Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to Elite Agent Investors where we talk about next level tools, tech and tactics used by the top 1% real estate professionals. I'm your host Pete Thorpe. You can find me on social media@Pethorpe IO. We bring on active real estate professionals including agents, brokers and investors to share their most advanced marketing tactics. Today's episode is sponsored by Real Fuel. Powered by big data. Real Fuel analyzes thousands of data points to service leads that are likely to sell in your chosen market. They boast a 271% increase in seller response rate when marketing to their AI scored leads versus a generic list. Check them out at RealFuel AI. Today I'm happy to bring to you our guest from Los Angeles, Anita Verma Lalan. She is the founder of I Got It. She's the founder of Camelback Productions, Arizona's first female and South Asian owned film production company focused on South Asian storytelling. And the CEO of Arizona Arizona Land Consulting. They'll probably fix that.
A full service firm assisting investors and developers in Arizona's real estate market. Anita, welcome to Elite Agent Investors.
[00:01:03] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.
[00:01:06] Speaker A: Fantastic. So as we talked about before we came on in here, we start out with the same question for just about everybody and it's just tell me one thing that you've learned since becoming an investor that's kind of tipped the scales in your favor and you're using to help you level up faster.
[00:01:21] Speaker B: Sure, yeah. No, that's a great question. And I think there's a few different things I would say that have helped me. But I think one of the most important things has just been strategic partnerships that I've developed over the years and really the relationships that I've built.
When I started about five years ago, I started my company about five years ago.
I just had a couple of partners at that time and we were kind of operating on a much smaller scale. We're buying smaller properties, anywhere from a million to $2 million. And over the years now we're one of the largest land acquirers in Arizona and we're buying, you know, hundreds of millions of dollars worth of properties. And I think really when I look back at how we've grown, a lot of it has just been the strategic partnerships and the relationships that we've met. And I think the other thing has also been just kind of strong market knowledge, whatever market it is that you're focusing on really knowing that better than anybody else. So you can kind of when you see an opportunity that comes to you. You can quickly analyze it and, and know that it's a good opportunity and act on it quickly, which I think has, you know, some of the best deals I've done have been properties that we've had to acquire very quickly. So I would say that, I think also commitment to growth and always, you know, kind of evolving and changing as the market changes, I think is also, has also been really important. So I would say those would be kind of the three things that have helped me.
[00:02:47] Speaker A: That's, that's, it's, I'm smiling and kind of laughing over here. She can see me. You guys on the podcast probably can't, but it's like the universe is telling me something because Anita, you guys know, we, we record in batches and then we drop out. The podcast, the fourth recording for today, however, literally all four of you guys have brought up about knowing your market, knowing what the niche you're in, whether it's commercial residential land or whatever it is, and really being hyper focused on that and having a good team of people around you that do things maybe better than you can in that, in maybe another space. Maybe you're good at numbers and somebody else is good at the marketing side, somebody else is good at sales, but somebody else is good at the admin. Having that team being focused on what you're trying to accomplish really is like a superpower.
[00:03:39] Speaker B: Exactly. Yeah. No, that's so true.
[00:03:42] Speaker A: And, and don't, guys, don't be, don't be intimidated when she says a million dollars and then up to $100 million. She's in California and Arizona. A million dollar land deal is probably like, you know, an acre now, obviously, for the bigger commercial projects, it's going to be a lot bigger. I know you also work for, or rather have some specialty around data centers, so tell us a little bit about that and how that works for, you know, the land deals.
[00:04:07] Speaker B: Yeah, I think over the last few years, data centers have really become a product that we're seeing a lot more of. I think a lot of it is fueled by artificial intelligence and the need to store a lot of this data. So, and another thing that's interesting about data centers is they're not as dependent on interest rates like some of the other sectors that we've seen that have slowed down as rates have gone up. So data centers have really taken off in Arizona, California as well. And, and so we've been acquiring land specifically for data centers and, you know, trying to develop data centers on those. So trying to figure out, you know, where the power is. And that's, that's one of the big factors data centers need and making sure that, you know, they're in good locations. I think data centers try to come to markets like Arizona because there's not that as many natural disasters that happen here, which is, which is helpful. So we've really, that's really been an area of focus and I think it's also just kind of just also shows like being able to pivot. Like a couple years ago data centers weren't really a thing, but now they're a huge thing. So it's having the ability to recognize an opportunity and you know, kind of learn about it and take advantage of it and pivot to that industry.
