How he bought a Lamborghini Huracan: Chatting Real Estate with Bryan Casella

What's up you guys? It's Graham here. So if you guys watch any sort of real estate YouTube videos, I'd say like 99%, you've seen Brian Kinsella, which by the way, I think when you type in real estate in YouTube, Brian Kinsella is like one of the first results. It's... I don't know that.

Yeah, I also think it's so important to get as many different perspectives as possible, and that's why I like making these videos because I believe there's no one right way to do a certain thing. I believe you can do something right a thousand different times, and it's not like one way is better than another; it's just different, and they all work. So that's why I like doing these types of videos and having as many people on the channel as possible and getting as many different perspectives for you to hear from, and I mean that's what I think is honestly the most important.

So anyway, Brian Casella is a real estate agent here in Los Angeles. So how did you end up getting into real estate in the first place?

Well, it was completely by just random Koufos, you know what I mean? I was going down a boulevard, and someone on the side said make $100,000 your first year in real estate. The way my mind works is I knew one person did it, and they're the exception to the rule, but I know there's a way or something that they figured out to do it. So I said, I'm just gonna learn what that person did and apply it, and I just went full steam ahead, man.

And how did you learn how to sell real estate in the beginning?

Well, a lot of it was mentorship. I literally was beating down on every single door of the top agents of my office, and all of them pretty much told me to piss off, except for one, Fernando. One of the other guys started liking me, Nelson, yeah, and I ended up being under Nelson's wing. I just... I said, dude, I'll do whatever it takes. If you want me to, you know, wipe your butt when you go to frickin' the bathroom, dude, I'll do it. And I literally had to sit outside of his office, man, four days before he would let me in because Fernando kind of passed me off.

He literally taught me everything from contracts, how to sell, and everything. I had a call on my way into his office. If I could paint that picture, I mean, that was the same way for me. I would go to open houses every single Sunday to speak with different agents and then ask them their advice about getting into the industry. I would say 95% of agents were so discouraging, telling me, "Don't do it. It's a bad business to be in. You should go to college." That's a big one; you're too young, you're too inexperienced.

So I'm surprised that very few agents are actually encouraging of other people to get in the industry.

Yeah, well we know that the average agent is doing horrible, that's why. So I always tell people, if you're gonna get information from something, get it from a credible source, somebody who's on the other side of the fence, right? Because how many people would tell you that these cars here are just a waste of your time and money, and when you meet all these owners, they're smart, right? They're buying these cars as an investment, not just to blow 2 or 3 that.

That was actually one of my first purchases. The first home I sold, I based almost all of the commission and bought a used 2006 chrome orange Lotus Elise cash. And I thought I was such a ball just literally going to the bank getting a cashier's check, buying the car, and at the time so many people told me that's like a stupid choice. Maybe it was, but I ended up meeting so many cool people from that, getting in the car community, and making a few sales from the car just from being able to move those people I would have never been able to meet before.

Especially now, it is the social media, it's a different ballgame, right? If you have, you know, a Lotus or one of these cars, people automatically are going to assume, "Well, you're successful." And if you present the image and you're actually credible, and you have the image being done...

So how much does your image play in selling real estate?

A lot, right? We all know you only have a few seconds to make a first impression. So if already people see that you seem successful when they meet you, and you're sharp, and you know your stuff, and you're an expert, it just makes it that much easier to connect with somebody to sell. A lot of times because of all the stuff that I've done on YouTube, do I send my clients that? I mean, I don't even listen to me. Go to my YouTube, and after watching a few videos, our next conversation, I can already tell has completely shifted the vibe, and they're already like, "Okay, we want to work with you," right? That expertise is established.

But a lot of people ask me, "Do you need a nice car?" You don't. I started with what was it? A 1998 Nissan Sentra that was dented on two sides. I rolled it to my first listing. You know where I had my first listing appointment? Dude, in a Del Taco. No, I got a six percent commission sign-skating in a Del Taco. It was a beat-up house, and I said, "You know what? Let's meet somewhere we could have eaten in the house." I said, "Okay, let's go down home in a Del Taco." I sat him down in the middle, like the employers are walking around like, "What're you guys doing here?" I'm all dressed nice. It was a memory I wish I could have gotten on video.

Yeah, my first car was a, I think there was a 1998 Ford Explorer, and I was so embarrassed. I had like a hundred and ten thousand miles on it. I was so embarrassed because I pull up to these like houses in Bel Air, and they were like three, four, five million dollars. I'd park a block away, and then really I'd park a block away like 20 minutes early, and then walk up so they would just see me standing outside. And I would get so happy if there was like a nice car parked outside, because I would think that they would just assume that, like, you know, this Rolls Royce is mine because I'm standing right by it.

