Ben Mallah is a trader of a different kind—he doesn’t trade stocks and bonds, he trades in real estate. You could probably call him a property developer, although he doesn’t build from scratch; he buys distressed apartment buildings, hotels and shopping centers, fixes them up, and then sells to make a profit.

He grew up in one of the roughest areas of New York and had a very tough upbringing, but Ben is the true definition of a ‘rags to riches’ story…

During his early 20’s, as a side hustle while working in the military, Ben began getting into real estate. Thirty years have since passed, and in that time, he’s built up a real estate empire worth (approximately) $200,000,000.

Ben Mallah stands in front of Best Western Bay Harbor Hotel; purchased in 2012 for $15M, sold in 2015 for $34M.

Topics of discussion:

• Street smarts learned from growing up around drug dealers, pimps and hardcore criminals. And Ben explains why, “Everything’s for sale. Everything has a price!”
• How Ben got his start in real estate, the details of his very first deal—purchasing an occupied crack house, and why he was willing to take the worst of the worst.
• In order to make a lot of money, Ben describes how he had to exhaust every means he had—taking on a full plate by getting his hands on anything he could.
• Ben shares how he’s able to sniff out a good deal, how he’s been able to take advantage of the tax system, and how he’s become a true real estate mogul…

Links and resources:

• Life For Sale [YouTube]

To support this podcast:

• Leave a review [iTunes]