Angel explains that his entry into real estate wasn't originally about being an agent, but about wanting to be an investor. Lacking capital and a network, he realized he needed a professional 'vehicle' to get him to his goals. He pivoted into becoming a licensed agent to build the knowledge and capital necessary to eventually own property himself.

Just as Jimmy paid off his initial $120,000 debt from the meat business, the 2008 real estate market collapsed. He was stuck with two houses that had $160,000 in negative equity. Because he had been a high earner, the banks wouldn't let him short-sell; they forced him to take the debt as a 0% loan. To pay this off, Jimmy began flipping distressed properties, including 'meth houses' that needed remediation, eventually clearing the debt within a year.