Interview With
Bruce Norris
of The Norris Group , Riverside , Calif .
By Christina Suter FIBI Pasadena Group
Irecently spoke with my
industry colleague and good friend Bruce Norris about what it took for him to break through from who he was as a young man to the guru he is today . Bruce is an active investor , hard money lender , and real estate educator with over 30 years of experience . He is the founder of The Norris Group and has been involved in more than 2,000 real estate transactions as a buyer , seller , builder , and money partner . Bruce has dedicated himself to understanding the economic field in Southern California , and it shows in his work .
Bruce was married at 17 , fired five times in a row , and eventually got the hang of getting a job . After reading How To Win Friends and Influence People , Bruce said he learned about avoiding the acute angle , which is finding a way to find an argument in everything . The book taught him to diffuse it and to enjoy the skill of learning to diffuse it .
Bruce then got a job in sales , where he sold electrical supplies for six years . One day he was invited to join a man to watch his attempt to buy a house wholesale . After the house was purchased , Bruce realized his life experiences could translate into the real estate buying business . In his electrical business , Bruce sold supplies to people who already had suppliers . In real estate , he convinced people to sell their house to him because he had cash and people could close in a few days .
One of the skills Bruce has mastered is the power to close a deal . When he negotiates with a seller , he lets them know that based on his experience , things work or they don ' t , so his offer leaves with him . Bruce tells sellers if they call him back the next day , he will let them know that he ' s no longer interested because he wants the power to close and know he ' s telling them the truth .
Bruce has earned a reputation in the industry based on his integrity . He will often spend the first 15 minutes speaking with an owner just suggesting things for them that have nothing to do with him making a profit . Bruce will ask about their situation and make recommendations that don ' t always lead to him , as a
cash buyer , closing the deal .
Someone once referred a couple to go talk to him . He visited the couple for two hours . During that meeting , the husband made it clear to Bruce that he desperately wanted to move to another state , Tennessee , where he had a job waiting for him and his wife . The husband wanted such a full price without commission that he basically got in his own way , Bruce remembered .
There was an underlying desperateness to the man ' s situation , so Bruce told him he could sell his house to him that night if he was willing to take less for his house . He closed on their house .
Ten years later , that couple ' s 21 yearold son visited his office and informed Bruce that he had been causing trouble in their house , due to his gang involvement . He told Bruce that had if he not bought their house , they wouldn ' t have been able to move — and that kid would have ended up dead . He asked Bruce to teach him what he knew and how he was able to purchase his childhood home . That kid went on to open an office on Magnolia and Riverside and bought houses .
72