Talk about a busy guy—longtime Navy civilian now in a coveted fellowship position on Capitol Hill, father of three, recent Master’s of Divinity Graduate, and a seasoned real estate developer all at the age of 36. Michael’s drive and passion go back to his formative relationship with his great grandfather who helped raised him in Blackstone, Virginia until he was 13 teaching him the value of family and faith—and hard work. They tinkered together allegedly breaking more than they fixed, but this gave Michael his first taste in building things which led to an interest in engineering.
Michael graduated from Virginia State University with a degree in Manufacturing Engineering and then onto Georgia Tech for a Masters in Mechanical Engineering in 2011. The Navy was impressed with Michael’s credentials and hired him on the spot in 2012 when he applied as a test engineer. Michael has been with the Navy ever since in various positions as he climbed the career ladder.
So where does real estate development factor into Michael’s life? He vividly remembers a conversation he had with his supervisor, Jim, when he entered the Navy. Jim owned 10 rental properties all with mortgages in his personal name. Intrigued, Michael rented out the home he had lived in for three years in Virginia. He moved to Maryland after that and after extensive research, Michael landed on Baltimore as the perfect city for him to launch this adjunct career in real estate investing. He cobbled together enough money to buy his first project in Baltimore, a duplex in the Mt. Holly neighborhood in April 2019. It is still his best-performing property!
After multiple purchases in both Baltimore and Blackstone, in 2022 a property became available next door to his original purchase in Mt. Holly. He purchased that house outright from the Baltimore City vacant property program. As he was shopping around for the construction funds, he posted on a Facebook real estate page that he was looking for funding, and our lender, Matt Luderman, responded to the post. Having never heard of Spring Garden Lending, Michael was skeptical at first, but we offered the most favorable terms and the journey began. The loan closed two weeks ago!
When asked about his experience with us, Michael responded, “From the beginning, I felt a bond with Matt. We are both young and investors, so we speak a common language. Matt was well informed, gave good information, and was very pleasant to work with. He’s a lender I would definitely work with again.”
