How Brian Kingdeski Flips 30 Houses at a Time

Steve Trang: Hey, everybody. Thank you for joining us for today's episode of Real Estate Disruptors. Today, we have Brian Kandeski with sell my AZ Home Quick, and he's here to show he's flipping 20 to 30 houses at any given time. Crazy numbers to me. If this is your first time tuning in, I'm Steve Trang, broker owner of Stunning Homes Realty, founder of the OfferFast Homes app, the only app you need for wholesaling.

And I'm on a mission to create 100 millionaires. So please do message me if you ever need any help with your wholesaling business. If you're excited for today's show, please give me a wave. Give me a thumbs up. And as a friendly reminder, I do not charge a dime for the show.

I don't make any money doing this. So here's all I ask. This is what it costs for you to listen to this show. If you get value today, please tell a friend. By sharing this episode right now, tagging a friend below, or tell me your best takeaway from the show later on.

That way, we can all grow together. And don't forget, this is a live show. Please post your questions, and Brian will be happy to answer them for you. You ready?

Brian Kingdeski: I'm ready. Let's do it.

Steve: Alright. What got you into real estate?

Brian: Back in the day, I used to own Subway restaurants, and, I was at a marketing conference for, you know, learning how to market your Subway restaurant. Mhmm. And the guy that was, putting it on, Rory Fatt, he was a marketing guy, and he had this guy named Ron The Grand come and speak at his event. And so he was a he was an older guy, real estate trainer, wholesaler, all that stuff. And he came up there, was selling a kit, and I bought his kit, spent $1,500 and took the kit home, devoured it, and then just bought a bunch of the other stuff.

And from that point, you know, that was probably one of the the the first, dabbles in real estate. And from there, I just devoured, you know, anything I could. And I still, to this day, am going to seminars and training and reading all the time about my my craft. So Wow.

Steve: So you're at a subway conference. You said this was February?

Brian: No. It was 2002 or '1 or '2.

Steve: Oh, 2001, 2002. Yeah. Okay. So you've been doing it for a long time. Wow.

Okay. Yeah. So talk about your journey. So you you you bought this course. You ate it up.

You started implementing, started taking action. Yep. How was how was the beginning? I mean, did were you you're wholesaling right away, flipping right

Speaker 2: away?

Brian: It was it was more, doing lease options and the creative stuff like that. And then and then we got into the to the fix and flipping. But but, basically, you know, it was I didn't have what's out there today and, you know, all the the training and the mentors and all that stuff. So it was basically just going out there and learning as you go. And then you'd meet people and you figure out a better way and but it was the hard way.

Like Yeah. You know, things didn't get, a lot easier until later on, you know. And I just went through all the failures and, learned the hard way and but, you know, now it you know, what's out there now, it's it would make everything a lot easier.

Steve: So So, knowing what you know now, if you were to start over from scratch, like, what are the first two, three things you would do?

Brian: The the biggest thing is you gotta get training and education. And then the the other big thing is if you can get a mentor to show you how to do it, you know, basically if you got, you know, 10 steps until you're successful. I started at zero and I worked my way up with a mentor and when you're doing cloning and modeling you're starting at five or six. So you're you're skipping all that crap that I had to go through. And then, you know, your path is is so much easier.

But I didn't I didn't do that. So but that's what you gotta do. You gotta get educated in your craft. They say it takes ten thousand hours before you know what you're doing and become a professional.

Steve: Yeah.

Brian: So you gotta put that time in. So that's, what, four or five years?

Speaker: Mhmm. You

Brian: know? And then finding somebody that that knows what they're doing, willing to share, like, pay for it, you know, you should be paying for the stuff, you know, a new person. If they're out there, they're they're paying. I have coaches still.

Steve: You have coaches?

Brian: I have coaches. Yeah.

Steve: Okay.

Brian: I'm always learning and coaching, and it's just it helps. There's just so much in our business to to do whether you're wholesaling or fix and flipping or buying, holding or whatever you're doing.

Steve: Yeah.

Brian: Even as a normal agent, you know, there's just you gotta get some some modeling and coaching for sure.

Steve: So if, you know, someone's listening to the show right now, it's like, man, I wanna not do 20 flips at a time, but, you know, I wanna do my first two or three flips. Like, is there a coaching program that you that you think is credible or is really more just kinda hit or miss?

Brian: It's what what I would do if if I was new is, I would try to get dialed in with with even if whoever's doing it, even if they've only done 10, but just trying to get on to see what they're doing. Mhmm. And then, you know, because you could either spend a lot of money and and do it, but

Steve: That's great.

Brian: New people don't have money. So you have to start, you know, some some way somehow. I mean, you if you have all the money and you wanna, you know, go pay someone to coach and yeah. I I would I would definitely do it. So Right.

It's worth it. I mean Finding a mentor

Steve: is is the first thing.

Brian: A mentor, training, and then, you know, we I've learned a lot with our mastermind group.

Speaker: Yeah.

Brian: We're in a mastermind group together, and, it's a great group of guys. And

Steve: It is.

Brian: You know, I talked to the different guys, you know, at different times, you know. I kinda know who I need to call and need help here or here. And, it's just a it's, you know, our whole community of investors, there's hundreds in in Arizona

Steve: Yeah.

Brian: Because of some of the other guys that have trained all these new guys. Most of them don't know what they're doing. The ones that do that are like yourself and Brent Daniels, and there's a whole list of guys that are EVO.

Steve: Mhmm. He's a machine.

Brian: A lot of guys are just they're they're good, and they respect their industry, and I respect them. And they they kinda, like, want they they look at the big picture and, you know, they wanna they wanna, like, be in this for a long time. Right. And some of these new guys are in and out and, you know, fly by night, and it's it's tough.

Steve: Well, some of the other things, you know, the guys you mentioned, Brent and and and Evo, it's not just that they're in the in in here and trying to in here for the long haul, but they're trying to level up their competition. Yeah. Right? Because we're we're peers, and they're our competitors.

Speaker: Yeah. And it's fascinating to me, like, how much they're trying to level up. It's it's it's crazy.

Steve: The peers. So it's pretty cool. It's crazy. And it was funny. I was doing my research before you came in, and I saw that you were, you formally ran Iron Man.

