The Most Dwanderful Real Estate Podcast Ever!

Season Seven Premier, Major Grief, and One Million Downloads

• Dwan Bent-Twyford • Season 7 • Episode 388

Share episode

Send us a text

A million certified downloads marks a significant milestone as I launch Season 7 of the podcast! This achievement comes alongside a deeply personal journey through grief and reflection after losing both my father and my best friend of 30 years within months of each other.

Through tears and vulnerability, I share how real estate investing provided me the ultimate freedom when it mattered most - the ability to spend six full weeks with my father in hospice, to hold his hand as he passed, and to plan a celebration of life that perfectly honored his love for bluegrass, moonshine, poker, and hunting. While family members were restricted to minimal bereavement time from their jobs, I had the freedom to be fully present without financial stress.

The true power of building a real estate business became crystal clear as my VA team kept operations running smoothly for five straight months while I focused on what truly mattered. My sister and I settled my father's entire estate in just 26 hours thanks to proper planning with land trusts and pay-on-death designations - a testament to good preparation.

Now, as I embrace turning 66 with my naturally gray hair (with a touch of pink!), I'm more convinced than ever that real estate investing isn't just about building wealth - it's about creating the space to fully engage with life's most meaningful moments. Whether you're facing challenges or pursuing dreams, having financial freedom transforms how you experience every aspect of life.

Ready to build this kind of freedom for yourself? Visit dwanderful.com and take the real estate investing quiz to assess your risk tolerance and identify your best starting point. Together, let's make 2025 the year we truly thrive!

Thanks again for listening. Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a FIVE-STAR review.

Head to Dwanderful right now to claim your free real estate investing kit.

And follow:

http://www.Dwanderful.com
http://www.facebook.com/Dwanderful
http://www.Instagram.com/Dwanderful
http://www.youtube.com/DwanderfulRealEstateInvestingChannel

Make it a Dwanderful Day!

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Hey, how are you today? One million downloads, that is right. The Most Dwanderful Real Estate Podcast Ever has reached over one million certified downloads. I am so excited. What a great way to start off Season 7 with 1 million listens, over 1 million certified. So it is very exciting. I am happy to be back with you.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

If any of you have noticed, I have not done any brand new podcasts for several months. I took four months off and I'll tell you why. But first I'm going to have a toast and just cheers to you, thank you to you. My heart is just, my love tank is full. I'm so happy, I'm just so happy that all my hard work because you know podcasts are a lot of work all my hard work and we've reached a million downloads and we're growing and we're in the top 50 in Spotify in the business category. So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Cheers to you. I got my little, you know, glass things you put on so we can have people over. Everybody knows what glass is theirs. But I wanted to start off and just have a little toast and say thank you to you, because I really am just like ever. I'm so grateful. I've been working on the podcast.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I think we're in our sixth year of doing shows. So we are officially today starting season seven! So there's a lot to talk about. We have a new president, we rescued people from space. I mean there's a lot going on. You know, people are always worried about the market. What about the market? What about the market? What about the market? I've been on so many shows lately and the thing I can tell you about the market is we specialize over here in working the foreclosure side of the business. We are always helping homeowners that are in distress and the things that cause the distress, they don't ever change. People go through foreclosure because of divorce, a job loss, a sickness, a death, a transfer, like the main reasons that people go in and out of foreclosure. They don't change. So whether the market is really good or the market is really bad, if you go to the county courthouse in your county and you go online, you look at all the foreclosures and you start talking to people, you'll recognize it's the same reasons. It's always the same reasons. Like I said, divorce, what income is leaving, sickness, death whatever the reason, foreclosures are always the same. So the one thing I think you should not worry about is oh my gosh, what's going to happen. We have a new president. The world's gone wild.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

