October 23, 2024 • 45 mins
In Episode 9 of "Work Hard, Play Hard, and Give Back," host Mike Litzner sits down with top agent Luis Cardenas from our Hicksville office. Luis shares his inspiring journey from immigrating to the United States from Venezuela at age 13 to becoming a successful real estate agent and U.S. citizen. He discusses how his family motivateshim to excel and how he balances traditional and digital marketing, including unique video marketing strategies that help him stand out in the competitive real estate market.
Luis delves into his commitment to giving back, both through mentoring other agents in video marketing and his involvement with his church community. He also talks about investingin real estate, sharing his experiences buying investment properties and building a retirement plan. Tune in to hear Luis'sinsights on building a brand, the importance of passion in both work and family life, and don't miss his humorous take on Venezuelan arepas in our "Drop the Mic" segment!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Mike Litzner (00:06):
Hi and welcome to the Work Hard, play Hard and
Give Back a real estate podcast.
I'm Mike Litzner, broker ownerof Coldwell Banker American
Homes, and I'm here today withour guest, Louis Cardenas, one
of our top agents at ColdwellBanker American Homes Hicksville
location.
Welcome to the show, louis,thank you.
Thank you very much for havingme.
I appreciate it.
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely,absolutely.
So we are here at the studio atthe Franklin Square office and
(00:29):
I just want to remind our guests, before we get started, to like
subscribe and stick around forthe drop the mic question at the
end.
It's always a lot of fun.
Luis Cardenas (00:38):
So Louis.
Mike Litzner (00:38):
I want to jump into some good questions here
and share with the audience someof your background.
You know as a dynamic agent whoI see out there marketing and
really engaged in the businessof real estate.
Where do you find yourmotivation?
What drives you and pushes youto be at the top of your game
every day?
Luis Cardenas (00:53):
So I think it's family we were talking about
before, about being father oftwo little girls and having a
wife and, I think, more of aprovider.
I think it's just setting thestandards and I know they're
looking up to me for everythingthey do, especially because
they're growing up and they'reso young.
So I want to set the standardof.
You know, you got to work hardand you got to.
(01:13):
You got to push.
I saw something a couple daysago that um resonated with me.
It's kind of in relation tothey just came to my mind.
Yeah, um, it was.
It was workout related.
The guy was saying how mostpeople think that they need
motivation in order to work out,to get things started Right,
and so he said it doesn't workthat way.
Motivation doesn't work thatway.
He was talking about mostpeople need motivation to take
(01:37):
actions and then see results,and the reason he resonated is
because he broke it down theother way.
He said you first take actionand then you see results, and
that creates motivation to takemore action and then it becomes
a snowball, right, right.
So I got started.
They motivate me to kind of getmy butt out and put myself in
awkward situations, you knowbecause that's all we have to do
(01:59):
right.
we're unemployed every morningand we have to go out and and go
go hunt and that's themotivation to make sure that
they see somebody who earned it.
Yeah.
Mike Litzner (02:11):
Well, it's a big role being dad, but it's
probably one of your favoriteones.
Luis Cardenas (02:16):
Yeah, for sure, yeah, yeah 100%.
Mike Litzner (02:19):
So you mastered really both traditional and
digital marketing.
What made me take notice issome of your unique marketing.
I'm kind of curious where doyou find your ideas?
How do you balance thetraditional marketing methods
with, maybe, a social media anddigital presence?
Luis Cardenas (02:36):
So I think the digital part or video part of it
.
It's all content 's.
All I mean, I think our livestogether is.
It's a piece of content and you, just I choose to showcase some
of it in front of a camera.
Yeah, that then goes into socialmedia today I'm doing a little
bit something a little bitdifferent.
I noticed that a lot ofrealtors put this and social
(02:59):
media um in the last couple daysand they just posted the front
of the, the newspaper, but theynever really went on detail
about.
What does the article say aboutthe market?
