Shlomo Orlovich's Real Estate Journey | Story by J.P. Morgan | Transcript

Shlomo:

And I said, "Come on. I'm a plumber. I'm not going to buy a building." And I bought the building. 

We got to Los Angeles and I think I had about seventy bucks in my pocket, so I need a quick job.

The business did very well, and that's how at one point I met Richard. Richard was a broker in the building.

And I said, "Come on. I'm a plumber. I'm not going to buy a building." So he says, "Come to my office." I went to his office, and he shows me the numbers, and I bought the building. 

I have buildings that are elderly people and their culture is: You have to sit down and have a cup of coffee with them and then you get the rent. You got to know the tenant, interact with the tenant, and respect the tenant. And they all know it that I do respect them. It's their home and they have to live comfortably in their home. And they're customers and you try to do the best that they'll be comfortable in your building. That's, that's my, my motto. 

[knocking] 

Duane:

Hey, Shlomo! What's going on, man? The greatest thing about Shlomo is, you don't know he's your landlord. He's like your best neighbor, like your best friend. Whenever anything needs to be fixed or done, you call him up, he's right on it, he takes care of it. But the best thing is just him being Shlomo. You get to have a conversation and hang out and, like, my wife, she's been living here 20 years and he treats her like a daughter. I mean he's just the best. 

Shlomo:

My mother is a Holocaust survivor. And she always told us, "You treat everybody nicely." I enjoy what I'm doing, I love my job, I enjoy it, and financially I'm fine. I want my tenants to live comfortably, basically. That's all. 

END