Wollaston Real Estate Investments is building the future. We purchase, renovate, build and refinance property. Through every transaction, we promise to provide a solution that builds our communities, and the future of the residents we impact.
Our story is one of grit, hard work, and a commitment to growth.
Founded in 2015 by Alex Cwiakala, our company started as a small door knocking operation with a passion to create positive solutions for distressed homeowners.
Today, we are locally recognized leaders in the Holyoke community, with a team of talented subcontractors who have earned a reputation for delivering exceptional results.
Our journey is one of humble beginnings to where we are today.
Alex Cwiakala from South Carolina and Harrison Bonner from North Carolina met in college through an entrepreneurial internship program called Student Painters. We thrived in the high pressure sales environment and forged a friendship as top producers.
Alex and Harrison climbed the ranks of Student Painters as high performers and both of us were offered full time general manager positions directly out of school. After $800,000 of direct manamgent and three years of successful team building in college, Alex proposed the idea to start the New England division. That decision would place Alex and eventually Harrison right outside of Boston.
Over the next year, Alex along with a partner would make the New England Chapter of Student Painters the highest profiting and revenue generating per manager division in the country. As is the story with many entrepreneurs, they decided it was time to stop building someone else's dream, and to start building their own.
Student painters gave us the education and courage to door knock. The effort you put in, directly impacted your income and we loved it. This skillset generated our first seven real estate transactions.
We met Bill and Dwan Twyford in September, 2015 at a local REIA networking event hosted by Charles Dobbins. They taught us how to make money in real estate by marketing directly to distressed homeowners in pre-foreclosure and working directly with thier bank to negotiate short sales. This course opened our minds and we quickly started implementing their program as our own business. We started our career by knocking on one thousand doors to generate seven real estate transactions. Due to the nature of our business, we built relationships with local non profits and helped eight homeonwers avoid foreclosure and save thier home.
Harrison would move to Massachusetts in January, 2016 and sign up for a separate coaching program, Fortune Builders. That community and education platform would later become a key part of our success.
Through door knocking, we created an opportunity to wholesale a real estate contract to a local developer. It was for a single family home in Brockton Massachusetts and would have been our highest profiting contract at that point in our career. Our buyer fell through at the last moment, putting us in a bit of a bind if we wanted close the deal.
We disclosed our predicament and obtained a small extension with the bank to find a solution. Harrison was able to save the day by using all his savings to help us secure a hard money loan and keep control of the property. With what we learned through Fortune Builders, we were able to raise the rest of the money needed to flip our first house.
Sparking quite honestly too much confidence, Nicholson Drive remains one of our best projects in terms of ROI and timeline.
We purchased this property for $90,000, invested $150,000 into renovations, and sold for $350,000 in six months. We sold this house with our real estate license at the first open house!
Our first project was a massive success and we were pumped. Could it really be this easy?
Ideally located just moments from the Longwood Med Area & Brookline Village, this three-story, single-family home has been gorgeously renovated, with no details spared. Convenient to Coolidge Corner and downtown Boston, this home provides close proximity to a diverse array of exciting restaurants and shops as well as the MBTA D line. The 1st floor offers a spacious and open floor plan, perfect for entertaining friends and family. The kitchen has been designed with the at-home chef in mind, with a built-in granite dining table and top of the line appliances and fixtures. A private deck is located directly off of the kitchen, providing the perfect venue for outdoor dining on warm summer nights. The 2nd floor includes the master bedroom, with en-suite bath, two additional bedrooms, a full laundry closet and an additional bath. The 3rd floor can be used for a home office or fourth bedroom.
This adorable single family home was gut renovated down to the studs. Just two blocks off the water in Quincy, this home provided a tremendous value. The home presents an open floor plan, recessed lights, cherry hardwood floors and new windows that allow an abundance of natural sunlight. The galley style kitchen has stainless steel appliances, new modern cabinets and high end granite. Off of the kitchen is an outdoor oasis and private deck that was custom built for our buyer.