Yeah. And it was just I was thinking there was a period where I kept bumping into your guys. Yeah. So it's just so funny how small this world is. I had no idea who you were at that time.

Yeah. So it was really interesting.

Brian: I think everybody in our mastermind has that mentality of abundance. Right? There's a lot out there. And and there's a lot of people that have that mentality that they can't share their secrets, and they can't do this, and there's not enough deals out there. There's so many deals in in Arizona.

Speaker: Right.

Steve: You

Brian: know? And then the guys that could get good at it, they they open other markets and, know, they open up a whole another so there's deals out there. There's always gonna be be people that are distressed and need to sell, and, we are their best solution.

Steve: Right. So what do you attribute your success to?

Brian: You know, I'm, you know, people don't like to hear this four letter word, but it's it's work. Like

Steve: It's an awful word.

Brian: It's an awful word. But, you know, I I I tell people at my my brokerage, it's it's the same thing. Mhmm. And they don't like to hear it, but you gotta you gotta work. And it's the other three things that I mentioned too, but, you know, I'm I'm at my office in the morning, and I leave, you know, in the afternoon.

And there's a lot of times where I'm the only one there with my team. Like, my guys are there. So Yeah. And we're, you know, we're working. And, it's it's just it's a it's a big it's a big picture.

It's I actually enjoy it, so it's not like it's, oh, I gotta go to work. So I I love what I do. And, you know, it just takes a lot of effort for sure.

Steve: Yeah. That's something that, I think Steve Jobs says is that having that passion, right, is what helps you get through it because there's a lot of times that suck in our business. It does. And having that passion allows you to overlook that pain

Speaker: Yeah.

Steve: To come back and get more.

Brian: I've eaten ramen, and I've eaten steak. So I I like steak better.

Steve: Steak's definitely a lot better. Yep. So we we talked, earlier about our our friends slash competitors. There's so many of us. There's so many different flavors

Speaker: Yeah.

Steve: Of you know, we all have different styles. What separates you from from the rest of us?

Brian: Well, a lot of time, you know, I I'm really hands involved in in in everything. So, I have a team. We're much bigger now, but I'm still involved a lot. And then, you know, I I kinda take the approach of my dad would my dad worked for Carrier Air Conditioning

Steve: for Mhmm.

Brian: Thirty something years. He was an account rep. Right? And so, he had accounts. He had clients that he took care of.

And I kinda look at my my business and this whole real estate wholesaling industry and fix and flipping as accounts and relationships. So, if I'm gonna do a deal with you and I screw you, you're not gonna come back to me. So I look at the long run. I may not make as much money on each individual transaction, but I wanna make money because we're gonna be partners for life.

Steve: Right.

Brian: You know? So I kinda look at this I kinda look at the whole picture a little bit different than maybe some other investors do.

Steve: And I think there was something that we talked about over lunch, a month and a half ago, was that you got your real your your investor partners that you work with.

Brian: Yeah.

Steve: And you had one commit to a deal, but then backed out. Yeah. But because of your relationship, you still funded that deal. So you're down. Even though it wasn't your deal, you didn't commit to it.

Yep. And I think that's something that's be said for that.

Brian: It does. I mean, and we do things, you know, a lot of the investors, and I know you're licensed, like, we do things the right way. So, you know, if if I'm if I if there's a house and there's a seller that wants to sell it and I'm one of the people in there I feel like I'm gonna get it because I'm I'm licensed. It's Arizona Department of Real Estate contracts goes through title Everything's done correctly and normal and you think about the clientele that we sell to they're all the same Yeah. They they care as much about money that it's done correctly and and legally.

Steve: Right.

Brian: So, I just you know, and I am not I'm not a big cheesy negotiator, right? So, you know, our perfect scenario and this happens a lot of the times when we're when we're buying houses. And it may seem hard to believe, but somebody's like, they wanna sell their house for a $100,000. And I do my research. I go out there, and I'm like, you know what?

We're pretty close. Let's let's do this deal. You know? I'm not coming in with cheesy, you know, sales tactics and, you know, trying to do all this in the takeaway sale. I just don't work that way.

I'm no nonsense. You I don't have time. Like, you know you either want to sell them or you don't and then you know I'll if I if I can't meet their price I'll say hey you know I can't meet here's what I can do and then it's their decision, but I'm not gonna do all that cheesy stuff. I just don't I don't work that way because I want them if you think about it everybody that were buying their homes they're all the same like our avatar they're 55 plus they're moving on to the next stage or somebody died or something so why do I want to you know, treat them like that and have a bad taste and then it's gonna come back to me later on. I just don't wanna do that.

Steve: Yeah. That makes sense. Sourcing deals. How are you finding your properties right now?

Brian: Well, mister Brent Daniels has helped a lot with the with the cold calling Yeah. Talking to people. So we do a lot of that. We do a lot of postcards and then we do a lot of just relationships with other wholesalers. We just bought one from you, you know, a couple weeks ago.

Steve: Appreciate that.

Brian: Buy from Jamil and just everybody that we kind of networked with so we're buying from them I have agents you know bring me deals all the time. I want an appointment this morning It's the same with you so you know you know a lot of people and then people are like, hey. What can you pay for this? And and so it takes that and then, you know, you gotta have a team and then they're finding deals and it just you know, it's a numbers game.

Steve: Yeah. You know? So how are you coaching agents to bring you deals or how are you how are you, you know, getting people? Because there's many people. Right?

Like, I mean, you take a listing and you put in there either seller motivated or whatever, you're getting, like, six automated cash offers. Right? Mhmm. So how do you stand above that you know, stay above the noise where they're contacting you. Hey, Brian.

I'm looking at this house. What would you be willing to pay for it?

Brian: It's just you know, that takes time. That's like relationships and, and trust. It's like a friendship, and then you get to know the people. Like, I had this lady in my office. She just knows what I do.

Speaker: Yeah.

Brian: They all kind of know what I do. And, and they know that, you know, once you do it one time and it works and and the real estate agent get gets paid in a week versus two or three months.

Steve: Yeah.

Brian: And it was the easiest thing in the world and they all talk, you know, and so the next one, you know, they get a deal where they have a listing and it's in bad condition. They're like, what do I do with this? And so, well, let me call Brian. So I just give him I just tell him what I can pay, and it's either what the seller wants or not. You know?

