How a Venezuelan Surgeon with No English Built a $20M Real Estate Portfolio

Andrea Lancioni shares her remarkable journey in real estate investing today. She arrived in the US in 2017 as a single mother from Venezuela—a trained general surgeon who couldn't speak English and couldn't practice medicine. At one time, she had to tackle five jobs just to survive.

Today, Andrea manages a $20 million rental portfolio in South Jersey while running a thriving wholesaling business. She also provides coaching to a community of 400+ Spanish-speaking investors.

Here is a preview of what you'll learn in this blog:

• How to break into real estate with no money, no language, and no connections

• Why the BRRRR strategy is harder today and what to do instead

• The negotiation approach that wins deals in a competitive market

• Why personal branding on social media is not an option but a necessity

• How to build a community that actually sticks together

How Do You Start in Real Estate When You Have Nothing?

Andrea planned to become a licensed surgeon in the United States, but life had other plans. She juggled multiple jobs, including babysitting a 4- and 6-year-old. That’s how she initially learned English.

Her entry into real estate came through her now-husband, who was running a 25-person construction company. He needed someone to manage paperwork and weekend errands. In 2020 (after Covid), Andrea managed tenants and coordinated with Spanish-speaking contractors. She gained hands-on experience in project management.

The Execution of BRRRR Method is Extremely Hard Today

In 2021, Andrea launched a wholesaling company with her husband. Their team included virtual assistants from the Philippines, Egypt, and Honduras. The initial strategy was to invest in distressed properties, renovate, and refinance, but things have started to change.

"The BRRRR strategy is much harder to execute today," Andrea explains. "We're comfortable leaving $10,000–$15,000 in each property rather than forcing a full refinance."

Now, they target distressed but move-in-ready properties. These are sellers who are underwater or have limited equity. The house may need a cosmetic touch-up and it can be listed again.

How Do You Find Distressed Seller Leads?

Andrea believes that the market works in different cycles. Sellers can become silent during the third and fourth quarters. You need to adjust marketing efforts depending on the cycle. A few marketing options include:

• Direct-mail marketing

• PPC

• Cold calling

• Paid ads on Google and Meta

Once you have found a lead, it’s important to make a warm connection. That’s the only thing that differentiates you from 17 other investors who are calling the same homeowner.

If a seller is in distress and needs to move, help them find temporary housing. Help them with paperwork. Connect them with resources. Build that into your assignment fee. Make it about them, not the transaction.

The Importance of Personal Branding for Real Estate Investors

Andrea launched her Spanish-language social media presence in 2022. In three years, her efforts have paid off. Last year, her team closed over a million dollars in wholesale fees—and 70% of those deals came directly from her Spanish-speaking community through social media.

Today people use Social media for everything, including checking the profile of a surgeon before making an appointment. For investors, social media branding is the key to networking and attracting future opportunities.

Building a Community that Stays Together

Andrea leads a community of 400+ Spanish-speaking investors but it isn’t just about real estate education. It’s a complete package designed to meet the needs of community members, including fitness, immigration resources, legal guidance, and mindset.

"A community can't just be one-dimensional. Mind, body, and spirit all have to work together. I think that's why I have a 97.2% retention rate—because people feel like I'm a friend, not just a mentor."

What's Next for Andrea Lancioni?

On the business side, Andrea is looking to acquire businesses in the home services space. She is busy scaling her wholesaling business while helping her community.

On a personal level, she and her husband are looking at opportunities to help the economy in Venezuela, especially in the medical and oil industries. They plan on traveling the world with Airbnbs in multiple countries and maybe settling in Italy. They want to open a free-entry children’s hospital either in the US or Venezuela. Further down the road, She would like to run for president of Venezuela.

To connect with Andrea, find her on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok under the handle Real Estate Con Andrea — con meaning "with" in Spanish. She posts primarily in Spanish but welcomes messages in English.