This early 1900's two family home was carefully renovated to maintain it's charm and character. Located in the historical city of Brockton, MA, this home will give it's new owners years of updated pleasure. We maintained the homes original stained glass, original flooring and fireplace. The second and third floor received more extensive renovations however the original trim was saved. High ceilings, updated electrical, plumbing, and flooring made this home easy to show.
This fully renovated Eagle Hill home leaves nothing to be desired with a spacious, open floor plan, stained oak hardwood flooring and recessed lighting throughout. The main living space, with an open kitchen and living room, is surrounded by oversized windows which bring an abundance of natural sunlight into the room. The kitchen features high-end appliances, custom cafe style cabinetry, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. The front bedroom boasts floor to ceiling windows streaming in sunshine throughout the day. The second bedroom provides ample space. The lower living level offers washer and dryer hook up and spacious third bedroom. A stone patio off of the living space offers the perfect venue for entertaining on warm summer evenings. With convenient access to public transportation and major highways, this home is perfect for any lifestyle.
We fitted each unit with all of the modern pleasantries of a new home without sacrificing historic aspects like the fireplaces or window layout. No detail was spared during the renovation of this two family building and we worked hard to keep it's historical value. Each town-home presents an open floor plan, recessed lights, white oak hardwood floors and over-sized windows that allow an abundance of natural sunlight. The kitchens have stainless steel appliances, new modern cabinets and high end granite. One master bedroom has soaring ceilings and exposed beams that command attention. The second bedrooms are generously sized and have plenty of closet space. This two-family home located blocks from Downtown Newburyport is a historic testament to the charming water front town.
The condos at Paris St provide three homeowners an opportunity to live in one of Boston's hottest neighborhoods: East Boston. The building boasts open floor plans, recessed lights, white oak hardwood floors and over-sized windows for an abundance of natural sunlight. The kitchens are ideal for entertaining with stainless steel appliances, new modern cabinets and high end granite. The master bedrooms includes an en-suite full bath and a walk in closet. The second bedrooms are generously sized and have plenty of closet space. The top two units have private roof decks so you can enjoy the city skyline views as you entertain. This building is .3 miles off the airport t-stop making this a city commuters dream!
Located just blocks from the Wood Island Blue Line T station, this stunning new-construction condominium building offers convenience, amenities, and beautiful space. Enjoy environmentally friendly design and comfort with central heat+air, Navien tankless hot water, and insulated windows. The unit also offers an open layout that gets tons of sun, recessed lights, a beautiful modern bathroom with subway tile, hardwood floors throughout the living areas, and a stunning new kitchen with quartz counters, SS appliances and breakfast bar.
You don't know what you don't know. We realized this may not be as easy as we thought. These next years would test our resilience and help shape us into the entrepreneurs we are today.
It was during this rapid growth we learned a vital lesson: be careful who you trust with your business. In this industry, you won't go very far without hearing a story regarding a general contractor who ran out with someone's money. In the year of our most rapid growth, we had the rug ripped out from under us by a contractor doing just that.
This was a huge blow to our momentum. So much so that our third founding member decided to leave the business for good, meaning Harrison and Alex were left to set things straight. Knowing we could never leave our investors without what we promised them, we had difficult conversations and then went to work to make good on our word.
We're not the type to declare bankruptcy and bail on our investors. We have always been here to stay. We were based in the Wollaston beach neighborhood of Quincy, MA so we rebranded as Wollaston Real Estate Investments. It was time to get sharp and get back to basics... in Brockton, MA.
We knew we never wanted to be put in a position like that again. For this reason we invested in Harrison's education. After going through a Quincy based certificate program, Harrison became a licensed General Contractor in Massachusetts and we structured an entity to become insured. This license gave us the ability to control our construction costs, timelines, and team members.
With our new strategy in place we went to work rebuilding our portfolio and making our investors whole. First stop was our old stomping ground, Brockton, MA.
Three charming and freshly renovated condominiums in the heart of Chelsea. Large floor plans feature three bedrooms, two bathrooms with open concept living and in unit laundry.
This gut renovated condo conversion in Chelsea is still one of the best looking buildings in the heart of Chelsea. Modern layouts and luxury finishes helped us achieve record breaking numbers for the sellout!
