I sat down with real estate investor, agent, and mompreneur Shae Spitz, whose journey from flipping houses while pregnant to building a dynamic real estate portfolio is nothing short of incredible. In this candid conversation, Shae shares the real numbers, the raw moments, and the real-world strategies that helped her launch and grow her career—without a roadmap, and without a safety net. Whether you’re wondering how to start investing with little money, considering whether to get your license, or juggling real estate with family life, this episode is packed with honest insights, strategic gems, and the mindset shifts you need to succeed.
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Hey everyone, I’m Adrienne Green and today we are with Shae Spitz. I’m really excited to share her story with you because Shae is an investor, an agent, a mom, and all of the things. What started as a side project where she was renovating investment properties with her husband turned into a thriving real estate career. She keeps it all grounded in integrity, teamwork, and heart. Shae is awesome, and I’m so glad I got to know her and share her with you here today. Shae, thank you for joining me.
Yes, thank you so much. I’m excited to be here.
Let’s start at the beginning of your real estate investing journey. How did you get into it in the first place?
So it’s very interesting because we don’t come from a family of entrepreneurs, let alone in real estate at all. My dad was a farmer, my mom worked in manufacturing, my husband’s family just had jobs they stayed in for life. One morning, we had one kid and our second on the way, and my husband called me at 6 a.m. from the road. He said, “There’s a free seminar in Omaha. I think we should go.” I said, “Okay, let’s do it.” We went, then paid $50 for a three-day conference, which led to buying into their program—CT Homes with Than Merrill.
At the time, I was eight and a half months pregnant. The program cost $25,000, which was what I made in a year. It was terrifying. We took out credit card debt, extended our line of credit, and opened three or four new zero-interest cards. That next year was horrible and amazing—so much mental and emotional stress. But we found a deal, did most of the renovations ourselves, made $22,000, and paid off the rest of the debt. It was stressful, but it worked. Then we did more projects, and I committed fully. Got my license, passed on the first try, and dove in.
Wow. I love it. One thing that really stands out is you didn’t get stuck in analysis paralysis, like so many do. How did you move past that?
Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. It was such a tough mental struggle. We used a HELOC on our primary residence. We borrowed from my grandparents at 10% interest and had a construction loan. One of the lenders I spoke with then is still my go-to today. He didn’t know us, but he believed in us. Finding a good lender is huge.
How did we push past analysis paralysis? Honestly, I’m not sure. My husband actually has more of it now than then. Back then, we didn’t have much to lose—but what little we had felt terrifying to risk. Once we committed to that $25,000 debt, there was no going back. We had to pay it off. I’ve learned to trust my intuition. I don’t overthink. My husband is the analytical one. And sometimes I regret not going with my gut when he talked me out of things. The cost of procrastination is higher than the cost of taking the leap.
I love that. It’s so true—our best decisions are often the ones where we jumped in before talking ourselves out of it. What did you do after that first flip?
We just kept looking for deals. We were young, and people would say things like, “Must be nice—they’re paying cash.” We didn’t have the money. We leveraged other people and resources. Our next deal was a FSBO that sat forever. I door-knocked, kept following up, and finally got it under contract. We paid a bit more than we wanted, but still below asking. We made about $20,000 gross. The next year, the guy who bought it resold it for $180,000—he didn’t even do any work.
Then we started buying off the MLS. After several projects, I was juggling a full-time job, two kids, and long drives. I gave my three-week notice and jumped full-time into real estate.
What I’m hearing is that the fortune really is in the follow-up. You’re clearly not afraid of hearing no. Has that always been the case?
No, but I’ve trained my mindset through books and podcasts—especially “The Mindset Mentor” by Rob Dial. I listened to him nonstop. Rejection is just part of the game. One no is just one step closer to a yes. People say it takes 15 nos to get to a yes. That’s the number I always have in mind.
There’s a book called Ask by Mark Victor Hansen, the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” guy. It’s all about how everything is a no unless you ask. I had one client who I met five years ago. I followed up occasionally, and she got my emails. Then out of nowhere, four years later, she called me to see a $500,000 house—and she bought it. Four years of silence. You never know.
Right! That’s such a powerful example. Let’s shift to wearing both hats: agent and investor. What’s your take on that?