[00:05:22] Speaker A: But I think especially, I was going to say especially for you, you know, obviously being involved in land, they, they need to land like you said about where's the connections where everything else. Arizona I'd imagine could probably supplement somewhat with some solar, consistent weather, less natural disasters. So I can see, you know, recognizing that and be able to move to it and apply what you already know to that is definitely gotta be helpful.
[00:05:47] Speaker B: Yeah, no, definitely.
[00:05:49] Speaker A: And if, if you watch, if you follow. Well, I don't really follow shark tank, but Mr. Wonderful can Kevin Leary, he's been on all the shows as of late and he said they had, they used to have a couple data center projects in New York and they abandoned them and now they're up in like Alberta I think Canada. I believe they have some working out in the west and down in the South. I'm here in Maryland and Southern Maryland actually just built some large data centers. They were voted out of Virginia. They put them in, in Maryland and now there's what's called the Maryland Reliability PIED project. Feed my reliability project. It's piping in power from the New Jersey, Pennsylvania border down through Maryland all the way down into Southern Maryland. So they're running into obstacles with people here opposing it because they're going to need to do eminent domain and whatnot. So I'd imagine might have a little less of that out in Arizona, but it's a, it's a big thing here for a giant data center and everybody wants their high tech stuff super fast. They want to have all this cloud power and computing power. So it's one of those things you gotta, gotta have it. And everyone kind of gets into that NIMBY mode of. Not in my backyard.
[00:06:54] Speaker B: Yeah, no, for sure.
[00:06:55] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:06:56] Speaker B: Challenges there with people not wanting data centers around their home. So we're trying to be mindful of that and locate them to areas that are a little bit more industrial and don't have residents right around them. But the tax revenue data centers bring to cities is also. It's great. So a lot of cities are welcoming of data centers and wanting to see more come in there.
[00:07:21] Speaker A: So in, in that space, are you working with like the local officials, the government, or you just kind of seeing the. The land that's available, then finding out maybe who's working on those type of projects, who might be interested in it? How do you go about kind of sourcing that those projects? I guess.
[00:07:36] Speaker B: Yeah, I think a lot of it is working with the city officials and making sure a lot. Usually land for data centers need some sort of zoning in place. So you do need the city's approvals for that. So I, I've spent. We just had. We just sold land to one of the largest data center developments, I think, in the country last year. That was 2, 000 acres that we sold. And so we went through an extensive rezoning process with the city. And so we're very familiar with, you know, what the cities want, what the developers, you know, what data center developers need. So spent a lot of time in that process. But it's fascinating and I think it seems like Trump also is pushing a lot of data centers. I know he made an announcement that as far as power, there's going to be flexibility with where power comes from, which has been one of the roadblocks. And then I think there's some projects that he's also announced.
I think we'll just see more of an explosion in this sector in the coming years.
[00:08:43] Speaker A: So are you going to look to expand out nationwide or you're just kind of focusing on Arizona? How are you guys set up to handle that? If, you know, obviously you can only have so many in certain areas, you're going to need more area.
[00:08:54] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. I mean, we're focused nationwide. You can't. You can only do so many in one cities and especially with the power constraints. So we're definitely looking at the entire nation to see where. Where they could make sense. Having a place that's free of natural disasters is of course, like one of the biggest criteria. So that does eliminate a few markets. But. But that's. We're definitely looking out nationally for sure.
[00:09:20] Speaker A: Nothing on the Gulf coast, nothing in Hurricane Alley. Stay out of all those places in the country. Sorry for the folks that are there.
So also, you've got a production company. So I guess the. Was the merger natural, not merger but the overlap, kind of natural with having a production company. Does that maybe help with marketing for what you're doing for real estate side?
[00:09:42] Speaker B: Yeah, no, definitely. I think it's given us exposure to a completely different audience. So I think we have seen, you know, a lot. We've. A lot of people who've learned about our production company have come in and wanted to actually learn more about real estate as well. So it has definitely helped with that exposure. But it's been really fascinating just getting into this industry. It is, is in a weird way, it is similar to real estate development as well. You, you know, kind of start out with a script and then you develop a project and get, you know, different cas, attach, you find the right director who's kind of like an architect and then you, you know, make a movie just like you develop a project and then you, you try to sell it. So it's, you know, it's a little bit similar in that sense of what you're doing. You're creating something but you know, very different markets, slightly different risk profiles as well. So it's been really interest on navigating that industry and just learning and meeting different people and you know, exposure to a lot of different new and exciting ventures, for sure.
