Our Story Pt. 2: How Mattias Clymer Went From REALTOR to Real Estate Investor

Why Origin Stories Matter in Real Estate

Every real estate career has a beginning, and the beginning usually explains a lot about how someone works today. In Episode 3 of the early WELLthy Investor podcast, now known as The REI Agent, co-host Erica turns the tables and interviews her husband and co-host, Mattias Clymer, about his background. It is the second half of a two-part conversation: Part 1 covered how the couple got to where they are, including starting out as newlyweds with $120,000 in debt and eventually running four businesses. Part 2 zooms in on Mattias’s own path, from his earliest years to becoming a REALTOR to diving into real estate investing.

If you are an agent wondering whether investing is for you, or an investor thinking about adding a license to your toolkit, hearing how a working professional made that transition can help you map your own.

Born a Tri-Citizen: A Different Starting Point

The episode begins with Mattias’s earliest chapter. He describes being born a tri-citizen, a detail that frames an upbringing shaped by more than one place and culture. We will leave the specifics to the episode itself, but the larger point is worth pausing on: nobody arrives in real estate from a neutral starting line. Where you come from shapes how you see money, risk, home, and stability.

For many people, real estate is not just a business. Homeownership carries meaning tied to family history, immigration, security, and belonging. When you work with buyers and sellers, you are often helping them make a decision that touches all of those things. An agent who understands his or her own story is usually better at listening to a client’s.

Getting Into Sales as a REALTOR

The conversation moves from background to career. Mattias talks about entering real estate sales as a REALTOR. Most agents will recognize the early reality of that choice: you are essentially starting a small business, your income is variable, and you have to learn lead generation, negotiation, and client service largely on the job.

Becoming a REALTOR is also a powerful education in how real estate actually works. Agents see contracts, inspections, appraisals, financing, pricing strategy, and neighborhood-level market movement every week. That repeated exposure is a head start that most new investors do not have.

Some of what working agents quietly learn that translates directly to investing:

1. How to read a market. Comparable sales, days on market, and price trends become second nature.
2. How deals fall apart. You learn the common points of failure in inspections, financing, and title.
3. How people behave under pressure. Negotiation experience helps when you are buying from a motivated seller or working with contractors.
4. How to build a network. Lenders, inspectors, attorneys, and tradespeople become part of your contact list.

Stepping Into Real Estate Investing

The third stage of the story is the leap from helping others transact to investing for himself. Mattias walks through his journey into real estate investing, the step many agents think about for years before taking.

Why do so many agents hesitate? Common reasons include fear of tying up capital, uncertainty about financing, worry about being a landlord, and the sense that they are too busy selling for clients to focus on their own portfolio. Hearing a peer describe how they approached the transition makes it feel more achievable.

The broader theme of the podcast is that agents are uniquely positioned to become investors. You already have market knowledge, access to deals, and relationships. The missing ingredient is usually a decision and a plan. Listening to someone talk through how he made that decision can help you build your own.

The Recommended Book: How to Win Friends and Influence People

As with other early episodes, this one comes with a book recommendation: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It is a fitting choice for a conversation about a sales career, because the central idea of the book is that success with people depends on genuine interest in them, listening well, and treating others with respect.

For agents and investors, those principles show up everywhere:

• With clients, listening carefully to what someone wants usually matters more than pitching.
• With sellers, especially in tough situations, empathy builds the trust needed to reach an agreement.
• With partners and lenders, a reputation for being fair and easy to work with brings repeat opportunities.
• With your own family, the same habits keep a household running smoothly when work gets demanding.

If you have never read it, consider adding it to your list. If you have, it is worth revisiting through the lens of your business today.

What Husband-and-Wife Hosts Bring to the Conversation

There is something worth noting about the format. Erica, who brings a counseling background to the show, is the one asking the questions. That dynamic makes the conversation feel personal rather than performative. A partner asks things an outside interviewer might not, and the answers come across as more candid.

This also reflects the show’s founding idea: wealth and holistic well-being belong together. Real estate is not just a numbers game. It involves stress, family, identity, and the emotional ups and downs of building a business. Having a spouse involved in the story is a reminder that big financial decisions affect the whole household.

If you are building a real estate business alongside a partner, consider having your own version of this conversation. Sit down and tell each other your stories. Talk about where you came from, what you learned about money growing up, and what you want your life to look like. Those answers often explain your disagreements about risk and spending better than any spreadsheet.

Lessons You Can Apply This Week

Here are practical ways to use the ideas from this episode:

1. Write your own origin story. Spend fifteen minutes noting where you grew up, what shaped your views on money, and why you got into real estate. Knowing your story makes you a more intentional decision-maker.
2. Take inventory of your agent skills. List what you know about markets, contracts, and negotiation. Then ask how each skill could support an investment of your own.
3. Set a first investing goal. It does not have to be large. Decide on a target, such as understanding financing options for a small rental, and take one concrete step.
4. Read or reread a people-skills book. Carnegie’s classic is a good starting point.
5. Talk to your partner. Whether it is a spouse or business partner, share your vision and listen to theirs.

Final Thoughts

Part 2 of Our Story is a straightforward, personal episode that shows how an agent became an investor and why the hosts decided to start the show. It does not promise shortcuts. It shows a path that began with an unusual background, grew through a career in sales, and expanded into investing.

If you are earlier on that path than Mattias is, take heart. Everyone you admire in this business started somewhere. Listen to the full episode, then continue through the REI Agent catalog on reiagent.com for conversations with agents and investors at every stage. Your own story is still being written, and the next chapter can start with a single decision this week.

This content is for informational purposes only and is not financial or legal advice. Consult licensed professionals and do your own research.