But just so you guys know, I am 100% pro-Trump, so I love what Trump is doing. I love that Elon Musk has gotten rid of billions of dollars in waste. Like I, am all about that, and one of the reasons I like that is because, as investors, we get so many tax write-offs and we want business write-offs and tax write-off for business people because we are business people, write-off for business people because we are business people. So if you don't like that about me, sorry, I have expressed my political views in the past. I'm not going to politicize my podcast, but I love what's happening. I love the waste is getting rid of. I love that we have someone in charge of the health of the country. I love that we're getting rid of bad foods and things that are in our food that are poisoning and making us all sick, and all of those things. I am loving all of it. So I'm just so excited to be back here with you today.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Oh, I have been. Oh, I'm gonna cry. So the last couple months, yeah, I promised myself that I wouldn't cry. I was ready to do this today. Sorry, my dad passed away and I was really close to him and the thing I appreciate most about real estate is I was able to spend his last six weeks with him. The whole time I was able to be with him in the hospital and then in hospice, I was able to hold his hand when he passed and, sorry, when I start crying my voice gets really high and cracks bad. I felt a little bit more prepared to podcast. I was like really going to try and hold back my tears, but I mean, it's my dad, I'm allowed to cry, you know. But honestly, real estate investing, I just really can't tell you how much I appreciate what it's done for me because I was able to take off all that time and I was able to be there and plan the celebration of life which, let me tell you something, it was the most fun party we've ever had.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

My dad loves bluegrass, he likes moonshine, he likes hunting, he likes poker. So in his house we cleaned the house out and we had poker tables. We had bluegrass music going on, we had people playing guitars, we were out back shooting at targets. We had a big giant fire burning a few leftover things and I'm telling you it was great. He would have really been proud about it. So I was great. It would have, like you know, really been proud about it. So, yeah, I'm sorry.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

So the thing is with the investing and with having rentals and with having a VA team for example, my VA team for all of October, all of November, all of December, all of January and all of February, all of November, all of December, all of January and all of February. For five months my VA team has been able to keep up with everything and keep emails coming and keep videos coming and keep podcasts coming, and they've been able to keep things coming and I was able to really take the time off and, just like you know, just have a minute for myself, because I'm telling you it was a lot. And then in February, my very best friend ever also passed away. So here's to my dad and Miss Cathi. But that was very hard for me, just right after my, my dad, to lose my best friend of 30 years. And you know, I just found myself feeling really grateful that I was able to take the time I was able. I mean, I'm obviously still grieving, but it's March and I've been down here in my house the whole month of March. I could just have some time and just process. Like you know, that's two really giant losses in a really short amount of time.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

And so I got my new podcast background. If you saw my video on Instagram, I put it all up, did it myself, used all my power tools and I was able just to have time to, to regroup and think more about, like, what do I want to do personally going forward. And, like you know, sometimes I think Bill and I just go through like we're teaching, we're training, we're with the grandkids, we're just like plowing through, and I've had time to think about, like, just for me personally, what do I want to do and where do I see myself. And you know having that time up as a lot of time for some really good self-reflection and you know, what I really want to do is I want to help you all become successful real estate investors.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Having gone through what I just went through, I really saw the true beauty of what building a real estate empire or real estate business it doesn't have to be an empire building a business can do for you as far as your freedom. I didn't have to worry about taking bereavement days and some of my other family did. They only got you know, a day off, only got you know a day off for the service, a day off for the celebration. Like people couldn't have time off work and I was just like I had all the time in the world. I will just take care of all kinds of stuff, but literally every single person just about had to get time for everything and I thought you know it's really grateful that I was able to afford to stay in a hotel for six entire weeks.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

I could have stayed at my dad's house, but we were. He was already had moved into this beautiful assisted living apartment and was getting ready to sell his house anyway. It's like I could have stayed there, but it's like you know what. I didn't want to stay there. I wanted to help clean it and do this and go through the boxes and the memories but still have a place mentally at night to get to, which was my hotel. Stayed at a great hotel. I mean you know they're as fancy as they can be for West Mountain Ohio, but I stayed at a great Holiday Inn with a pool and a workout room. Everybody at the front desk knew what was happening. They were so sweet to me and, um, sorry guys, I almost want to start over, but I'm not going to. Y'all can see my vulnerable side. I'm a very soft part. So it was really a blessing to be able to stay for six weeks and to be able to rent a car for six weeks and, and you know, eat out and do this and do that and take care of my dad's estate. And you know it's funny, because my dad was so prepared.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

My sister and I we settled in from the minute we got together at the attorney's office till the day we were done. We settled the entire stay in 26 hours and we went to sleep that night 26 hours, went to the bank, took care of the stuff, went to the funeral home, sold the property was in a land trust, everything Done, done, check for the house, money, just for 26 hours. I feel like that's a total record. And we were able to do that because my dad had everything in a land trust and he had people signed on his accounts on a POD, pay on death, he had a will, he had someone to buy the house like we. We had it all done and, boom, we were just like it was done and it was really great because it was really satisfying. A friend of my dad's bought the house, which was great. One of his hunting buddies, which will, you know, bring his kids over and they'll be shooting out in the back like my dad used to.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