Some of the subjects that I talkabout in my more virtual
marketing are still real estatethings that I may have mailed
(03:20):
before or may have done a moretraditional postcard.
That same information justmakes it to video, where now
it's not the postcard speakingbut it's me speaking.
The content If your propertypossesses any of the following
traits, this could be theperfect year to sell.
If it's located on a main roadin poor condition, it lacks a
(03:41):
backyard, it has a poor layout,it's too close to a commercial
building, it has above averagetaxes, it's missing certificates
of occupancy, why sell now?
Well, traditionally, buyerspaid less for these properties
because they seem less desirable.
I always try to chase somebody,somebody that's better than me.
It's cool to be number one,right?
And it's cool to get that award.
(04:02):
I feel like that's that'sawesome, but I feel myself
better on a second place notbecause of anything more than I
always want to be chasingsomebody that's better than me.
I feel like that gains me moremomentum, and so I'm always
looking at people that are doingmore things out of the box than
I am, that are doing newerthings, that are doing things in
different markets the way thatI started selling Levittown
(04:23):
houses in video when they were350,000, it was because I was
looking at people selling realestate in Hollywood that were $5
million and how they were doingvideo and I tried to translate
that into our neighborhoods andinto our areas and that kind of
made a difference and that's how.
So looking outside of my network, looking outside of Looking at
(04:46):
what other people are doing andtry to not copy them but bring
them into my circle.
Mike Litzner (04:51):
Yeah, some ideas of what you're seeing.
You've had some really uniquevideos.
What's your favorite one?
Luis Cardenas (04:58):
I have, you know, I still I don't know how,
because you know, the funnything is, those videos are
always.
That's why you have to doeverything Right and not think
too much about what you have todo, because the ones that you
think are going to be a hit yeah, like, oh, my God, I delivered
that so well.
That was amazing.
This is going to be the onethat's going to get me to
stardom and those tank Right,right, but the ones ones you
(05:30):
think I'm just gonna do itbecause this is sort of an idea
that I had those are the onesthat get recognized.
So I did one once that peoplestill talk about.
This was years ago, duringcovid.
I actually presented an offerto a listing agent who does
video right and um, in order.
You know, it was a time wherepeople were getting 50, 60
offers right, it was you had tostand out somehow, and I said in
order for me to stand out andkind of highlight my buyers, but
at least get this guy to lookat my offer.
Because, you know, realistically, if you're getting 60 offers,
(05:51):
you're eyeing through some ofthem?
Yes, and I wanted to make surethat at least I got the shot
that the guy would pay attentionto me, and I jumped in a pool
full suit on yes, and I had mymother-in-law with one camera in
one side, my wife in another,my daughter in another, and
that's how I did it.
So a lot of people stillremember that one yes, exactly
exactly.
Mike Litzner (06:10):
There's one I was wondering what your dry cleaner
said to you when you broughtthat suit in afterwards.
Well, that wasn't my favoritesuit.
That was a suit that I don'twear much because I really
wanted to make sure that thechlorine, if it ruined it it was
worth it.
Yeah, it was worth it.
I got the accepted offer.
You did get the offer accepted,yeah.
Luis Cardenas (06:26):
and the guy called me and said you know, I
don't know who you are, butwe've got to do a deal together,
so let's work it out.
And we did.
And then we went through thatthe house needed a lot of work,
more work than the buyer waswilling to put on, and so they
ended up backing out anyway, outanyway.
Wow.
Mike Litzner (06:46):
but it set a precedent for me to kind of push
to push and do something out ofthe box, because I saw the
payoff on the at the end of theday, very much so, very much so.
So what's interesting is, aswe're talking about video and
some of your marketing ideas, um, you've actually volunteered or
put yourself out there for thecompany which we we respect.
We try to bring this culture atco-op bank american homes of of
we and us and giving andsharing, and you are actually
(07:09):
taking on the role of mentoringand teaching a class on video
and marketing.
What was that like?
