About
Welcome to TFS Properties
We would like to introduce ourselves. TFS Properties is a team of real estate professionals that specializes in finding off-market investment properties for our clients. In today’s seller’s market, we are seeing our investors getting record prices for their properties. This is awesome as a seller and is a wonderful thing – however, while you are selling your property in a peak market, you are also buying into a peak market as well. In hot markets such as Southern California, it is very hard – if not near impossible – to find properties that are at priced reasonably with high cash-flows & cap rates.
Our expertise is finding off-market properties around the United States that not only have more reasonable prices with higher cash flows & cap rates, but are also more outstanding when comparing them to similar properties in California. Most of the investors we work with are looking for quality properties with quality tenants. At TFS, we have access to Triple-Net Lease (NNN) properties with long-term leases in place, including government buildings, healthcare facilities, and other types of credit-quality tenants. Our properties are often sourced directly from the developers, recently built, and are newly leased.
We also specialize in single-family & multi-family properties, along with retail & industrial commercial buildings. Our long-term relationships with brokers, developers, & acquisitions teams give us an ability to source properties that are not publicly listed and to which few have access. Virtually all our offerings are “off-market” or sourced directly from our partners. Our experience has been that once a property hits the open-market, it is no longer worthy of our attention as it has been bid up to levels much less attractive to our investors.
As you can see, high-quality properties come & go quickly in a market such as this. There are hundreds of millions of dollars exchanging hands on a daily basis. While we may not be able to find exactly what you are looking for, we will be able to present you with quality properties that have higher cash flows that do make sense in today’s world.
Please contact us at your earliest convenience and give us your criteria so that we may assist you in achieving your investment goals.
Our Team
Mac Graham
Principal Broker
DRE#: 00636872
About Mac Grahm
President
DRE#: 00636872
Mac grew up around numbers. His father was a very successful real estate developer in Hawaii. He grew up watching and/or becoming involved in his father’s many projects, including the Ala Moana Shopping Center (at one time the largest and most successful shopping center in the world); the Ala Moana Hotel; the Maui Marriott; and numerous other condominium projects, hotels, office buildings, and retail projects.
After studying at the University of California, Berkeley (where he had followed his father and was a fourth-generation Beta), Mac returned to Honolulu and eventually joined his father’s real estate development business.
“My dad made me Project Manager of a high-rise, luxury condominium project on Maui. Since there were two buildings, I named it The Mahana (Hawaiian for “twins”). Keeping track of the interest cost on the construction loan on paper was a challenge so we turned to a computer. Not having our own we used computer “time-sharing”. I entered all of our parameters remotely into the computer using a telex machine as a terminal. The results were then printed on the telex machine. This process saved a huge amount of time!”
Mac’s years growing up with and later working with his father taught him a great deal. Mac recounts the greatest lesson he learned from his father:
“One day, when we were working together as partners, my father took me aside and told me that he would tell me the secret of real estate development. He said, “Mac, there are many components to the success of a real estate project. There is the land, the design, the financial pro forma, there may be a major tenant, there’s the market for the project (such as a hotel, condo, or office building), there’s the equity, the financing, the architect, the contractor, and the rest.” He continued, “The first thing you do is to select the most important piece and hang it right here, up in the air `{`gesturing by hanging something in the space above his head`}`. Then you select the second piece and hang it right there, on the first. Then you take each succeeding piece and hang it on the last.” With a sparkle in his eye, he said, “The key is that you have to do this very quickly before anyone realizes that the first piece is hanging in midair . . . for, you see, the secret to real estate development is smoke and mirrors and black thread!” My father’s secret to success was that he created a future. Where others saw a pile of coral, he saw the largest (and possibly the most successful) shopping center in the world (Ala Moana Center). Where others saw a vacant lot, he saw one of the most beautiful office buildings in Honolulu (345 Queen Street Building). Where others saw an empty stretch of beach, he saw a successful, large hotel operated by one of the world’s leading hotel chains (Maui Marriott). Where others saw a site on Montgomery and Market in then a sleepy San Francisco, my father saw a vibrant city with the tallest skyscraper west of Dallas, complete with a BART station before BART existed (44 Montgomery St.). My father created illusions and then put those illusions out there for others to see, admire, contribute to, and agree with. No matter the opposition, whatever problems came along the way, he kept putting his illusion there day after day after day. His intention was unyielding. And do you know what the result of his persistence was? His illusions became successful realities. My father taught me to create a future.”
In addition, Mac has been involved in the creative end of finance and technology. The first software application that he designed and developed was “RightRoute,” a telecommunications network optimization software application designed, developed, and then sold to a public Corporation in 1990. In 1996, he was a co-founder of InnTechnology, Inc., which designed and developed a unique network printing solution for hotel guest rooms (e.g., the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas and many others). The system provided in-room printer/copier/fax machines and printed hotel bills in guest rooms in addition to monitoring in-room guest printing, copying, and faxing while posting charges to guest accounts. Mac conceived of and designed a unique and sophisticated financial-deal-structuring application for Waterfall-IRR Corporation (which he founded) and then sold to Intuit Corporation in 2008.
Today, Mac is the Principal Broker for TFS Properties, Inc. – a commercial real estate firm based in San Marino, CA.
