SA959 | A Deal Operation and Passive Investing Success From Scratch with David Lilley

How Did They Do It? Real Estate

May 17 2024 • 21 mins

Deep dive into our conversation today as David Lilley tells his story of starting real estate investing with no experience and succeeding in the residential and self-storage space.

David also shares his strategies while investing out of his backyard and the value of mentorship, property management, and business automation. Don’t miss out on learning more and support us in bringing more amazing people to this show!


Key Points & Relevant Topics

  • How David learned more about real estate investing while working overseas
  • David on building his team out of state
  • The importance of having a mentor in overcoming challenges
  • Challenges David had to face in raising money for the first time
  • Pivoting from residential to self-storage investing and how David increased its occupancy rate
  • The convenience of hiring a property manager and utilizing automation for a self-storage facility
  • Networking and partnering with the right people in the business


Resources & Links
Apartment Syndication Due Diligence Checklist for Passive Investor


About David Lilley

David began real estate investing in 2013 with the purchase of his first Single Family Rental. Drawn to the economies of scale inherent to Multifamily, he purchased a 6-unit MF property in 2018. David has since sponsored the purchase of 1073 MF units valued at over $130m.

Starting from scratch, David has direct experience with every facet of real estate acquisitions, redevelopment, and property management.

Prior to his career in real estate, David served as an Infantryman in the United States Marine Corps with one combat deployment to Afghanistan. He worked as a Firefighter/Paramedic and was specially trained in multiple technical rescue disciplines. He later worked under the Department of State providing Close Protection to DoS officials including the Secretary of Defense. He deployed multiple times to Baghdad, Iraq.

Finally, David deployed multiple times to the southern Philippines in direct support of SOCOM as a Search and Rescue Paramedic.


Get in Touch with David


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