Luis Mendez, a 31-year-old Real Estate investor has experienced his fair share of challenges growing up. Born in the Bronx, the most dangerous borough of New York City, his mother and father were both irregular presences in his life. Still, Luis says he never lacked love or attention thanks to his selfless Grandmother who raised him from the age of 5. Luis grew up like many other kids from the projects, indoctrinated to a certain kind of lifestyle that was passed down generation to generation. Luis said, “No matter how attentive my grandmother was to me it was extremely hard to resist temptation and peer pressure when gangs, drugs, and violence dominated the block I grew up on. Inevitably I turned to the streets by the time I was 14 years old.” Luis told us that he knew the lifestyle he was living was dangerous and not a day went by where he was not planning his escape from the only place he knew. “I didn’t think I was better than anybody else, I just wanted different things, I wanted to transition to the road less traveled. It wasn’t all bad growing up, I had a lot of great times too. Playing manhunt with my friends, playing sports in the streets. I just had a different vision, and I knew I wouldn’t accomplish my goals if I continued down the path I was on. It was just a matter of making it happen”, Luis said.
At the age of 17 Luis became a father to his eldest son Jaiden, not long after he welcomed his youngest son Luis Jr to the world. Barely 21, Luis told us becoming a father saved his life in more ways than one. Though he always wanted more for himself, he now had his children to live for. He felt this restless vigilance for his offspring and he would stop at nothing to be the best father he could be. Luis became obsessed with the idea of giving his boys a better life, and more importantly being around long enough to watch them live it. Still, a young man from the streets he wasn’t sure what he would do in terms of executing this plan of his. Luis tells us, it was only after reading the book “Rich Dad Poor Dad” that he began to understand the importance of generational wealth, something he never experienced growing up. With his new-found knowledge he became motivated and eager to build an empire that he could leave to his children, and his children’s children. Although he was unsure of many things, one thing he was absolutely certain of was his mission to set his children up for success.
After many failed business ventures, it was not until his mid 20s that Luis found his passion for Real Estate. He educated himself by reading books about investing, real estate, market analysis and different forms of income. He learned the benefits of Real Estate which included cash flow, tax benefits, appreciation potential, and finally leverage. In 2015 Luis took his life savings and teamed up with a silent partner who provided the credit aspect of the business. He carefully built a team that included contractors, charpenters, plumbers and electricians. They completed their first renovation project in under 2 months. Luis says he remembers it like it was yesterday, “It wasn’t even an entire home, it was a small in-law suite, basically a fancy basement. Either way it felt amazing and gave me the confidence I needed to move on to bigger and better things.” Within a year Luis had flipped over 7 homes. Luis says, “That is not to say all 7 flips brought me life changing money, on my second flip I barely broke even. It was a learning process.” In Luis’ first year in this business he made just shy of $300,000 profit. Self-taught and highly motivated Luis quickly figured out the advantages of buying the ugly overlooked homes, in highly sought after neighborhoods. He specialized in buying the homes nobody else saw potential in and transforming them into beautiful homes families could grow in. It wasn’t until his second year in Real Estate that he realized he could benefit immensely from renting out some of these properties, rather than selling for a quick profit. He began to generate revenue from money he already invested and explored passive income. Luis bought and flipped properties all over Massachusetts, New York, and Florida.
With his new-found success, Luis was able to not only give others their dream home, but he was able to build himself and his children their dream home as well. Growing up in low income housing all of his life, Luis always dreamed of living in the suburbs and having that stereotypical “white picket fence life”. He recalls hot summers in the Bronx, cooling off in the fire hydrant with his friends, to now watching his children cool off in an inground pool, in his own backyard. He got emotional explaining the joy that brought him. He tells us “Subconsciously, I know I get emotional because these are all the things I wish I had growing up, and it means the world to me that I am able to provide my children with a lifestyle like this.” Though the money played a large role in his happiness, Luis expressed it wasn’t all about building wealth. He had the financial freedom he always dreamt of, and he was able to be hands on and present for his boys. From a young age his oldest son Jaiden suffered from severe epilepsy. Being his own boss, he was able to be by his son’s side during lengthy hospital stays and endless surgical procedures. He tells us being able to give his son the support and comfort he needed was his main priority and something he is extremely grateful for til this day.
Luis’ business grew more successful with every house he flipped, he did hardly any marketing and worked solely off of referrals which spoke volumes in regard to the quality of work he was providing. Luis says he felt that he was at the top of his game career wise and he felt invincible. That was until June of 2019, when his son Jaiden unexpectedly passed away. Luis fell into a deep depression and the world as he knew it no longer existed. He lost his sense of purpose, motivation and his need to succeed was no longer a burning desire. Shortly after, Luis and his business partner went their separate ways due to unsalvageable circumstances. Unfortunately, Luis learned the importance of legal contracts the hard way. He lost everything he had spent the previous 6 years building and was forced to start from scratch if he wanted to continue in the Real Estate world. After losing everything he worked so hard for he vowed to never allow another person to have any control over the empire he planned to pass down to his children.
After months of struggle and what felt like constant defeat, Luis’ inexhaustible desire to succeed was back and who better to succeed for then his guardian angel. He started from scratch and founded JAInvestments. Luis explained the most important thing to him was creating this business in honor and remembrance of his first born son, Jaiden. When we asked Luis how he came up with the clever name he quickly gave all the credit and creativity to someone he held close to his heart, Ex-girlfriend Jaryenne Nova. Luis explained that Jaryenne’s assistance in making sure his son’s memory lived on was merely a miniscule example of why he was so thankful for her. “Although we parted ways, this woman is a big part of who I am today, without her endless support over the years I am not sure where I would be right now,” said Luis.
Excited to begin his new venture as Sole Proprietor of JAInvestments, Luis plans to jump right back into the real estate world as if he never left. He has kept a great rapport with all previous clients and looks forward to what is to come. Like everyone else, Luis has been Quarantined due to current events in the world. He tells us though he is extremely grateful to have been able to spend this time with his son Luis Jr, he has still used this down time to keep a close eye on the Real Estate market. Luis believes planning and preparation is vital in the Real Estate world and his understanding of that gives him a leg up on his competition. Luis said, “I see a lot of people using Covid-19 as an excuse to be lazy and irresponsible. Though I understand that this is a strange time for the world, and everyone copes differently, I plan to come out of this epidemic having accomplished personal and professional goals, while working harder and smarter.” Luis tells us that he would like to branch out and invest in more commercial Real Estate this time around as he feels the opportunities are endless. Luis states, “The Real Estate world is not for the faint of heart, it is filled with risks and challenges but that is what I love about it, I get a rush from it.”
We anticipate great things from Luis and we look forward to seeing his future success . If you are looking to sell your house fast, Luis is your guy. He provides cash offers and covers all closing costs. Just looking for a renovation? Luis has a team for that as well! You can reach out to Luis via email at info.jainvestments@gmail.com or check him out on Instagram @jainvestments.