If investing is your main focus, I’d probably say don’t get your license. There are so many rules and disclosures. If you’re sending mailers to distressed sellers and you’re a licensed agent, you have to disclose that on every piece. That can immediately put people off—they assume you’ll lowball them.
For me, I’m more of an agent who invests on the side. That works well. I bought a house for $172K, spent $6K-$8K in repairs, and sold it two months later for $225K. I got that lead because I’d talked to the seller for a year.
But you have to put full transparency in your contracts. You need all those “buyer is a licensed agent” clauses. If you’re not an agent, you don’t have to do that. So there are pros and cons depending on your priorities.
Let’s talk strategy. What kinds of investments do you focus on now?
We have an Airbnb that used to be a church. My husband said no, I bought it anyway. It’s been hit or miss. Airbnb has a lot more fees—state, county, city lodging taxes, and it’s all taxed as active income. A friend in Florida told me they’re happy just to break even because someone else is paying the mortgage. That increases equity, so it’s worth it.
We have an eightplex and another rental that caught fire. Thankfully we had loss of rent insurance, so we’ve been receiving rent for the past year and three months even though it’s vacant. Insurance is critical.
Right now, I’m working on a 75-acre development. It’s a lot of moving parts, but I think I’ll love it eventually. I also do cost segregation to maximize depreciation. A lot of people go into rentals expecting cash flow, but I do it to offset my income from being an agent. At a certain point, depreciation runs out, and I’ll sell.
That tax knowledge is so important. If someone is overwhelmed by that, what would you say?
You can learn it. I’ve gone through four CPAs. You need one who understands investing. My current CPA is more expensive but saves me so much more in the long run. That’s the real ROI people miss. And ask questions. My husband will just nod through a CPA meeting and leave confused. Ask them to break it down until you understand.
You and your husband work together—plus you’re a mom. What’s that dynamic like?
He got his license too, and there have been growing pains. He likes where we’re at, and I’m always pushing for more. But we make it work. I take the kids to school, to appointments. He’s had to step up more, and that’s not always easy. We’ve had to balance things out. Sometimes one of us is at 50%, and the other needs to be at 150%.
Real estate isn’t always sunshine and roses. There are peaks and valleys. But as you grow, you build more resilience. When one of our properties caught fire, I was calm. The tenant had a breakdown, but I stayed focused. Your emotional intelligence grows. That’s key to business and life.
You also have a lot of experience working with investor clients. What’s your advice on building a local team?
Never underestimate the value of a strong team. I’ve never bought out-of-state because I’d be afraid of not having the right team. Local property managers, contractors, handymen—they’re make or break. If you’re managing an Airbnb, your cleaner is critical. Bad reviews can kill you.
If you’re looking to invest in a new area, go visit. Ask local lenders, realtors, and investors who they trust. The upfront time will save you thousands later.
What’s your go-to tool for managing operations?
We use Hemlane. We don’t have local property managers, so I manage our long-term rentals. Hemlane takes online payments, handles tenant communication, sends out lease renewals, etc. It’s freed up a lot of my time.
Biggest downside: they don’t have much Spanish-speaking support, which was tough since most of our tenants speak Spanish. But once it’s set up, it’s pretty smooth.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t be afraid to take risks—but also work on yourself. My five core values are faith, health, relationships, business, and finances. Most people focus only on business and finances. But when things go wrong—and they will—you need those other pillars to keep you steady. Entrepreneurship looks shiny on social media, but it’s hard. Emotional intelligence is everything.
And lastly, what book would you say has been most transformational?
Ask by Mark Victor Hansen is fantastic. But The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod has been my go-to. It helps you ground yourself before diving into business. The Psychology of Money is another favorite. It’s helped me understand how mindset and money interact. That one’s really powerful.
Shae, thank you so much for sharing all of this. How can people connect with you and follow your work?
You can find me on Instagram @shaejspitz. That’s S-H-A-E-J for Joe, and then Spitz. My Linktree in the bio has links to my podcast, Real Mom, and everything else I’m working on. The podcast is for mompreneurs—Resilient Entrepreneurs and Abundant Living. It’s all about those five values I mentioned. We talk business, mindset, health, and more. Thanks again, this has been amazing!
And for our readers—if this conversation inspired you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Thanks for being here, and stay tuned for more.