Today we’d like to introduce you to Aidan Hickey.
Hi Aidan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started mowing lawns when I was 13. I never really had a real job in the summers, I basically would just find ways to make money by landscaping, cutting grass, and any kind of manual labor. I went to college at Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH. I had a phenomenal time there and took part in the semester abroad program where I spent four months in Austria, travelling every weekend to different countries. I also went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic to spread the joy of Christ to the children there. Both of these experiences were truly life changing and helped to form the man I am today. When I was in college, a man moved into my neighborhood and I asked him if I could cut his grass. He said yes and the relationship began. The man’s name is Mario Russo and he has turned into one of my best friends and a mentor to me in the real estate space. We would talk about real estate every time I was over doing some work and showed me what his daily life looked like. I started doing all kinds of odd jobs for him whether that would be trimming hedges at his investment properties or moving giant piles of dirt out of a random back yard. He began trusting me with more and more and when I graduated college, I began working with him and his partner (and another good friend of mine) Steven Cathcart. I started handling leads for them and now I am over 9 months in and am finding a bit of a groove. Real estate is extremely difficult and I would not recommend it to everyone, but I know that the other side of the struggle is where the happiness is waiting.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been many struggles. I did not get a real estate paycheck for the first four and a half months of working, and I was working very diligently. I had three deals back to back to back fall apart at the closing table and so I did not get paid for hours and hours of work. I had to pick up a job at a winery to pay bills and even slept at the winery many nights when I was living with my brother and they would have people over. There are still struggles, but that’s what makes life so much fun. I know that in 20 years, I would give up everything that I will accumulate in that time to be right back where I am right now in the heart of the struggle with uncertainties and doubts. There’s no joy without pain and struggle
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a real estate agent and investor. I work mainly with out of state investors to help them find great properties in the Cleveland area. I specialize in all kinds of real estate, but mainly the investment side. I also am working on my first fix and flip that I am doing with my contractor partner Justin McNeely that we are finishing up in the next month. I am very proud of my ability to form relationships. Everything that I have in this real estate space so far has been as a direct result of a relationship first and then business after. I have multiple mentors that are willing to help me because they know and trust me. They also know that in a few years down the line, I’ll be able to help them with my skill set that they are helping form. I would say that my ability to communicate and genuinely connect with people is what sets me apart from others.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love Cleveland. I’ve lived here my entire life and it’s a city that feels like home. My favorite part of the city is the youth and sports teams. I have been a huge sports fan my entire life and even played both basketball and baseball in college. I also think being from Cleveland makes you tougher because of the weather and getting up and going to work every day no matter the condition. I would say that my least favorite part about Cleveland is that there isn’t as much money here as in other big cities. A place like New York is much more expensive but there’s far more money in circulation in that economy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.zillow.com/profile/aidan938
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aidan_lokalrealestate/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aidanhickey20
