I am currently President of Esenai Corporation, a technology consulting and internet marketing company and real estate consulting and finance company (through Esenai Capital), and Principal at Corea Properties, LLC, which is my investment property and real estate development company with rental properties in Maryland, & Georgia. (See our real estate investment criteria.) I am an independent commercial real estate consultant and run a few blogs off of Esenai's website, including a real estate blog, creiZ about Real Estate, and the UNOFFICIAL Intellipedia blog.

Prior to my activities with Esenai Corporation and Corea Properties, I worked as a Senior Consultant for Oracle Corporation's Advanced Programs Group out of Columbia, MD and was in the US Army where I had the opportunity to work in the US Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam, Panama City, Panama and the US Army School of the Americas (among other places).

I also have a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer and Information Science from the University of Maryland University College.

I currently live in Panama (moved back in June 2008) to work on Panama Hotel Projects in development and for sale in addition to my other activities.

• my family (which includes 3 girls, 1 boy and a lovely & patient wife)
• helping others
• entrepreneurship
• learning & reading - see my Amazon.com profile for more information about the books I've read & my So You'd Like to… Guides (only one currently).
• real estate - I am constantly looking for undervalued properties that can provide great cash on cash return anywhere in the country
• traveling - My family and I enjoy traveling to anyplace that they have previously not visited.
• Panama - There is a great deal of opportunity in Panama. The expansion of the Canal and the fact that it is an international banking center are 2 very high points. And of course, the Panamanian Hotel industry.
• being different & spontaneous
• networking & meeting new people
• blogging - see my blogs:
  • The UNOFFICIAL Intellipedia blog
  • creiZ about Real Estate Blog
  • eMarv's Views on just about anything
  • Blog for Startups, Entrepreneurs and Private Equity folks
  • Tips on How to Succeed in Life
  • more to come

I believe in integrity above all else. There are, of course, many gray areas in our business and personal lives, but what it really boils down to is asking yourself whether you will look back at this gray area 10 years (or 10 months or 10 minutes!) from now and say I feel great about what I did and my mother and family would be proud!

I've made mistakes in my life. Who hasn't? But the key is to really learn from them and be a better person because of those mistakes. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way, but you either learn or die (figuratively and sometimes literally)!

I like one of Warren Buffet's saying: “You can't have a good deal with a bad person.”

So at least for my own purposes, I think that I am a good person. What about you?

What is success to me? Success is having piece of mind that my family and I are well financially, emotionally and spiritually. Success is knowing that I am doing the right thing for others. Success is helping others succeed, whether it be my wife, kids, clients, a fellow social networker, or a stranger in need.

Another Warren Buffet saying I live by: “It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to lose it. If you think about that, you will do things differently.”

My thought: “I do things differently.”

Yet another Warren Buffet saying I like: “Can you really explain to a fish what it's like to walk on land? One day on land is worth a thousand years of talking about it, and one day running a business has exactly the same kind of value.”

I am a doer. Learning about something by reading or in a class is good, but I greatly enjoy doing as well. There's nothing like the School of Reality!

Thoughts? Email me.

• “Be afraid when others are greedy and be greedy when others are afraid.” Warren Buffet

Helping one of the top bilingual international primary and secondary schools in Panama modernize their student and teacher web application and their software infrastructure.

Started LoveAna.com (named after my lovely wife, Ana) as web store for international visitors interested in Panama Souvenirs and as a way for Panamanian residents to shop online in Panama.

Visítenos para Recuerdos de Panama y comprar productos en el internet y recibirlos en Panama. Gracias!

Please visit the Panama Hotel Development and Investment Projects page for more information.

Exploring relationship with non-profit to introduce them to renewable energy projects in Panama, which is ripe for this activity. Not exploring anymore, but may pursue this again in the future.

We are interested in partnering with experienced developers and investors by finding funding for your deals. We can help you in exchange for a minimal success fee upon funding and a minor equity stake in the project.

We are interested in:

• value-add commercial real estate (including construction) with significant upside potential
• USD 5 million to USD 30 million
• concentrating in major markets across the continental United States and Panama

If you have something that does not exactly match the criteria, but you think it could be a good deal, go ahead and send it.

• Need private equity for your real estate project and you have a team with a good track record? Contact me.