Right. And if it's in the range, I'll give him a range. And if it's close, I'll go out and look at it. I went on one this morning. And so we ended up buying it.

So Awesome. Yeah.

Steve: And I'm just gonna make a quick shameless plug right here. On that deal we we we did together, how did you find it?

Brian: Your app your app, I was sitting reading, doing my morning reading. You gotta do your morning reading. And, it popped up on my phone, and I'm like, oh, well, this is a great deal. And, so I just I looked at it. I know Mesa so well, so I was, like, called Max right away and boom.

And then I called Jamil and bought two houses before 10:00 in the morning.

Steve: That's awesome. Yeah. That's a good morning ritual to buy three houses. I know. I know.

So what does your organization look like today? Because you said that you're growing to to to manage all the flips you had going on, and you've been hiring. So what does your organization look like right now?

Brian: Yeah. So that's been, the biggest thing And where it's been from when I started into where it is now, the whole mindset was I wanted to build a business that would take me out of the picture. Like Yeah. We all know the weakest link and it can be ourselves sometimes.

Steve: Right? Absolutely.

Brian: When we're busy and we got families. You got kids. Your kids are beautiful by the way. Thank you very much. And, you know, you're just with you know, you got your wife and then you got, you know, your coaching and all this stuff.

It's like I always wanted to take me out of the picture. And so it's it's just a process, and, it's helped a lot like coaching and masterminding with other guys and kind of figuring out what they do. But it it went from me to now I have an inside sales rep. I have an acquisitions guy. I have a VA.

I have a transaction coordinator. I got a guy that drives, you know, for ugly houses and probate. I've got five co callers, and then I've got another kinda office scale. So, I don't even know how many that was. Ten, twelve

Speaker: Yeah.

Brian: People. But, that's all just happened recently. Like and it's growing and and and all that also. So

Steve: So that sounds, I I hear the the acquisition part.

Speaker: Mhmm.

Steve: Right? Finding deals.

Brian: Yeah.

Steve: But 20 to 30 flips at a time. You know, I think a lot of people find unimaginable.

Speaker: And I

Steve: have a property manager now. And And a property manager.

Brian: Yes. Adonis, he's probably listening. So he's awesome.

Steve: So property manager is different than project manager. Project manager. Project manager.

Brian: Yeah. Sorry. Yes. Project manager. So he basically goes around and checks on the jobs and, you know, dealing with all the stuff that that, you know, bids and quotes and binzers and just all that stuff, driving by the houses for myself and for our students also.

So he's he's very busy. He's gone, and I make him come to the Monday morning meeting, and then it's hard to see him for the rest of the week. So Yeah. Yeah.

Steve: So do you have, so last week, we had Jerry Norton. He says everything is GC.

Brian: Okay.

Steve: Right? And then he has a narc, which I thought was an interesting concept k. Where you just have a photographer just spy on the properties.

Brian: Okay.

Steve: So with you, do you use a GC or are you or is Adonis dealing with the subs?

Brian: No. We have so we'll use a GC if it's a bigger project, but a lot of ours are, you know, $3,040,000 dollars or in and out. And so they're kinda like handymen that I've used over the years. And it's just a training process. So, you know, you go the first two or three houses are kind of like a training and and then after that, they kind of know what you're doing.

Speaker: So Yeah.

Brian: And they They know how you

Speaker: like it.

Brian: They know what we both want. Yeah.

Speaker: Yeah.

Brian: So we just want the house, you know, to get done quickly as possible. It's gotta be safe. Everything's gotta be done right for the, you know, inspections and all that stuff. And, but it's it's hard. That's a hard part of this business is is finding good people.

Yeah. It it really is. So and then, you know, because they have life too. You know? The last couple houses took way longer than we expected, and, you know, they had family issues and daughter was sick.

And it's like, okay. I'm paying hard money interest on this baby. But it's it's the big picture. What are you gonna do?

Steve: So I just came from a different mastermind just now. Uh-huh. And they were saying that, you know, labor there's a labor shortage on the construction side.

Brian: Yeah. For sure.

Steve: And with the fires going on in California, it's gonna get worse pretty quick. Yeah. So how are you compensating and keeping these guys loyal to you because there's such a shortage right now?

Brian: Well, they, each guy as we as I kinda get to know them, I know what they can and cannot do. Mhmm. And so and then when I stretch them, you know, hey, you wanna do another house? And they say yes. And then they fall on their face and they go back to doing their one house at a time or whatever.

So, it's just kind of knowing those guys, but they're they're here. Their family's here. They're not gonna go anywhere. So whether there's work everywhere else, as long as they're happy with me and and we get along and, they're getting paid on time and, you know, they're

Steve: They have roots here.

Brian: They do.

Steve: So you're not just picking up?

Brian: No. No.

Steve: You're not going to Home Depot?

Brian: No. No. No. No. No.

Back in the day, I did. Back in the day, it was me doing that, and I was subbing everything out. So Right. And that that was the process that I went through for now.

Steve: Guys that you're paying on time. Now are these w two, or are these a contractor?

Brian: +1 099.

Steve: +1 099. Yep. Okay. Interesting.

Brian: Yep. And each guy each guy is different, and, you know, you're always bringing in new ones. And then the other ones, you know, sometimes they go away. But I've got guys that have been with me for, you know, ten, twelve years.

Speaker: So Wow.

Brian: You know? Incredible. And that's that's awesome when that happens because it's it's just we speak the same language, and I'm like, how much do you think? And I already know what he's thinking, so it's it's just easy to

Steve: He's just confirming what you already knew.

Brian: Yes. He asked me sometimes. He's like I'm like, well, so what do you think? How much? You know?

He's like, you know, you know, you know, you you tell me. I'm like, we gotta play this game again. So I'm like, just tell me. So

Steve: so you mentioned students. Talk to me about the with the students what that means.

Brian: I don't know if they're students or or partners, but, it it kind of happened. I've got I had a few kind of friends and people that I ran into, you know throughout the years that they basically we we helped them find houses and then we kind of stayed in touch and then so every time they need a house they would come to me so we kind of took that whole concept and we kind of just made it to where it helped us out as they were, like I said, the account rep is the way I look at it. So I'm looking at continual business, and then it helped them out. They could stay in their jobs, and then we gave them the basically the whole package. So we'll help them find the house.

