Today we’d like to introduce you to Brad Keyes.
Brad, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started out parking cars at the Beverly Hills Hotel and the W hotel in Westwood while in high school and also while attending UCLA. After college, I attended Loyola Law School in Downtown Los Angeles. My parents and I had been searching for an investment property that would also serve as my residence while attending law school, and my girlfriend at the time’s mother represented us in the purchase of a condo in Downtown LA. I was taken with the whole buying process, as I was a first year in law school studying real property and contracts. While I enjoyed my time as a valet, I knew that I wanted to find a job that would allow me the opportunity to advance my career while in law school.
After the transaction closed, I decided to get my real estate license, thinking it would teach me practical knowledge of real estate transactions that would eventually help me in my career as an attorney. I got my license in 2009, during the subprime mortgage crash. What I didn’t realize at the time was that by getting my real estate license, I had inadvertently protected myself since finding a legal job after the subprime mortgage crisis was extremely difficult. My brokerage experience not only helped me to ultimately secure a position as a real estate attorney, but it also allowed me to earn an income as a broker of distressed real estate, at a time when many of my classmates were unable to find legal work, despite having graduated law school AND passing the bar.
Fast forward to today, my legal practice combined with my brokerage has allowed me to experience real estate transactions from many lenses, shaping my own identity and approach to real estate.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Nothing worth doing comes without struggle. Real estate in LA is an incredibly competitive business. When I was just starting out, I was competing against real estate agents and brokers with 10, 20, 30+ years’ experience with much greater financial resources and the backing of large corporate brokerage houses. I was lucky to find mentorship from Martin Horwitz, who taught me litigation during and after law school, as well as from Michael Scott, from whom I earned my “doctorate” in real estate and with whom I still work today at Narvid Scott LLP. Their mentorship was critical in finding my stride and gave me and edge to compete.
Keyes Real Estate – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a real estate advisor first. My job is not just to identify a property to purchase or sell. It is to understand the needs of the client and to provide them with their best options to achieve their goals. Every transaction is unique – whether completed for a buyer or a seller, as a legal representative, a broker, a landlord, or a principal – whether it be financing, timing, diligence items with the property, title issues, etc. I learned how to navigate challenges the only way I really knew how which was by struggling through them. I am proud that through this struggle, we have developed a comprehensive approach to diligence which has helped me make a name for our brokerage.
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were just starting out?
Relationships are the most important part of life. If I was starting over, I would focus on creating more relationships. Creating and maintaining relationships has been the key component in any success that I have had. In the end, all we really have is our relationships with others, and it is important to make them great!
Contact Info:
- Address: Keyes Real Estate
5119 Eagle Rock Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90041 - Website: www.keyesla.com
- Phone: 310.367.3372
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradkeyesrealestate/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keyesrealestateLA/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/keyesreLA
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/keyesrealestatela/
Image Credit:
Mike Zent; Ryan Fenn
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