- Before the age of 30 and within his first three years in real estate, Jim was listed in the Wall Street Journal as one of the top 100 agents in the U.S.
- Co-founders Andy and Jim both loved the idea of breaking the properties into fractional shares so that all people can access the best real estate investing opportunities.
- As a successful real estate agent with 15 years in the industry, Jim truly knows the ins-and-outs when purchasing investment properties.
Who is Jim Holt?
Born in Indiana, Jim Holt was surrounded by housing as his father worked in residential construction. Every weekend, he and his father would visit open houses, instilling him with a love for interior design, architecture, and ultimately, real estate.
Jim attended Stanford University for his undergraduate degree and graduated in 2003 with a degree in mathematics and computational science. This background assists him in researching properties, locations and markets to find the best investment. He started doing real estate in 2006 with Caldwell Banking. Within his first three years working in real estate, Jim was listed in the Wall Street Journal as one of the top 100 agents in the country. Later, he helped Redfin grow from a company with just 30 employees to over 400. He then founded Elevate Group, his highly ranked real estate agency. His experience in business and real estate makes Jim a pillar of safety for Ark7.
The Beginnings of Ark7
Jim first met Andy Zhao, CEO of Ark7, as a client around 2009 when he helped Andy and his family purchase a home. Through the process, Andy expressed his frustration with the difficulties of real estate investment, which later led to the idea of Ark7.
Two years ago, Andy and Jim met to discuss property investing and the roadblocks to making the best investments. Initially, their plan was to help Andy get involved in property investments, but it soon transformed into the creation of Ark7.
Jim noticed that many of his clients also had numerous questions about property investing and understood that prices could make real estate investments not feasible for many. Yizhen and Jim both loved the idea of breaking the properties into fractional shares so that all people can access the best real estate investing opportunities.
“It’s an industry that’s dominated either by investment firms or people that have a large amount of money that are established as investors,” Jim said. “As we talked through the whole possibility of Ark7, I think that the main starting point was creating a platform that made it a lot more accessible for everyday people that want to invest.”
What Jim thinks is so exciting about Ark7
Jim is looking forward to expanding Ark7’s property markets throughout the country, and hopefully globally as well, to find the best and most attractive markets. He’s proud of the growth so far, as Ark7 started in the Bay Area and now has expanded to Seattle and Austin already.
Additionally, Jim likes the idea of investors having control over their own finances and choices in investing. Ark7 is developing a platform for investors to liquidate. He likened the platform to eTrade when it first began and gave investors the freedom to buy and sell as they like.
“I feel like this will really empower investors to make some of their own decisions,” Jim says.
How Jim evaluates the properties
Jim focuses on solid short-term returns and appreciation, identifying hot markets with long-term potential for growth. He then proceeds with due diligence, conducting inspections and covering all bases including property management and repairs.
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