We introduce them to the hard money lender, and then they can use one of our handymen or contractor or whatever they need. And then we will also help them as much as they want, from start to finish with the project. So I'll go there and I'll say with their contractor and with them I say okay let's do this this this this use these same colors that we already using and Tried and true. They go by once a week and give the contractor a check and and that's all their involvement

Speaker: is.

Brian: So it's an easy system and they we just basically plug them in and it's someone else that I could wholesale houses to and it helps with our overflow and, but that's kind of how it kind of developed and now we have, you know

Steve: So you kind of fell into it.

Brian: Kind of kind of fell into it, but it was all based on the whole, you know, the account thing. Like I said, the the account rep and and taking and building those relationships. That's kind of, you know, how it how it kind of got developed I guess and it just started happening and I'm like well this is great why don't we doing this more and because they're all happy you know I've got one guy that's been doing it with me, I don't even know eight nine years.

Speaker: Mhmm.

Brian: So, now he's doing four at a time and he's, you know, doing great. So he's, you know, making $1,520,000 dollars each house and he's a firefighter and, you know, he's a great guy. So Yeah. Feels a little better than his pension. Yeah.

Yeah. And I keep telling him, like, why are you firefighter? You mean you have to stay up for twenty four hours? Like, you're making way more money doing this then.

Speaker: Yeah.

Brian: So but, it's just always funny because he's even to this day and he's done so many with me, I'm involved a lot, you know. Like, I'll walk the property with them and all this stuff. And then I have new students that I tell them. I'm like, I'll I will be here as much as you want. If I can't help Phil Will or, you know, Adam or Adonis and, like, we'll we're here to help.

And they they buy there. Okay. Great. Great. They buy the house.

I don't hear from again. Yeah. Unless they call me and, like, oh, I, you know, I'm having a hard time here. I'm like, why didn't you call me before? Like, I would have walked you through and helped you.

So, it's people are people are funny. Everyone's different. You know?

Steve: They are. So, being licensed. Right? I think this is something that a lot of the people that are licensed that are wholesaling or flipping is something to take notes. Just one more strategy to increase your your cash flow.

Brian: Yeah.

Steve: So you assign it to your buyer Mhmm. Partner, help him use your connections, your resources

Speaker: Mhmm.

Steve: Leverage that because you already got it. Yep. And then they flip it. Yep. And they're happy to do that over and over again.

Yeah. So you're just servicing your client in a different way that's not really happening

Speaker: Yeah.

Steve: So much right now.

Brian: But the involvement literally is they drive by if the house is in Phoenix, they gotta drive a little bit farther. So but if it's close to the house, they're literally writing a check and bringing it once a week. And then if they wanna look at the house or whatever they wanna do, they own it. Yeah. So I don't own the house.

So but, it's a really it's an easy system to do that. So

Steve: Yeah.

Brian: But, you know, it's one of those things where it's, you know, it's a burden to me a little bit because I want them to do well just like I would do well. So that's why I get frustrated. You know, I'm like, I'm here to help. Let me help. Yeah.

I've done a few of these. You know? Yeah. Of course. I want them to be successful.

So

Steve: They're probably just afraid of taking your time.

Brian: No. It's they think they got it. People think they got it. Yeah. So but

Steve: So, are there any KPIs that you track in doing this?

Brian: That that has helped out a lot. You know, just just recently, I've I've been doing that a lot more, and that's why we've had some more success buying houses and tracking. And I fired some, you know, co callers that were in Costa Rica that weren't producing and got new ones and just but talking to other people, that's the that's the thing. So it's kind of hard like when we were it was just, you know, myself and this one of my guys, Phil, he's been with me for every he's 25 years old and he's he's awesome. So,

Speaker: but

Steve: I was lucky to have you as a mentor.

Brian: Yeah. He's been with me for five years. He worked to one of my restaurants for two. So I've known him since he was 18 years old. Wow.

It's kinda crazy. Yeah. But it's it's when it's just, you know, something small, you're like, you know, what am I tracking? I'm not a big company. But as things grow and you just you wanna get better, like, you have to track.

You know? You have to track stuff, and you have to know your numbers. And so I've been trying to get better at that. It's just not my personality, Mhmm. That that whole part of it.

So I'm I'm trying to to to learn and get better and and just you you gotta do it. Whether it's it's just not fun to do tracking all this stuff, but Right. There's times, you know, now I have a VA that does it for me. So she sends me a weekly report. And

Steve: What are the key what are the key indicators that are most important to you?

Brian: Well, we're tracking, we're tracking leads

Speaker: Mhmm.

Brian: And, you know, how many calls, how many hours it takes to get that lead, how many leads turn into deals, and then basically what you're making per deal, and then cost of the the callers to get that one deal. And then, you know, you're just tracking costs. So Yeah. And when you have those kind of numbers and if you see, you know, your callers aren't producing and then you know who's who's not producing and you're getting more and same with, you know, postcards or whatever. You know?

You're you just you know how many you're sending out and, you know, you know how many leads are you're getting and how many deals you're getting. It's just good to know all that stuff. So but, you know, our business, it's like, you kinda gotta be involved with everything because, you know, if you're just doing one little thing, it's just not gonna be you're not gonna get enough deals, and it's gonna cost way much more. So if I can buy you know, if I'm spending all this money, in marketing and buying a house, but then I spend no marketing and I'm buying a house from you, it kinda balances out.

Steve: Yeah.

Brian: If I'm just doing all marketing and it's not producing, then, you just have to offset it. You have to get deals other places in order to to help your numbers.

Steve: Any interest in expanding what markets you're in?

Brian: I've dabbled in that. I've done a few others. It it does work.

Speaker: Mhmm.

Brian: But, I think it's gonna it's gonna happen here in the next, you know, two or three years as now that we have the infrastructure to handle it. Before, you know, when it's myself and and Phil and, you know, we're doing deals here, it's it's it's hard to do to do everything. But now I think we have the core. We could do I've done it before. I've tested it.

I've sold homes in Seattle and in Michigan, and it it's easy. It's like but you gotta have, you know, you gotta have the time to do it. So but right now, I just wanna be really good, you know, here doing what I'm doing. And then as you do that, then you can you can grow. So but there's no no reason to for me to do that right now even though I couldn't.