It's right in front of the house, and then I would wait around on my phone for them to leave, and then I'll walk back to my car. So I mean, that's how I got started. But I always tell people too, you don't really need like a flashy car. As long as I think it's clean, you know, I guess just presentable. Something with clothing, I think it's a matter if it's, you know, Gucci or, like, say goodbye, as long as it's like well fitting. Importantly, I think that's all that really matters and the car thing.

How many millionaires do you know? I know a bunch to drive. It's... The way you step out of the car is more important, and I think a lot of people, they fail to make that connection because of social media. While you see now is the, you know, the vlogs and the cars and all that, people get too caught up in that when you yourself have to be that expert and know your stuff. Ultimately, when you have that face-to-face with somebody, they're gonna pick up very quickly if you're legit or not.

Yeah, and then you know that, yeah, I drive a Prius. Mohsen, like, the Lotus for me is just like a weekend thing, but the Prius is like 90 percent of the time. Bobbing in the Prius, picking up chicks, 30 mpg, it's fine.

Yeah, what has made you stand out so far over a lot of the other agents? What do you attribute that to?

I think a lot of it is just my dedication to certain aspects, right? I know, and like, let's say Zillow, for example, how many agents like fear or loathe Zillow for a lot of reasons, right? So I just started thinking, I said, "Okay, how can I understand this mechanism?" which is misinformation for a lot of people, or it steers them the wrong way. They think, "Oh, I don't need an agent." A lot of people have these, I guess you can say these false misconceptions or whatever it's called about real estate.

What I wanted to do is, through my process of conversations with them and presentations or whatever, is begin to knock over those dominoes because it's like a domino effect. Once you crack the foundation of misinformation about something, it makes the interaction feel so much easier. I think that's really what's done it. When people talk to me for a couple minutes, all their misconceptions start erasing, and they're like, "Oh, I didn't know that. Oh, I didn't know that." I hear that all the time. "Really? No one's ever told me that," and that really to me is what bridges a connection.

Like really, how do you continue to learn and kind of hone that craft? It's just like in the field, like when you, when you're going and like meeting clients, you kind of get better at it or do you do any practicing or anything on the side?

I think it's two things. Part of it is a lot of action, right? That's one of the things that most is, you got to be out there, man. You've got, you know, knocking on doors, going to be meeting people, going to be doing the open houses. You have to be out in the field. But a lot of it is just my mindset about the approach. For example, how many times do we hear, "Oh, I need a local agent," right? I don't know if you know where that came from. Back in the day, when somebody would take their listing to a broker, only that broker could sell the property. I mean, this is before the computers and all that MLS, right?

Yeah, so a lot of people don't know that. So if you went with a broker, you had to go with a big local broker to make sure your home sold, but people still stuck with a local agent thing. So a lot of my dialogues now, I even bring it up before they do. I'm like, "I'm sure you would prefer a local agent, right? Do you know where that came from?" And I have a little 30-second dialogue, and it just... exact cookie crumbled, and then now all of a sudden I'm not getting that question or objection anymore.

Yeah, I think it's more just coming from like a strategist standpoint, if that makes sense. I think thinking outside the box a little bit to see how can I get an advantage here.

Yeah, I think the more you do too, the more you're accustomed to these sort of questions that when you get that question like five times, guarantee the fifth time you're a size, you're gonna have the perfect answer, you're gonna have the perfect response. And then after that, like everything else comes, and that's where experience comes in. Out there talking to people, you're gonna hear it 20 times.

Yeah, the way it happened with me is I heard so many objections that I couldn't get over. I started writing them down. Awesome. I got to figure out an answer for this. Well, so like I do any business, so it's like trial by fire, and it just made me get creative and figure it out.

Yeah, so what's your advice because I have a feeling a lot of people watching this want to get into real estate? Instead, opacities, some investors, real estate agent, whatever. What's your advice to someone who's really probably in high school or like college? You're probably under 25.

Real estate, I would say just go for it. You know anybody you talk to around you has probably never done anything like this. That's, you know, strenuous and commission work, so everyone's gonna tell you don't do it. If you really want to do it, get your license. It only takes what, three, four months?

Three months, yeah. It's like three months online. I just go, you know, watch Graham, watch me, watch the other guys who are actually out there doing it, learn from them, and just tunnel vision. That's about self-people because if you do that and you're around the right people, you learn from the right people, you just go, and you take action, what's gonna stop you?

But then let's say you get your license, what's your next step after that you would recommend?

