Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa September 2018 | Page 34

INVESTOR STORY
Financially free
though property at 22 years old
Albert Van Wyk gives insight to propel you forward
reading business and entrepreneurial books of millionaires and
billionaires at a very young age. The things I learnt within these
books pushed me to start a lot of small businesses while I was still
in primary school. At first the businesses were just to generate
pocket money to buy candy at the tuck shop or toys for myself as
my parents didn’t give me an allowance. My businesses were very
successful and at 19 I was able to buy my first property.
Where were you educated, qualifications, etc.
I went to HTS John Vorster Highschool. before I studied Indus-
trial Engineering at the University of Pretoria. I completed my
degree in 4 years and worked one year as an industrial engineer in
the industry. I am currently a full time entrepreneur.
How did you first become involved in property? 
KEY STATS
Age: 25
Current position: Business Owner, Entrepreneur &
Property Investor
Family: Mom, Dad and Brother
Books currently reading: The One Thing: Gary Keller
Life motto: Make the change that you want to see
in the world
B
ecoming financially free starts with a millionaire mindset.
I decided early in life that I wanted more from life, and I
started working hard to achieve it.
I paid off my first asset (worth over R1 million) at the age of
22. I knew from an early age that I had to have the focus and
dedication to make my dreams a reality. Fuelled by my dreams
and destination I wrote my book “How to become a Millionaire
at 22”. My team and I are currently touring the country sharing
my story and how to do it as well as teaching a wealth mindset
and how to become financially independent to people all over
South Africa.
Background on yourself – birthplace, formative
years etc.
I grew up in the Moot, Pretoria. My parents weren’t wealthy, I
didn’t come from a generation of wealth. One of the most im-
portant lessons my dad taught me early in my life is that if I
want to become a millionaire, I have to learn from a Millionaire.
I realized that if I want to be different and do things differently I
have to acquire knowledge, I have to broaden my mind. I started
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine
I read a lot of business books when I was very young and started a
lot of small businesses. I noticed that my dad was always working
long hours, leaving at dark in the morning and returning at dark.
My dad also had to work nightshift sometimes to be able to pro-
vide for our family. I quickly realised that it would be important
to build a passive or constant stream of income to enable me to
live the life I wanted to. A constant stream of income enables
you to dedicate your time to building your dream life instead of
being forced to work 9-5. I found that property is a great way to
establish that passive income.
*I always loved building forts when I was younger – that’s
probably where my love for property came into play
Briefly describe your first experience and
investment in property
I bought a broken down property in a middle class neigbour-
hood that nobody was interested in. I did all the maintenance
and construction needed on the property. I put on my shorts and
tank top and asked my family to help me renovate the house. We
literally worked with shovels and pickaxes in the dust and rubble.
I worked very conservatively with the renovations and only spent
money on the absolutely necessary parts of the property. After
renovating the house, I rented it out.
While I was still in university, I generated a lot of income
from my property, but I didn’t spend it. My friends bought nice
cars and flats, whereas I lived very conservative. I still drove my
old car and stayed with my parents. I invested all of the income I
received from the property and other small businesses back into
this property. I continually expanded it a bit year after year to
increase my Return on Investment and after 4 years I completely
paid off the property and all the extra renovation costs.
Give us some of your highlights of your biggest achievements
in your career so far