I've I've done it, and it does work.

Steve: Yeah. Okay.

Speaker: And we

Brian: know a lot of guys that are doing it. That's all they're doing.

Steve: We know a lot of guys are wholesaling well in other markets. I don't know anyone that's flipping well in other markets.

Brian: No. I wouldn't do that. I would just wholesale. Okay. Yeah.

Steve: For sure. Alright. So, you know, we're talking about direct mail and and, you know, you got this staff operation going now. Like, what is your monthly overhead doing all that?

Brian: Well, you know, we're we're doing postcards and cold calling and all that stuff. I mean, our overhead is not huge. I don't, you know, most of our team, they're they're on, you know, they're $10.99. So, you know, if if they bring in deals, then we pay them. So it helps with your overhead.

Steve: Right. That's a cost of sale. Yeah.

Brian: And I'm not gonna ever you know, I don't have I'm a little different. I've I've you know, we're older. We've been through everything. My my motivation to build a big powerful organization and be the man, I could cure less

Speaker: Yeah.

Brian: At this point in my life. So I love my wife, love my kids, you know, wanna make a good living and move on. I don't need to be the man. I don't need a big organization, and I don't want it. So I run an office in my brokerage,

Speaker: have

Brian: a little box like this, and great. I'm happy.

Steve: Very

Brian: cool. But that helps you be lean and move, you know, because like I said, you know and you've been around for a while. Things go like this sometimes. So Yeah. They do.

Why do you wanna have all this and and then you're gonna go through it again and you just can't you can't move quick enough when you're when you're like that. So, yeah, I don't have that that need to to have that big powerful organization. So but so our costs are down. It's basically marketing.

Speaker: Mhmm.

Brian: When deals come in, then I can spend more in marketing, but it's all kinda relative.

Speaker: Yeah.

Brian: It's not I don't have a big overhead at all.

Steve: Okay. And then as far as wholesaling versus flipping, do you have a target for a whole for an assignment fee and a target for a profit on a flip?

Speaker: I

Brian: mean, it it's probably, I'd say the average is around 10,000 for a wholesale.

Speaker: Mhmm.

Brian: It just depends on your source. If you're getting it direct from a seller, you can make a little bit more. When you're buying from another wholesale, you you make less. So Yeah. But, like I said that even though I cost I spent more money getting it there, you know, I'm it balances out with your cost of what you're spending on to get that lead versus buying it from a wholesaler.

Steve: Right.

Brian: So Okay. Yeah.

Steve: And then on a on a flip, what's your targeted profit?

Brian: I wanna make at least $20.25

Steve: Yeah.

Brian: On those.

Speaker: So

Steve: Does it matter on price range or no?

Brian: I you know, one of my one of my things again, I've just had been through it so much. I've done the big Arcadia flips and the Scottsdale flips, and you think you're gonna make, you know, retirement money, and it just doesn't work that way. So Yeah. It does sometimes. So we've done well.

There's been a house. I've made over a $100,000 on a flip, and, you know, I've done it. But, I rather stay in where, you know, I always say the same example. If there's a thousand people that wanna buy a house, I want to make my house where the most amount of those people wanna buy it. Mhmm.

So, you know, average price range, three bedroom, two bath, the one of the major cities and where everybody wants to live and you wanna make everything normal. Three bedroom, two bath, and a thousand plus square foot. You know, just where the most people want to buy. So we want to stick them to that area thinking we're gonna have the best results. So it usually ends up where you're buying from $150,000 to $200,000 and you're selling for, you know, $2.20 to $2.70 that's kind of where we kind of stay nowadays.

So it just

Steve: You know your target market?

Brian: It's just you know I've been kicked a lot so when you get kicked eventually you learn you get smart even though it takes you a long time.

Steve: Yeah. You get some lessons.

Brian: But eventually, you know, you learn. So

Steve: Okay. So, you mentioned something, earlier, that you like to go to the house. Right? So talk about the importance of that.

Brian: I mean, I've the house I bought from, you know, you guys. I I think I bought it, I I committed sight unseen

Speaker: just

Brian: because I know the area, but, I don't like to do that often. So I mean, I wanna I just wanna I'm a field guy, so, you know, I kinda wanna see it. And there's times where I can and there there's times where I'm not. But if I'm gonna commit to it, to where I'm gonna fix it and flip it or one of my one of my students, I wanna see it. Mhmm.

If I'm just wholesaling it, then I may look at it differently. But, I just I just want to

Steve: I mean in the context of meeting the homeowner.

Brian: Oh, and when you're going on an appointment. Yeah. So well, yes, if I can I have it I have a new acquisitions guy right now? That's awesome. So, I have backed off on that but My whole philosophy with that is you know you've got guys like me that hire young people right and I know if I'm going up against them I'm gonna get the deal right right?

Yeah, I wanna buy houses. So and I know that they're using the wrong contracts, and I know, you know, it's just easy. It's just easy. So when when I go in there and it's, I'm older and, you know, I'm not 20 and I'm a go in there and get the deal. So Right.

Of course, do I wanna go on those appointments? So and if you think about it, if you're doing eight to 10 deals a month, how many appointments is that? Right? It's not that much. It's not what are you gonna do for the rest of the day?

So if I'm sitting in the office and feels like we got a hot one, I'm gonna go. If I if I don't have anything going on, I'm gonna go.

Steve: Yeah. I think it's smart. I think that, you know, we we we get in this habit, a routine of trying to, outsource or offload and this and that. But

Brian: I'll do a combination. I need to get better, but, I have a guy now that, his name's Adam, and he's he's he's the real deal. He's awesome. And he's, you know, I you know, you got to know your personalities, and you got to know your strengths and weaknesses. And he offsets some of my weaknesses.

So, he's awesome, and I'm excited. He's new. He's been here for a month or so. And he's, you know, bringing in deals and but just a great guy. He's, like, infectious and comes in and he's like, let's buy some houses today.

And he's just got energy. And, you know, he's just a he's a really good guy. So we have a good team. I've I'm I'm blessed with everybody that I have. So That's phenomenal.

And it takes a while to get there,

Steve: for sure. It does. So did I read this right? You're a poker player?

Brian: I am. How'd you know that?

