STEPHEN DIJULIUS

works solo servicing South

It takes a different approach to real estate to be an investor’s agent, and Stephen DiJulius has the magic touch. After nearly a decade working for a large commercial developer, Stephen realized that his learned skills could be transferable in the residential real estate market. Once Stephen and his wife settled in South Bend, Indiana, he wanted a expand in a way that would allow him to “chart his own destiny”, and so he has been his residential business in the area ever since.

While many agents specialize in working with clients to find primary residences, 90% of Stephen’s business is made up of investors. It’s not necessarily big spender, Wall Street-types, but rather young couples who are looking to invest in alternative retirement plans and build up a real estate portfolio. “Investors came out of the woodwork a few years ago because interest rates were low,” Stephen comments. “I was on the ground floor with a lot of those people.”

From investing in short-term rentals, to longterm rentals, or even fix and flips, Stephen has an eye for diamond in the rough properties that he can share with his clients to turn into exciting new investments. He frequently works with clients who are flipping homes both in the purchase and sale of their properties. Stephen attributes his success as an investor’s agent to the mindset — he believes that there is a difference in an agent’s mindset when trying to find someone an investment property compared to a primary residence.

Working primarily as an investor’s agent also requires a different approach to staying in touch with clients. Since most of Stephen’s past clients are business people who invest on the side, he tries not to bombard them with email blasts, but will reach out if he comes across a really nice deal. His clients are savvy when it comes to market activity, using Twitter as a tool to access trends in the market, so Stephen utilizes the social media app to stay on top of the market updates just like his clients. Additionally, Stephen has a simple landing page website for his business. His business is thriving, even without a heavy social media presence, as his combined volume of sales was over $7 million last year.

Working primarily with investment properties allows Stephen to feel like he is giving back not only to the young investors who want to build a real estate portfolio, but also to contribute the local economy, whether through boosting the tourist market, or even improving local neighborhoods by helping investors renovate dilapidated homes.

“I really enjoy discovering opportunities,” Stephen states when asked what he loves about the job. “What I really enjoy is that when I walk in a house that is overlooked, and letting that house tell me what it can be.”

Working primarily with investment properties allows Stephen to feel like he is giving back not only to the young investors who want to build a stable retirment, but also to contribute the local economy, whether through boosting the tourist market with short-term rentals, or even improving local neighborhoods by helping investors renovate dilapidated homes into something new and fresh for the community. “I’m genuinely helping people build their wealth, and build their future,” Stephen comments.

Outside of work, Stephen has passed on his love of history to his kids. He is a big history buff who has established successful history podcasts on the side, and loves to watch historical documentaries with his kids. He also is very involved in his church community, and since the University of Notre Dame is nearby, he gets to meet a lot of people in the church community who relocate to the area.