In a world where norms are the solid way of life, there are still places where one’s individuality is still embraced and welcomed.
In this episode, Ian Jimeno gets to take a trip to memory lane as he invites one of his oldest friends to talk about the vastness of life in Denver. Minjoo and Erland, a couple of East and West, found their balance in the lands of Denver. In their life where creativity is fostered and wonderfully explored, they are here to bring us a full blast lifestyle goodness.
Minjoo and Erland is packed with full concrete recommendations so you could enjoy life from their point of view as well. Come along and join the trio as they take on the adventure as far as the culture goes, their unique upbringing, and how their rentals transitioned into them being homeowners!
Key Takeaways:
[02:12] The Denver Waldorf School: Minjoo talks about her peculiar childhood
[08:00] How did deviating from technology give Minjoo a fruitful life?
[11:03] Erland and Ian finds their common denominator in Geology and Real Estate
[16:36] Tony the furbaby: Meet the third member of Minjoo and Erland’s family!
[21:43] Minjoo and Erland talk about Denver's exceptional culture of sports, dance, and food!
[40:31] On sewers and reeds: Ian goes through the couple’s homeowners journey
[50:36] Ian takes over in the “turntable” segment!
Resources:
Stay in touch with Ian Jimeno, Minjoo, and Erland’s social media handles. Make sure to follow them for more real estate with a dash of lifestyle goodness!
Minjoo
Ian Jimeno
In a world where norms are the solid way of life, there are still places where one’s individuality is still embraced and welcomed.
In this episode, Ian Jimeno gets to take a trip to memory lane as he invites one of his oldest friends to talk about the vastness of life in Denver. Minjoo and Erland, a couple of East and West, found their balance in the lands of Denver. In their life where creativity is fostered and wonderfully explored, they are here to bring us a full blast lifestyle goodness.
Minjoo and Erland is packed with full concrete recommendations so you could enjoy life from their point of view as well. Come along and join the trio as they take on the adventure as far as the culture goes, their unique upbringing, and how their rentals transitioned into them being homeowners!
Key Takeaways:
[02:12] The Denver Waldorf School: Minjoo talks about her peculiar childhood
[08:00] How did deviating from technology give Minjoo a fruitful life?
[11:03] Erland and Ian finds their common denominator in Geology and Real Estate
[16:36] Tony the furbaby: Meet the third member of Minjoo and Erland’s family!
[21:43] Minjoo and Erland talk about Denver's exceptional culture of sports, dance, and food!
[40:31] On sewers and reeds: Ian goes through the couple’s homeowners journey
[50:36] Ian takes over in the “turntable” segment!
Resources:
Stay in touch with Ian Jimeno, Minjoo, and Erland’s social media handles. Make sure to follow them for more real estate with a dash of lifestyle goodness!
Minjoo
Ian Jimeno
Minjoo: Hello. You're listening to the Invest in Denver Podcast. I am Minjoo.
Erland: I'm Erland. We have both lived, moved away, and now are back in Denver.
Minjoo: Our favorite current dinner spot to take our friends to is Super Mega Bien.
Ian: Nice.
Minjoo: It's a restaurant that serves Mexican fusion food but in dim sum style.
Ian: What? Seriously? Dude, how have I never heard of this place? Super Mega Bien?
Erland: It's so good.
Ian: It's funny how it's like a butchering of Spanish and English at the same time. All of a sudden, you’re tossing this dumpling aspect of it. That was something I never even expected. So, tell us a little bit more about it. I'm curious myself. What is this dumpling style, Mexican fusion place like?
Minjoo: Dim sum is like a Chinese cuisine. I'm not Chinese, but the way I understand it is that like little plates are brought up to share for the whole table. So, when you're sitting at this restaurant, you don't actually order. They just drive around, or they'll come by with a little cart and ask you, "Do you want these ribs? Does your table want an order of these potatoes?" That's the style. But the food itself is Spanish and Mexican, I think.
Ian: Interesting. I love it. Where is this?
Erland: It's in RiNo. I don't know the intersections, but it's somewhere in there. It's super nice though.
Ian: I feel like all the cool spots are in RiNo and maybe a little bit on the outskirts of the perimeter of RiNo. But nonetheless, I feel like I need to have a spot like an apartment in RiNo in order to really experience the fusion, the cool foods, and all that good stuff, and even the art of it all. The RiNo art situation is pretty sweet.
Thank you so much, guys, for even being on the Invest in Denver Podcast. I mean, I can't even say my own podcast right. But this is a sick event. I know I've known you guys for a while now. You're one of my, I guess, oldest friends here in the Denver area. So, I am truly blessed to even have you guys or even know you guys at the same time. Stoked on it.
We have a lot to cover here. We have a lot to talk about as far as the culture goes, what you guys like to do. Even your upbringing is pretty unique coming into the Denver scene. I guess, we'll get started having Minjoo go first. Then we'll talk about Erland's childhood going into it.
Minjoo, I know when I first met you, it was funny when we first talked to each other. A lot of the pop cultural references, I had no idea that you didn't know much of them. Like Star Wars or certain things that I thought everyone knew about, you just didn't understand, or it just didn't click. That had something to do with the grade school you went to. Could you talk a little bit about that?
Minjoo: Yeah, for sure. So, a lot of people in the Denver Metro area probably have heard of Waldorf Schools, because there's three in the area. But I went to Shepherd Valley — it's like a little Waldorf School in Niwot — all the way K—8, and then actually even to Waldorf high school on the school of 60 kids in Boulder. So, my graduating class was 13. Very, very tiny.
