Career Path of a CEO and Managing Broker at Buckingham Investments
After studying international relations in college, Anthony pursued a challenging career as a claims adjuster, a role that unexpectedly helped shape their future. This experience, combined with an MBA from Loyola Marymount University and an introduction to real estate investing, led to a successful career where they built two complementary businesses—a real estate brokerage and a personal investment portfolio—by leveraging "what I had learned...as well as in the MBA program," all while simultaneously "having a front row seat to what's going on in the market."
Real Estate Investment, Entrepreneurship, Career Pivoting, Business Acumen, Financial Literacy
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Anthony Walker
CEO/Managing Broker
Buckingham Investments
University of Southern California
Loyola Marymount University - MBA
Spanish & Other Languages, International Relations & Affairs
Real Estate
Real Estate
Honors Student
Video Highlights
1. Anthony's career path highlights a transition from an unrelated field (international relations) and a demanding job (auto insurance claims adjuster) into real estate. This demonstrates adaptability and a proactive approach to career pivoting.
2. His MBA at Loyola Marymount and the knowledge gained from his previous job were instrumental in his real estate career. This emphasizes the value of further education and transferable skills.
3. Anthony's dual approach of working as a real estate agent/broker while simultaneously investing in properties showcases a strategic business model. This provides a practical example of combining multiple income streams and market insights for success in real estate
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please include any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
Absolutely. I went to undergrad at USC. I moved out to LA in 2000 from Minneapolis, where I grew up. In undergrad, I studied international relations and East Asian languages and cultures, which has nothing to do with real estate brokerage or apartment buildings here in LA. But I was interested in that at the time.
When I graduated, I was looking for any job so that I could stay in LA because at that point I was trying to work on a music career. I ended up working as a claims adjuster for an auto insurance company, which was a very difficult job. I had to take recorded statements from people who had been in car accidents, decide liability coverage, and interpret the insurance policy.
Then I would drive out to damaged cars and write damage estimates. I also negotiated with body shops for repairs, as well as bodily injury claims for people who had been injured in accidents. It was a very demanding, fast-paced job with a heavy workload.
I didn't love it. Even pretty early on, I knew I didn't love working for a huge company and wanted to find a way to work for myself and maybe start my own business. So, I decided I wanted to go back to business school and ended up going to Loyola Marymount for my MBA.
While in business school, I was considering different ideas and companies I could join or start. That's when I was introduced to real estate. The course taught us how you could invest in real estate and make that into a business. I just needed to figure out how to make enough money to buy buildings.
Through my network at school, I was introduced to Buckingham Investments, the company I run now. I was initially a client of Buckingham. I bought my first investment property in Long Beach with them. I used what I had learned through Buckingham, as well as in the MBA program, and applied a lot of what I learned in my claims adjuster job.
As I graduated from business school, I became a real estate agent and broker, helping people buy and invest in properties while doing that myself. So I kind of have two businesses going on. One is my real estate sales career as an agent and broker, and the other is my real estate investing career, buying buildings on my own account.
My business thesis was that those two would make perfect complementary businesses. I could have a front-row seat to what's going on in the market with the brokerage job, access to deals, and then be able to execute. If I was good at the brokerage job, I could make enough money to buy buildings. That's what I've done for the last 15 years or so.