#108 - How to Build a 1000+ Unit Real Estate Portfolio While Working Full-Time with Christopher Lento

Path To Passive: Real Estate Investing For Technology Professionals

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What if the landlord you’re renting from sparks your path to financial freedom? That’s exactly what happened to Christopher Lento, a mechanical engineer turned real estate investor who now manages over 1,000 units. In this episode, Chris walks us through his 10+ year journey, starting from house hacking in Boston to building EM Capital and raising investor money. He shares honest lessons on scaling, managing properties out-of-state, knowing when to leave a W2 job, and what passive investors should ask before jumping in.
Chris Lento is the founder and managing member of EM Capital. With a background in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon and professional development training at Boston University and MIT, Chris brings a unique perspective to our multifamily real estate investment approach.
Chris has over twenty years of experience in multifamily ownership, management, and investing. His vision and guidance drive us to remain dedicated to portfolio diversification through sustainable and socially responsible multifamily housing investments.
Connect with Christopher:
Website: www.emcapitalgroup.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christopherlento
Episode highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(1:01) Chris’s first step into real estate sparked by curiosity
(5:57) House hacking and buying that first triplex
(10:06) Testing out-of-state investing with a 24-unit in Florida
(13:44) Realizing it was time to leave his W2 and build EM Capital
(16:26) Why his real estate journey took 10 years to ramp up
(23:27) How value-add multifamily deals work and what to look for
(27:03) The big levers in underwriting and stress-testing assumptions
(34:01) Key questions for first-time limited partners
(44:30) What happens after you invest in a deal
(50:29) Why Chris actually loves this work and the impact it creates
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For more resources and guides, check these out:

• Investor 101 https://www.aritacapital.com/investor-101-resource/#
• Due Diligence Resource https://www.aritacapital.com/dd-checklist-resource/

If you want to learn more, reach out at:

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aritasteven/

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