The Real Estate Investment Firm That Makes You Money In the Short-Term and Long-Term

Jim MacKay and Judith Quinlan, co-founders of boutique real estate investment firm Quinlan|MacKay, worked in private lending for years helping borrowers raise funds to purchase homes for rehabilitation or house-flipping.

Quinlan often used personal funds to finance projects while MacKay raised funds from accredited investors such as working professionals and retirement investors who had the extra income they wanted to put into real property but had little knowledge of the intricacies of real estate investment deals.

“They wanted to invest in real estate, but they didn’t know to find and vet properties or how to structure the deals,” MacKay says. “They just wanted to put their money into projects, know that it was backed by a real asset, and get a nice return.”

As the business grew, the duo sought to expand into larger multi-family and mixed-used developments. In 2017 Quinlan and MacKay founded their real estate investment firm to help accredited investors gain diversification and exposure to professionally managed developments in many of the country’s leading real estate markets. Rocket Dollar’s partnership with Quinlan|MacKay provides retirement investors with a variety of options to participate in the luxury townhome and multifamily projects with varying hold times.

Investor Comfort: A Long History of Successfully Completed Projects

Quinlan|MacKay provides project financing to a well-established developer with a long history of successfully completed projects. Currently, work is centered in Greater Dallas/Fort Worth, San Diego, Lake Tahoe, and Seattle. Quinlan|MacKay’s most recently funded project was a 10 Luxury townhome development just outside of downtown Seattle near Expedia’s brand new headquarters.

“We are very conservative in who we do business with,” MacKay says. “This particular developer is doing quite a few projects, and our investors typically see double-digit returns through investments in multifamily apartments, multi-use developments, and these luxury townhomes.”

Quinlan|MacKay works solely with accredited investors seeking strong returns and diversification from Wall Street through professionally managed real estate projects. Investment minimums typically start at $50,000 and are offered in three phases of a project’s development cycle:

• Phase 1– Early-stage investors help bring projects to life. This initial phase typically lasts between seven and 12 months while the developer secures all approvals and completes planning for construction. “Phase 1 gives new investors an opportunity to put money into one of these projects and have it come back out in a short amount of time,” MacKay says.
• Phase 2 – This is the construction and stabilization phase where the developer breaks ground and begins vertical construction. The investment timeframe is usually between 18 and 36 months depending on the size of the project.

• Phase 3 – This is a longer-term play as projects are either prepared for sale or syndicated and held for four to six years. This phase allows investors to take full advantage of tax benefits through appreciation/depreciation and enjoy monthly cash flow from fully completed and operating properties.

Quinlan|MacKay’s online portal provides investors with regular project updates throughout the project development cycle through photos, videos, and written updates. Its tiered investment structure provides Rocket Dollar retirement investors different short-term and longer-term options to better fit their personal investment strategies.

“With many companies like ours, investors’ money is tied up for years, and they are not making any money the first year,” MacKay says. “We ensure investors make money during each phase, and we also provide an opportunity to get out in each phase so their money is not tied up for years.

“One competitive edge is that we only offer projects located in top-performing markets with high employment growth,” MacKay adds. “We work with an experienced and high-quality builder, and all our projects are professionally managed.”

Making It Easy For Retirement Investors

Many of Quinlan|MacKay’s investors have used their Self-Directed Individual Retirement Accounts to make real estate investments – although the process hasn’t been easy, MacKay says. However, Rocket Dollar retirement investors can participate in these projects directly from their Self-Directed IRAs or Solo 401(k)s.

“We wanted to make it easy for investors to do business with us whether they were using cash or qualified money,” MacKay says. “I have been looking for years for a Self-Directed IRA company to team up with. We have made it easy to invest in these types of real estate projects, and Rocket Dollar has made it easy for investors to use qualified funds in their Self-Directed IRAs.

“Rocket Dollar is like the Amazon.com of doing business using a Self-Directed IRA,” he adds. “They have streamlined what in the past was a cumbersome and painful process of transferring money from a Self-Directed IRA into disbursements for these projects.”

Learn more about Self‑Directed retirement plans with our ultimate guide.

Get your FREE copy sent straight to your inbox now!