Most people want to earn more, but don’t want another job. That’s where passive real estate investing comes in.

I’m Joe Spies, a fix-and-flip investor, renovation company owner, and licensed real estate agent working in Southwest Washington and the Portland, Oregon area. I’ve spent years taking distressed or outdated properties and turning them into homes buyers are excited to own. My background lets me manage the full lifecycle of a deal—finding the opportunity, planning and executing the renovation, and selling for a profit.

What Is Passive Real Estate Investing?

Passive investing means you put your money into real estate deals without taking on the work of finding properties, managing renovations, or handling tenants. Instead, you partner with an experienced operator who runs the day-to-day while you share in the returns. It’s designed for people who believe in real estate but don’t have the time, interest, or local expertise to be hands-on.

In my business, that looks like investors providing capital into specific fix and flip projects. I then oversee everything on the ground: acquisition analysis, budgets, contractor management, timelines, and exit strategy. You’re investing in a real, local property—but you’re not getting calls about leaky roofs or change orders.

Why Fix and Flips With a Local Operator?

Fix and flip projects can generate returns over a relatively short timeline because you’re forcing value by improving the property, not just waiting on the market. In many firms, this is treated as a short-term, project-based investment that can run from purchase to sale in under a year when managed well.

The challenge is that flips are very operationally heavy: you need to understand your market, renovation costs, permitting, and resale demand. When you partner with a local operator who already has construction teams, systems, and licensing in place, you’re leveraging that experience instead of trying to build it from scratch.

Who This Is (and Isn’t) For

Passive investing with an operator is often a fit for:

• Busy professionals who want exposure to real estate without becoming landlords.

• People who value diversification and want part of their portfolio in hard assets.

• Investors who prefer to rely on a specialist rather than learn every detail themselves.

It’s not a fit for someone who wants total control over every decision, or who enjoys being deeply hands-on with every project. In that case, active investing or buying and managing your own rentals may make more sense.

How I Work With Passive Investors

When an investor partners with me on a project, here’s the basic flow:

• We review the specific property, plan, and projected timeline.

• I outline the renovation scope, budget, and exit strategy based on local data.

• My team handles construction, inspections, and listing the finished home.

• When the property sells, investors participate in the agreed-upon share of the profits.

Throughout the project, I provide updates so investors know where their capital is in the process—without needing to manage any of the work themselves. The goal is to keep the experience as streamlined and understandable as possible while still giving visibility into the deal.

Want to Learn More?

If you’re in Southwest Washington or the Portland, Oregon area and you’ve been thinking about earning passive income through real estate—but don’t want to flip houses or manage rentals yourself—I’d be happy to connect.

Reach out to me directly to talk about how my investors participate in local fix and flip projects, what a typical deal looks like, and whether this kind of passive strategy fits your goals and risk tolerance