Written in Partnership with Amir Bakian
Meet Marco Santarelli, a self-made multimillionaire, investor, author, podcaster, and founder of Norada Real Estate Investments, a premium real estate firm that offers investors turnkey investment properties nationwide. He is also the creator of DealGrader, a real estate investment grading system that evaluates the profitability and risk of a property as an investment. Through his groundbreaking expertise in property investing, Santarelli aims to help one million people achieve financial freedom through real estate.
Santarelli’s journey to success started when he was 18 and a student at the University of Calgary in Canada, where he bought his first rental property. Despite having no experience in real estate, Santarelli successfully handled the management of the property. This experience sparked his passion for real estate and led him to get licensed after graduating. He worked as a residential Realtor for three years before leaving to pursue other business ventures.
However, Santarelli’s passion for real estate never faded. In 2003, he returned to the industry and founded Norada Real Estate Investments, based in Orange County, CA. He built the firm with efficiency and automation in mind, allowing him to focus on scaling the business. Today, Norada caters to clients nationwide and operates in over 25 markets across the United States.
Santarelli believes that education is the key to success in real estate investing. He advises investors to invest in themselves and their knowledge. “The most precious and important place to invest is in your mind and yourself. And at Norada, we are constantly sharing information and knowledge as we guide investors toward their financial freedom,” Santarelli says.
The motto, “Educate Yourself”, is the first of Santarelli’s “10 Rules of Successful Real Estate Investing”. He believes that financial education is evolving and it is not enough to save money; investors need to invest in income-producing assets. One of the core principles that he follows is a fully market-agnostic approach. Santarelli is not married to any market, property manager, lender, inspector, or title company. This approach has given enormous benefits to Norada and its clients because as soon as the numbers fail to make sense in his proprietary DealGrader system for markets and deals, the company already has the next profitable market in its sights and is moving on solid investment purchases in that area.
Santarelli advises investors not to restrict themselves to a specific market just because they are familiar with it or live there. Instead, it’s best to pick the markets that offer the best opportunities and put your investment capital to work there. He has seen both sides of the real estate market, the boom, and the crash. With this, he learned many things along the way and continued to refine those experiences to build a roadmap. He believes in four core principles: knowledge is currency, never speculate, invest for cash flow, and work with professionals, be professional.
Marco Santarelli is the real estate mastermind behind Norada Real Estate Investments. His success in the real estate industry earned him respect and recognition from his peers, and he continues to share his expertise with others. Santarelli proves that anyone can succeed in real estate investing with the right education, mindset, and team.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.