Luis Cardenas (07:16):
I mean nerve-wracking the first time
because I never, you know,speaking for an audience, and it
was when we were in digital andeverybody went digital and we
had to do it to zoom, and that'swhen everybody was attending
the classes and there was, youknow, 200, 300 people in the
class.
So obviously it was veryhumbling to get the call and say
, hey, you, you, you can teachthese to put something together,
(07:38):
um, but it's more rewarding nowthat the classes are smaller
and people join and it's youknow, 15, 20 people in a class,
right, and then later on I getvideos from people saying, hey,
you know, I try this.
Or I see dev asher starting todo her own.
She attends my classes.
And then she said you know,what am I doing?
I should be doing what he does,right, right, so that's pretty
(08:00):
cool.
I was one of the lucky peoplethat took your last class, that
when you used to teach thesoaring to success class I was
the.
I was the last class that tookthat class you were, that's
right so before deborah shouldjoin yeah, before she did, and
then I took hers as well yeah soI saw both coin, both sides of
the coin, and and I alwaysthought, if you as a, as a
(08:20):
broker owner, would take time toteach us right, you know who
know what, am I not to do it?
There's a little bit of selfishin there, because if later on
I'm I'm making an offer or I'mI'm making an offer on somebody
else's listing and that personhappened to be on the other side
of the class, yeah, that mademe give me a little bit of
leverage.
So it's a networking thing,it's a giving back thing.
Mike Litzner (08:41):
I find that when you actually teach and share
your thoughts and ideas, itactually is a learning.
You start to hear your ownideas and it helps you organize
those thoughts, so you feel likeyou almost get internal growth
by giving.
I think there's something to besaid about karma too, like when
you give good out, it comesback to you.
(09:03):
So it's interesting.
So I got a real side questionhere.
Okay, so you were both at DebAsher's class and mine.
Now I'm sitting here and stuffand Deb's probably going to see
this.
Whose class was better?
Luis Cardenas (09:13):
You know, I think it's two different styles.
I liked your class betterbecause you are more of a
psychological person.
You break down the way thatpeople think and how to approach
that thought process and walkpeople to the answer that you
need, because sometimes I feellike a lot of times clients
(09:33):
don't even know what they wantat first.
They know they want a house orthey know they want to sell, but
they don't even know how thatall has to develop.
And sometimes you take thelisting on the spot and then the
listing goes live next week,but a lot of the times when you
become a real estateprofessional to them, they call
you much, much earlier than thatyeah, and so you start to peel
(09:53):
the onion little by little, andit takes a little bit of a
psychological presence to know,okay, this person is here and
they want to be here.
How do I get them there?
And I think that's what Ilearned the most about your side
of the.
That side is how to run abusiness?
Yeah, because, you come intoreal estate and you don't know
what you're doing, and you justknow that you've got to get
leads and you show houses andthen, before you know it, you
(10:15):
get a paycheck.
Mike Litzner (10:16):
Right, right.
I think a lot of people get inour business because they I hear
I like houses, you know thingslike that.
Luis Cardenas (10:23):
It's like okay, yeah, or it's freedom or it's
you know, you can make your ownschedule.
Mike Litzner (10:28):
Yeah.
Luis Cardenas (10:28):
And to most people that means I don't have
to work.
Mike Litzner (10:30):
Right and turns out.
You know it's a lot of work.
Luis Cardenas (10:33):
I was at my father-in-law's 70th birthday
party this Sunday yeah, theparty was from 1 to 3 in Glen
Cove and I have a listing inGlen Cove and I told my wife I
have to run out and I went at 230, had an appointment to go,
show that listing and come back.
So making your schedule yeah,allows me to make my own
schedule right.
Mike Litzner (10:52):
also, that means that I work yeah, all the time
somebody calls and.
I gotta run yeah, you know, Igotta run.
Well it's it's.
It's great that your wiferecognizes.
Luis Cardenas (11:01):
Yeah, you know that's probably one of the most
important things that I've everheard that I was lucky, that I
did before even knowing.
But it was marry the rightperson.
