I first shared real estate as a dentist career change option in 2018. Over the years, Mark’s story has been one of the most popular here because Mark is so relatable. Today I’m honored to welcome another inspiring and relatable guest to my blog. Dr. Letizia Alto, a physician and real estate investor, has opened my eyes to the possibilities that real estate investing can bring to us. She has a wonderful story to share and is a great resource for dental professionals looking to create side income. Her program is so great that I often share it with my community to help you get started. Stay tuned for the next opportunity to join their course. You can subscribe to my newsletter (on the top, right side of this page,) so I can share it with you. Welcome, my latest guest blogger, Dr. Leti!

Empowering Women in Dentistry Through Real Estate Investment

The after-hours calls from team members at the practice. The missed ballet recital. The constant juggle of managing a practice while ensuring you have quality moments with your loved ones. 

Sound familiar? 

It’s a path that I understand all too well. While dentistry and clinical medicine are distinctly unique fields, the parallels, particularly the challenges faced by women in the fields, are strikingly similar. The shared challenges of our professions resonate deeply with me. 

The need for a long-term sustainable life balance led me, a physician, to look elsewhere for an income stream that could eventually set me free – in a matter of years, not decades. It led me to diversify into real estate investing and, specifically, owning a portfolio of my own income-producing rental properties. 

The transformation it brought to my life was profound. As a doctor and now a real estate investor and author, I’d love to share how diversifying into real estate changed my life, and how it could change yours too.

Our Journey into the World of Real Estate

My husband, Kenji, and I began our careers in medicine with dreams of healing and making a difference in our patient’s lives. But as the years went by, the long hours and financial constraints, paired with a desire to spend more time together and with our future children, made us look for additional ways to bring in money that didn’t involve picking up more shifts and working harder. That’s when we discovered real estate.  

Although Kenji had dabbled in real estate investing before we were married, together, we had our fair share of apprehensions. But what drove us forward was the vision of a future where we had control over our time, finances, and choices. Fast forward to today, and I can tell you, the journey, with all its ups and downs, was absolutely worth it.

Why Should Dentists Consider Real Estate Investment?

You might wonder, “Why real estate? I’m content with my practice.” 

Here’s the thing—real estate investing isn’t about abandoning what you love. In fact, many in our community continue to practice medicine and dentistry and add real estate on the side. Building another source of significant, reliable monthly income by investing in real estate is how you build a safety net, ensuring you always have choices, no matter what happens with your job. It’s about decoupling your time from money, so that your hard-earned money can work for you instead of you picking up more shifts. And it’s about having options, so you can live a life you truly love, instead of just getting by, living paycheck to paycheck.

Women in dentistry have an advantage. The qualities that make you a great dentist— attention to detail, patience, drive to achieve your goals, the ability to understand and assess situations, and an innate care for well-being—are all assets in the world of real estate. All of these qualities will come into play when you evaluate real estate deals and build your portfolio of income-producing rental properties. 

Embracing Financial Independence

For me, financial independence is synonymous with empowerment. With each property we invested in, I felt more in control. It wasn’t just the monetary gains. It was about having the freedom to make choices. Suddenly we had the freedom to take a sabbatical, travel for months on end, support causes close to us, and spend quality time with our kids and aging parents without constantly worrying about the financial implications.

For women in dentistry, this can mean the ability to choose your working hours, to pursue specializations without financial pressures, or even to take that well-deserved break.

Venturing into Real Estate: Beginner Tips

If you’re curious about dipping your toes into the world of investment real estate, here are some tips to get started.

1. Education: Start with understanding the basics – property types, market trends, and financing options. There’s a wealth of information online, in courses, online content, and books, including on our blog at Semi-Retired MD and our podcast, Doctors Building Wealth. 
2. Build Connections: Engage with local real estate communities in person and online. Networking can offer insights that come only from speaking with community members who have been through similar situations themselves. 
3. Take Action: If you get stuck in analysis paralysis, nothing will change. Begin with taking steps to make your dreams a reality. Start with a duplex or a short-term rental, perhaps. As you gain confidence, you can diversify further into new types of properties, markets and even large apartment buildings.
4. Seek Mentorship: Having an experienced mentor or coach can fast-track your learning process. Their experiences can guide you, helping you avoid common pitfalls and mistakes, which can save you years on your journey to financial freedom. 
5. Trust Yourself: It’s okay to be wary, but remember to trust your instincts. You’ve mastered a complex field like dentistry; you have the acumen to understand and excel in real estate. As I like to say, real estate “isn’t med school (or dental school) hard.” 

A Resource to Guide You

For those intrigued and wanting to delve deeper into understanding why and how to invest in income-producing rental properties, I’d recommend reading our book, Life on Your Terms. It is written as an engaging fable, encapsulating the journey to financial freedom through real estate for a fictional couple, the lessons learned, and offers strategies that can set you on the path to real estate success. More than just a financial strategy, it’s a reflection on creating a life where you’re in the driver’s seat.

Beyond sharing a pathway for achieving financial freedom, every single purchase of our book serves a greater purpose. All profits from it will go to our non-profit, the Doctors Legacy Building Foundation, which empowers underserved communities with financial literacy.

For those of you who are also want to see examples of how to Fast FIRE through real estate, we wanted to extend this offer to get our introductory crash-course in real estate, Ignite Your Journey, which is usually $200, for free using this link.

To the incredible women in dentistry reading this article, remember: Our professional choices don’t have to confine us. There are avenues, like real estate investing, waiting to be explored. 

Here’s to you taking charge, breaking boundaries, and shaping a future where you lead on your terms!

About the Author: Letizia Alto is a U.S. physician, real estate investor who owns over 150+ units of long and short-term rentals in multiple states, blogger, podcaster, and author of Life On Your Terms: Why Doctors Use Real Estate Investments to Set Themselves Free and How You Can Too (available on Amazon). She’s also CEO of Semi-Retired MD, a company aimed at helping doctors and high-income earners build their own portfolios of income-producing properties, securing a steady source of income outside of their day jobs. To date, over 3,000 students have taken her course, Zero to Freedom, many of whom have gone on to build rental property portfolios that have provided them with financial freedom. Letizia lives in Puerto Rico with her husband and three small children and travels extensively around the globe in her free time.