Realty411 Magazine Featuring OCG Properties - Part Two | Page 30

[
Hitting the Club with
Sensei at 12 Rounds
S
elf-reliance, balance, integrity:
these are just some important
mantras in the martial arts world.
Step into a monthly meeting at
Black Belt Investors and you’ll soon dis-
cover these disciplines are in full force.
With two locations in Southern California
(Downey and Norco), Black Belt Inves-
tors provide a social network for both
the novice and seasoned. It is a club
where education is emphasized, deals
are analyzed, and action is taken to
reach goals.
Ricardo Valencia, a national investor
with holdings in four states (CA, TX,
IN and MO), stressed the importance
of attending monthly club meetings,
as we were walking into a community
center in Downey.
“We have a responsibility to teach
those who are newcomers,” he says
with a smile, “And, at the same time,
you learn from those who are more
advanced.”
Valencia, who travels throughout
Los Angeles County to attend numer-
ous real estate events, admits that
the members of Black Belt Investors
“keep bringing me back ... it’s always
nice to mix and mingle with them.”
What began as a casual meeting at
a coffee house in 2000, by investor,
martial arts expert and entrepreneur,
“Sensei” Sean Gilliland has become
an organized official club boasting
two locations and filling the room
with a strong following each month.
Sensei chose to stake his claim in Downey,
the city where he was raised. Next, he chose
Norco, the city where he now lives with his
wife, Annamaria, a licensed REALTOR ® ,
and their three children.
The club meeting room, located inside a
community center, was full and bustling in
May. The sweet aroma of freshly brewed
coffee and abundant smiles were inviting.
The group, mostly in their 40s and 50s,
was diverse in experience and background.
They were master networkers, with busi-
Realty411Guide.com

by Linda Pliagas
ness cards in hand. Dressed in casual cloth-
ing, they chatted while munching on choc-
olate chip cookies. They discussed their
latest deals, needs and goals.
When the master approached the front,
the students took their seats and settled
down quickly, ready to start their lesson.
Sensei’s cash and wealth system is pure
and building wealth through cash-flowing
rentals, all using Sensei’s Remote Rehab-
bing program. “The Phoenix market is pro-
viding incredible wholesale deals on newer
homes starting at $48,000,” he says. “Flip-
pers are turning their properties and cashing
out about every 90 days. The buy and hold
strategists are capitalizing on great cash
flow averaging $900 per month.”
Although he started his career as a
remote rehabber (his first deal was in
Florida), he now prefers to wholesale
and calls it: “The Ultimate Real Es-
tate Cash Machine.” His investing
formula, “Find it, Bind it and As-
sign It™,” is used in California, but
the strategy can be duplicated in any
area, in any market.
Wholesaling “does not require cash,
credit or a license, which equals NO
RISK.” He further explains, “The
intention is to sell the contract to in-
vestors who can’t find a deeply dis-
counted deal on their own.”
While many people, including Bro-
kers and REALTORS ® who do not
understand creative real estate, frown
upon any deal that is not a traditional
transaction, wholesaling retains an
important role in the community.
As a matter of fact, wholesalers are
often the first to spot and service a
homeowner or property in distress.
In wholesaling, success depends on
recognizing circumstances and offer-
ing solutions.
Sensei recalls one recent transac-
tion in which he assisted a family made
up of siblings scattered around the country
who were feuding over an inherited home
in need of many repairs. Because of the
stress it was bringing upon the family, they
wanted to dispose of the property quickly.
Sensei packaged the deal and sold it to a lo-
cal rehabber willing to put in a lot of sweat
equity and cash. The investor was willing
to take a risk for a chance to profit.
Sensei Spills His Top 5
Secrets to Land a Deal
Can’t seem to locate
a distressed home-
owner or unwanted
property? Believe it
or not, many people
have real estate that
they no longer need
or want. (Yes, we
first found this con-
cept hard to believe
Sensei Gilliland
too!) Follow these
five secrets from a master wholesaler,
and you’ll soon have more deals than
time to work them.
#5: Code Enforcement: Many local gov-
ernment websites, such as Los Angeles
County, offer online lists of distressed
properties. This is an often overlooked
treasure filled with potential gems.
Continued on pg. 59
and simple. He trains his students on how
to create cash quickly through flipping real
estate so that resources can be funneled to
purchase income-producing property.
And what areas are being focused on?
Right now, he has two major target zones.
Phoenix, Ariz., is his target zone for rehab-
bing flips and rentals; Southern California
is his bulls-eye for wholesaling properties.
He and his members target Phoenix as
their area of operation for fixing and flip-
ping properties for immediate paydays
PAGE 30 • 2010

Continued on pg. 59

reWEALTHmag.com