Yeah, that's right If they'renot in it to win it with you,
yeah.
And she sees that it's mypassion.
I mean, if I win the MegaMillions tomorrow, I'll just be
home more.
Mike Litzner (11:20):
Right.
Luis Cardenas (11:21):
To be with the girls more.
Right home more right to be withthe girls more right, but I'll
still be doing real estate,because real estate is what I
like doing.
I was one of the lucky peoplethat, at 25, realized okay, this
is what I should be doing withmy life so that's how old you
are when you when you started.
Mike Litzner (11:32):
I'm trying to remember when you started, but
uh yeah, so it was uh, 2013.
Luis Cardenas (11:36):
I wasn't 25, but that's when it started, because
I didn't get started in realestate like belly to belly, yeah
, with clients, uh, in thebeginning yeah, now we want to
share with our audience how youstarted.
I worked with these twobrothers, who I was lucky to
have as almost business mentors.
I worked in an office and theyencouraged me to get my license
and I kept saying, yeah, yeah,I'll get it, I'll get it.
(11:57):
And you know, they kept saying,they kept pushing me and pushing
me.
And then one Monday I showed upto the office and he said, okay
, from now on, monday, wednesday, friday you're not coming here
for the next three weeks, you'regoing to go to this office and
you're getting your license.
Um, and they paid me to do it.
So it was kind of like one ofthose things where people they
saw something in me that Ididn't even see yet, and um,
(12:18):
they paid for it, they paid forthe classes.
They almost forced me to go andthat's how I got started.
But it was to do um, bposbroker price opinions.
It was the time where there wasa lot of distressed properties
out there.
Still, yeah, yeah, and um,that's how I got started walking
properties and giving banks thevalue on their own portfolio,
and then later on is when Ireally started doing so did you
(12:40):
do appraisals, is that?
Mike Litzner (12:41):
what it was.
Luis Cardenas (12:42):
Yeah, they call it light, light appraisals,
that's what they call them.
That's kind of the the easiestway to understand what I used to
do.
Yeah, so I didn't work withclients directly.
I work with banks.
They were my client, okay allright, good, yeah.
Mike Litzner (12:55):
So what was the um mindset that transitioned from
the appraisal side of it to thesales side?
Luis Cardenas (13:01):
of it.
There was somebody at my churchthat knew that I had a license
because in order to do theselight appraisals you had to be a
real estate agent, which meantyou have to have a real estate
license.
So this person knew that I hada license and recommended me
their boss to buy a house.
And their boss moved from Ohio.
They knew nothing about LongIsland, they didn't have any
family here, they knew nothingabout anything.
So to them Hempstead and DeerPark were just two names.
(13:26):
But because they recommended meto their boss, I said I can't,
I have to do what I have to do.
So I went to my manager, Lisa,and I said to her okay, what do
I, what do I need to do?
I need, you know, I have thisclient and I've never sold a
house, but I have to do this forthese people, yeah.
And so she said you know, well,we got to show them houses,
find out where they were, andliterally every single step.
(13:46):
I would go back to Lisa like Ihired a gun, I was a mercenary.
I would literally say, okay,point the gun this direction and
shoot.
And she would say, okay, I didthat.
Okay, well, now this is a newtarget.
This is a new target and I soldthem a house.
I posted on Facebook like hey,just sold my first house.
You know great experience, orwhatever.
They saw the post and theycommented on it.
(14:08):
We would have never known thatit was your first house.
You did a great job.
Thank you so much for your help.
Or?
Mike Litzner (14:12):
whatever right?
Yeah, that's wonderful feedback, right yeah.
Luis Cardenas (14:15):
So I said to my wife I think this is cool, that
I did a good job and maybethere's something in here, and I
went back to doing myappraisals yeah, yeah nine
months later, those peoplecalled me again and say hey,
luis, we don't want to sell ourplace, but we want to buy
another one in a different town.
Okay, I said, wow, I mean, youknow that I'm not an expert,
right, I'm just getting started.
