Connect
To Top

Meet Steve Kechichian of Signature Fine Estates in Pasadena

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Kechichian.

Steve, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started back in 2014 I was 24 years old when I passed my real estate license and wanted to get in the business because I wanted to be a Commercial Real Estate investor so I figured if I knew how the inside machine works it will help me connect with realtors, lenders and the right team find good deals for my self. I was inspired by my mentor Manny Khoshbin who started from nothing to building his commercial real estate empire.

It’s easy to have big dreams and goals about real estate and investing before getting into it. But as soon as you get in the business full time and you have no other source of income, reality hits you haha. So I got more realistic with my goals and figured it would take a little longer than I expected to be an investor.

My first two years I sold maybe 4-5 homes I was literally going to get out of the business because I had no money to pay my bills and I had no clients. It was hard to build a relationship with buyers and sellers at the age of 24-25 without any connections from my parents or family members. I even had personal friends buying homes with other people because I was new and they didn’t want to give me a chance. I kept failing and moving forward and I knew I can be good at this business only if I can hang in there long enough because most people quit in the first 2-3 years. In 2016 I sold 17 homes that were my breakthrough year I was at Rodeo realty at the time. In 2017 both my parents got sick and I had a very tough start because I Wasn’t focused. I didn’t sell anything for the first five months of 2017 and that was really hard financially and emotionally.

Once my parents recovered in mid-2017 I studied for my broker license and passed. Right after that, I studied for my Mortgage license and I Passed. I ended the last six months of 2017 great sold enough deals to make up the first six months and I also got my broker and mortgage license. Originally I wanted to open my own office to make 100% commission but things changed. I started doing good on my own in 2018 I opened my company Signature Fine Estates and my friends around started asking if they can join. Within six months to a year, I had seven agents without trying to recruit. I started changing my plans and decided to create systems and work ON the company instead of IN the company.

Now we have nine agents and about four agents that will be signing up within the next month and my focus will be to grow the Real Estate company. We provide 100% commission and Free marketing to our agents. It never made sense to pay brokers a split when the agent is doing all the work. I recently opened up my own mortgage company as well as Signature Home Lending. I have a passion for the mortgage industry and they both feed each other and this way I can grow both companies and help as many families as we can as a team.

2019 was the best year so far and we are confident that 2020 will be even better. We are starting to do weekly meetings and train our new agents with all the updated information and tools they need to help them close more deals and net more money by helping our community.

We don’t need a big team to grow the company I believe we need the right team that is focused, dedicated and has a work ethic. Success attracts success. The more deals my company is closing the more people I am attracting. Clients don’t choose the realtor for the company they work for. They choose the realtor because of their personality and trust. A lot of agents are attached to their company name and I think they need to understand that they need to grow their own brand and maximize the commission they make from the company they work for and that’s why we offer the 100% commission.

My mortgage company is been doing amazing since I got in the industry I literally finance 90% of my buyer’s purchase and do a lot of refinances helping my clients save on their rates, fees, and payments. A lot of people told me not to open my real estate company and not to do loans together. Then I realised they haven’t done either one so I didn’t listen to them. I took the risk and it been one of my best decisions I have ever made.

I teach all my agents the ins and out of the business based on my experience which helps them relate to the strategies and plans I share with them. I have worked in these companies: 1. Dilbeck 2. NestSeekers 3. Keller Willaims. 4. Rodeo Realty. I consider my self a very driven and motivated individual at the age of 29 (going to be 30 in Jan 4) I have a passion for the real estate and mortgage business and many people are in it just for the money and that’s what separates me from others.

My goal is to become a commercial real estate investor and have a 100 unit portfolio by the age of 33-34.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has NOT been a smooth road. My first two years were the hardest and that’s when people usually get out of the business. I was 24 years old I had no clients and no connection to work with buyers or sellers. I had to suck it up and keep moving forward. I remember I was down to my last $500 in my bank account until I closed a deal and made $60k check that changed everything.

In 2017 when my parents got sick I didn’t sell anything for five months. The next six months when my parents recovered I ended the year making over six figure income in less than six months.

Signature Fine Estates – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Signature Fine Estates. Specializing in selling and buying residential real estate in LA county. My role is to mentor and train my agents based on my experience what worked and what didn’t. Always staying up to date with new tools and tech to help us become better and faster.

Signature Home Lending. My newest division in the company which is a residential mortgage company. Since my real estate company doesn’t take much of my time as it used to I am focused on my mortgage company more now. I enjoy it and I want to scale it. I am known for a Real Estate Broker. I want to recruit agents to help them make more money with our commission model and grow my mortgage company and help as many families as possible because I know our products will save our clients a lot of money and we are very competitive with our rates and we close loans on 15 days average.

I am proud of my team and how we all work well with each other. There are a lot of things I won’t be able to do without my team. It’s very important to have the right people on board. What sets me apart is I am always available to my agents and clients. I take my business very serious and I am always raising the bar. I want to have a company full of winners. I give all my “secrets” to my agents so they can become a better agent than I was by helping them not doing the same mistake I did and focus on what worked.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Proudest moment in my career is when I passed my broker license and got my mortgage license both in the same year. They are not easy test to pass. The broker was five hours and the mortgage test I believe three hours.

I am a high school drop out. I left in 10th grade and to me, this means a lot. I was born and raised in Lebanon I am Lebanese Armenian and I got to America in Set 9 2001 (two days before the 9/11) didn’t know English or anything.

Contact Info:

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in