Who is Ben Mallah?
A man who presents himself as ‘a guy who plays real-life Monopoly game’, Ben Mallah, is a real-estate magnate and owner of the company called Equity Management Partners. He’s also known for his YouTube channel and we could possibly say that he’s a social media star, with nearly 50,000 followers on his Instagram account.
If you wondered about his life and how he’s become so rich, let us introduce you to this successful entrepreneur.
Although his presence and image for some people is intimidating, with a height of 6ft 3ins (1.9m) and weight of around 400lbs (180kgs), he is far from a fearsome giant. According to people who have met him, he’s a kind, family man.
Early life, family, and education
Benjamin ‘Ben’ Mallah was raised in Queens, New York City USA, but currently resides in Clearwater, Florida USA. He was born on 29 October 1965, and will celebrate his 57th birthday in late 2022. Ben holds American nationality, but he hasn’t disclosed any information regarding his heritage, although people assume that he’s of mixed ethnicity.
Speaking of his family, there is nothing known about his parents, although he once said that he has three siblings and that they struggled with being in need during their childhood. However, being raised in a poor family was in some way a good thing for Ben, as he acquired the skills necessary to work hard and advance in life.
When it comes to his educational background, he dropped out of school aged 14 and began working as a messenger, which as he said, kept him away from the streets. Aged 17, he joined the US Army, and according to Ben, serving disciplined him. After he left the army, Ben began working as a garbage collector, in Oakland, California.
Being good at his work, Ben earned the trust of his employer, and was soon promoted to be in charge of the building his boss owned. Subsequently, Ben learned all he needed to know about the real estate business.
Real estate business
Ben started by selling cars, and then he bought his first run-down house which after renovating, he sold for an almost four-time bigger price. Now, Ben is doing the same thing with shopping centers, large hotels, and apartment buildings. Currently, his company has over 500 employees.
YouTube channel
Ben launched his self-titled YouTube channel on 13 December 2018, and it’s today subscribed to by over 520,000 people, while all of his videos combined have gained nearly 85 million views.
In his videos, Ben shares advice on buying, negotiating, and profit-making, but also advises people on what to do if the business does not turn out as they imagined. There are also some videos featuring his everyday life.
The number one most-viewed video on his channel is “Car Pulled Over by Police Boat – Life for Sale” uploaded on 11 October 2019, which has been viewed nearly 2.5 million times. Most of the viewers commented on how Ben is good with people, and how he treats policemen with respect.
The second most viewed of Ben’s videos is “Process of Buying a $5 Million Yacht | Life for Sale” uploaded on 19 December 2020, which has gained over 1.5 million views – the title speaks for itself.
His third most viewed video entitled “How to save on Rent” has attracted over a million views, with many people commenting on how he assisted them in purchasing a home.
Ben Mallah bought this hotel for $15M in 2012, sold it for $34M in 2015. Here's how he got started in real estate 🔊 https://t.co/Hn1Vv3tLg8 pic.twitter.com/hU2o96BKbN
— Chat With Traders (@chatwithtraders) June 28, 2017
Presence on social media platforms
As mentioned, Ben has an Instagram account, and is active almost daily on this platform, with over 1,000 posts, keeping his followers updated about his work and life.
He also has a Twitter account, which has been followed by more than 15,000 people, while his Facebook page has gained nearly 3,000 followers.
Ben has his official website too, on which he uploads his podcast series “Life: for sale”, and you can also find some real estate tips, or just consult with him and ask him any question. He also sells his merchandise – accessories and clothes, with the title ‘Garbage to Gold’.
Love life, Wife, Children
As mentioned, Ben is a family man, and in one of his interviews, he said that he isn’t afraid of dying, but how much he’s concerned about how his family would live without him. Since 2003, Ben is in a marriage with Karla Mallah (nee Nila) – when they first met, she was only 14 years old, and Ben is 20 years older.
Karla was raised by her grandparents, since her parents abandoned her soon after her birth. Aged seven, she emigrated with her grandparents from Mexico to the US, and she spent all of her childhood in a two-bedroom flat.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl475ToutwJ/
Ben and Karla met when he was buying her grandparents’ house, and after he’d heard the story about Karla’s life, he become close to the family. Ben bought them a much bigger house, and they relocated to a better living place.
When Karla turned 18, Ben and she became engaged, and soon afterwards they exchanged their wedding vows.
Karla is Ben’s second wife; from his first marriage, he has two sons, Benjamin Junior and Vinson. There is no information about his first wife, and he hasn’t spoken about her publicly.
Speaking of Karla and Ben, they have one son together, named Aaron, and as of October 2022, they are still in the marriage.
How rich is he? Net Worth
Ben’s rags-to-riches story seems to prove that with hard work anything is possible. Today, once a poor boy has a net worth estimated at over $250 million. He owns two of the most expensive Tampa Bay, Florida houses, and besides that, he’s the owner of multiple hotels, houses, yachts, and cars.
Some of the cars in his garage are Bentley Continental GT, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, four Rolls-Royce Phantoms, and the 1948 Bob Hope Special. He was most proud of his Batmobile, which was used during the filming of “Batman Returns”, although he sold it recently.