Yeah, and they were like no,you did great and we trust you
(14:37):
to help us again.
Yeah, and so when I finishedthat, I went back to my wife and
I said okay, the BPOs werestarting to come down because
all the distressed propertiesstarted to resolve themselves.
The market started changing.
I went to Hadassah and I said Ithink this is something that I
should look into, and Hadassahhas always been like that person
.
She knows that if I put my headinto it, I could have said no,
I'm gonna open up a car wash andshe would have been like do it
(15:03):
If that's that you touched on.
Mike Litzner (15:04):
so your first two sales were both for the same
person, right?
Luis Cardenas (15:07):
Yeah yeah.
Mike Litzner (15:08):
So you're questioning what they saw in you
, and there's a saying that I'veheard before that I love,
because it just resonates sowell.
But they say people don't carewhat you know until they know
that you care.
Right, and I think that's youjust hit on.
They said all right, we knowyou're inexperienced, but we
trust you Right.
Luis Cardenas (15:29):
And I think that's people.
Now, I think that's kind of mybrand.
I'm a whole believer that thatin order to succeed in this
business, you have to be a brand.
You're basically a walkingcoca-cola bottle, yes, and you
could be fanta, you could becold, you could choose whoever
you want to be.
Right, right, for me it's easyand people know me like I go out
and people know me like oh,that's your wife.
People recognize my wifebecause she's in my photos and
my videos and my social media,my kids as well, and part of it
(15:51):
is the honesty.
Part of it, I think, you go alot farther.
I tell everybody even now andI've been in business for a few
years now I'm not reallyconcerned about your transaction
right now.
I'm concerned about theirrelationship because I know
we're going to be friends for along time after here, right, and
then it's this transaction thatwill lead to the next
transaction, and thisrelationship will lead to the
next relationship, and I don'tknow who else you know, so I
(16:13):
have to do the right thing byyou, and then you know, whatever
you need from me will happen,because this is what I do for a
living, yeah, but it will leadto more of a relationship that
continues to develop.
Mike Litzner (16:33):
And that's what one deal turns into another deal
and realistically that's apipeline, right?
Yeah, well, I, I think peoplethink we're sales people and
that we're we're trying to sellthem stuff and in the reality,
you know, we talked about ourteaching point and our teaching
point has always been you getpaid a lot of money to help
people.
Yeah, so if you help peopleinstead of selling them first of
they're so much moreappreciative, you don't need to
sell them real estate.
Because real estate is such agreat investment they need a
roof over their heads.
(16:53):
It's just a valuable asset toown, so people want to own it.
So it's not really aboutselling them something.
It's about helping them makethe right choice.
It's a big investmentnavigating it through, so agents
that are successful who getthat part of it change their
focus.
They're the ones that becomethe great ones.
(17:13):
Because again word of mouthstarts to spread when you treat
them with care.
Luis Cardenas (17:20):
Yeah, I remember something you said probably one
of the few things that Iremember specifically that you
said in your class, and it wasbecause everybody's nervous in
the beginning, right Once I getthe lead and I'm in front of
that listing appointment, whatdo I say?
How do I know that I'm notgoing to say the wrong thing and
screw it up?
Yeah, and you said they don'tknow what you don't know.
Yeah, and that kind of openedup for me the whole thing.
Right, because I'm like okay,so just really need to know
(17:44):
where to go get the answer andcare that I wanna do the right
thing for them and theneventually it will happen.
And that's kind of.
I've carried the business thatway ever since.
You know, do the right thingand then everything is flowing.
Mike Litzner (17:58):
I know some agents like they get this mindset like
I don't wanna be in front of aperson and be embarrassed, I
don't know an answer.
So it's like they spend theirwhole career getting prepared,
right, but at a certain pointit's like you know you got to
step in the batter's box if youwant to get ahead and there's
something so powerful abouttelling your client?
Luis Cardenas (18:17):
you know that's a great question.
I don't know, but I know whereto get the answer.