A big feature of Waldorf School is the lack of technology. So, I wasn't really allowed to watch movies, listen to music that wasn't live. Classical live concerts were fine, but nothing besides that. I'm very encouraged to do more art, sports, I guess more of the literature. I did a lot of reading growing up. Yeah, it's definitely different.
The pop culture part, when I went to college, I had to catch up on everything within a couple of months. I especially noticed that in my music — because I was listening to 2,000 songs — being like, "This is so good." People were like, "That's been out for like a decade ago." That was pretty embarrassing, but I guess that was the downside being behind pop culture references. Even now, Erland makes a lot of movie jokes that it just goes right over my head.
But I think the benefits definitely is that lack of technology made me very, I think, creative on how to spend my time. When I was younger, before I got a smartphone, I remember having like a folder of projects. I was writing a play. I had a book I wanted to write. I ran a summer camp for kids when I was 14. The parents paid me a little bit. We put on like a little play. Also, I played a lot outside with my neighborhood friends. So, I had the, I guess, ideal '90s childhood, but a little later like in the 2000s. Yeah, that's pretty much it.
Ian: I love it. The aspect that really blew me away was that you wrote a play when you were in K–8. I did not even think about it. Writing a book, writing a story in itself just seems so far-fetched to me and just unattainable. Here you are, you're just like, "Yeah, I wrote a couple plays in my K–8." Nothing big. It was no big deal. Like, "You guys didn't write plays as well?"
Minjoo: You can imagine how my adjusting to making friends in college might have been a little tougher.
Ian: Waldorf school. I, myself, of course, I grew up in a private school from elementary school, middle school, and even high school as well. As far as Waldorf schools, that's pretty rare if you ask me. I haven't met anyone else that went to a school like that. So, are they nationwide? Is there a couple in Denver itself? You went to the one in Boulder, right?
Minjoo: Yes, I went to Tara Performing Arts High School in Boulder. Then there are a lot of other schools nationwide. I think there's over — well, I guess not a ton. But I think there's about 140 probably. Don't quote me on the number. Probably more at this point. But I think what's really crazy about Boulder schools is that the graduates have this really high rate of life satisfaction, actually.
95% of Waldorf grads — they did a study, I think, of a few hundred of them — they have a really high rate of satisfaction in the job that they choose. Also, out of my high school class, only three of us went to college immediately. A lot of them took a year off.
I think that our education was definitely weird. But it made us constantly question like, is this something that I wanted after high school? When everyone peer pressured me to do something, I felt like I wasn't easily peer pressured because I'm used to being the odd person who went to a weird school. I don't like this. I'm not going to do that. Or even in my job, if I didn't like something, I would speak up about it. I think that's an interesting trait that Waldorf grads tend to have.
Ian: Going against the norm and against the grain. I liked that aspect of it, to be honest. When you look at that satisfaction, and there are some studies out there that I heard myself where a lot of the depression comes from, anxiety comes from, it's all about that connectivity with everyone around the world — social media, everything being instant gratification.
Here you are not having that close tie to technology. You have a much, I guess, more fruitful life afterwards. Maybe there's some sort of correlation there. The lack of technology equals a better foundation for life going forward. Yeah? Do you feel like that's a big contributor to that or something else?
Minjoo: Yeah, I think so. I think also a huge part is that when you don't have technology constantly. I feel like my phone is constantly telling me something that I want to check, like a notification. All of us are. When you don't have that aspect, I remember you're forced to use your creativity because you have nothing around you. I've always heard creativity comes from nothing. I think, right now, a lot of us don't have the state of nothing anymore, like hardly ever.
But I find it really weird that, for example, I know that the children of CEOs like Apple and I think Microsoft, they send their children to Waldorf schools in the Silicon Valley area. That's very strange because they are the tech icons who made these products, but they're saying that they want their kids to learn that creativity. So, it's pretty interesting that they're making that choice.
Ian: Yeah. Luckily, your parents caught it beforehand. You were the cool kid before these CEOs brought their kids to the school. That's pretty sweet. I'm open to the whole seeing what the options are. I, myself, I know, talking with Kat as well, eventually we want to be parents. What does that education look like? Are we going to homeschool them? Are we sending them to public school? Even Waldorf school. It sounds like what you've experienced is something that a lot of parents want for their kids going forward. We will see them succeed and be fruitful in whatever endeavor they go to.
With that being said, I'm curious about you, Erland. I know you grew up in the North Carolina area and moved over to the Denver area as well. At what point did that happen? Did you have family already here in Denver?
Erland: I did have family in Denver. I didn't know about them early on. What brought us out to North Carolina was my dad. He got a job out there, and then we just follow wherever he went. From Mexico, we came to North Carolina, I think, when I was five before then a couple other states. Yeah, that's where I grew up. The family in Denver, I just met when I was like 16, 17. Just visiting family. We got bored of going to Disney. We just went to Florida, Myrtle Beach, stuff like that. Then my mom was like, "Hey, I have uncles, brothers and sisters in Colorado." So, we just came to visit.
Ian: Nice. You sort of stuck around. But I know at a certain point, we eventually met over in the Terracon era. It's almost like a stage of my life, the whole environmental consulting, geology background to it. But I know you were in a different department. I know you were more in the asbestos mitigation, things like that. But you did some odd jobs even within the company itself. I guess, what drew you to Terracon? What sort of qualifications did you have to eventually go into almost the same, I guess, occupation as me as a geologist?
Erland: Well, at first, what got me into it was my dad. My dad is, for a while, he was an instructor for asbestos mitigation and air quality control and stuff like that. He did that for about eight years. At a certain point in my life, I just didn't know what I wanted to do. I knew I didn't like what I was doing currently, and so I asked him what he did. He told me, and he said that I could learn from the ground up, or I could go to school.
