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Donald Caster: Why I decided to become an Investor

For this week’s blog post, we have an interview with Auben Realty President, Donald Caster.


Who was your first business mentor?  

-My father was my first business mentor.  He taught me the value of hard and honest work.  He instilled in me that you always show up early, stay late and outwork everyone else.

Who was your first mentor in real estate?  

-Jack O’Conner whom I worked with for 11 plus years in many different roles from Leasing Manager to Vice President of Operations in the multifamily industry on the operational side.

What is your favorite book? 

-The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

What is the best lesson you have learned in real estate?  

-Location, location, location.

How to be a true leader not a boss  

-One of my favorite quotes is from Richard Branson, “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”

How many properties do you own? 

-None, today.  

When did you start investing? 

-I purchased my first home in 1988 through an assumable mortgage.

Any Hobbies?  

-Love to golf, exercise, and relax with family/friends.

Why do you invest? 

-This investment quote from Andrew Carnegie: “Ninety percent of all millionaires become so through owning real estate. More money has been made in real estate than in all industrial investments combined. The wise young man or wage earner of today invests his money in real estate.” 

What is the best advice you have received?  

-Seek first to understand, then to be understood.  

What is the best advice you could give someone else? 

-A quote from Warren Buffett: “Forty years ago, Tom Murphy gave me one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received. He said, ‘Warren, you can always tell someone to go to hell tomorrow’ You haven’t missed the opportunity. Just forget about it for a day.”

Where is your place where time slows down? 

-In the gym where I can unplug. 

I first met Auben?  

-I have been working within Auben Realty since April of 2023.

If you were to start over?  

-I would have purchased more multifamily. 

If you weren’t investing in real estate, what would you be doing?  

-I have been involved in real estate since graduating from high school and would not want to do anything else.

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