Last Updated on August 9, 2024
For decades, home ownership has been an integral part of the American Dream. However, for many citizens, financial challenges make homeownership difficult or even impossible.
But a new organization is bringing this dream within reach for many Americans.
Through his work with Once Upon a Brick, Yaswanth Nukasani has been revolutionizing entrepreneurship by making land ownership accessible to individuals who aren’t able to secure traditional financing.
One of the knock-on effects of this approach is that states in need of revenue receive property taxes as a result of this influx of property ownership, which aids smaller, rural counties that have limited resources.
Nukasani is a serial entrepreneur, published author, and owner of Once Upon a Brick, Inc. At its heart, Once Upon a brick is a land investment and development company that owns more than 1,500 vacant properties across the US, and the company has helped hundreds of Americans purchase property for the first time.
We had the opportunity to interview Nukasani, and we discussed Once Upon a Brick in detail, from the origins of the concept to plans for the future. Read it in full below.
InspirationFeed (IF): We’re very impressed by your Once Upon a Brick business. Where did the idea start?
Yaswanth Nukasani (YN): Once I was exposed to the field of value delivery entrepreneurship, I was hooked. I really loved the idea that there are opportunities that exist in the marketplace where you are able to unlock tremendous amounts of value and offer it to interested parties still at significantly less than the usual market rate.
Once Upon a Brick, Inc. started because, a few years back, I found it really hard to qualify for home loans, and I didn’t like the amount of liability that was involved in investing in real estate, so I had this opportunity present itself to me and I took off and ran with it.
IF: What’s the process for sourcing the properties for Once Upon a Brick?
YN: We work with state and local county governments who need to obtain previously defaulted taxes as well as future property taxes. These funds are essential to small, rural counties of limited resources.
IF: How do the prices for these lots compare to common real estate prices in the US?
YN: Our prices are usually 40% of the market price you would see listed on the major traditional real estate websites or working through traditional real estate experts.
IF: While developing the concept for Once Upon a Brick, did you need to make any major adjustments to the business model?
YN: Yes, I started using my 4-Step Value Restoration Method for Once Upon a Brick, and it has been revolutionary when it comes to our ability to buy and sell vacant land.
IF: What has customer feedback been like so far?
YN: It’s been amazing. We’ve had hundreds of new customers join and purchase land with us over such a short span of time. Sometimes it gets overwhelming, but we will continue to do our best!
IF: Are there any plans to increase the scope of Once Upon a Brick over the next few years?
YN: Yes, our plan is to partner with more state and local governments and to work with them in more depth.
IF: How does it feel to have such a positive impact on the lives of customers?
YN: I am so happy that hundreds of American citizens and international aspiring land-owners are able to secure land without having to pay insane amounts and sign up for high-interest loans. It reminds me how impactful this work really is.
