The Story Behind The Money Guy.
From the U.S. Army to the mortgage industry — serving with purpose.
"I'm not a loan officer who read a book about real estate. I've been the borrower. I own the doors. I've done the flips. I know exactly what you're up against."
Joshua Billings is a 20-year Army veteran, retired First Sergeant, and active real estate investor with 10 doors. A former appraiser and licensed agent in CA, KY, and FL — now a mortgage strategist who finds the path others miss.
I served 20 years in the Army and retired a First Sergeant — the rank that answers for everyone under it.
I didn't fall into real estate. I planned it for over a decade. And I learned it the way the Army teaches everything: institutional training first, then on-the-job.
So I got trained. Real estate license, to learn the laws and how the business works. Appraiser license, so I'd know exactly how value gets decided and what a lender actually looks for.
Then I did the reps. Partnered with a seasoned investor. 15+ flips. One door became two. Two became ten.
Then I hit a wall. I was trying to finance a rental with a DSCR loan under $100,000 — and I couldn't find a single lender who'd do it. A good deal, real cash flow, and the financing just didn't exist for it.
So I went and got my mortgage license. Partly to solve my own problem and become a sharper investor. But mostly for a bigger reason: I watched too many young soldiers sit on benefits they earned — the GI Bill, the VA loan — and never learn how to turn them into real wealth.
That's the work now. I help veterans and investors use what they've got to build something that lasts. They don't need an order-taker. They need someone who's been there.
That's what I do. I find the path others miss.
Two Decades in the Making.
Enlisted
Joined the Army as a Cavalry Scout at 18. Deployed to Iraq in 2005–2006 with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Learned discipline, accountability, and how to lead from the front.
First Real Estate License
Got licensed in California while still on active duty. I was already buying property — the license was me going deeper, not testing the water.
First Sergeant
Made First Sergeant and Brigade Senior Master Trainer, then led the Louisville Recruiting Company. The rank that answers for everyone under it.
Appraiser & Investor
Earned my Kentucky real estate license, then trained and licensed as a real estate appraiser — to learn exactly how a property's value gets decided. Kept building my own portfolio along the way.
Retired, Full-Time Investor
Retired from the Army after 20 years. Went all in on real estate — 15+ flips with a seasoned partner, built to 10 doors — and moved my family to Florida.
Mortgage Strategist
Licensed as an MLO with NEXA Mortgage — after a small DSCR deal no bank would touch showed me the exact gap I could fill for veterans and investors.
“Every veteran who served this country deserves to use every benefit they’ve earned. And every investor deserves a loan officer who treats their money like their own.”
Backed by Experience.
What I Stand For.
Service First
Two decades in the Army taught me that service isn't a slogan. It's showing up when it's hard and doing right when no one's watching.
I've Been the Borrower
I'm not a loan officer who read a book about real estate. I own 10 doors, I've been the borrower a bank turned down, and my appraiser training taught me to read a deal's value, cash flow, and risk. I know a good deal because I've underwritten my own.
Grounded, Not Preachy
My faith grounds how I treat people: do right by them because it's right, not because it's profitable. That's the standard I hold on every loan.