The American Dream is that anyone, from any background, can better their material conditions through hard work and savvy entrepreneurship. Finding financial freedom through business is one of the most defining American traditions, and it can take many forms. Some people start at a corner shop or bodega, others invent new products to try and change the industry (and the world), while others still turn to smart investing strategies and development.
For Joey Chianese, the chosen strategy is housing and property ownership. The Virginia-based real estate entrepreneur and investor specializes in the “slow flip” investment model, which provides accessible property ownership opportunities for aspiring homeowners by letting the owners live in the property as it’s being renovated and repaired. As the head of 72019 LLC, Chianese focuses primarily on land contracts, emphasizing property acquisition, enhancement, and gradual ownership transfer, and works with clients in Hampton Roads and beyond.
Beyond his investments and business, Joey Chianese seeks to share his acquired knowledge and wisdom to benefit others. Via YouTube and Skool, Chianese shares his expertise as a marketing consultant and investment advisor, providing insights and strategies for sustainable real estate practices and marketing tactics. By helping clients and followers build profitable portfolios with minimal barriers to entry, Chianese has positioned himself as a mentor for aspiring property investors both locally and abroad.
Inspiration and Entrepreneurial Journey
Joey Chianese was not always on the real estate business track. Earlier in life he’d tried his hand at other business opportunities with varying levels of success—a familiar story to any entrepreneur—before turning to his uncle Scott Jelineke for mentorship and guidance. That decision led to him enrolling in his uncle’s educational program, which then inspired him to throw his hat into the real estate ring. In the seven years since, he’s never looked back.
In those seven years, he’s made a name for himself in the local real estate sector. Chianese currently owns 200 single family homes, each a profit-generating property, and has refurbished and sold many more beyond that. It’s a level of entrepreneurial success he’s proud of.
“I like to define success as being financially free,” he says. “I take pride in knowing my hard work allows my wife to stay at home with the baby and not have to work at all.”
One of the defining moments of Chianese’s career was a recent deal closed early in 2024. Chianese had purchased and refurbished a package of 34 houses in Illinois, and negotiated their sale to an investor for an overall profit of nearly $400,000. The deal was the product of Chianese’s hard work and long-term planning—two things anyone embracing the “slow flip” model must have—and helped shape his business into what it is today.
“This deal gave me so much confidence moving forward,” Chianese says. “I celebrated with my friends and family the week it closed and it was a night I will never forget.”
Joey Chianese holds a strong belief that everyone deserves a path to property ownership, which is why he leverages the “slow flip” model to break down traditional barriers to entry. By making real estate investment accessible to those who might otherwise be locked out, he’s able to help countless families and make a difference.
Personal Values and Professional Philosophy
Despite the complexity of the real estate industry, and of investing in general, Joey Chianese lives by a very simple set of personal values. He takes pride in his honesty, integrity, and loyalty to his wife and daughter. In his own words, “I try my best to never speak a lie or ever stray from the truth. All my hard work in the business is to support them and make them the happiest girls ever.”
Professionally, his values and operating philosophy are very similar. Considering that his business is built on giving prospective homeowners a chance to buy houses, honesty and transparency are critical values in every one of his deals. When speaking with potential buyers, Chianese makes an effort to ensure that they’re aware of every step of the process, and know precisely what they’re getting, for how much, and why.
“I never want there to be any surprises along the way for me, or for them,” he explains. “Honesty is always the best policy.”
Investing In Community
Joey Chianese isn’t just content with the flip and sale of properties; he and his family are invested in helping people throughout the Hampton Roads community and beyond. Their business model facilitates community growth while also eliminating old, eyesore properties from neighborhoods, replacing them with new, functional homes. As Chianese says, “There’s no government program that fixes up houses and rehabs them; it’s always the real estate investors who turn neighborhoods around.”
This community support continues even after the buyer has taken over the property. Chianese recalls one situation in 2024 where a major fire broke out at one of his buyers’ houses, and threatened to render her homeless. He stepped in and paid for all of the damages just to keep her housed and happy, protecting a member of his community and stepping up when nobody else could.
Joey Chianese is driven by two desires: the desire to give his family the best life he can, and the desire to make the world a better place. By empowering others to build generational wealth, innovating new solutions in real estate financing, becoming a mentor to aspiring investors, and (literally) building up communities, Chianese is able to find success and fulfillment in his chosen career path. There are many roadblocks and qualifications to traditional real estate investment and home ownership, and many of those are rapidly becoming insurmountable to the average American. Joey Chianese’s business model represents a new path forward for American citizens.
“Several times a month I have somebody at my office purchasing a home, and they are in tears of joy because they never thought they would ever own a home,” he says. “But we gave them that opportunity.”