Steve: Following your your your your history of winnings, twenty three hundred bucks.

Brian: Is it on there somewhere?

Steve: It's out there somewhere.

Brian: Yeah. I played in the state championship. And, yeah, I actually cash. So yeah. Okay.

I love I love playing poker. So

Steve: How often do you play?

Speaker: I

Brian: mean, it goes in stages, but but now maybe, you know, a couple times a month. Yeah. Yeah.

Steve: Where at?

Brian: There's home games all over the place. I haven't I used to go, you know, once in a while to the casino. I haven't done that in a while. So Well,

Steve: next time you go to any minute, let me know.

Brian: Yeah. That's my that's my favorite place. It's been a while. I I was supposed to play in the tournament when it flooded and or whatever happened. And, I ended up I had played, like, two or three times before, and I had like the worst luck and I'm like why am I gonna go spend $1,100 and then just get my butt kicked?

So I'm like I'm a I'm a skip it and then ends up flooding and not happening anyway. So when you lose on Kings like three times in a row and you're like, this is this is the second sign you

Steve: lose the most on. Pocket Aces is the first.

Brian: I know. I have not won on Kings in a while. So when I get them, I it's choking.

Steve: What are there any lessons that you learned from poker that you applied to your business?

Brian: You know, poker is a lot about reading people. I mean, I'm not one of those guys at the table that just sits there and doesn't talk. I like to have fun and interact and so I mean, it's it's, you know, everything in our life is about people. So You know it's You know when when you're younger you're kind of in your own little world and you know you just you just kind of can't get outside of yourself and then I've learned that the more people you help the more money that you can make right not just about money but just about it betters your life right so I turned in from maybe more introverted to more you know people. I'll go up to people and, you know, it's like it's like, you know, it's crazy.

I go to the gym every day. Right?

Steve: Okay.

Brian: And you see the same people.

Steve: Right.

Brian: Right? Nobody says hi to each other. Right? Uh-huh. So I'm at if I see a guy, you know, I've been I've seen you for two years, like, I'm a go, hey.

What's going on, man? You know? How you doing? Yeah. Just say hi.

Just meet people, like

Steve: See what happens.

Brian: Just see what happens. But that turns into relationships and, you know, you don't know what it turns into. You're not doing it because of that, but it's just, like, just talk to people like Brent says. But Yeah. It's just, you know, I'm I've kinda changed to where I'm I, you know, I look differently, I guess, like that.

So I'll go up and talk to people at the gym and, and just just say hi. It's like you see these same people every day. You know? Like, this one dude is at the gym. He's like he was just a big dude, and he lost all his weight.

And I'm like, hey, man. You look great. I've been seeing you here for two years, and what'd you do? And just he was happy to you know, glowing to tell and to talk. And so Absolutely.

Steve: Someone noticed.

Brian: Somebody noticed. That's awesome. He lost, like, thirty, forty pounds, so he looked great. But yeah.

Steve: So one of the things I learned and I try to, convey, to my guys is on the poker lesson is that, you just do what you can. You do the right things right. The results take care of themselves. You're not gonna win every hand.

Brian: Yes. But you're

Steve: saying things right. Everything else will take care of itself. So, you know, hit the phones, have the conversations, talk

Brian: to people. Right there, that's the difference between your mind and my mind. That's exactly true. Yeah. But that's what I'm talking about.

You're the number you're you're the numbers guy, and I gotta get better at that. But, yeah, that's that's all percentages. So you you you got this in. You should play. You should, you know

Steve: Right.

Brian: Close your button and yeah.

Steve: Yeah. So are there any CRM tools or systems you could not live without?

Brian: We use Podio.

Speaker: Mhmm.

Brian: So, that you know, you've gotta have something to track stuff and just so you know what's going on. You know, you've gotta have because the biggest thing is when you get you you do all this magical stuff and you have all these leads coming in, and then they're not getting handled properly. That that's like the death of your business. So Right.

Steve: Podio is huge. Anything else? Any other tools or systems?

Brian: That's the biggest one. The, you know, the other one, I I just it's not necessarily a, CRM, but I just love my VAs. So Yeah. I've got a great one and just having that source where, you know, they're there. They're making everything happen.

It's it's just huge to outsource as much as you can.

Steve: So a lot of these guys, are listening right now. You know? VAs is a hot topic. How did you find your VA?

Brian: Through my mastermind. Your mastermind? Yeah.

Steve: Cool.

Brian: Yep. Somebody else in the mastermind, again, you know, the land of abundance. He's like, sure. Here. Try this girl.

She's awesome. Sure enough, she's awesome.

Steve: Very cool.

Brian: Yep. So

Steve: And a referral. It's a relationship. Referral.

Brian: Yeah. Yep. For sure.

Steve: And then one thing that's, so in doing, you know, the wholesale and the disruptors, you know, I've had more opportunities to flip. Mhmm. Right? And, I had a a discussion passionate discussion with my wife Okay. About what the right number of flips to go on at any given time is.

Brian: To go on like, to be doing it one time?

Steve: At at one time. Okay. Right? And for my number was 8. Her number was 4.

Brian: Okay.

Steve: So we compromised, and it's 4.

Brian: Okay. Right? Okay. Okay.

Speaker: That's how

Steve: it works. Alright. So and her great fear was, you know, if something goes south, we're on the hook Mhmm. Right, for all those deals. So you I hear, you know, you got 20 to 30 going on.

What what measures or protections do you have for that or that's just the way it goes?

Brian: Well, those are that's what I was talking about, like, buying where the majority of the people wanna buy. Yeah. So when you're doing that and your projects like I stay away from from big big projects. Yeah. These are four to six week turnarounds, right?

So if the market turns, you know, you're gonna be able to move a lot faster than doing permits and add ons and Arcadia big new home builds. I just don't I just don't do it. So, the market can turn quickly, but it's not gonna turn that quick unless, you know, something big happens. So Yeah. I'm already out and on to the next, and I've bought, you know, the new one based on the corrected market.

Whereas you're into one for, you know, eight, nine, ten months or a year, you can't you're already screwed.

Speaker: Yeah.

Brian: You can't do it. So I would stick to that where they're, you know, a little easier. I mean, we're still doing complete guts or, like, $3,040,000 dollar remodels. Yeah. But we're not, like, doing add ons and stuff like that.

