“I deal in the types of properties that haunt people’s dreams,” Jamil Damji says confidently about his approach to real estate. “Fire burns, hoarder homes, deceased owners, destructive tenants, haunted. When we repair these homes, we help uplift communities by improving eyesores and removing dangerous elements from an area.”

As the co-founder of KeyGlee, one of America’s frontline wholesale real estate firms, Mr Damji believes in the power of his work to help communities and landowners. “Oftentimes vacant properties are overrun with drug addicts and syringes can be seen strewn about on front lawns, it’s scary stuff,” he admits.“In addition, I get to help property owners exit a headache situation with convenience and ease. It’s a rewarding process. Not to mention all of jobs and families being fed along the way. I feel blessed to work in this space. The impacts of our efforts are quickly realized.”

Founded in 2016, KeyGlee’s model focuses on matching owners of distressed buildings with willing buyers who then work on making them optimally, habitable locations. Together with Josiah Grimes and Hunter Runyon, Jamil has built a structure to service their ever-expanding client base and there are dividends for that.

“For our efforts, we take a “fee” on each transaction,” Jamil explains.“We have since scaled operations at KeyGlee and now have conducted thousands of deals locally. In 2020 we franchised KeyGlee nationally and are currently in 18 additional markets and growing rapidly. Our goal is to have 700 franchises nationwide within the next 5 years.”

He is quick to add that his definition of what success is changes from time to time. “Today, I feel like my success is directly proportional to the impact I'm having on the world and in people's lives,” he concludes. “It feels good to live in a nice home, but it feels amazing to run a company that allows others the opportunity to live in nice homes. Today my success is predicated on my impact, who knows what that looks like in a decade. I'm excited to see.”