My name is Stephen L. Townsend, and I am addicted to real estate investing. I have been married to my beautiful wife Kim M. Townsend since 1996. We have two children. My oldest child is named Latrell A. Townsend, and my other child is named Sole’ (Sol – Lay) N. Townsend. Latrell attended NJIT’s program in Cybersecurity, and Sole’ recently graduated from Florida A&M (FAMU) with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Science.
I graduated from Stockton State College (Currently named Stockton University) in 1991 with a Business Finance Degree in 1991. I immediately earned a job as a Casino Analyst at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. As a Casino Analyst, my job was to analyze the other 11 casino properties compared to the Sands Hotel and Casino in reference to slot and casino drops.
In October 1993, I was laid off from his Casino Analyst job at the Sands Hotel and Casino and started substitute teaching in the Atlantic County area. After substitute teaching for three years, I started my career as a full-time teacher in public education in Atlantic City, NJ in 1996. In 1999, I went back to school and achieved a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Cheyney University in PA, and in 2001, I began my administrative career as a Principal at PleasanTech Academy Charter School in October 2001. Since, I have enjoyed 8 years as an elementary principal, 2.5 years as a middle school principal, and 5 years as a high school principal.
I started investing in real estate in 2005 by purchasing four homes in the Pleasantville / Atlantic City area. When the market crashed in 2008, I backed away from real estate investing and focused solely on his educational career; however, in March 2020 during the Pandemic, I did some research and got back into real estate investing. Therefore, in 2020, I started my real estate investment company called Black Star Lines Solutions, LLC to take advantage of the declining real estate prices. My business focuses on acquiring distressed real estate properties and rehabbing them for rentals (Buy and Holds) and resale (Fix and Flips).
Black Star Lines Solutions, LLC is a privately held real estate company headquartered in NJ. Although I have been investing in real estate since 2005, the business was not formed until 2020.
Our primary focus is the acquisition of real estate properties for the purpose of rental (Buy and Holds) and resale (Fix and Flips). Black Star Lines Solutions, LLC has excelled at this by being a solution-oriented company. We provide a win-win solution for all involved in the deal. Our goal is to provide a seamless transaction for sellers and exceed the expectations of both the tenants and the buyers. We not only provide affordable housing to the community at large; however, we enhance the local economy by providing work for the local contractors, realtors, mortgage companies, and other related businesses.
Additionally, I earned my real estate license in June 2023, and I am extremely happy to have joined Society Real Estate and continue my real estate journey of learning and serving the community of South Jersey.
