help that community Yeah. Specifically.

You know? And I'm glad that I don't I'm in a position where, you know, I'm not, desperate for dollars where, you know, I have to take every deal. Our every situation has to become a deal for me where I can

Yeah.

Truly put the situation and people first and and see what's the best route for everyone involved.

The book balancer himself.

I'm sorry.

Rich, man, I appreciate you so much, man. You you bless us with some time today, drop some wisdom and some knowledge. 1 of the people I've looked up to for a long time, so I'm honored to have you on here, man. Like, this has been a bucket list for me, so I appreciate you, brother.

Well, thanks for having me. And and for all the people that listen to your show that are in their their flip the beginning of their flipping career are in the middle, you know, I just wanna tell you that it it, referrals are real. So always treat people good. Always do the the best thing in a situation. Because even if the deal can't work and you do what's best for the the seller's situation, they will spread the word.

Because everybody knows somebody that's in trouble. And a personal referral is a 100 times more powerful than any, letter you can send or any any type of advertising that you can can have, that is is something else. It it guarantees deals. You know? So I would say,

you know, at the beginning of your flipping career, look at how you can help more people in the deals will come, period. Do. I tell salespeople that all the time. Referrals are the shortest sales cycle you'll ever have. The absolute shortest sales cycle you would ever have.

So I I support that a 1000%. Rich, man, where can people follow and find you? We'll make sure we have all this in the descriptions and show notes.

Oh, man. You can definitely find me on Instagram at, richyounglord@likeaju I mean, at, Instagram or, you know, Facebook. But, also, you can check out likeajunius.com, you know, where I kind of, give a bunch of tips for flipping and stuff like that. And if you have seniors that need any help for any reason, you can email me directly at rich@likeagenius.io. And so hit hit me up, and, if there's any way I can help any of you guys, move forward, be successful, you know, please, please give me more opportunities to to help and balance the books.

I love that, man. I love that so much. Thank you again, Rich. And for all the listeners and viewers, remember, your because is your superpower. Go unleash it.

Thank you for tuning in to Mick Unplugged. Keep pushing your limits, embracing your purpose, and chasing greatness. Until next time. Stay unstoppable.