Today we’d like to introduce you to Enrique Balcazar.
Enrique, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In 1985 a man by the name of Mike Nijjar purchased the ghetto apartments my family and I live in. This lucky break changed the course of my life forever. His brother Pete Nijjar came to my front door and encountered an aggressive single Latina mother that quickly started to give him a piece of her mind because now that they had purchased the building they decided to raise my mom’s rent $100.
I felt bad for this man because he never knew what he was walking into, LOL! Instead of this encounter going really bad, this intuitive man seen my mother’s potential to be a great Manager – SO SHE GOT HIRED TO MANAGE 200 apartments in Whittier and we got moved out of the HOOD!
I was a growing up fatherless, as the youngest of 3 kids, in the hood as an at-risk kid. My mother a Latina single mother which was proud and would not sign up for any government assistance hustled to sell AVON, JAFRA, SHAKLEE VITAMINS AND EVEN CLOTHES she would purchase wholesale in downtown LA and sell out of her van going to large apartment complexes and honking her horn so that women would come out and purchase on credit from her or cash.
This good fortune of Mike Nijjar and Pete Nijjar giving her this new job in a better area, impacted my life in many ways, and directed my drive and focus to learning everything I could about Real Estate. As a young fatherless Hispanic boy, seeing 200 rents of $400 to $500 each and watching my mom stuff bank deposit bags every 1st of the month made me realize that the poverty we were living in could be temporary if I so chose it to be. I became a young boy on a mission to learn about what I didn’t know and how others had more than us.
Fast forward after going through struggles in life, I thought I wanted to be an attorney but couldn’t afford it and didn’t have the support at home to stay in school. My mom expected me to work even through High School so I did, eventually deciding to work and make money rather than continue my education. As luck and fortune would have it later in life, I landed a job at a law firm and had a chance to see what I was missing out on. I also figured out that I wasn’t going to be able to afford a Law Degree nor did I have the time as now life expected me to earn money so I decided to pursue my Real Estate desires once again.
I got my Real Estate License in 1999 after failing my test the first time and breaking into tears thinking I had studied as much as I could and feeling like I never would pass the test. For me, the 2nd time was a charm!
Inspired by what I knew about Real Estate Investing and what the future now could be for me, I went into the professional with the drive of a gladiator and un insatiable relentlessness to help everyone I could buy or sell the property. I became the Top Realtor at PRUDENTIAL CALIFORNIA REALTY in 1999 as a rookie three months into the business and I held that ranking strong for the first eight years of my career until the market crash in 2008. Year after year, I ranked Top 1% in the nation or Top 10 in the organization in some aspects. But lessons are always right around the corner and my drive and skill could not prepare me for the Economic Tragedy that happened.
Fast forward again, I had to relearn things I didn’t know. Dusted off my Resume and started applying for REO Accounts in the Corporate Real Estate world. Landed some lucrative contracts with some Asset Management Companies and survived through one of the worst Real Estate Crashes in history.
Since then, I’ve been on a search of sorts to figure out this Capitalist American Game called Business! Being intuitive, curious, and serving to others who know have proven to be valuable traits in life. I’ve stumbled upon more fortune every time meeting great new Mentors to my life and business development or as the quote says that I so much believe in, “The harder I work, the luckier I get!” And the more blessing I receive.
I’ve struggled to reinvent myself and figure out a good path for my style of leadership and ultimate what I truly desire in life. This has to lead me to choose the right franchise businesses to invest in and call my own. Now in my next chapter of life, I start my own Franchise Real Estate company with First Team Real Estate and insurance company with Farmers Insurance to offer my 21-year book of clients solid service backed by the best network of products and policies available in Real Estate & Insurance.
Has it been a smooth road?
Growing up with no father figure in a rough neighborhood was the start of my life.
Having to work to help my single mother pay the bills rather than stay in school.
Moving out of the house at the age of 17 because I was so independent, I had to figure life out on my own. With no direction from any adult in my life, I had little to no vision or any opportunity insight.
Jumping from odd job to job to make ends meet from age 18 to 28.
Got my Real Estate License in 1999 and performed at top levels until the 2008 Real Estate crash made me lose it all. I had two foreclosures, two repossesses vehicles and filed BK in 2010 so that I could rebuild. I once heard something similar to this quote that I now developed based on my experience, “You have to make a million and lose it so that you can learn how to make and million and keep it!”
All the while, I got married in 1999 and had four kids from that year to 2008. Now in financial ruin, I also had to provide for a full-on family.
Learning to deal with Real Fear now that I experienced first hand how fragile life and business is and depends on policymakers and other economic factors. This has been the biggest emotional and psychological challenge in life to get going once again. These mindset challenges are the most challenging roadblocks any of us will have to overcome in life. It is the self-imposed challenges that are the most daunting and limiting to our abilities.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with First Team Real Estate & Farmers Insurance – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Now my Real Estate career has been mainly about Investment Real Estate, Cashflow Investing, Flip Investing, Land Development Investing, AND helping others buy their first home and prepare themselves to invest in rentals for their own retirement portfolio.
Insurance comes right alongside investing. The fact is having your assets insured sufficiently is just as important as investing in them. So to round out my desire to serve my clients at the highest degree I’ve gotten involved with finding the most reputable and stable insurance products for their lives. I offer my clients everything they need from Life insurance to commercial insurance for their apartment buildings and all the other regular insurances such as home and auto. But the biggest asset I feel I can be in the lives of my business owner clients is helping them with their business liability insurance needs and worker’s compensation insurance policies. As a business owner of three businesses, I myself and having have had a fully licensed, bonded and insured Construction Contractors Business I can tell you that taxes and insurance in California can be a BUSINESS KELLER if not done in the right way.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Born and raised in LA County cities, I love the eclectic diversity of our Southern Califonia counties. My dearest friend and LIFE COACH Calvin Chen is Chinese, my #1 Investor and Financier Shahin D. Ikezawa is Iranian, my best friend and business inspiration Brad Pearson is white, Robert Fragoso Flip Investor mentor and Hard Money Lender is Latino, one of my first major flip investment clients ever Delilah Antolini is Ethiopian. Only in Southern California can a young Latino boy from the hood, grow up and into a prosperous businessman that now creates jobs and is backed by so many nationalities and trust him to make the right moves on their behalf. Los Angeles is a melting pot of love and business!
Dislikes: Because we are such an attraction, the homeless problem is heartbreaking. To some extent, I believe its a big mixture of some drug addicts, some homeless and some mentally ill which is a recipe for ugliness to our cities and paints a horrible picture for visitors and vacationers.
Pricing:
- My heart and passion will always be with the Frist Time home buyers purchasing from $150,000 – $550000
- We serve as consultants & analyst for all types of Real Estate Investments from $500,000 to the millions
Contact Info:
- Address: 3030 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107 - Phone: 909-659-2164
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Steve Forbes and I, 309 Acre Development Project, Making the American Dream Come True
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