• Need more deal flow? contact me. At any given time, I may have 4 or more deals that I'm working on putting together.
• Seek:
  • to partner with active direct commercial capital sources.
  • experienced and trustworthy real estate developers, contractors, brokers anywhere in the US and internationally

• Esenai Capital - Commercial real estate financing specializing in value-add commercial real estate from $500,000 and up.
• Distressed Investment Sourcing - Work with direct buyers and sellers and specialize in distressed assets and portfolios of the following types: bulk REO, REO portfolios, performing and non-performing note portfolios, discounted land, builder close-outs, and value-add commercial property among other types. Save time and energy and let us filter through the noise.
• Blogging
• Esenai's Vision
• seeking great people that believe in Esenai's Values & Philosophy
• seeking more business opportunities, advisors & partners
• fundraising

• see the Corea Properties page and my real estate resume for more details. Here's a summary of what I am seeking:
  • accredited investors seeking returns of 15% (APR) secured by real estate that don't want the hassle of having to do everything themselves,
  • the next Vegas, cities with high-growth potential,
  • multi-family buildings that need work in areas where there is a good demand for apartments,
  • rehab/undervalued properties (anywhere in the US) that are available for no more than 50% of the after rehab value (e.g. as-is purchase=$500K, after rehab value=$1M), and
  • (most important) trustworthy and knowledgeable real estate and mortgage brokers and bankers and investors interested in helping my company anywhere in the country, email me
• Tips for finding value-add properties
• Real Estate Letters

A wiki to share intelligence that will help prevent the unnecessary death of any people, anywhere in the world. (NOTE: I will probably be rehosting it on this site…)

• Passively seeking:
  • accredited investors looking to invest in disruptive & innovative early-stage, garage and/or dorm-room companies and ideas that want to change the world,
  • quality companies that are looking to change the world and be profitable, and
  • motivated, high energy entrepreneurs looking to change the world for the better - tips for private equity seekers
• Actively seeking to promote startup events.

I am an inactive member of Toastmasters (meaning I haven't gone to a meeting in a while), but I still enjoy speaking. I would be interested in speaking at practically any venue, but ideally I'd like to speak at information sharing and collaboration conferences, high schools, and/or colleges (especially where I can help younger audiences). Speech topics could include:

• Information sharing and collaboration
• Networking
• Joy at Work
• Good to Great
• Starting a company
• Being an entrepreneur
• Finding a job
• Climbing the corporate ladder
• Viral Marketing
• Being brave
• Telling the truth
• Doing well
• Helping others
• Raising kids
• Enjoying yourself
• Other topics, contact me and I'll let you know if I can do it, if not, I can refer you to someone who can! Don't be discouraged, if I don't get back to you immediately. Try again!
• And to reiterate, I am very interested in speaking in front of younger audiences! Contact me if you need someone to speak at your youth group, high school, middle school or even grade school!

I've moved my networking profile links to a new page (so that I won't get slammed by Google because I have too many links and not enough content :)

eMarv networking profiles

BTW, networking profile links = links to profile pages I've created on social networking websites

“If you never ask, you may never know.”

Using my LinkedIn network, I started asking questions that I had and that I thought others might benefit from. Below is a list of some of the questions. Click on the questions and you can see answers from my network. Enjoy!

• How can one with a limited track record attract investors/partners as a sponsor/fundraiser?

• Excellent communication skills
• Candid
• Energetic
• Visionary
• Unconventional thinker
• Customer- & results-oriented
• Change evangelist, constantly looking for ways to improve performance
• Committed to quality and results
• Self-motivated
• Problem-solver
• Lead by example
• Responsible and honest
• Open-minded and flexible
• Resourceful
• Able to effectively:
  • execute
  • maintain both a macro and micro view of situations
  • work as a team leader and as part of a team
  • listen to others
  • solve conflicts between individuals and groups, creating win-win situations
  • value and accept others' opinions

Short glossary of definitions that I have found useful across the Internet.

REO (real estate owned) or lender-owned properties that are packaged together in a portfolio normally to be sold as a package to investors.

bulk REO search terms (password-protected)

Refers to those Investments targeting an internal rate of return to the Investor that is greater than the level achieved in Value Added Investments. Opportunistic yields should exceed approximately 20%. (Source: hunterchase.com)

*Interested in Opportunistic Investments? - Yes - No - Take me to the deals NOW!

Refers to those Investments targeting an internal rate of return to the Investor that is less than the level achieved in Opportunistic Investments, but greater than more traditional types of investments. Value-Added yields should range between approximately 14% and 19%. (Source: hunterchase.com)

check my del.icio.us bookmarks

I'll populate this eventually… :)

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locations cities: austin, houston, dallas, baltimore, baltmore, bmore, san antonio, vienna, alexandria, port charlotte counties: anne arundel, howard, loudon, harris, travis, williamson states: maryland, texas, florida, georgia, california, virginia, washington dc, new york, delaware, pennsylvania, north carolina countries: panama, united states investing-related real estate, realestate, angel investing, venture capital, commercial, residential, multi-family, series a titles investor, president, ceo, cio, chairman, consultant, partner, friend other technology, information, sharing, collaboration, conference, disruptive technologies, innovative, innovation, creative, out-of-the-box, resume