Robert Campbell has been eating, sleeping, living and breathing real estate from the time he learned how to walk.

The son of a successful San Diego home builder, he spent many hours as a youngster tagging along with his dad to the lumberyard, and later worked on his father’s construction sites to help pay his way through college.

But Robert quickly learned that there was far more to real estate than dirt, concrete, lumber and building materials. Early on, he learned that real estate markets are a lot like roller-coaster rides where spectacular climbs are frequently followed by spectacular falls.

Robert graduated from UCLA and started investing in real estate at age 24, by borrowing $14,000 from his parents for the down payment on a 6-unit apartment house in San Diego. After doing some cosmetic repairs and raising the rents, he sold the property for an $11,000 profit one year later. He was hooked for life.