We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kyra Jefferson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kyra below.
Alright, Kyra thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
I’m taking a risk and have taken a risk helping my city rebuild a block and ultimately a neighborhood. I live in the City of Detroit and have been a real estate investor for over 20 years. In 2018 I applied for a program called the Equitable Minority Developers program, where they select 20 minorities to transition to developers. 20 people are selected and over 100 applicants apply for this program. I was chosen in 2018 and graduated in 2019. After graduating, I began to look for a project I could take on. I decided to get connected to the area I live in & own property to see what else the area had to offer. I began going to events to see what’s going on in the area. I went to an event & met the neighborhood & business liaison for my district. I also met Dave Walker from planning & development who explained the different things that are coming & going on in the area. Next, I discussed & met with the neighborhood & business liaison expressing my desire for a project to develop in the area. The neighborhood liaison asked me to sign up for a program called Pathways to Ownership. She said the program would give me an opportunity to meet banks, land bank connections, people in the area, etc. I took and completed the program and developed a relationship with Karla the neighborhood liaison for District 1. We ran into each other one day and she asked me to get on a zoom call she was hosting. I said sure. We got on the Zoom call & I was the only guest. Nothing but God because during that time she spoke to me about a block that needed developing & it had only two houses on it. I said I’ll take a look. She gave me the addresses & I went to check it out. Just what I was looking for. The two houses had been sitting for a while and 1 of the houses anyone could just walk in. I got back with Karla & said I want to take on the houses and acquire the land. I started the process to acquire the homes and land in September 2020 and didn’t close until June 2021. When I closed they let me purchase both homes & 2 lots. Both homes were gutted down to the studs, reframed and renovated. I even gave the homes new grass & fencing to make it more appealing for the sale. The homes were sold in 2022 with many challenges along the way. The homes were sold instead being rented because I agreed to work with The City of Detroit to stabilize the area. I didn’t make a profit but what I did was gain the attention of The City and the people in the surrounding area. It also gave me leverage to get site control of the other 5 lots available on the block. I also brought the property value up in the area up by over $25,000. I’m currently working on the resources, team, & funding to build townhouses on the 5 lots and single family homes on the two lots I own. This is also a risk because nothing has been done like this in the area & the townhomes & homes will be for sale as well. I’m also a new developer that has never done new construction and the two homes was the most major rehab I’d ever done.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Kyra Jefferson, I’m a native Detroiter, who is passionate about the growth and development of her city and others. I’ve been in the real estate industry for over 20 years, first as a homeowner then became a real estate investor. I’ve rehabbed and sold property. I also own and manage my own property. I got into real estate because when I went to sell my first home it more than doubled in value. I asked a friend of mine what would be a good investment with the additional funds because I wasn’t going to put all the money on the second home. He said you should buy an investment property and in August of 1999 I purchased my first investment property, a duplex which I still own. I believe everyone should own property. I’ve committed to helping as many as I can know the importance of owning property to create wealth and legacy for them & their family. To focus on expanding my business in 2015 I left my job with 18 years seniority and haven’t looked back. In the last 5 years I’ve added real estate developer to my resume. In 2018 I applied to a program called the Equitable Minority Developers Program & in 2019 I was selected. The program selected 20 minorities out of over 100 applications. The program was great & intense. It also added a lot of knowledge and value for me in the area of real estate & development. It also gave me a lot of connections with my City, others like myself and lifetime mentorship. They made sure we had all the necessary contacts, funding connections & resources once we found or if we had a development project. Once I graduated from the program I began to look for projects. I own, manage & live in District 1 of Detroit, Mi so I figured that would be a good place to start. I went to a neighborhood meeting one day & met a gentleman that works for Planning & Development, the business & neighborhood liaison as well. I discussed with them who I was & that I would be interested in doing a development project in District 1. I connected with the neighborhood liaison & completed a program she asked me to sign up for called Pathways to Home ownership. I registered for the program to make connections and stay connected to the neighborhood liaison and my District. I later ran into the neighborhood liaison & she asked me to get on a Zoom call. I was on the Zoom with the neighborhood liaison & she asked me to check out a block that needed developing. I checked out the block which had only two homes on the block & they both were vacant. The rest of the block was vacant lots. I told her that I would take on the block. The Detroit Land Bank Authority allowed me to purchase both homes and two lots. I gutted both homes down to the studs, reframed & rehabbed them both. I even gave them new grass & fences. Both homes sold to first time home buyers in 2022. The buyers are still there and the homes look great. I’m now working on my team, resources & funding to build single family homes and townhomes for sale on the block. In 2022, I also graduated from the Turner Construction Management Program so that I could gain knowledge on various construction contracts, bidding for construction jobs and managing my own construction team. I enjoyed meeting & getting to know my classmates. Building relationships is important to any business owner. I strive to make great connections to move my business forward. You never know who you’ll need in the future. In April 2025 I graduated from the Chase bank Coaching program which helped me expand my vision and gave me a different perspective as it relates to my businesses. I was able to gain knowledge, wisdom, meet new people and gain great resources to create new streams of income to thrust me forward in business. I’m always looking for ways to elevate, expand and grow my business as well as myself. Knowledge, wisdom and connections are powerful tools to have. At the graduation I met some great people but the one that stood out was Princess Casteberry. Mrs. Castleberry is helping expand my reach in consulting & speaking engagements. I consult people, mostly women helping them start businesses or expand their business expressing the importance of financial freedom, wealth & legacy.
