Please introduce yourself.
Natalie Peralta is a real estate investor and project manager located in Chicago with more more than a decade of expertise. She has purchased, sold, and managed more than 300 properties in the Chicago metropolitan area and has recently expanded to Atlanta, Georgia.
How did you get started in the real estate business?
My real estate career began in the downtown Chicago development of luxury high rises. I gained a solid foundation for my real estate career by learning the fundamentals of market cycles, how to price a luxury rental, how to develop positive tenant-landlord relationships, property management, emergency maintenance planning, tenant preparation, and many more.
What are some hot markets for real estate that you are excited about?
Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, and Arizona. Atlanta’s market is booming right now, particularly for new construction.
How do you source your real estate deals?
I utilize several of these websites to search for deals and connect with sellers since I’m a real estate agent and investor acquainted with the Chicago land bank process.
What are some checks and balances you’ve put in place to protect your real estate transactions?
Every transaction includes budgeted contingencies as well as verification of license and the quality of work performed by tradespeople. In a market that is evolving, hiring contractors in Chicago is particularly challenging. Many investors experienced financial losses due to price inflation. A handful of my personal projects were saved by structuring contracts to oblige contractors to finish work despite price hikes on the rise.
What is one piece of advice you would give someone starting their real estate career?
Before you lock in on any contract, familiarize yourself with the four market cycles and the profit and loss breakdown of your investment.
What is one software you use for your business and recommend to others?
I use a program called Privy, which gives me the upper hand since it compiles all the information I’ve utilized in relation to real estate onto a single, tidy page.
What is your superpower in life?
I consider project management to be my superpower; I value honesty; and I can honestly admit that I’ve experienced some severe losses in real estate projects due to a number of factors. I accepted responsibility for those errors and looked for chances to improve after these setbacks.
What is a failure you’ve had in life that set you up for eventual success?
I was dismissed from a real estate firm because they thought my ideas were revolutionary and went against their established practices. I wanted to use more technology and tools to systematize my deal-finding process and provide my investors support via effective operational processes. After I left, I made the intuitive choice to expand to six figures in only six months.
What is one book that has influenced your life the most? Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki. Oftentimes in life I have had conversations with family members who did not understand my obsession with real estate. I have to realize that accumulating riches is a personal process. I moved closer to winning with each defeat. The belief that risk and reward go hand in hand has kept me on track through all market cycles, and my method for conquering each one continues to help me anticipate my next big success.
