He's Building a $1 Billion Real Estate Portfolio Starting with No Money, No English, and No Investors!! | Thach Nguyen E447

Jan 8, 2026

Thach Nguyen, a real estate entrepreneur and founder of Thach Real Estate Group, shares his incredible journey from a refugee child in Vietnam to a successful investor. He discusses his strategy of building a portfolio worth $1 billion, starting without money or investors. Thach emphasizes the importance of passive income, off-market deals, and the emerging potential of ADUs for cash flow. He also offers insights on how first-time buyers can get started with real estate, the pros and cons of various markets, and the significance of social media in growing his brand.

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ANECDOTE

Refugee Start In Camp Pendleton

Thach Nguyen arrived in the U.S. from Vietnam at age five with $100 and one suitcase.
His family lived in Camp Pendleton before relocating to Seattle where they built a new life.

ADVICE

Control Inventory By Listing First

Do focused prospecting for listings to control inventory and learn scripts.
Thach recommends door-knocking relentlessly to find off-market deals and sharpen negotiation skills.

ANECDOTE

First Deal Bought By Door Knocking

Thach bought his first house via door-knocking and 5% down and still owns it today.
He bought it for $105k and says it's worth about $750k now and rents for $3,000.

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Rich sits down with Thach Nguyen – Entrepreneur, Founder of Thach Real Estate Group, Real Estate Broker, Investor, Developer. Thach is the CEO & Founder of Thach Real Estate Group, and principal of Springboard to Wealth. He’s a proud ambassador of the American Dream. During his 30 years in the real estate industry, he has built more than 300+ homes , townhouses, and multifamily units and completed over 100+ flips. Thach and his team have assisted more than 2,500+ families to create their own American Dream of home ownership, ranking him in the Top 1% of all real estate professionals nationwide.

Rich and Thach start off by discussing Thach’s experience in Newport Beach, Thach’s love for Seattle, Thach’s three person team, Thach’s childhood, how Thach went from a valet to a realtor, off market deals and rejections, Thach’s drive and his first deal, passive income, the pathway to $1 billion, and why people don’t get into real estate.

They then reflect on deals on the west coast, Rich’s first property, being bullish on San Diego and Seattle, investing in the midwest, the first deal and excuses not to invest, the best asset class in real estate right now, and the ADU game.

Lastly, they talk about townhomes in Seattle, Rich’s boutique hotel in San Diego, how to get started in real estate in 2024, licensing in San Diego, the new 1033 law in California, affordable housing in the US, renting vs living, cashflow and compounding appreciation, teaching kids the value of money, social media and content creation, short and long form content, when to start making content, the public school system, Thach’s cars, when to jump into real estate, and owning 5 rental properties.

Connect with Thach on Instagram: @thachnguyen

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