A Little About Me

#EntrepreneurOfTheWeekOfekMolekandoff | Post 1

From Military Command to Full-Time U.S. Real Estate Investor

I’m excited to finally be here!

After politely declining a few times because of army reserve duty and a packed schedule, the timing finally feels right.

First and foremost, let’s wish for the safe return of all hostages—a reminder that some things are far more important than real estate .

A Little About Me

My name is Ofek Molkandov, I’m 26 years old, a former company commander, and proud IDF reservist!

At the height of my service, I led 120 soldiers and 25 officers—conducting live-fire drills with 18-year-olds giving 105% every single day.

Back when I led ambush teams, we would spend two to three days lying still in the bushes near villages in freezing Jerusalem weather, surviving on bottled water (Pro tip: If you ever need to, bring a Fuze Tea bottle, not a Coke one. Trust me.)

Why share these wild army memories?

Because those experiences, in my eyes, were the best school for real estate:

Leading under pressure

Working with people

Problem-solving on the fly

Planning ahead

Preparing for the unexpected

How I Got Into U.S. Real Estate

My real estate journey actually began during my officer training course.

At 22, I bought my first apartment in Bat Yam, Israel—a dream that started when I was just 13. Back then, I kept asking my dad how people could even afford to buy a home in Israel, especially during the height of the tent protests against the cost of living in Tel Aviv.

Two weeks after finishing my military service, I jumped straight into a job as a project manager at a public real estate company in Israel.

I managed large-scale projects worth hundreds of millions, dealing daily with tenants, engineers, and attorneys. It was intense—and incredibly educational.

My goal was always entrepreneurship. But pretty quickly, I realized a few things:

The entry barriers for real estate investment in Israel are sky-high.

Cash flow margins are tiny.

“Income-producing real estate” in Israel… well, barely produces income.

That’s when I decided to pivot to U.S. real estate.

The operational idea was simple:

Sell the apartment in Israel, use the profits to buy 2–3 rental properties in the U.S., and then figure out my next steps—travel, study, build a career… whatever felt right.

I figured it would be a lot easier (and smarter) to explore life with 8–10K shekels coming in passively every month, rather than burning through savings.

Fast Forward to Today

I dove headfirst into real estate education (shoutout to Project X).

I bought a property. Then another. Then a friend joined me. Then another investor appeared.

I met amazing partners along the way—and today, two years later:

I work full-time in U.S. real estate.

I own and manage over 13 rental doors with my investors.

I run a flip operation that turned over $1.5M in 2024.

I have a strong, reliable local team.

I work with incredible, values-driven partners.

None of this happened because I had a “perfect” plan.

It happened because I got into the game, learned by doing, stayed consistent, and didn’t wait until I was “100% ready.”

Real estate is a long game.

Good things happen when you put time, energy, and focus into the right places.

In my next posts, my goal is simple:

To share real value, in a clean, authentic, and transparent way.

Let’s keep growing, learning, and building—together!