Steve: So no add ons, no additions, no moving walls or moving walls, but no major

Brian: It's always seems that one between the living room and kitchen. So

Speaker: Right.

Steve: I don't

Brian: know why they did that.

Steve: But nothing where you had to go talk to the city. No.

Brian: We try to stay away from that. Yeah. Not because it's, you know, cost much, but it's just a pain, the the permits and, you know, the plans and and just the time frames. They have no they don't they're not they're not in a hurry.

Steve: So when you say get in and out of four to six weeks, are we talking about four to six weeks of construction or four to six weeks from when you close to their close? Construction. Okay. So, what's a close to close time?

Brian: I mean, I always tell people three to five months. So if, it takes six weeks, say, to to fix it and you got a couple weeks on the market, best case scenario, and then the buyer comes in as thirty days. So you got three months right there. Yeah. That's best case.

So Target's three months.

Speaker: Two and

Brian: a half to, you know, five months is is probably more realistic. So but in those price range, it's usually you're in and out in three to four months.

Steve: This is something that came up in our in our mastermind this morning, and they were saying that there's a lot of, like, nervousness.

Speaker: Mhmm.

Steve: And even, you know, Jamil, our good friend Jamil

Speaker: Yes.

Steve: I'm sending him luxury deals. It's like, nobody's buying luxury right now. Because there's, like, we don't know what's going on.

Brian: Yeah.

Steve: So what would you do if the market dips?

Brian: You know, I've been through it. Been doing it. You know, I did it before the crash. Yeah. Did it when it was hot, during the crash, and now back when it's hot.

Yeah. So, you're just you're gonna stay, you know, you just gotta stay nimble. That's why I don't want the big business. Like I tell Jamil, I'm like, you got big you got big business, buddy. You know?

Yeah. So but I love it. We talk we actually talk all the time about it.

Steve: I love his business, but also terrifies me.

Brian: Yeah. He's smart he's a smart guy.

Steve: So,

Brian: I I love him. So but we we do we call call each other and, like, hey, what do you think about this?

Steve: So Yeah.

Brian: But, you know, staying staying thin. Like, you know, I think your guys that work for you, they gotta they gotta have blood in the game. So I'm not paying salaries. Like, if they're out there producing, then we're producing. And it's a win win for everybody.

Steve: Yeah.

Brian: So, and then when you're buying the houses, you know, you're staying you're just gonna stay in those those that safe zone. So, but it but it's happened. I mean, you buy, you know, the market kind of crashes. You're just gonna buy a little bit cheaper and it just kind of balances out. But things will correct.

Like right now, we've had we've had this talk with my guys. It's like, okay, we've got November and December coming up. What happens every year in November and December? Like I tell myself every year and then I don't prepare for it, but things kind of slow down, right? Let's talk about why.

It's you know human nature people go on vacations. You got holidays people don't really want to do it. So you're buying less. Realtors don't want to work. Lenders don't want to work.

Title companies don't want to work. Right. There's busys. It's family. They've been grinding all year and now they're like, okay, get some time off.

So Yeah. Everything kind of slows down and people, you know, may say that it doesn't but I feel it.

Steve: Oh, definitely.

Brian: And I I prepare for it. And, so right now, like, we're trying to buy a bunch of houses so we can have them ready for next year. You know? The best time, if you can have a house ready, you know, January, have it, like, ready to be put on the market, it, like, things just change. I don't know what it is, but February hits

Speaker: Mhmm.

Brian: And all of a sudden, like, boom. Everybody's just it's crazy. I remember I had couldn't sell couldn't get a house under contract. I think I had, like, 11 of them. They all went within ten days.

Speaker: Yeah.

Brian: All went under contract. Like, February hit, and I was like, what the heck is going on here?

Steve: Tax returns.

Brian: Yeah. Tax returns.

Steve: I'm sure

Brian: there's a lot of reasons. And, but so anyways, we're buying right now.

Speaker: Yeah. We're

Brian: gonna buy for the next six weeks as much as we can. Gonna get it all fixed and be ready for the spring and and, you know, make some money.

Steve: Absolutely. What's your biggest struggle right now?

Brian: Well, now that we have this team, it's, it's kinda just, you know, spending time with everybody to make sure, you know, you're just looking over operations and you're making sure everyone's doing their thing and and just the training and, you know, when there's when it's just you and somebody else, you know, you don't have to you just kinda do your thing and you plug along. And but now I need to take the time and, you know, how are you doing? And let's look at, you know, your numbers and what questions you have. And just, you know, it just it's a whole another set of of of stuff is, like, you know, when it's just you, then you got nothing to worry about. But when you've got all these people, then you're, like, you gotta spend time and, and just training and learning and all that stuff.

So it's just a different different thing. I guess that's kind of what we're A different beast. What I'm going through now. Yeah.

Steve: So how are you training, though?

Brian: Well, like, Adam, for example, he's he's a new guy that just just came along. He's been doing it, and and how we met is is through relationships. I bought so many houses from him and how he conduct conduct himself and handled himself. And we ended up, we even if we were buying a house, it seems like we were calling or texting almost every day.

Steve: Yeah.

Brian: And, so I just saw how he, you know, was in real life. And so now when he comes over, you know, there's not much training. It's more of how do we do things and just getting used to that. So, it's it's it's going great, though. He's he's an awesome guy.

Steve: Awesome. What would you consider to be your super power? My superpower?

Speaker: Mhmm.

Brian: I don't know if it's a superpower, but I would just say God kind of wired me and made me a certain way. Mhmm. And it's, you know, I like to work. I'm weird. I like to cook.

I like to clean. I don't mind doing laundry. I just Really weird. I just like it. I like it.

And it's actually kind of like because I'm so just wired, like, you know, just to do to do to do to do to do. Uh-huh. And so when I'm off cooking, it's like it's actually just relaxing because I'm not just, you know, going crazy. So but no. It's just it's my superpower is just God made me a certain way, and it just help, you know, helps in in in my business.

Steve: So You're just a doer?

Speaker: I like

Brian: to work. Yeah. I like to do. And if I'm not doing, like, I'm I'm acts of service, like, I'm, you know, just going around doing stuff at the house, and that's kinda, like, you know, my love language and just that's how I show. You know

Steve: So you can't just sleep on the couch on a Sunday.

