#51. Pasha Esfandiary—High Stakes to High Returns: Poker Lessons for Real Estate Success
Pasha Esfandiary, founder of Evoke Capital, shares his journey from professional poker player to real estate investor. He discusses the lessons he learned from poker, such as the importance of education, going by the numbers, and game selection. Pasha explains why he chose mobile home parks as his investment focus, citing the opportunity to buy from mom and pop operators, the potential for high returns, and the double depreciation benefits. He emphasizes the need for emotional intelligence in business and explains how it helps in decision-making and team management. Pasha discusses his vision for Evoke Capital and the importance of building infrastructure for scalability. He also mentions the book 'Die with Zero' and how it changed his perspective on money and experiences.
Starting his career in real estate in 2011, flipping homes found at auctions, Pasha has since been involved in over $300 million in transactions across multiple asset types. These include residential homes, boutique motels, the purchasing and management of large multifamily properties, and working with housing programs in vulnerable communities.
In early 2021, Pasha founded Evoke Capital with the primary objective of helping others achieve financial freedom through real estate investing. His lifelong philosophy is what drives Evoke Capital to excellence – People First. Treating each investment as his own and each tenant as family, Pasha has developed Evoke Capital within 24 months to include a portfolio of over 1650 units.
Throughout Pasha’s successful professional ventures, the unfolding of his dream focuses on his value of sustainable community development. This goal in building low-income housing is to provide much more than a roof overhead. The future includes an NGO where all the Evoke properties provide nurturing and interconnected community for his residents. The plans are for valuable educational resources within finance, nutrition, and emotional intelligence. Pasha is committed to building an environment that empowers and encourages its residents to grow, achieve and thrive.
With over ten years of experience and a commitment to growth, it is no question that Pasha and Evoke Capital are just at the beginning of their real estate journey.
