5 Minutes with... Quentin D’Souza



Quentin D’Souza
is the president of Durham Real Estate Investors, an organization that helps investors find opportunities in Durham Region through monthly meetings and other related events.

Where were you when you finished university? Did you think you’d be where you are now?
When I started off, I was going down the road of getting a Bachelor’s in Commerce, but I finished off with a Bachelor’s in Education. It was a totally different experience from when I started university. I went into teaching, and the moved from teaching into consulting, and then real estate investing.

What makes you different?
I’m very persistent, and I’m able to do multiple things at the same time. For example, I can do educational consulting while writing two books, one of which was already published. At the same time, I’m able to continue to purchase real estate and grow our portfolio.

Are you a morning person or a night person?
I would say that I’m more of a night person than a morning person. I can work late into the evening and focus on particular tasks during that time.

What is some of the criticism you’ve received?
It would be along the lines of I’m doing too much, I’m not taking enough time for myself, and I’m going to burn out if I keep working like this.

What is your favourite part of your job?
I enjoy assisting people to learn about real estate investing in general. I also enjoy educating people on what the best approaches to investing are, and how they would work for them.

What is your most memorable tenant encounter?
You’ll often hear horror stories about dealing with tenants. But for me, the most memorable tenant encounter would be getting a Christmas gift from my tenants. When they moved out, they gave me a goodbye gift, and they left a welcome gift for the new tenants. The time they had spent with in my property allowed them to save money to purchase their own home.

What is your biggest pet peeve?
People who say they can’t do it, do not believe in themselves, and blame others for their mistakes. It always comes down to a decision that you make, and not being able to take responsibility for that decision is a problem.

What are you most proud of?
From a personal standpoint, I’m proud of my two sons. They make me proud and every day. From a business perspective, I’m proud of the portfolio we’ve developed, the friends that we’ve made along the way, and meeting some of the real people who invest in real estate has been a real blessing.

What was the last book you read?
80/20 Sales and Marketing, by Perry Marshall. It’s about how 20 per cent of your customers make up 80 per cent of your business, and how to manage your time and effort to focus on that 20 per cent in order to expand your 80 per cent of the business.

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