As a Mortgage Broker and Licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of California since 1991, Preston Howard has built a unique business in Rose City Realty Inc. by offering commercial and residential real estate financing to those who would normally not qualify for traditional loans.
Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, the son of a welder repairman at the Chrysler Automotive Group and a mother who was a homemaker, Preston always had a desire to go beyond his humble family’s roots. As one of four sons to middle class parents, he attended a Magnet High School, Cass Technical High School, where he studied business. When his hard-working father passed away in 1986, he made a life-changing decision to leave Detroit. After learning about an Aviation Administration program at Cal State, Los Angeles, he enrolled in the Industrial Technology degree program, earning Deans List and graduating magna cum laude with a specialty in Aviation Administration. He then went on to earn his commercial pilot’s license with multi-engine and instrument ratings from Sussex Aviation in Van Nuys in June of 1993.
However, after seeking and not finding work in his chosen career, he took a job with MetLife Resources where he was trained as a Tax Shelter Representative. He then decided to advance his education by earning an MBA from the University of Southern California with a specialization in Real Estate Finance. This desire to work in real estate came from both the state of the economy, itself, at that time and his recollection of the real estate his father had owned which seemed a sure way to build wealth. Intrigued in learning how to finance it, he realized, was the key to acquire wealth.
In that pursuit, he interned with Wells Fargo in their Real Estate Management Assets Group, where he learned to perform financial analyses of distressed loans and assets. After graduating from USC, he went to work for Wells Fargo’s Real Estate Group at their Commercial Finance Division in Irvine and Pasadena, California. In 1999, he founded Rose City Realty which was incorporated in 2002 with the mission of providing real estate financing solutions with corporate knowledge, but with a personal touch.
Over the past twenty years, Preston has been building valuable contacts from his large and ever-increasing list of contacts with trusted advisors, wealth managers, estate and trust attorneys, high net worth individuals, and outside resources in banking, insurance, and pension and debt funds. Through these relationships, he’s been able to exponentially expand his resources as he’s fulfilled his clients’ needs.
In 2016, Preston was certified to appear as an “expert witness” in Probate Court for the Country of Los Angeles in areas involving real estate financing.
Preston speaks five languages: Armenian, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese. He is active in many professional associations, including: ProVisors, USC Real Estate Alumni and Friends (REAF) and serves on the Board of Development and the President’s Circle Committee for Pasadena City College Foundation.