Let me get back to you in twominutes and then you shift the
dynamic into I don't know andI'm on the lower side to I don't
know everything.
I mean, I don't think peopleexpect you to know everything.
You go to a doctor and asurgeon doesn't tell you right
away what they you know.
They do tests and then they saywe're gonna call you back.
(18:38):
So the same way we're, I don'tthink we're expected to know
everything that they used toknow.
Because off the top of yourhead, off the top of your head,
because a transaction is thesame one every single time.
That's something that I cover onmy um, on my buyers
consultation.
I say I, I show them the stepsof the sale and I go.
But there's humans on this sideof the transaction and there's
humans on that side of thetransaction and your situation
(18:59):
and their situation are going tobe completely different
depending on what kind of housewe get.
Yeah, so because it's humans,the transaction, the steps are
all the same, but it may takesix months and then sometimes
three months.
There may be things that changethroughout.
So every time it's going to bedifferent and we just have to
figure out how to get to theother side.
Right, exactly, yeah, Exactly.
(19:20):
Yep.
Mike Litzner (19:20):
So I want to pivot a little bit, because I know
you have a kind of unique path,not only into real estate but
even to the United States.
So it's.
Am I correct?
Is that in the last, was it twoyears ago?
About a year and a half ago,you were actually officially a
citizen?
Luis Cardenas (19:37):
Yeah, I think it's going to be two years, I
actually get to vote for thefirst time in this election,
okay, so, yeah, I mean it's veryexciting, so where did you grow
up?
I grew up in Venezuela.
Okay, when I came here, we wererare.
You didn't hear aboutVenezuelans too much.
There was another guy in myschool that just happened to be
in the school, and then us.
(19:58):
How old?
were you.
When you came to the UnitedStates, I was 13.
Okay, I was 13 when I came.
My father grew up here and thenhe went back to Venezuela.
When I came, my father grew uphere and then he went back to
Venezuela, I mean, and then hedid you know, adult life over
there.
And then when things got uglyover there, he kind of foresaw
what was gonna happen and camehere first, yeah, yeah.
And then I came a year laterwith my mom and my sister, okay,
(20:19):
Venezuela.
Mike Litzner (20:20):
they speak Spanish correct?
Yeah, they do, all right.
So were you bilingual?
You taught two differentlanguages?
Luis Cardenas (20:25):
No, so because over there I didn't, but because
I had almost a head start thatI knew I was coming.
My mom kind of got us into alittle bit of English classes so
we wouldn't come here calledTurkey.
But I remember on the flighthere I remember the guy was
asking us in English it was anAmerican Airlines flight and on
(20:45):
the way here he was asking whatI wanted to drink.
And I had taken classes and Iwas so nervous that I had no
idea what he was saying.
All I kept saying was orangejuice.
So I don't know if you know,luckily he had it.
You know that's kind of like Ilearned that, but I didn't.
I came here and I think thesystem here had enough tools
(21:05):
where we came that we justlearned and, as you can tell,
I'm very chatty.
I think that's what I'msupposed to be doing, just
talking to people.
And I couldn't help myself, andI had to learn to be able to
express myself.
I felt like those five, sixmonths in the beginning when
you're just getting your witsabout you with the language.
I was bottled up ready to burstbecause I couldn't speak.
(21:28):
I'm a very social person.
I like being in socialsituations, yeah, yeah.
So I think that propelled me tobefriend other people and kind
of learn.
Mike Litzner (21:37):
Yeah, so, outside of the language, what were the
biggest challenges as a teenagercoming over?
Luis Cardenas (21:42):
I think, just assimilating into the culture.
Kids in school are pretty crueland you don't want to be on the
thick end of that.
Yeah, yeah.
So just try to assimilatequickly.
That was probably the hardestpart.
My story was a little bitdifferent.
So when I came, my fatherbrought us and then six months
later he died.
Okay, so he had lung cancersoon after we came, okay, and he
(22:08):
wasn't sick for very long.
