The Best Ever CRE Show JF 4124: Lifestyle Design Lessons from a 2000 Unit Investor ft. Maurice Philogene
Dec 19, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Maurice Philogene, a real estate investor and founder of Try Life On, shares his transformative journey from various careers to achieving financial freedom through strategic investing. He emphasizes the importance of lifestyle design, prioritizing personal fulfillment over financial status, and the lessons learned from past mistakes, including the 2008 financial crisis. Maurice also dives into international investments in Cyprus and Lebanon, stressing the significance of building authentic relationships over mere profit, and offers insights into parenting and fostering financial literacy.
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Experience Over Titles
- Maurice realized at 15 that life felt a certain way and pursued experiences over titles.
- That feeling became the core driver for using real estate to buy time and freedom.
First Condo Equity Pop
- Maurice bought his first condo for $135k in 2002 and saw it jump to $165k within months.
- That early equity pop taught him to read books and use leverage to scale his portfolio.
Systematically Pay Down Assets
- Pay down appreciating assets instead of flipping endlessly.
- Use salary to systematically pay principal so you end up with free-and-clear units.