This has been our most sophisticated construction project to date. We expanded the building footprint from 2,400 to over 5,000 sq ft. The upper-level features an open concept, high-end kitchen with stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops and custom cabinets, which open to the living / dining area that is flooded with natural light. This level also offers the convenience of a half-bath and a huge walk-in pantry. The walk-out lower level features a flexible "bonus"/family room with french doors which could serve as 3rd bedroom and opens to a private patio and fully-fenced backyard. Sizable master with a huge walk-in custom closet and a spa-like bath with double vanity and luxurious shower. Additional conveniences: a covered, assigned parking spot with a private entrance, huge storage space, in-unit laundry, nest thermostats, security system, and a Ring doorbell!
Our luxurious, new construction property is ready to sell out this spring! Located just one block off the water, residents will enjoy ocean and skyline views of Boston!
We were developing real estate at the highest quality to date however we recognized that we needed more consistent cashflow operationally if we were ever going to grow into the developer we wanted to become. We set our sights on getting educated and invested in a coaching program to learn about multi-family apartment investing.
As luck would have it, the coach we needed was already in our network. Charles Dobbins who introduced us to Bill and Dwan happened to run the Multi-Family Investing Academy. With over 4,000 units of management ownership and experience, we soaked up every bit of knowledge we could from him. We decided to manage all operations with a trial by fire mentality. We found our first project in Holyoke, MA, a lower priced market so we could afford the luxury of making mistakes while learning real estate management and tenant relations.
This next project would spur our "A-HA" moment as entrepreneurs and inspire Alex to sell his Quincy home and move to Holyoke. We graduated from only envisioning finished condos to envisioning finished neighborhoods.
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.Thomas A. Edison
In the early 1900's there were more millionaires per capita in Holyoke than there were in the entire country. During the height of Holyoke's development, she was recognized as the Queen of industrial cities in America. However the allure would change once the paper and textile industries left the city by 1970. By the 1980's the city was in decline and it's been on sale for the last 40 years. The tide appears to be changing for Holyoke and we're excited to catch the wave. The leadership is young, local and hungry for positive change. Just check out our Mayor and City Counciler at Large. Holyoke is going through a resurgence of industry, arts, education, and other community initiatives. Local government is welcoming investment and collaborating with stakeholders to help achieve maximum impact through investment. This market has gained the attention of nationally recognized developers who are actively building downtown.
Witnessing the challenges our tenants suffered first hand, we became inspired to create a better lifestyle experience for our residents and the community at large. There is an expression in real estate, "you can fix the house but the not the neighborhood"... we don't belive that. We've committed our resources and energy to help activate streetscapes by installing over 25 murals, increasing building security, and partnering with local non-profits to foster entrepreneurship, computational literacy, and basic financial planning. In line with the city's plans and desires, we will be opening a restaurant, music venue and casual bar downtown as local attractions for residents old and new.
Umbrella Property Management was inspired and built out of necessity. Give us lemons and we'll, ya know.... Through our trial by fire experiences managing our portfolio of C-Class real estate, we came to the realization our communities required more administrative support. Even with a team of people, keeping everything straight was always a nightmare. We were becoming "tired" landlords in our early thirties!
The paperwork and scheduling support alone could feed a family of four much less repairs, maintenance, rent collection, invoicing, payables, trash collections, cameras AND we have development projects?! We reached a ceiling operationally and our lifestyles suffered measurably. Necessity is the mother of invention so we set off to find or create a solution. We tried other management platforms and programs but kept falling into old habits. A third operational partner, Kaleb McCubbins would join the team with a very unique perspective to lead a brand development initiative along with the development of our proprietary software as a service company, Umbrella Property Management.
Umbrella Property Management is a 100% done for you virtual property management ecosystem for the low price of only $50 per tenant, per month. Born out of a desire to automate everything, our portfolio provided the unique opportunity to stress test this new and innovative technology alongside our very own challenging real estate conditions. We know this will automate our business but more importantly we feel this will have massive market appeal. We expect to fill a very large hole in the real estate investor community with this product. We will undercut the competition and provide a level of transparency and clarity only seen in corporate level establishments. We have every intention to turn this company into a household name across the country.