He got me into the company. I started working as an abatement worker in asbestos. I worked my way up. Then after a year or two, I just got enough experience to start applying for an environmental consultant job. What got me so much experience was being able to speak English and also having a social security number, because most workers didn't have it. That's why I got up. That's what drew me in there. I just knew my dad always liked his job. I didn't like mine. So, I just took that route and stuck with it for three years until I got to Terracon.
Ian: Nice. For sure. I'm curious on what you're doing now, and why you decided to move over to what you're doing now. Then we'll go over to Minjoo. What are you doing?
Erland: Okay. Now I'm currently a dental hygienist. That's actually what I was doing when I didn't like when I got me into environmental consulting. But I got me back into it. Because one, the hours are really good. Two, pay is really good. It allows me to work on endeavors that I have. Here, without money or time available. I don't know if you remember. In Terracon, we'd be working from 5 AM to 9 PM. Pay isn't like what it is in hygiene. So, it just took a lot of time away and I got more money. That's why I came back to hygiene.
Ian: I feel you on that, man. That was something I was not jealous of. When I was doing it in San Diego, that was one thing. Being outside, working with my hands, working with rocks and things like that. Then every once in a while, it would be on the next county over or maybe even Arizona. But the thing is that it's constantly 70 degrees and higher. Working in the wintertime, my hands were frozen, dude. I don't know if you see my hands, but my fingers are long. At the end of the day, my fingertips were numb. I'm surprised I don't have frostbite.
A lot of this stuff just contributed to me reassessing. What the heck do I actually want? I pretty quickly quit Terracon for real estate. So, that's a whole different conversation. But let's say, for you, Minjoo, what led you to what you're doing right now? How are you enjoying it?
Minjoo: Okay. This is my first job out of college. I started as a recruiter. I did recruiting for, I would say, about eight months or so. Then actually, I happened to get into the sales part of that. So, I started talking more to the clients instead of talking to candidates. In a recruitment company, you're finding candidates for jobs that the companies give you. So, I became like the contact point for the companies. Then I started getting more clients through my account management, I guess. So, I've been doing that for the past, I guess, a little over three years.
I like the part that is has to do with client relations. We recently had a business trip to New York where we visited about eight clients there that I have, and I got to meet them in person for the first time. It was really cool to make those, I guess, connections.
I guess, yeah, that's the part that I really do enjoy — the part that I maybe it still can be a grind. Recruitment can be tough. The economy affects it a lot. The job market can be really hot for candidates. It can be really hot for companies, or it can just be like everyone's scared because of a coming recession, potentially. That's like the ups and downs. But for the most part, it's pretty good.
Ian: Nice. I can definitely attest to the whole meeting people in IRL in real life. For the longest time, a lot of my clients, even nowadays, we can only see each other via Zoom. It takes a while, even now, like even post-COVID. Yeah, sure. Zoom is such a great way to get connected with people without even having to meet in person. It's kind of nice. All you have is either Zoom or your email signature that has your profile picture. That's about it.
Minjoo: Yeah. Exactly.
Ian: When you actually meet them in person, it's like, okay, now I got this deeper understanding of who you are, that relationship. You can even make inside jokes when you meet in person as well, further develop that relationship.
I know it's just not you two guys living in the house, too. You have a third member of the fam, Tody, who is your precious dog. I had the blessing to come over to your guys’ place and be blessed with Tody's lovely host attributes. I know it's not often. This is something that I take pride with. Tody just sat on her lap and was just like wagging his tail, and was just super excited to see us. You guys said he does not do that to everyone. So, that felt so good. How long have you had him? Tell us more about him.
Erland: We've had him for two years now.
Minjoo: Yeah, I think he was definitely a COVID dog. We got him August of 2020.
Erland: August 2020. It was right when we're moving from Atlanta down to here. We got him at Boulder Humane Society. We had been looking for a while but couldn't really find one. Because Minjoo — it had to be like one that loved us. It wasn't just like for everyone.
Minjoo: We had this argument. Erland wanted to get a rescue. I agreed. We both wanted to get a rescue because there's plenty of dogs out there that are homeless. But then, Erland thought that meant we should just take any dog that we meet first onsite. I was like, I did not feel that way. Because we met a dog, and the dog did not like us very much. Then he wanted to take it home, and I was kind of okay but I wasn't sure about it.
Then when we met Tody, he was really tiny. I think he was like less than 10 pounds. They told us he was going to be a Doxin, like a sausage dog.
Erland: Small.
Minjoo: I was like, perfect. We have an apartment. I want a small dog. He seems cute. Also, he really loved us.
Erland: Yeah.
Minjoo: From the beginning, he was really attached to both of us.
Erland: What's hilarious, though, is like we were asking for all his siblings. We're like, "Are the siblings taken as well?" Because we didn't know about Tody. He looked a little ugly. He was pretty ugly. He was gotten beat up. So, I was like, maybe the other ones. It ended up being him. We thought it was going to be a small dog. We left for Atlanta. We came back two weeks later. Its paws were like twice the size. Now he's like a 60-pound boy.
Ian: Definitely, not a Doxin.
Minjoo: I would never have signed up for that.
Erland: Yeah, I know. I think the vet says it might be like a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, which I didn't know what they were. Apparently, it's like some South African dog.
Minjoo: He looks like a Rhodesian Ridgeback. People know what they look like.
Ian: Yeah, they are those dragons in Harry Potter. That definitely sounds like it, Rhodesian Ridgeback. It sounds like a gothic kind of name to it. It's kind of cool.