Well, aside from just taking a lot of action is you have to learn sales skills, and a lot of people just want to go around that. They're like, "Oh, can I just text my leads? Can I just, you know, do Facebook messages?" You have to learn sales. And I learned from the old school realism, which is like Mike Ferry.

Yeah, and then I did some, you know, studies aside from that, but you have to really just be an expert with sales, and then just, you know, I watched a lot of my career. I never got into Mike Ferry just because it seems too, like, I don't... he seemed too salesy from yes, too rigid. Like I'm one of these, I feel like I'm the least salesy person out there. I feel like sales would probably hate to say it, but maybe one of my weaknesses is that I'm not, I don't know.

Firstly, I think for me, sometimes these houses just kind of sell themselves, but suck, maybe—not selling it, you're selling it. So, I mean, I don't know. With me, it's all about being a chameleon, you know? And the more people I've interacted with, there's some people that I have to give them that nudge because they just, for whatever reason, won't make a decision, and I have other people that have to kind of massage them.

So today, I just... I cater my pitch and how I am with each individual, but I wanted to have a full arsenal of skills, right? From the pushy sales guy all the way to the most relaxed surfer type guy, it's like, "Take your time," you know? I want to be able to be like the hybrid, I guess, and be able to jump between where we’re ready to be.

Yeah, and then what about price points? What about working in different price points or trying to get into like, you know, two million a table? What have you found works the best for you? Because I think every price range just kind of has its own different hotels and advantages.

What I started doing was when I wanted to break into the higher price point, I just teamed up with another agent. She was a Keller Williams agent at the time, still essentially 21. I just said, "Hey, you know, I'm young and hungry, teach me," and I asked enough people, and she was like, "Sure, yeah, you know, she's like, you know what? I know that you door knock; I haven't door knocked in like six years. Let's go do it."

I mean, her just got really close, and we started splitting a couple deals, and just snowball. Yeah, door knocking and cold calling has been one of those things for me. I just... I can't do it. I've hated it. I actually doorknobbed, I think it was a week straight in Marvis in Los Angeles, and I hated it so much. It was one of those things you're like, "I mean for you, I'm sure you're so like... it's just... it's like breathing at this point," but for me, it's almost like I wanted to quit. I would rather wet real estate than door you.

Yeah, and that's how about it was for me. I remember going up to a few doors, and people just like, you're just slamming the door on me or telling me that "Get off my property, I'm not selling it." But really getting up end of that to me, it was just like, "Oh my God." Like what? I just... I don't know. I couldn't get over that feeling; it was saying they don't want me here, of course.

Yeah, I just turned it into a game. It's like a rush when I do it now. It's almost like, "Oh, can I find her? How many times can I get the door slammed in my face?" Like I would just flip it, but with me, it was just doing it so much. You become numb to any kind of rejection, right? But since I came from that like Mike Ferry, I have to get out there hustling, roll your sleeves up. It was like monkey see, monkey do.

I just literally grabbed onto the mentors that I had, and whatever they said I would do, if I get to the tea. I think the question is, how do you get your leads, fourth column? Where do you get those numbers?

We do the Haynes directory, I don't know if you heard of that. Yeah, it basically pulls any kind of record for any number. We do volcán seven for the expires and fizz buzz because that can actually get you cell phones and emails sometimes. Other than that, we use a thing called cold Realty resource, which pulls cell phones and landlines, and that one's spans across the United States.

And what would you say if you call it the coldest trainer? Yeah, they're listing just expired. What's something you'd be saying it an expired whoa?

Well, one of the questions I throw, it's a curveball. Mike did this. "Experience turned out the way you thought it would?" That's one of the first questions I ask because they're usually like, "Anyway, you call me. Oh, you say just call me." So I throw them a curveball like that. I mean, I think throwing Robin spells in a pattern interrupt. Yeah, I guess I kind of get like... whoa. So I’m all about throwing the curveballs, man. That’s really the only... if you can break past the first five seconds with an expired physio, you have a shot. But if you can't get past the first three to five seconds, good luck.

Yeah, and then what do you do? You try to set up a meeting as soon as possible in person?

Yeah, my whole mindset is yes. But I don't want to be that guy who's like, "Okay, we need to get together. Hey, we need to get together." So as time has gone on, I've learned how to refine then, right? So I know when I'm pushing too much and when it gets a little bit too awkward. I'll back off and just, you know, get their cell phone if I haven't gotten it and just set up a follow-up call, right?

