"This is a man's world!" ~James Brown.  All due respect to the godfather of soul, we disagree. Unfortunately, while women make up the majority of realtors, a visit to any local REIA will reveal that the opposite is true when it comes to investing. At REIRail, we consider it part of our mission to change that. So it is a great pleasure to welcome our friend, Whitney Nicely to the blog. She has been preaching the gospel of wealth building through real estate to women around the country for years. In this post she expounds on why women are such great investors (better than men LOL). 

When I got started in real estate investing only a handful of years ago I remember going to conferences and being one of maybe two or three women in a sea of men.  It always bothered me.

Where were all the women?  Why is it that real estate investing seems jam packed with the men, but the women are hard to come by?  Ladies, I have to tell you, officially: Real estate investing is not JUST for men.

Real Estate Investing is Not JUST a Man’s World

Here’s the thing, men and women bring different strengths to this whole arena.  Both sides are beneficial and necessary in order to keep things balanced and in check.  Men tend to focus heavily on the numbers and calculations of a project, while women lean more into the relational elements of connecting with and helping people.

We even seem to have different kinds of motivations for why we are even interested in real estate investing in the first place.  Men often want to be able to live with all the things and the stuff, while women usually want the freedom to live without worry and with security.  Now, this is not a rule, but it is the most common overlaps in the genders.

Men and Women Aren’t Wired the Same 

I often tend to see this even in the ads that come across my Facebook feed.  The ads I see come from the male real estate investors and they promote being able to get the fancy car, or luxurious house, or lots of commas in the checks.  For me, these things are irrelevant. I could not care less about any of that!

What do I care about?  I care that I can be able to support my husband with financial responsibilities that we have.  It is important to me that I have the time freedom to be available for a school field trip or event for my step kids.  I want to be able to freely write a generous check to local teams doing a fundraising event, or a charity in need of financial support.

These are the things that matter to me, and in my experience, almost every woman I talk to feels the exact same way.

Women, Your Presence Is Needed 

Here’s the deal, ladies, don’t let fear, intimidation, or any of kind of mind game hold you back.  Jump headlong into real estate investing if this is something you have wanted to do!  You have a natural set of skills that benefits you right off the bat because of your female strengths, like communication and empathy, style and a discerning eye for details.

And, the marketplace is in heavy need of these attributes right now.  Recognize your own value and what you can bring to the table, and then make the decision to get started. 

Yes, it might be scary.  Take action and be brave.  You may even feel like you don’t know what you are doing.  Fail forward and invest in your education. No matter what hurdles you come across, commit today to pressing onward and through, even when the going gets tough.  It will get tough, but if you are committed to the process and dedicated to pushing through hard things, I can almost guarantee that the life successes you imagine will be yours to experience.

About Whitney - Whitney Nicely rejected the southern girl path of working at her family’s trucking business and embraced the life of an investor.  Her first nine months made her over $140,000, and set her on the path to empowering other women to break into the real estate “good ole boys club” and break down barriers while making some serious cash.  Her courses and more can be found at WhitneyNicely.com.