Minjoo: Yeah.
Ian: As far as rescues go, it's almost like you're buying something that has a past, that you have no idea what happened with the dog. It sounds like you got Tody at such a young age that you're still able to grow up with him and teach him everything that he should know about the world, like not every human is bad. Mind your manners and things like that.
I know you guys are pretty active in the Denver community or even in the mountains and things like that. You take Tody on these pretty cool trips. Is there any in particular that he would just lit up or loves swimming? What about him? I guess, what does he like most about the trips that you guys go on?
Erland: Definitely not the car rides.
Minjoo: Yeah, he has car anxieties. But we took him to Moab when he was pretty young, like when he was about like six months old. That was a special trip, I think, because it was his first road trip.
Erland: Yeah, he was the guard dog. He definitely took the role. He stayed up all night, that kind of thing.
Ian: Trooper.
Erland: I think he enjoys being like a guard definitely. Also, he's like the biggest chicken.
Minjoo: Yeah, he also loves meeting other dogs wherever we're at. He's very social, yes. Also, he did a hike up in Sedona. We took him this time. He did this hike where people had to climb up the stairs. There was a lion because everyone was so worried. There were a lot of older people. Then he just jumped up. He likes climbing.
Erland: He loves climbing. He loves the outdoors, yeah.
Ian: I would say that getting a rescue here in the Colorado area, I can't think of many other better places to have a rescue. There's something for everyone, including dogs. There's something for every dog out there. So, I love it. I love the aspect of the whole thing.
Along with your socialness, the culture, it seems like you guys have well integrated into the whole Denver scene. I mean, including that. You guys, for the longest time I had no idea you guys did this, but you guys are salsa dancers. You guys are like avid at that and just love it. Where do you guys go? What even drew you to salsa dancing?
Minjoo: I guess it was more like something that I really enjoyed. I thought Erland would — he has told me he liked to dance. But then, when we started dancing, we realized that he dances Cumbia, which is a Mexican style of dancing.
Then I started dancing salsa, actually, in high school. Because a lot of my friends at the Tara Performing Arts High School, they would go on Thursdays to this place called The Avalon in Boulder. The Avalon is really great, because it's great for a beginner. Actually, I'd recommend it to anybody because it has no bar. Literally, nobody's drinking really. It has a very welcoming environment for newcomers.
About, I think, anywhere between 150 or 200 people show up every Thursday. It is a big event. Every Thursday, you pay for a lesson if you want to. You can start at 7:30, do an hour lesson. That's where we learned a lot. Then the rest of the night is social dancing. But none of it involves drinking, which is really different than some other venues. That's where I learned a lot of my salsa dancing.
Then I went to college, and then I ended up joining a team there. That's when salsa really became something that I connected with a lot of people through the team. I made a lot of friends there. Ever since then, I've kept it as a somewhat weekly thing that I like to do. Now, since we've been together for over three years, we've been also doing it together. It was different. You can talk about the difficulties.
Erland: Yeah, so, like she mentioned previously, I thought I was an okay dancer. I'd went to the other venues. Not Avalon, but this one called LaRumba. It's in Denver. It's a bar, and they have a salsa. No, not a salsa. They have a live band, a whole dance floor. It's pretty cool. I'd went there. I thought I was doing okay at dancing. Nobody would tell me I was off step or whatever.
Basically, I was doing other moves, Cumbia moves. Then when I met Minjoo, she's like way up here level compared to me. Definitely, it's been a learning curve. We went to The Avalon together. I got thrown out of the advanced group. Some lady said, "The intermediate group is that way." I was like, "Okay. All right."
Minjoo: They are not like that to anybody, except if you're trying to join the advanced class. I just want to make it clear.
Erland: Minjoo was like, "Yeah, you'll be fine in the advance." No. So, I just went to the intermediate. Minjoo just floated there and learned some stuff. We get by.
Minjoo: Yeah, a lot of fun.
Erland: Salsa is in itself an interesting dance. Because it's like any other dance. The group is only as good as the male, the fleet. The female could be the greatest follow, whatever. But if the male isn't leading right, the dance does not look good. So, it's a lot of pressure. Definitely, still learning.
Ian: Yeah, I've noticed that, too. I, myself, don't consider myself an avid dancer. I enjoy it. I feel like I'm just like an enjoyer. That's about it. The biggest thing is that I've even seen some really good leads that would bring up the follows that are just not as good. But just because they lead so well, they just make him look good on the dance floor.
Minjoo: Yes, for sure.
Ian: I feel like that's a lot of, well, I guess, pressure to me. I hardly know how to follow or lead. I know the steps. I know certain steps and certain dances. The thing is certain pushes, certain pulls, certain movements just mean different things. I don't know. Maybe I'm just overcomplicating it, and you just got to fill me in.
Erland: I think you're right on. I don't know. She teaches me, but it's a lot of how you push them or how you ask for their hand. I think there has to be a certain level of confidence in it as well so that the woman can feel, okay, you want me to do a crossbody lead, or you want me to do a turn. It's like the unsaid type of movements. But yeah, definitely, it takes some learning. But I think once you learn a couple things, you just run with it.
Ian: Yeah, it's a whole thing of body language.
Minjoo: Yeah, or the follow. It can be the man as well. The follow doesn't have to know any. They don't really have to know a lot of things, as long as the lead, like you said, knows what they're doing. So, I think it falls on the leads to learn more things. That's the tough part. You guys have to actually take lessons and learn moves. But after that, it's like feeling the music and just having fun as well.