Rusty Tweed
Managing Director
DRE#: 01956794
About Rusty Tweed
President
DRE#: 01956794
Rusty Tweed has been involved in real estate transactions throughout his entire adulthood, having purchased his first rental at 22 years old in his native home of Toronto, Canada. A few years later, he was able to purchase his second rental in Toronto. Utilizing his passive income streams, Rusty eventually moved to Los Angeles, CA in 1987. Soon after landing in Southern California, Rusty began sourcing and flipping foreclosures and – prior to the crash of the early ‘90s – had done well over 30+ real estate flips.
In 2004, Rusty was introduced to the concept of a 1031 Tax-Deferred Exchange. At that time, Rusty was working with Del Exeter, a local CPA in Monrovia, CA. Del introduced Rusty to his son Bill Exeter, who had been Head of Chicago Title Company’s Exchange Division. He quickly got up to speed with the help of Bill’s expertise, who expertly guided Rusty’s 1031 Exchange transactions to success.
Their friendship became the inception of a unique business relationship between Bill and Rusty that continues to this day. As a matter of fact, when Bill founded Exeter Exchange in 2006, Rusty immediately became one of the founding investors and considerable shareholders in Exeter Holdings, LLC. TFS Properties now uses Exeter (www.exeterco.com) as the primary accommodator for clients and their 1031 Exchanges.
Since then, Rusty has assisted his clientele in well over 100+ property exchanges. Rusty has been involved in more than $500 million dollars in successful 1031 transactions. The biggest focus Rusty has in his business is assisting clients through the entire 1031 process, often working with Bill and his staff. With today’s hot real estate market in California, Rusty and his own team are very busy sourcing replacement property for the immensely appreciated sales figures occurring. He has been involved in multi-family, retail, NNN lease, commercial buildings, oil and gas leases, raw land, etc. – almost every type of investment property out there, Rusty has had his hand in transacting.
For the investors that we work with, the name of the game is cash flow and economic common sense. The highly inflated properties of California afford very low income streams (also known as ‘Cap Rates’) for the amount of investment. By taking the increased equity from the recent rise in property values and exchanging them into other markets around the United States, TFS Properties is able to double, and sometimes even triple, a California investor’s income and become involved in properties that do make economic common sense.
Edward Weng
Managing Director
DRE#: 02007124
Edward Weng
Vice President
BRE#: 02007124
Edward is the ultimate information seeker. For him, the greatest asset of being a part of the TFS Properties, Inc. The team is the access to some of the best out-of-state/off-market deals sourced through the brokerage. With the decades of experience combined between his mentors paired with the high-caliber network of brokers in key markets standing by TFS Properties, Edward is able to fully utilize his resources in order to provide for his client’s best interests & their investment goals. Through the brokerage, Edward is up to date with the most current real estate market trends, market analysis, & commercial real estate database – which is crucial in calculating both appraisals, sales, & lease comparisons with pinpoint accuracy.
Edward’s passion for real estate began at a very young age when he assisted his family in managing their rental properties. He was able to see first-hand how the different trials & tribulations in fine-tuning a piece of real estate would ultimately lead to maximizing income & providing comfort for the investor. Along with his family’s background in the faucet/plumbing industry & experience in multi-family, Edward quickly learned how to scale the much bigger picture of an investment property. It also taught him to not only appreciate every team member who has had to put their own boots on the ground but to discover the benefits of investing in real estate at pivotal points in the market. He later expanded his horizon professionally, working alongside & finding mentors from many of the top sponsors in the multi-billion dollar alternative investments industry.
Finding the ideal piece of investment property is not just an arms-race of high cap rates (%) – it is much deeper than that. It takes an extensive knowledge & deep understanding of different real estate investment strategies in order to find the opportunities & strike gold. Day in & day out, Edward is calling & networking with top brokers & acquisitions teams in their respective markets to share insight with his investors & find the exclusive deals that may not be available in the open market. At TFS Properties, once a property hits the “open market”, it is no longer worthy of our attention for many reasons. Staying active with the current economy & latest real estate indicators are why Edward & the TFS Properties team are able to locate the best strategy for each individual investor.
Edward’s attention to detail and communication skills with buyers & sellers ensures that TFS Properties, Inc. represents the highest quality of real estate professionals. He will work hard to find the perfect off-market or out-of-state deal that fits your investment criteria & assist you with your 1031 Exchange for years to come.
Edward is fluent in both English & Mandarin Chinese. With his family’s background in attaining & managing investment properties in Los Angeles, in addition to his education at the USC – Marshall School of Business (Undergraduate), Edward has equipped himself with the necessary tools to catapult his career as a real estate agent – refined from youth. He has appeared in commercials for Verizon Wireless and is an alumni of USC Beta Omega Phi. Outside of real estate, Edward enjoys basketball, MMA, art & design, collecting vinyl records, & music production.
Michael Mak
Associate
DRE#: 02069152
RJ Akau IV
Associate
DRE#: 02157343
Susie Lee
Associate
DRE#: 02090226
Eugenia Chan
Associate
DRE#: 01919536
Brenda Chhuor
Associate
DRE: 01900798
Clinton Lu
Creative & Marketing Director
Julie Trieu
Operations Coordinator
Salesian Yuen, MBA, CPA
Financial Analyst
DRE#: 02146554
English
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Italian
Spanish