Brian: Stuff. I can't sleep. Like, I I've I've I've taken a nap, I think, once or twice, and that's when I've been, like, sick or just out of the hospital.

Steve: Really?

Brian: I I've never taken a nap in my life.

Steve: Oh, see. I think the Sunday afternoon naps and the afternoon games.

Brian: I love it. I I want to. Like, I'm jealous.

Steve: They're just amazing.

Brian: Like, I'm jealous. I just I don't I I don't know how to do it.

Steve: What's your favorite best or most interesting failure?

Brian: Probably I one one time, one of my partnerships, that was probably one of my hardest failures getting through. But again, you know, God kind of just wired me a certain way where, you know, I'm not down for long periods of time. Obviously, we all fell. You know? Some people fell, and then they'll just wallow in it for months and months and months.

But, typically, you know, I'm I'm maybe down for a day or so, but then I'm like, okay. What am I gonna do? Let's go back. Let's go figure it out and, you know, and and just work. So but, yeah, I mean, that's that's always tough, you know, when you're going through partnerships and and stuff like that.

So just it was an odd, abrupt ending, and so that was it was hard.

Steve: It was a partnership that didn't end

Brian: well. Yeah.

Steve: And that's every time someone says partnership, that always terrifies me.

Brian: I people all the time, like, I I'll I'll sit with them and and, new people, and they're like, yeah. I'm thinking about so and so and so. And I'm like, I'm like, why? Well, it why? Yeah.

So you don't need it. You don't need it. So, but, you know, it it it wasn't what I, you know, I had partnerships, you know, partnership with a big source of money, but, it just at the end of the day, it's just, you know, something you gotta go through and, you know, stuff that we, we do when we're younger. You know, we just don't do it when we're older. We've kind of learned everyone everyone goes through it.

You know, one out of twenty, thirty partnerships may work, but most of them don't. And a lot of it has to do with the amount of effort and it's never, you know, the Bible says equally yoked. It's just not. So it's rare to have two people rowing in the same direction in anything. So Yeah.

Steve: I I I mean, I've said before, like, I will never do another partnership again. And then this year, I partnered up with Max. Right? But we I know, like, you and I are definitely going in the right direction.

Brian: If it's to if you can get to where yeah. You guys are kinda separate and you're doing two different things, but you can't have two operators. You can't have two visionaries. You gotta have, you know, one or the other, and it works. So

Steve: Right.

Brian: But, again, at the end of the day, you know, I I just feel like I don't I don't need it.

Steve: Well and so my advice to most people in regards to partnerships is just get a super clean exit strategy.

Speaker: Mhmm.

Steve: Right? Just make sure you have an attorney look at it. You have a super clean exit strategy. So, you know, hopefully, everything works out well.

Brian: If it

Steve: doesn't, you guys know exactly how it is.

Brian: Like, in in your,

Steve: It's like a prenup for a business.

Brian: In your business, space basically, our business, the wholesaling part, it's a cash business, so it's not like you're you're gonna have a lot to split at the end of the day. It's like, okay. We're gonna close out these deals, and we're done. I'm like, it's it that's an easy exit. So

Steve: Yeah. Well, whose relationship was this? Whose partnership was that? Yeah. There's it gets it gets a little messy on that.

Stuff.

Brian: Yeah. For sure.

Steve: Is there a book you've gifted more than any other?

Brian: I you know, the big ones, Think and Grow Rich, the Slate Edge. That's an awesome one.

Speaker: Mhmm. And

Brian: then the millionaire mastermind, mindset. That one. Yeah.

Steve: Yeah. Millionaire mindset.

Brian: Yep. So, those three, the the think and grow rich is is basically the source of almost every book ever written.

Steve: Isn't it amazing?

Brian: If you think about it, like, I might go, you guys copied this guy. Everyone's copied that book. Right?

Steve: When I reread it or relistened to it last year, it's like, man, if I would just read this book every year

Brian: Yeah. You could that could be your January goal. Like, read that and and just get re because it's it's just it's crazy. So but that stuff, especially the whole think and grow rich, the the the mindset and just the whole subconscious mind, it like it works. I mean and then you know just the whole thing with with the goals and you know I wrote down goals for

Steve: That's incredible.

Brian: I may not want to at this point, you know, because I've changed, but just writing it down and and then looking at it every day, it's it's crazy the power. Yeah. That's crazy. And then I had, you know, another girl in my office, a new realtor, and she did the same thing and she just came to me the other day. She's like, remember when we did those goals?

I'm like, yeah. She's like, I've accomplished every one of them. I'm like, that's awesome. It's just powerful. Yeah.

And it works. So, but not everybody, you know, is wired that way and wants to to do that. They don't like to read. Like, I read, every day, you know, Brent Daniels, you know, when he's doing the book a week and he challenged me. I I started off doing a book a week, but I probably only, you know, have read maybe 30 this year.

So I just got

Steve: Still pretty good.

Brian: Busy and off track. Still more than

Speaker: a month.

Brian: Every day and

Steve: You're still on pace for three of them.

Brian: Well, they say you read twenty minutes a day or twenty minutes a day. It's, 20 books a year is what they say. So

Speaker: Yeah.

Brian: That's not long.

Steve: No. It's not hard.

Brian: But that's my routine. I wake up, grab my coffee, I read, and then, and then start the day. So it's just I just made it a habit so I don't have to think about it again. I'm just

Steve: Yeah. That's very just

Brian: do just doing it.

Steve: So I think that's a perfect spot to end. If someone has a deal and they they wanna send it to you, how would you want that?

Brian: They can text me or email me the the address, and we'll look at anything.

Steve: What's your number, and what's your email?

Brian: Sorry. I just took some ice. It's, sellmyazhomequick@gmail.com.

Steve: Okay. Easy enough. And then, guys, if, again, if you like the show, please share this episode right now. And then we're doing a special podcast on Friday at 01:00 with Gary Harper. He's the traction coach, for a lot of the top producers in the country.

So, he's gonna share some insight on how some of these guys are running their businesses, using traction. So definitely be sure to check that out. And with that, thank you guys. Thank you, Brian. There was a lot of useful information.

Brian: Well, thank you.

Steve: Thank you so much. Enjoyed it.