Ian: Having that foundational experience of like, okay, these are the certain steps, these are the certain moves. Then once you get the foundational experience, you can see what other people are doing and just guide, experiment while you're on the dance floor with other people. It follows.
Erland: For sure.
Ian: Yeah, I guess the two places that you recommend are Rumba and Avalon. It sounds like you guys have this mentality between both of them, where Rumba has more of this bar feel, having a good time, get loosened up with some drinks. But Avalon is more like, okay, you're there to dance, learn some moves. Let's practice our skills a little bit more. Is that the kind of feel to both?
Minjoo: Yeah, I would say that for sure. Avalon is more like dance school. It has a lot of people, so it still feels like a very social event. Then LaRumba is, they'll play salsa, merengue, and bachata — three types, mainly — and some Cumbia. So, you'll do just Latin dancing.
Another place, that if you're not super into doing partner dancing but you still like that Latin feel, is Blue Ice. There's this club on Broadway. They do more like reggaeton and some salsa, some Cumbia. But mostly, I would say, songs that anybody can dance to that are Latin.
Erland: Fusion.
Ian: Love it. It seems to me that you guys like to get your sweat on. Speaking of sweat, I know you guys are pretty active in the sports game, too, like rec leagues. I feel like it's a really good way to meet friends, make new friends, and just hang out with people that are just enjoying the sports scene. I know you guys were in the soccer league for a little bit. I mean, how did you even hear about this league?
Erland: Since I came out here, like the first time to live out here, that's how I got into the communities. So, I've had friends for five years, six years that they were entwined in that. They actually invited me. When I told them I was back, they're like, "All right. Come on. We got a league, this and that."
There's a couple areas. That particularly, I think the one you're talking about, is called the Eddie. But yeah, it's a coed league. At that time, we were just trying to do more sports togethers. Because I was doing salsa, I was like, "Hey, since I'm doing salsa, you do some soccer."
Minjoo: Deal.
Erland: That was the tradeoff. So, we did a league there. A friend of ours had told us that they were still going on. We didn't do bad. I think we did like third place or something like that.
Ian: Out of 3?
Minjoo: Pretty much, a small group.
Erland: The team wasn't like a star studded. Because I didn't want Minjoo to feel like it was intense.
Minjoo: A lot of first timers.
Erland: A lot of first timers. I played goalie and let them do their thing. When we won, we won. When we lost, good to go, team. Even her dad played. Her dad was on the team.
Ian: That's cool.
Minjoo: Briefly.
Erland: Briefly.
Ian: That's sweet. Maybe you guys can attest to this, too. I really liked this one proverb. You learn more about a person over in an hour of game versus a day of conversation. You learn so much about a person — what their flow is, the competitive spirit, the camaraderie and things like that. I find that to be such a good way to make friends at the same time and understand the culture. Shoot.
Even after the game, I know with certain rec leagues that I was joining back in San Diego or even here in Denver, it's like, yeah, the game happens, but let's go get some beer afterwards. That part is where you're truly like, okay, what are you all about? That was a cool game and everything. It gives you a talking point to start bonds with those friends. Is there any, I guess, places you guys like to go afterwards to build up those calories that you burned?
Minjoo: I don't think that at that league, we did that very much. Because the games are very late. They were all like 10, so we really didn't have — You wish that every team that you join is going to be this new group of friends. But it doesn't happen with every single team, we've realized.
This is my third season with basketball at Volo. It's Mile High Sports. It's like the biggest sports league in Denver area. It's the third season. The first season, that team, there's nobody that I talked to from that team. Because none of us really hang out. It was like none of us had any much team spirit, it felt like.
But then, the team that I joined afterwards, this is actually like our third season together. I guess it's like an upcoming fourth season for me. With this group, we've gone rafting together outside of this, arrange barbecues or game nights, and then also gone to some bars. I think it's about finding the right team that you fit in with. It might not happen every time, but it definitely will open to the possibility of meeting those people, too.
Ian: Yeah, I like that. It gives the possibility. Once you find that true group of friends, you're like, "Guys, let's sign up for elite together. We might suck, but whatever." That's kind of cool.
Minjoo: Yeah, it's so much better when you like the people.
Ian: I dig it. Going out to games is one thing. But the food scene in Denver, I know you guys love Super Mega Bien. That, in itself, I've never even heard of. Even that concept is super cool. I know after we did some mountain biking together, Erland, we went to a really good barbacoa food truck over in the Lakewood area. This is after Green Mountain. I mean, it was like green gnarly ridges. I would say we were going to 45 degrees, that sort of angle and we're struggling. I was like, I hope Erland is struggling as much as me right now.
Erland: Thankfully, we were. We're struggling the same.
Ian: We were at that same like we're okay at mountain biking. That's about it. As far as the barbacoa food truck, I mean, it was dope. Tell us a little bit more about it. What's the name of it?
Erland: Okay. That one is called Barbacoa El Oso. It's not like my cousin's, per se. It's my cousin's husband's family's food truck business. Now they have a standalone restaurant, and I think like six other food trucks. They're doing great. That one, it was parked in Lakewood. It was like South Denver, I say. I don't know. It's like Federal and Evans. Cool spot. They only do barbacoa. That's kind of what I like about them. I like those food trucks that stick to their game and do it well. That one, I've gotten too sometimes.
Ian: It's funny. Whenever I go to a restaurant in Denver — except for Indian and Thai — I always get the spiciest salsa because I feel like Denver just doesn't have that quality of spice, like extreme hot like other restaurants, which is mild. I'm so used to Mexican food or just food that has a real kick to it and makes me sweat. I want to sweat if I'm getting spicy.
