9 Global Names Who’ve Made Millions Investing Into Real Estate

Real estate has long been one of the most sought after asset classes for investors around the globe. It’s no surprise that so many have made millions — or even billions — from the real estate market. Widely renowned as one of the most secure asset backed investments you can make, with the right approach to investing it can prove to be extremely lucrative.

All data, research and statistics show that in the grand scheme of things, there is a general trend in real estate that shows it always increases over time. Even after the huge financial crisis of 2007 — even though real estate prices plummeted — prices have now surpassed the levels they were at before the crash.

Over the years people from all walks of life have been able to benefit through property investing. Some have supplemented their incomes through a single buy-to-let property, whilst others have made huge sums of money from the market — and the stories of some of the most notable names who’ve made millions from real estate investing are everything from enviable to inspiring.

Brad Pitt

Having seen huge successes with actor George Clooney, They have also seen success off-screen too. The two have made a number of successful real estate investments together.

Investing into multiple developments across the USA and into Europe, one of the most prominent deals was the purchase of 25 acres of land in 2005 for in the region of $90 million, selling it the following year to Starwood for $202 million — a cool $112 million profit.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Bodybuilder, actor and ex-mayor of California, it’s often surprising to hear that Schwarzenegger’s wealth originally started to be amassed via real estate investing.

Pulling together every penny he could and investing it into multifamily real estate, it’s this that would give him the vital salary he needed to get his name out there and fund his emerging acting career. Stating that he made his first million dollars via investing into property, he benefited from what was dubbed the ‘magic decade’ in the US, Speaking to CNBC, he explained “I quickly developed and traded up my buildings and bought more apartment buildings and office buildings on Main Street down in Santa Monica and so on… I became a millionaire from my real estate investments”.

David Reuben

Whilst not as much of a household name as Schwarzenegger, mention David Reuben and his brother Simon in any circles related to property, investing or finance and you’ll have people’s attention.

Originally making their money by investing in the Russian metals market, when the market turned they focussed the majority of their investments towards the UK real estate market, which significantly increased their net worth.

Owning such properties as Millbank Tower, the American Express offices in Victoria and Carlton House SW1, there is no doubt they have seen financial success — their combined net worth is estimated to be in the region of £10 billion ($14 billion).

Ellen DeGeneres

One of the world’s most famous TV presenters and chat show hosts, Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia De Rossi are known to be big players in the real estate market.

Having bought and sold homes throughout Southern California in Santa Barbara and Hidden Valley, clearly the two know what they’re doing — they purchased a property worth nearly $40 million, selling it for a profit of $15 million only a few months later.

Leonardo DiCaprio

One of the most well-known actors in the world, the Titanic, Revenant and Wolf Of Wall Street star is not only putting on blockbuster performances, but he’s also seen some first-class achievements in the real estate world.
Renting out properties in Palm Springs for an estimated $3,750 a night, he also listed his oceanfront Malibu house for $10.95 million — nearly seven times what he paid for it two decades prior.

Nick Leslau

A well known British commercial property investor, Nick started his career as a chartered surveyor. Expanding into property soon after, he grew the company he took over — Chartsearch — to a £1 billion enterprise, buying large parts of Oxford Street and the Trocadero Centre. Nick is Chairman and Chief Executive of Prestbury Investment Holdings Limited and Chairman of Prestbury Investments LLP, he has an estimated net worth of £350 million.

Johnny Depp

The Pirates Of The Caribbean star is well known for his real estate investments, putting five adjacent penthouses up for sale inside Eastern Columbia Lofts, a landmarked Art Deco building in Los Angeles. He purchased the penthouses for $7.2 million between 2007 and 2008, he sold one for $2.545 million in October 2016 and a second, a 2,400 square foot unit, for $3.9 million in November 2016 — together almost accounting for the full purchase price of all five properties.

Jon Hunt

Another well known British real estate entrepreneur. After a stint in the Army, Jon began a career as an estate agent. Borrowing £100 at the age of 19 to buy a one-bedroom conversion flat on Walton Road, Woking for £4,500. He founded Foxtons in 1981 at the age of 28 with his school friend Anthony Pelligrinelli, who invested £30,000 to fund the business through its first year — a wise investment all round.

Nicholas Candy

Alongside his brother Christian, Nicholas is one of Britain’s top luxury real estate developers, and the Candy brothers started out in the mid 90s by buying their first property, a one-bedroom flat in Redcliffe Square, Earl’s Court, London. Using a £6,000 loan from their grandmother, they went on to renovate the apartment and successfully increased its value by £50,000.

Between 1995 and 1999, the brothers began renovating flats to work their way up the property ladder and eventually founded their own company, Candy & Candy, in 1999. From here they went on to work on some of the most well known developments in the UK, such as One Hyde park, Chelsea Barracks and NoHo Square.

Inspiration to invest

Real estate is one of the most interesting asset classes available. Particularly vast and especially varied, there are opportunities for everyone, almost regardless of available capital, risk profile and return expectations — and the names here, if nothing else, should offer at least some inspiration to show exactly what’s possible.

Thanks for reading!

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