The Working Moms Podcast Episode 027: Real Estate as a Lasting Legacy

Meredith Andersen first discovered her passion for real estate after her husband read Flipping Houses for Dummies. At the time, Meredith and her husband were living on a sailboat off the coast of Mexico. They originally returned to the states to flip houses with the ultimate goal of collecting passive income to put towards future sailing adventures. And while Meredith’s dream of permanently living at sea never materialized, she nevertheless developed a love for real estate that has stuck with her to this day.

After entering the real estate world, Meredith was originally working 24/7. She explains that this wasn’t a burden for her, since she truly enjoys what she does. However, once she started building a family, it became harder for her to balance real estate responsibilities with raising her kids. Meredith found a solution in building out her team, which now consists of four agents and a full time administrative assistant. Meredith describes this transition as entering a new season of her life. While she started in a season of full-time work mode, she has since moved to a season of leadership, in which she can help her agents get what they need to thrive AND take care of her two young kids. Meredith’s number one tip for working moms is to accept that life is a journey of balancing rather than finding finite balance. Viewing this balancing process as active and ongoing has helped relieve a lot of pressure for Meredith as she navigates the challenges of working motherhood.

Meredith not only helps her clients buy and sell properties, but she also capitalizes on the benefits of real estate investment in her own life. When asked why real estate is a good investment for families, Meredith explains that real estate pays you in three ways: (1) equity, (2) passive income, and (3) tax write offs. She urges listeners to find a real estate agent they like, trust, and who knows the area well before entering the market. Tune into this week’s episode of The Working Moms Podcast to learn more about Meredith’s career in real estate, her recommendations for real estate investors, and her tips for working moms trying to achieve more balance in their lives.

Quotes:

“There’s a saying that you’re not trying to go for a completely balanced life. It’s not balanced; you’re balancing….You’re never going to be to this point where it’s done and I’m there. You kind of have that theory in your head sometimes or it’s kind of like you’re reaching for this unattainable ‘balanced.’ So I liked that idea that it’s ok...that I’m always balancing the things that I want to see in my life.” (0:42-1:22)
“I was working basically 24/7….It was because I love it. I love what I do, I want to hustle, and I want to grow and help people. So I found it really challenging because I have all that desire and I have all that drive and when you become a mom, there’s a sense of, ‘Do I still get to have those things? Am I still allowed to have that much drive and that much desire because I have these girls that depend on me now?” (10:16-10:45)
“I'm really passionate about helping people figure out what it is they want, realize that they deserve what they want (because a lot of times that’s a big hurdle – feeling deserving of everything that you want), and then getting it.” (24:02-24:20)