That place, Barbacoa El Oso, it was legit. I really enjoyed the four tacos that I got, and the sauce was really good and spicy. I had everything I wanted out of a taco food truck. So, big props. I like it.
Keeping on this food train, I know, Minjoo, your mom owns Cup of Peace over in the Boulder area. I, myself, have not had the pleasure of checking it out myself. But looking at the website, and I remember that you guys went there a couple of times already based on your Instagram stories. I was like, dude, this place looks dope — the organic Korean food and the teas, the boba, and everything like that. I guess, what's your favorite dish over there? If people were to ever visit Cup of Peace, recommend them a certain dish over there.
Minjoo: Okay. Recently, actually, a food blogger in Denver — I think it's like Denver Food page or something like that — they did a TikTok on us about our rice paper burrito. It's like a giant spring roll basically, because it's made of like rice wrap. Then you can choose beef, chicken, or tofu. Then it's like spicy or not. They add rice, vegetables. It's basically a big spring roll. You can also get it on a normal tortilla and make it like a burrito. But I think that one's really popular right now. I did used to eat those a lot when I worked there.
Ian: What's in them?
Minjoo: Like a protein: chicken, beef or tofu. Then you can add an egg if you want. There's like, I think, seven grain rice and then salad mix, and then cheese. But if you have an allergy, you can take these out. Also, they give you like a hot sauce if you want that as well.
Erland: I'll even throw some kimchi in there.
Ian: I know. I'm a big fan of the kimchi scene. Was it Kream Kimchi? I was a big fan back in the day. I think it is still around. I just haven't gone out to these farmers markets these days. Shame on me. Oh my gosh, I feel like I've been slacking on the food market game. But nonetheless, I know with all the tops of kimchi, I know kimchi is a pretty popular dish. Korea and kimchi are usually in the same sentence. What is kimchi, for those that don't know what it is, Minjoo?
Minjoo: It's a pantry staple. I feel like every Korean household has like kimchi in their fridge. It's fermented cabbage that's spicy. Spicy fermented cabbage, it's usually like the description. But it has a lot of really good gut probiotics that says, apparently, it was really good against — I don't know how true this is. But the Koreans are claiming that it was really good against COVID.
I think it's counted as one of the seven superfoods of the world. So, it's extremely healthy. I think if you like pickles, you'll like it. I am probably one of the only Koreans that don't like kimchi, sadly. I will eat it cooked. I just don't like it cold from the fridge. I know that it's like an art. My mom makes it, and Erland will get a jar from her.
Erland: Love it.
Minjoo: Yeah, very healthy though, I will say. I know it's extremely healthy.
Erland: Yeah, she always gives me a jar when I go.
Minjoo: My mom.
Erland: Yeah, her mom.
Ian: Yes, I dig it. I'm a big fan of the whole kimchi scene as well. I guess my Korean food love started over in the Mira Mesa area over in San Diego, where it's like very Asian culture influenced, and all that good stuff. There is bibimbap over there. Is it the hot stone bowl or hot stone plate that you get the soup in there, you get some rice on the side, fried egg you dump some in there while the bowl is still hot? It fries the egg in there, and all that good stuff.
I fell in love with it just because it was so tasty. There's all these oils and sauces and everything like that. I would just dump my rice in there, too, at the same time. I would put four eggs in there. I'm a huge lover of eggs. I don't want to see what my cholesterol is like at all. But nonetheless, is that something you have over at Cup of Peace as well?
Minjoo: They do have bibimbap. They don't have the stone bowl, but I think it's more like good for to-go’s, that kind of thing. But they still have the vegetables, the rice and the egg and the sauce. Yeah, they still do have that.
Ian: Nice. Excellent. I'm glad we got to touch on the food scene a little bit because there's something about the Denver scene that people just don't know about. There's a lot more to — I guess, the Denver scene for food is ever increasingly getting better. I remember when people were talking about, like the more of the locals that were here for like 10 years ago, they did not like Denver food. They would either know their place, and that's about it. I can't attest to it at all. But honestly, I could say now, being a newcomer to the place, that I'm loving it. As long as you know your places and ask people like you guys where should I eat, I know I'm going to have a good time. So, I dig it.
With that being said, I want to go into one more sort of topic. I know you guys purchased a house not too long ago. That's where you guys are filming in over in the Westminster area. So, really stoked that you guys are in Westminster. Not too far away from me. You guys are homeowners as opposed to renters. I mean, me, being a real estate agent, I could tell you all the benefits. But I won't bore you with all that stuff.
What was that whole transition like going from renting to being a homeowner, and maybe even the purchasing process for those that haven't bought or are still looking?
Erland: PTSD.
Minjoo: We bought in one of the toughest times, I think, this year. Everything right now is hard too with the interest rate. Actually, we closed on May 16. So, that was like in the height of when buyers did not have much power in the market. Definitely, a seller's market. Things are going at least 50k. It felt like over asking price.
We started looking in February, and then went all the way. That's when we close in May. Our lease was up in on June 1. If we didn't close that week when we did that weekend, then I think we would have had to renew our lease for at least a few months. It was like right at the very final stage. We got this routine for the six weeks of rent before we bought the house, where like every weekend, we would make four or five offers, maybe see between 15 to 20 houses?
Erland: Yeah, it got to a point where I was working on weekends. So, I wasn't even seeing the houses that we would offer on. Minjoo just go and say, "This house is nice. I'll offer this much." That's actually how we learned this one. I didn't see it. It was a throwaway offer. It was okay. But it wasn't like, "This is the house." We had a couple of those. I honestly love what we ended up with. I love the house. I love the area. Westminster is very convenient.
