Meet Jorge Contreras | Real Estate Investor and Airbnb Expert and Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jorge Contreras and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jorge, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?

I was born into a poor Mexican Immigrant family. In fact, one of my earliest childhood memories was when I helped my dad sell drugs.

No, you didn’t read that wrong. But I didn’t know what I was doing.

We lived in a tiny apartment in Orange County, CA where we had to make ends meet while protecting whatever little we had against monthly break-ins. It was like a cruel game show where only the strong can survive and everyone had to do something.

But that was what felt normal. Do you know how they say that “the fish doesn’t know it’s in the water”? That’s how it was for me.

Selling drugs was what other kids were doing and waking up to hunt for our next meal was what regular life looked like.

But everything changed when my dad passed away.

When I turned 7, the doctor told my dad that he needed to stop drinking. My dad was a good man but he was too dependent on alcohol most of his life.

And although he stopped drinking, the damage was already done. So just a few years after his diagnosis, my dad passed away. He wasn’t able to see his little Jorgito grow up.

Sometime after my father’s death, my mom also abandoned me. I was 13 at this time and I had to live with one of her friends.

Then at the age of 16, I had to start looking out for myself. Going back to square one was hard for a 16-year-old. But it did awaken my basic survival instincts and developed one of my greatest drivers. I got a job as a photographer at a water park and began renting a bedroom.

I needed to do something to survive.

I graduated high school with 4 F’s and 1 D then I went to a community college for 3 semesters. While I was there, I started taking Salsa lessons. Then I was introduced to Bachata which eventually became my first business venture.

I taught myself how to improve my dance skills and started teaching people how to dance. I even had to borrow my friend’s backyard just so I could have a place for my dance classes.

Fortunately, my classes were well-received and became so successful that I had to expand and start teaching at a dance studio.

This is where I met my dance partner, Leslie, and together we started the very first Bachata dance company in the United States. We also created the first Bachata dance festival in Los Angeles and the first Bachata nightclub in the US!

We thrived in this business and I was making over 200k a year and traveling to 25 countries. These are already pretty good numbers for someone who came from nothing.

But at some point, I got tired.

I realized that I was trading time for money because when I wasn’t dancing, I wasn’t making money.

Now don’t get me wrong, I still love dancing, and I still dance the Bachata today at family gatherings & such.

But it came to a point where I realized that if I wanted to build a more stable income, something that doesn’t need me to be there 24/7 for it to work, I needed to find some other sources.

So I decided to start educating myself in Real Estate Investing.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

They say that one of the most important things you can do to become a good entrepreneur is to learn. So I became a student at the Rich Dad company. I also took personal development courses, and in 2012, I purchased my first property and rented out 3 bedrooms to long-term tenants, and I lived in the master bedroom for free.

When I became a student at the rich dad company my mentor told me that I shouldn’t be trying to pay off my house, as I would have my house paid off but would still be stuck in the rat race. Instead, she showed me how to leverage the equity in my property. So I did a cash-out refinance, pulled out $160,000 tax-free, and went and purchased 2 more houses and turned each house into 2 units through house-hacking.

Then in 2017 I decided to put 4 of my units on Airbnb and went from making 1,500 each per month to 3,500 each per month. I went from making 6,000 to 14,000 per month.

This is how I became financially free because the money I made in my sleep paid for all of my monthly living expenses.

Then in 2019, I discovered the subleasing strategy where I could rent property, get permission in writing and then launch them on Airbnb (there’s a lot more to it, but that’s the quick overview) this strategy allowed me to grow fast because I didn’t have to buy the properties, no payments or closings costs.

All I had to do was pay the rent, deposit, and furniture, this business model allowed me to go biggest-faster. Thanks to this strategy I was able to retire my wife.

I began to share my journey on Instagram & people began to ask me how I did it, they showed interest in learning.

So I decided to start my next venture: a coaching business to help people learn my methods and to help them achieve their financial freedom goals with AirBNB WITHOUT owning property.

And guess what? I’ve helped over 3,000 people become Airbnb entrepreneurs themselves!

You see, I know I had a rough start but I also know a lot of people who had it tougher. And the point of my story isn’t exactly to say that I am special. The lesson here is that even with all the negative circumstances thrown at us, we can overcome & thrive. Things don’t happen to us, they happen for us!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

I would start the tour by taking my friend to the famous Hollywood sign. After that, I would keep the tour going on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as it’s always a must, people enjoy it a lot. Then we’ll probably go for lunch to my favorite restaurant: “Gracias Madre”, which is a vegan Mexican restaurant.

Afterward, I’ll probably consider taking my friend to the museum area and check out the new Academy Museum. Then I would take him for a walk around the area, watch the sunset in Venice Beach and have dinner at one of the nearby vegan restaurants.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My biggest motivation is always my family. Aside from my mentors and coaches, I have to say that the beautiful women in my family – my wife and my daughters, have always been there for me, and have joined me every step of the way. Without them, I’d be nowhere near where I am today. By retiring my wife from her own 9-5 a few years ago, we were able to commit to our own business, without sacrificing family time. Now we get to enjoy our financial freedom and travel the world together.

Website: https://thejorgecontreras.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejorgecontreras/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejorgecontreras/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejorgecontreras1

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JorgeContrerasyoutube