[00:10:44] Speaker A: That's awesome. Definitely, I guess to bring the whole thing back full circle. You've only been doing the real estate side maybe what five years said, and you've gone from billion dollar deals to multi hundred million dollar deals. A lot of people cannot make that jump. They, that is a, you know, kudos to you. That is definitely a huge jump that a lot of people just, they can't make that hurdle. They can't fathom doing that. So I guess what would, what would you say that helped you kind of get over that hump and get into that space to be able to go from just a million dollars up to $100 million plus.
[00:11:18] Speaker B: Yeah, no, that's a great question. I think the biggest hurdle has been just, you know, kind of the reputation and, and kind of developing that personal brand, I think showing a track record. We were very fortunate. We started in 2019 and then it was Covid the year after. And then post Covid, you know, with record low interest rates, people moving to Arizona, we were able to sell things very quickly. So, you know, there was a property, one of the properties we bought during COVID for a million dollars, we sold for $8 million within six months. So. So yeah, so, you know, a lot of it was just positioning ourselves at the right time and then the market you know, really just in Arizona really just took off. And so having some of those wins early on really helped propel our company from there and get, you know, more and more people interested in what we were doing and allowed us to really like, expand exponentially from that point on.
[00:12:17] Speaker A: Yeah, so. So be able to be able to pivot, recognize the trends and just jump on it and ride that train when you can because.
[00:12:23] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think, I think one thing that has set us apart from some other people in the industry is we move quickly. I think a lot of times people will, you know, kind of overanalyze things and take time and you know, when we come in and if there's a good opportunity, we'll move very quickly. And a lot of times we're able to get properties below market value because our timing is so much faster than other groups. And so, you know, I think when you know your area and you can spot these opportunities, I think it allows you to move very quickly, which. Which has been very helpful for me.
[00:13:03] Speaker A: Yeah, know your data, make sure you've got, you know what you're doing, know what the projections are. We had a podcast a while back where the gentleman, I can't remember off the top of my head, I can't remember the company name, but they have a very large AI company that is specific around real estate saying, what's the trend? What's the long term trend where these areas, you know, are things coming in or is it down, trending? So knowing your market, knowing the area deeply and intimately is definitely going to help you with that. So if you can make those pivots to seeing an opportunity like, hey, people are looking for this now. People are looking to take maybe warehouses, convert them to single family, not single family, multif family units, because they've been sitting bacon. If you can make those pivots and make those connections like you were talking about where you had good partners and good connections. If you make those connections, one deal turns to two deals, turns to 10 deals. But that's, I think that's how you kind of get that scaling in place and just make sure that you're know your numbers, know what you're doing and you're going to be able to get there. You just got to kind of have a little faith in yourself.
[00:14:04] Speaker B: For sure. No, for sure.
Yeah.
[00:14:10] Speaker A: Sorry, go ahead.
[00:14:11] Speaker B: No, I was just gonna say you have to, you have to invest in yourself and believe in yourself and take those calculated risks. And I think that's the only way to do it.
[00:14:18] Speaker A: Yeah. Without a doubt. All right, so where can everybody find you if they want to track you down online or if they want to bring maybe, you know, potential deals? If they got land in Arizona or anywhere else in the country that might be a fit for you, where can they find you online?
[00:14:33] Speaker B: Yeah, they can find me on, on my social. My Instagram handle is Anita vllion. My website, Arizona Land Consulting.com also is, is a good way to reach me. LinkedIn. I'm on LinkedIn. So yeah, those would probably be the best ways to contact me.
[00:14:50] Speaker A: Awesome. And guys, we'll make sure that we have all of her links and everything else on the podcast. So you can go ahead and click on it from wherever you're watching from. Spotify, itunes, the whole, the whole gamut.
So again, thank you for coming out. Great speaking with you and thanks. If you, if you guys are listening to this, you have anyone you think might be a good guest for the podcast, have them go to eliteagentinvestors.com and just one more time, if you are looking to fuel up your real estate business and you're looking for off market deals, take a look at realfuel AI. They've got some really good tools in there that can help you find some off market deals. We will see you on the next episode. Thanks again.
Now we can hit the stop button. Boom.