Minjoo: Yeah, I think when we first saw the house, we're kind of like, "This could work as long as we're not crazy about it." But then, this price is like decent. If they take this price, then it would become a great house for us. Then thankfully, we were working with Offerpad, which is not a real live real estate agent. It's a company. That part was definitely different. Because we couldn't get responses very fast. So, that part was different.
But it also helped to cut the emotion out of the situation. They weren't emotional about the deal, I felt like. We just wanted to close, they wanted to close. So, we ended up getting it at the price. I remember we were terrified about the appraisal though. Because at that point, appraisal gap was a huge issue with everyone. Because you can bid as high as you want. But then, we'd always be like, oh my goodness. We offered full gap coverage. Thankfully, though, we appraised I think a little bit over. That was when the thing started being like, okay, I think we can do this. Yeah. Then actually, before we moved in, we had to do a lot of work at the house.
Erland: Yeah, there was a couple things that was wrong with it. The biggest thing was a sewer issue. The pipe that went down into the street was offset and creating a massive sinkhole of garbage.
Minjoo: In our front yard.
Erland: Sewage into the front yard. When that was pointed out into the inspection, we told them, "Hey, can we get some credits for this?" Thankfully, Offerpad was like, "Yeah, go ahead." There was a couple other things here and there, minor things. It was a flip, so it wasn't done the nicest. It was just like whatever. So, they threw him some credits for that. Then we're all like, it was good.
Minjoo: Yeah, and I think we love being homeowners. It's like the best thing that we decided to do. A lot of it actually was Ian and Kath, you guys telling us that this is like a good idea, a great decision to start into the homeownership. I think it really changed I think how we looked at building wealth and financial freedom eventually. Also, just like how other people, I think people around us also now were gravitating more towards other people who bought recently, or we're meeting people that also are looking to buy. It's really interesting how it does bring you to a new community, I think.
Erland: For sure.
Ian: I have so much to talk about with you guys. I love the story aspect of it. I feel like we've already talked about that a little bit even before this podcast. I know we hang out every once in a while. It's funny hearing your guys's story and journey. That's the exact same mentality that I had and stressors that I had. I was like, "I have no idea what I'm doing, but I hear this is a good thing." I'm glad that we were able to guide you, at least, emotionally going into the purchase of the property. I can go into statistics and everything.
But I guess, the one thing that I'll say is that, for the average American, like median homeowner income person, their wealth generator is their house. No other way can the average American can generate that kind of wealth as quickly or as assuredly over time. So, I'm glad that we, I guess, paved the way and sort of guided you, calmed your nerves along the way. It's all part of that process. It's something that everyone goes through.
Now if you guys go into your next property anytime soon, you guys know what the process is like, and what to expect going forward. If there's sewer issues, you know how much it is, and all that good stuff. As far as improvements and what you plan on doing in the future, I know you guys haven't been in here for not even six months yet, from what it sounds like. What do you guys have planned for the future with the home?
Erland: I think the big ticket one is definitely the yard, the backyard. The biggest one that we just finished was our living area. Getting the kitchen set up the way we wanted it, painting, all that stuff was done. But the biggest one is the backyard. Because right now, it's like weeds, dirt, and dog poop. So, got to get back there.
Ian: Mine looks exactly the same, man.
Minjoo: We're waiting till next year. I don't know if that's what you guys are thinking as well.
Erland: Yeah, it's a little too cold now.
Ian: I was thinking every once in a while to myself that, hey, what if I just put in the hard labor to till the place? Get the weeds out, get the grass out. Because eventually, we do want to put in so much zero scape and little-to-no sprinklers involved with the whole thing. I was trying to do it over the summer. I was like, man, it's freaking hot. Then now I'm thinking, I'll just wait till wintertime. I'll probably be like, it's too cold. If anything, I might just like hire it out, bite the bullet. Hey, you guys are the professionals. You'll get it done at twice as fast and twice as better looking than if I were to do it myself. I know my limits, and I'd rather hire that out.
Minjoo: Fair enough.
Ian: For sure. Well, thank you so much for even being on the Invest in Denver Podcast, guys. I guess, before I let you guys go, there's a couple things that I want you guys to be a part of. Number one, being the turntables. We want to turn the tables. I feel like there should be a segment titled better. I mean, I got to think about this later on. But I want to give you guys the mic, and ask me anything you guys want. I'll give you three questions, whatever you guys want to ask me.
Minjoo: Okay. For me, one of the best things about Denver and why I think we ended up coming back after a while is the people. I really like everyone. I feel like I meet a lot of people that are similar to our mindset in Denver — outdoorsy, friendly, but also know how to have fun. But I'm curious. As somebody who moved from San Diego, what do you think are the biggest differences in people of San Diego and then the people of Denver, your experience with meeting friends or people even at work?
Ian: Yeah, good question. It's funny when I was working at my environmental consulting job in San Diego, and I had a very similar job in Denver. I worked with a lot of the same municipalities, same kind of people, same industry. Over in the San Diego area, sad to say, I know San Diego is very known for its laidback-ness and California vibes and things like that. But when it comes to work, there's still immediacy that is almost required. Okay, let's cut to the chase here. Let's go on with our business. You don't want to be here. I don't want to be here. At least, the work portion of it.
But outside of that, everyone loves just being outside and going to the beach, chilling with their dogs, whatever. There's something for everyone in San Diego as well. But I guess, the one alikeness, before I get to the differences, is that I didn't feel too far away from home as far as attitude goes when I moved to Denver. There was that West Coast attitude but with the Midwest hospitality. That's what I like to tell people about Denver. People like to be a little bit more courteous here, and ask about your day. I was not used to that over in the San Diego area. Maybe it's like that LA influence or something like that going to San Diego.