I’m also an author. I wrote a book called Jefferson’s Journey, The Boom, Bankruptcy and the Bounce back. Telling my story of how I lived before I filed bankruptcy, what led me to having to file bankruptcy and how God gave me tips, tools & strategies to come back better & stronger. I wrote my book & 7 years later left my job with 18 years seniority. This was done with the tips, tools & strategies God gave me to bounce back from bankruptcy. My book is sold on my website www.jeffersonpropertyexperts.com where I sign & give away a free gift with every book. My book is also sold on Amazon & Kindle. I’ve sold over a 100 copies to date.. I’ve spoken to adults and teens about money, streams of income & starting businesses to help create a broader financial future. I promote wealth and legacy through business & real estate. I also do consulting to help teens and adults start a business, think of a business to start or expand their current business. I also conduct after school programs teaching kids about money, streams of income and businesses they can start at their current age. The after school program is run through my company Jefferson’s Journey.
My company C & T Holdings, LLC owns and manages properties. My company Jefferson’s Property Acquisitions, LLC owns property, buys & rehabs properties for sale.
My companies are about creating legacy and wealth through business and real estate. We believe in teaching people how to start a business, expand their current business or start a new business. Having a successful business helps create financial wealth and freedom for kids and families. There’s children that have started a business and made their family wealthy, well off or at least kept them out of their pocket. My company is set apart because we believe in making the family stronger by showing them how to create wealth & leave a legacy behind. Also, we’re not into just making the parent’s great but also the kids. That’s why I’ve partnered with The Treasure Within mentoring program for girls to do a program teaching them about money, creating streams of income & businesses. I’m helping teens get in the mindset of entrepreneurship at a young age.
I’m most proud of building my block. I’ve never done new construction before nor a major reconstruction like the homes. Both projects are making me stronger, wiser and more knowledgeable. I’m proud because I’ve brought up the property value in the area by over $25,000 and the new construction is going to bring it up more. I’m bringing life to an area that was forgotten about. I’m fighting to build for sale homes & townhomes with The City of Detroit to stabilize the area. I’ve never worked on anything so hard but I know in my heart it’s going to be worth it. I’m proud that I’m trusting God taking on something bigger than me & larger than I could have imagined or dreamed of. Know that this block is just the beginning of my new development journey.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
When I left my job I signed up for a lot of free workshops and went to networking events for my business. I did a workshop at Marygrove College in Detroit, MI for entrepreneurs. It was a 8 week course once a week. I met a young lady that asked me to go to a funding workshop. I went to the workshop and connected with Detroit Development Fund. I connected with a loan officer and put in my application two different ways and was turned down both times. I then was told to take a program with Lifeline Business Consulting. Lifeline help me write a business plan about transitioning tenants to homeowners. The program was only $50 but use to be free. They said they started charging so people would take it more seriously. Once you complete the business plan you pitch your idea to funders. When I finished the business plan my instructor encouraged to speak with the founder because I was nervous about pitching to Detroit Development Fund since I had been turned down twice. Not that they would be the only funder in the room but they’d be in the room. I spoke to the founder of Lifeline and explained my story about being turned down twice and she was surprised but glad I had spoke with her. She later met with the head of Detroit Development Fund and he wanted to meet with me. He requested that I bring all the documents I provided before so he could take a look at them. I asked could I provide updated financials and he said yes. I met with him not knowing that I was pitching then just not to a group. It was good that I didn’t know because I was already Super nervous. He later told Lifeline he like the idea & let’s move forward. Detroit Development Fund collaborated with me on transitioning tenants to homeowners by providing the rehab funds for the homes I purchased & they were reimbursed at closing when the home sold. We have over 5 African American first time home buyers under our belt with our collaboration. I’ve been working with them since 2015 & they funded the rehab for the two homes on my block as well. The two homes are now rehabbed and sold to two African American first time home buyers.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
What helped me build my reputation is consistency & perseverance. Going to various rooms looking for connections, speaking about my businesses and what I was doing & what I inspired to do. When people keep seeing you they become curious about you. I also have no problem asking people I know who I should connect with in the room & I connect with everyone they recommend. That also lets them know I value their opinion so their always honored to assist. What also build’s my reputation is the programs & workshops I sign up for to expand my knowledge & my net work. There’s always something or someone you need in the room. I also run into some of the same people at workshops, programs, courses I take & networking so they began to connect the name with the face. When people know you & like you they will speak to people about you that you don’t even know. I’m always hunting for connections. Connections can happen when you search for them, sometimes they come right to you & sometimes you stumble across them. Also, what built my reputation is being a woman of my word. Doing what I said I was going to do and showing where & when I said I would. Even in this day & age your word still counts.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jeffersonpropertyexperts.com
- Instagram: Kyra.jeff39
- Facebook: Kyra Jefferson
- Linkedin: Kyra Jefferson
