Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabe and Yashira Gruszynski.
Gabe and Yashira, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
• Gabe: We got started in this business a year ago. A work acquaintance of mine relocated, and he was having trouble selling his home, which shouldn’t have been the case because DFW has a pretty hot housing market. My wife Yashira is a realtor, so we offered to take a look at my acquaintance’s home. Long story short, we looked into it and started doing some research, trying to find out the home’s value and what kind of people are buying those types of homes. We came up with a market approach, found out what it was worth, and at the end of the day he sold the house to someone who ended up flipping it.
• Yashira: The first offer on this house that we received was from an investor, who called himself a “wholesaler.” We had no idea what that meant, so we researched the term, and it opened up a new world of investing and how we could enter real estate with low initial investment on our part.
• G. After that, we started doing more research and educated ourselves. We watched YouTube videos, listened to podcasts, attended networking events, and really dived into what it means to be a successful real estate investor. We took some of our experience in real estate and experience working for multiple Fortune 500 companies to really get started. We didn’t get our first deals for quite a while. But after three or four months, we started getting opportunities. After that, they started coming on a regular basis. It hasn’t even been a full year, but we’ve closed on many transactions, exceeding our initial expectations and forecast.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
• G. My wife is a licensed realtor, and I’m a licensed loan officer, so that put us a step ahead of a lot of people who really didn’t have a background in real estate. But it hasn’t been a smooth road, it never is for any business owner. In real estate, there’s always one little bump in the road. Outsiders often only see the pretty pictures or see the checks some people post. They don’t see all the time and effort (nor the blood, sweat, and tears) it took to get there. It’s not easy to see all the details that go into reaching the finish line. It was also tough making the shift from a W2 job to being a business owner. As an employee, you’re trading time for money. In our work, we’re trading knowledge for money. Learning how to put decades of knowledge and experience to use, and recognizing they have value, was tough at first. Plus, I still have a full-time job, so I haven’t been able to dedicate the time I’d like to my business.
• Y. The other struggle we have is that we’re parents to two young children. Sometimes we have to travel hours to see properties, and this can be tricky with the children. It’s a whole different ball game when you have kids and are running a successful business.
• G. At times, we really struggled with making things work for us, especially coming out of corporate jobs. We put time and money into our business and saw nothing in return. But we stuck it out and saw it was viable and we could make it work. In running a business, there’s a lot of stuff on the back end that most people don’t like to talk about. It’s a dirty topic.
• Y. We’ve also had to sacrifice a lot of freedom. With our corporate jobs, we had the weekends free from work. That’s not always the case when being self-employed. We’ve had to tie in real estate to our lifestyle, so often when we vacation, we tie it in with visiting potential purchases. And we’ve had to involve our children and make it exciting for them. For example, when we buy a house and our children are with us, we’ll hand them the keys to unlock the house, and they get really excited. It’s fun for them, and even though they’re young, we’re exposing them to what it means to be a business owner. We’re turning our busy self-employed lifestyle into something we can have fun with.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
• G. There’s no single type of real estate we work in. We’ve done a little bit of everything. We are looking to niche down into commercial rental properties. They aren’t sexy, but they’re great for generating revenue. Our goal is to obtain more properties that can generate passive income, so we’re not as dependent on the ebbs and flows you see when doing fix and flips.
• Y. We are utilizing a unique hybrid approach, using my accreditation as a realtor to provide full-service advisory services to clients looking to grow their portfolios, and our position as investors to offer other sales options to homeowners.
• G. We want to create generational wealth for our children to inherit. It’s way more than just money, but knowledge, opportunity, ethics, and relationships. We are leaving them a legacy that they can pass down to their children, too.
• G. We’re in it to help our customers. Sometimes, if a customer isn’t sure how to make the most out of a sale, we’ll always point them towards a route that will make them the most money. Whether it’s the off-market cash sale or a traditional listing with a realtor, we’ll make sure they get the highest dollar for their property. It’s who we are. It’s what we do. I think that concern for the property owner looking to sell his or her property is what helps differentiate us from others.
• G. We are focused on the seller’s best interest. Yes, we’re here to make money, but we also want to do what is best for someone who chooses to sell with us. And if we can’t make a deal with them, we’ll try to connect them with someone who can.
• Y. When someone goes through foreclosure or a short-sale, the bank usually won’t help them get back on their feet. But if that person works with someone like us, we’ll work with them and their unique situation to make sure they have a plan. Gabe and I were in difficult situations growing up, and this is our way of paying it forward. We remember where we came from, and we treat others how we would have wanted to be treated.
• G. I strive to go above and beyond to make sure my clients are informed and have a variety of options to make their home selling experience smooth and enjoyable. My background in project management helps me to ensure good communication amongst all parties.
• G. I’m really proud of the way we do business. Yashira and I have brought our cumulative experience into the real estate space, and created a company that is capable of making money for our family, for our clients, and making our community a better place. So far, we’ve done well, and we’re excited to serve our customers better.
• Y. If you would have told me a year ago that having a successful real estate business was on the horizon, I wouldn’t believe you. It has taken a huge mindset shift to believe we could create something like this. The fact that we’re able to make money, live the life we want to live, spend time with our children, go about business, and at the same time be ethical and do what’s best for our clients, it’s just amazing.
• G. Growing up as a kid, I never imagined making an unlimited income. Making that shift from trading time for money to knowledge and expertise for money was the point where we really were able to start making a difference. We’re able to spend more time with family and doing what we love. It’s kinda the opposite of the rat race. I think our business is a testament to what a person can accomplish when they change their mindset. Taking care of family and business is possible now. It’s not asking for permission to do things, you are your own boss.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Y. Faith without works is dead. We created our “luck” through hundreds of hours of education, networking, investing in ourselves, living a healthy lifestyle, and growing in our faith. We are continually trying to improve and learn from those that are more successful than us.
People do business with people they like and trust. Treating everyone professionally, respectfully and ethically has also played a major role in our “luck.”
Contact Info:
- Address: 2003 TX 114 Hwy Ste 340 #202
Trophy Club, TX, 76262 - Website: https://www.dfwphb.com/
- Phone: 2055315304
- Email: gabe@dfwphb.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/dfwphb
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DFWPHB
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dfwprohb
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dfw-professional-home-buyers-trophy-club
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dfwphb/
Image Credit:
Portrait photos only: Megan Weaver
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