Meet Jay Abrams | Real Estate Investor & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jay Abrams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jay, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
It started when I worked for a small design firm in Brooklyn, NY. It was nearing year end and I was excited for my bonus, because I wanted to do some traveling the following year. Before the month ended, my boss approached us and said that we wouldn’t be getting a bonus that year. I put a lot of time in growing their business, so it left a sour taste. That’s when I checked out mentally. A month later, I left them to start my own practice.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
After starting my design practice out of my little NY apartment, things started off well. I specialized in 3D renderings which developers used to market there soon-to-be-built creations by getting investors to buy units that helped finance the construction. The phone rang and emails came in. So, I had no complaints, until March of 2020 when the whole world shut down. It was, at that time, when my business shut down as well. But, I didn’t let it stop me. Instead, I just pivoted.
About a month before the shut down, I had saved up enough money and bought a 600 ft² house back in my hometown of Greenacres, FL. It was a 1-bedroom fixer-upper because that’s all I could afford. LOL.
Fast forward to the shutdown and I told my mom I’d be flying down for a few weeks since covid was only going to last “two or three weeks.” Lo and behold, NYC was the epicenter and all the news outlets said to “STAY AWAY FROM NY!” I thought, “No problem, I’ll stay a little longer and work on my house.” Weeks go by and then lo and behold, Florida was now the hot spot. Again, “No problem. I’ll stay longer and keep working.” All during this time, I had been posting on Instagram all the renovations I had done. A former client of mine replied to my story and said he had a proposition for me. “Jay, I’m loaded. Let’s buy a house to flip. You design and construct, and we’ll split the profits 50/50.”
My new business was now born.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a good one. Over the years, I have gotten to know a lot of Palm Beach county from working on multiple flips. But, an absolute gem is the Old Northwood district in West Palm Beach. It has the walkability of a downtown, the energy of a downtown, but with residential, single-family homes in close proximity compared to huge towers that encase most big cities.
I might be a little biased as NYC will forever be in my heart, but imagine getting the energy of New York – on an absolute toddler scale – but then walking to your home with a nice backyard only two minutes away? It is just perfect.
My favorite restaurant there is Malakor, Thai cuisine. And if you get their lunch specialssssss, you can eat one meal that lasts you two sittings for less than $10 a plate. People, c’mon.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout list is lengthy, but one special thank you goes out to my mentor, Charlie. He’s definitely the most inspiring and absolutely infuriating person I’ve ever met. He’s the type of mentor that if he was teaching you how to swim, he’d just throw you in the pool like you were a bag of mulch. And if you screamed that you were drowning, he’d tell you, “You better start kicking your legs.”
I never agreed with his methods, but I can say that he was always in my corner. In times of need, he was there for me, listening, encouraging, and preparing me for the deep-end of what I was to encounter in business. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.
Some arm floaties would’ve been nice, though.
The second person that gets a special thank you is my mom. Truly my ride or die. She’s been with me through every property I’ve worked on and single-handedly done more work than any contractor I have ever hired. So, sometimes I have to reign her in haha.
Over the last five years, I’ve watched her grow, not just in her knowledge of real estate, but also her design sensibilities. For someone jumping in not knowing anything about the subject of flipping houses, she is now a stand-alone star. She’s the real MVP.

Website: https://Jayabrams.com

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