You know what it... you know what it's like because I'm sure you've experienced it where somebody just pushes you too much and you're like, "I don't want to talk to that person." So, but I think that's where the experience comes in too, to where you can actually feel people out and you can understand even though that's one of their voice when they're getting a little ticked off, you know?

So, I mean where do you see this taking you at this point because you've been selling real estate now as a real estate agent. What's the future?

Well, it's really evolved, man. Now that I opened up my own office, and I have my own team, I'm still doing the hustle a little bit, but nowhere near like before. But now I'm doing a lot of training now for associations and Realtors. I'm doing training for sales companies that are outside of real estate. Just the whole YouTube thing is really blowing into them selling a lot of products on my website for, you know, salespeople.

So with me, it's more about just the words in my... expansion. Yeah, especially the whole speaking thing, it's so fun. I know you said you booked the speaking gig in 2018. Yeah, and once you get up there, did you do it? You'll see how fun it is. Like it's really because you don't realize how affected people get from it. Like I'll get messages like six months later after a speaking, like, "Dude, that speech fired me up. I'm killing it." I'm like, "Whoa." Like, you have no idea. This is who I am.

I would rather have people that love me and hate me than be like dancing in the middle where, because I'm sure a lot of people watching this or you have examples in your life where we can accept that interruption depending on who they're hanging out with, these people act differently. I stand for certain things, and certain people are going to connect with it and cool with it. But I think it's having that foundation of knowing what you represent and what you're about. There really will gravitate and have more people gravitating towards you.

So how would you say what would be your advice then for people here watching that want to maybe build a brand? How would they go about doing that?

Okay, number one, you have to be ready to put yourself out there all the time. And number two, you have to figure out, because we all as individuals have something that's unique to us, right? You have to find out what your one thing is. Maybe you have the ability to touch people with just a short conversation. Maybe you do have a crazy lifestyle.

Whatever it is, find at least one thing that's unique to you, and you play on that. So, because I know a lot of people will get caught up in that, like sitting there thinking. I'm like the biggest thing you can do is just establish a brand, get out there, pick your one thing that's unique to you, and just push it.

Yeah, I think the biggest thing for me too is getting over some of the comments. And that for me would... it took a little while to get used to it, because especially in the beginning, some of the comments like, "You're like an arrogant sack of," you know, just like crazy stuff. And at the very beginning, whoa, and I had never had these comments before. Oh yeah, and I was just like, "Do they... do they not like me? Why don't they like me? I just giving free information."

It happens all the time. Like somebody will tag me like a day later on Facebook where somebody will like talk trash, and there's like 20 people having a comment, "Oh no, he's legit. What are you talking about?" So it's cool, but I think that goes back to your brand, you know. If you build a strong friend...

But we're just really attached. You know, with all the money that you're making from, you know, real estate and everything, this and that, were you investing in at this point? Are you putting it back in your business or are you planning to put it more into...?

Yeah, this right now it's back into my real estate team, and then a lot of it is just properties that I've got. I just picked up my fourth property in Texas. I told you, and I never really tell anybody, but I want to have shoes with the guy to duplex here in LA, like really, okay? Yeah, that's not the prettiest part, but it cash flows, so I got my West Adams, you guys, South LA. It all since I believe that area 20 years from now has the most upside, I think.

Just about any area right now, in my opinion, I think it's so undervalued. You see it changing to like Highland Park and Lowe's there is, and all the hipsters are coming. Yeah, everything is changing. Like I drive by there just looking, seeing it, it's completely different just the vibe just being there. It's crazy.

Yeah, I think it's a lot of opportunity, especially the further south you go. I think the more opportunity there is, Walter. Right now, I think you're just getting in at the very beginning, but I think 10, 20 years are gonna go straight to triple, quadruple in value easily, and it's so undervalued.

I mean, this is one of the things when you think about what you get here, and you're spending like a thousand of 13 dollars a square foot easily, and there you could buy it, you know, I don't know, $200 a square foot.

Yeah, yeah, my duplex I think about 257 square foot. Wow, and how do you get something at that? Like that's land value pretty much. Like you pay the land and the house for free, so that's the way I look at it.

So anyway, you guys, I really hope you enjoyed this. If you haven't checked out Brian's channel already, you have to do it, check it out, feel free to subscribe. As always, you guys, thank you so much for watching, and if you haven't subscribed to me yet, you gotta make sure to subscribe to me right now and smash the like button.

And also feel free to add me on Snapchat and Instagram because I posted it pretty much daily, so if you want to be a part of that, feel free to add me. Dude, next video will be on the Lambo deal, so Brian, dude, thank you so much for this. I really appreciate it. Thank you guys for watching, and until next time.