It's a big fun, but I was just really, you know, I think I'm like eternally grateful for just all the hard work that I have put in. Oh sorry, Maybe I'll have a sip of wine Because, like when a time came, it's like like with bill when he went through his bone marrow transplant, we basically, I mean, I was podcasting and stuff still with all of you, but we basically didn't work for almost two years and you know, this was my dad, this was, you know, a couple of well like well, the last five months, I think said, and with Cathi, and I just am really proud of myself that I found real estate, I stuck to it, I built a business, I didn't make a bunch of excuses, like a lot of people make, about why they can't be successful, and I didn't do any of that. And then now, and you know, at the age, oh, and also also I turned 66, so I don't even know, it's like, and I'm embracing the gray. This is the actual color that most of my hair is now, which I'm super happy because it's that pretty white. So I'm I'm turning uh, which I I love. I'm like super happy. I have like the pretty gray and then I'm highlighting in some pink and I am also embracing the gray, so I love it. So I was able to be with my dad, I was able to be there for my friend, I was able to take care of everything I was able. Like right now I'm here for myself, I'm showing up for myself and taking care of myself, and real estate's done all that.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

So if you're like, oh, I don't know, I'm still thinking about whatever, yeah, stop doing that. I want you to go to my website it's Dwanderful D-W-A-N-D-e-r-f-u-l. Dwanderful made a new word dwanderfulcom and take the real estate investing quiz. Take the quiz, the I'm sorry now my nose is runny. I don't have any tissues right nearby, so I said I might just use my sleeve, like I did when we were kids. But anyway, dwarnifulcom, take the quiz. I have a new quiz up there for you and it'll just help you see where you're at, what's your risk factor, what you need to be doing, and this is 2025. It's time to thrive in 25. You know, I have a motto every year, and this year is it's time to thrive in 25. It's time to thrive in 25. It's time to thrive in 25. So, if you're still thinking, if you've watched me for a while and you still haven't done anything like seriously get off your ass and get started and get working and let's go. I mean, we're already. When you see this podcast, it's already going to be April 1st.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Now I have been doing podcasts with people, but I didn't feel like I was ready to kind of get back on and start with me starting myself, and I don't want to start a new season without being the first guest of my own show. Did not expect to cry through the whole show, but I guess I don't know why I thought I wouldn't. You know, because you're all my fans and you're my friends and I know you love me and you support me. I'm such a mess. I know you love me and that you support me and that you always want the best for me and I want that for you too. So together we're at a million. Let's see if we can get to 2 million in 25. That would be amazing. Would that be amazing. By the end of the year we're at 2 million. Oh my gosh, that would be so great. And let's get you going, let's get you started, let's take advantage of this great economy and this president that we have and let's thrive. It's time to thrive in 25. So, thank you for letting me cry through my first show. I feel like I'll be better going forward so I won't be talking about it.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

And you know it's a lot and I know a lot of you've lost parents. I mean, I consider myself to be really lucky to have been 65 years old and still have my mom and my dad. I mean my mom's 88, my aunt's 98 a lot of longevity. My dad was 86 and um, so I'm happy for that. But I'm also happy that when the time came, I was able to fully be there and fully spend that time and fully engage in everything. And you know, you get a chance to say, like all the things you ever wanted to say, and it was really beautiful. I mean, honestly, it was really beautiful. I'm just, I am so happy and I'm so at peace. And my friend, she just went so peaceful, Like been sick for a long time, and she was so peaceful and I'm so blessed I was able to be a part of all that.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

So now I feel like I'm ready to get back in the groove. We've still been doing workshops and we've still been traveling, but you know, podcasting is a little bit more personal than talking to you guys. Okay, seriously, I'm sharing my heart and I just feel a little more vulnerable. You know, in front of a group, I'm just like, oh yeah, I lost my dad. Little more vulnerable, you know, in front of a group, I'm just like, oh yeah, I lost my dad. And you know, I just like suck in those emotions. But I feel like I don't have to do that with you because y'all love me and I love y'all too.

Dwan Bent-Twyford:

Okay, so we are going to wrap up this teary mess. I just want to let you know I'm back, I'm back, I'm back, I'm back, I'm back, and I've got so many great guests I've interviewed in the last couple of months, preparing for whenever I was ready to start. And so this is it. It's time to thrive into 1D5. And we'll be back next week. Same bat time, same bat channel. And remember that the truth is in the red letters.