Minjoo: Yeah, I think so.
Ian: Maybe. I'm not 100% sure. But I will say that a lot of San Diegans, if they are listening to this, might argue with me on that. But in general, compared to Denver especially, there is I guess a little bit more immediacy, because I guess there's a lot to do in San Diego. Maybe there's places to be in San Diego versus Denver. Like, hey, enjoy it. We're here to have a good time. I want to get to know you a little bit better. So, I wish that when I came here, COVID wasn't happening. I feel like I would have a lot more friends. But nonetheless, I feel like I've integrated pretty well with the Denver scene.
Minjoo: Yeah, for sure. I think yeah, you're pretty active as well.
Erland: For sure, yeah.
Ian: Thanks. Anything else?
Erland: I guess, your age is 32. Right?
Ian: I'm 33.
Erland: 33. All right. So, what would you say is the biggest change in how you think, I guess, even in visiting a new city or even in real estate in these first three years into your 30s rather than your last three years in your late 20s?
Ian: Oh, yeah, that's a good question. When I would go to new cities in my 20s, I would want to be couch surfing, be close to all these bars, restaurants, very walkable. I guess to be honest, that is still something that I want to do here in my 30s. But in my 30s, when I go to a new place now, I look at the public transportation. I do not want to drive. It's something that I judge a city on. I know in San Francisco, New York, the subway system, the BART, everything about it is fantastic. That's something that I would love to, I guess, live at one point in my life — just in the heart of something but very close to public transportation.
Also, what I've noticed, too, is time for myself. Where do I like to be alone at? There are certain parts of San Diego that if I were to go a couple hours, northeast or east, I'm in the mountains. Even in San Diego, much smaller than the Rockies. But nonetheless, I'm enjoying myself where I'm alone.
In my 20s, that was not something that I was constantly thinking about. I wanted to be around people. I was very much more social. So, I don't know what it is. Maybe it is just me growing older. I know, as a real estate agent, my phone blows up all the time. I'm getting annoyed of it nowadays. But it means more business. But whatever. I still want time for myself. I guess that's what I've noticed, too. Even here in Denver, I guess that's another reason why I appreciate it so much. It's that I can be alone without feeling alone in a lot of places in Denver. It sounds almost philosophical.
Minjoo: I could see that. Okay.
Ian: Anything else? If none, that's okay.
Minjoo: I have a question. I know before you said that, because you talk about being financially free and financial independence. So, I'm just curious. He said that before, I think before he mentioned to us. One of the things you want to do is live in Amsterdam when you have independence. Is there anywhere else that you would like to leave after that, after having visited all these cities in the US? Any city like that?
Ian: 100%. Yeah, I guess for those that are not aware of what me and Kat want to do, we want to live in Amsterdam for a year. We did a Euro trip and did a smorgasbord of different European cities and towns and things like that. We came across Amsterdam specifically, and just loved the vibe. We love the public transportation. Bikes are much more aplenty than cars. We love that aspect about it.
I guess if there's any other places that we want to go for sure, it's definitely South America in general. I have an affinity towards Latin American cultures and the language itself. I love Spanish, maybe because I grew up in San Diego. But nonetheless, I enjoy it wholeheartedly. I love the family aspect of it, the culture aspect of it.
Chile and Argentina, especially the Patagonia area, the very southern tip is something that Kat and I want to explore definitely in our near future. I think it also pertains to that same thing that I said before, like being alone without feeling alone. Having that rain shadow just east of Chile where the Andes are — one of the largest deserts over there. I forgot what the deserts name is — I always wanted to check that out and see what the salt flats are like, and just feel like I'm the only one here. This feels fantastic — anything where I just feel alone. I guess, be alone, not feel alone.
Minjoo: Okay. Well, if you ever want to feel super crowded, I would love if we all went to Korea if you guys want to.
Ian: Let's do it.
Minjoo: Opposite of alone though. It's super packed.
Erland: Stacked, sardines.
Ian: Dude, for real. I've never been to the East Asia countries before, maybe just the Philippines when I was a kid. Korea, I would definitely enjoy Korea and see what the scene is like. Myself being an avid video gamer, I wanted to see where that video game scene as well.
Minjoo: Fastest Wi-Fi in the world.
Ian: Oh, I love it already. Well, thanks so much, guys. Thanks for hanging out. I love the intro as well, by the way. As far as if anyone were to reach out to you guys, I know you guys are very involved in the Denver community, whether that's salsa, sports, going out with Tody, things like that. If anyone were to reach out to you guys for more tips and tricks about the whole Denver area, how can they reach you all?
Minjoo: Okay. I'm on Instagram. You can reach me there. It's @minjumss.
Ian: Nice. Erland will follow in suit with whatever Minjoo says or receives.
Erland: I'm always there, yeah.
Ian: Nice. For sure. I, myself, I'm @ian.realestateagent. I'm very active on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram. Feel free to follow me and subscribe, and all that good stuff. Because I post things twice a week. This will go on the website and the YouTube channel, as well as these weekly vlog tours of how to house hack in Denver, and all that good stuff. I'm pretty active in that regard. I'm part of The FI Team. This production itself is a FI Team production, and hosted by me, yours truly. Ian Jimeno. I am a servant to you, the Denver people. So, thank you so much, Minjoo and Erland, for hanging out with me. I'll see you all later.
Minjoo: Sounds good. Thanks, Ian.
Erland: Thank you.