It was only two months from themoment he was diagnosed to the
moment he passed.
Yeah, so couple the newness ofbeing in a new country with the
fact that you lose your father.
It kind of sets you, you know,it suburbs you up, I guess, in
the moment.
And I was lucky to have a greatmom.
Yeah, she went to work.
She asked us in the hospitalthat he's not gonna make it,
(22:29):
basically.
So he had a clear conversationwith us and said you, we have
the chance to go back tovenezuela to our family, or we,
or we can stay, yeah, and if westay it's gonna be tough, right.
And she said and we, my sisterand I, looked at each other like
we want to stay, yeah, and sheworked hard and you know I never
went without.
I started working early.
(22:50):
That kind of showed me a littlebit of a work ethic.
Yeah, because I had to get ajob at a deli when I was you
know 14 sucking bottles andmaking sandwiches and then being
in charge of the deli for alittle bit yeah, so you know you
grow up and it teaches yourresponsibility yeah, yeah so
just I think assimilating isprobably the hardest thing for a
kid at that age.
Yeah, then again you know, girls, friends, high school, what's
(23:12):
not to love?
Right, right, right exactly, soit's a new experience and you
just you know it's just pushedyes.
Mike Litzner (23:18):
Yeah, Now I know there was a ceremony for your
citizenship.
Luis Cardenas (23:22):
Yeah, how citizenship.
Mike Litzner (23:23):
Yeah, how is that?
That's got to be prettyrewarding, yeah, so you know you
cry a little bit.
Luis Cardenas (23:27):
I'm a little bit sentimental guy and I you know
it's an incredible experiencebecause you just don't get a
citizenship.
They do a background check andthey do a lot of stuff to make
sure that you're not.
You know they're not gonnaaccept somebody into the country
.
That's not supposed to be here.
So there's a.
There's a lot of stuff that youhave to do, but then there's a
test and when you go to aninterview and they give you 50
questions and you have to learna lot of stuff that I probably
(23:49):
didn't even remember from highschool, yeah, but basically,
once you go to the interview andthey ask you five of those 50
questions and then you pass, andthen they say, ok, you passed.
You know you're going to getsome paperwork in the mail, yeah
.
And then you go to the swearingand once you pull up to the
chair where they have all thepaperwork for you, there is
stuff about registering to voteand other things about the
(24:10):
United States and there's alittle flag on top of it.
Yeah, oh, very cool.
Mike Litzner (24:14):
Yeah, it was really awesome.
Luis Cardenas (24:16):
I had to do it by myself.
My family wasn't there, becauseit was those times where people
were spread out and all thatyeah.
But it was incredible, it wasgreat and you, you know, just
don't take it for granted, man.
I came here because of apolitical situation in my
country and now I get to makethe difference and shape, maybe
(24:37):
not our immediate future, butdefinitely for my kids.
Mike Litzner (24:41):
With that experience, how would you advise
someone else who's walking thatpath now?
What advice would you, you know, advise someone else who's
who's walking that path now, youknow what?
What advice would you sharewith them?
Luis Cardenas (24:51):
so it's.
It's.
That's a hard question, becauseyou know so.
Obviously, once you become anamerican and once you've
assimilated into the culture,you understand.
I understand the, the good andthe and the and the bad of the
country, and I still think thisis the greatest country on earth
.
Just like every human and everycountry, they aren't perfect.
(25:13):
There are things that we stillneed to work out and I think
it's ever going to be perfect.
But it's very easy for me tosay, yeah, I'm an American now I
got in so close the door behindme.
So there is a little bit of asituation there where you have
to be understanding and you haveto be empathetic about other
people's situation.
Sure, more than thehumanitarian part of it, I think
(25:33):
there's a safety situation.
It can't be a free-for-all.
There has to be a system andthe system makes things go
smoother.
Right, you know there has to bemoney put into the system so
that it works.
Mike Litzner (25:44):
Yeah, but I think you, you, right now, there isn't
a system, so it just has tohappen.
Luis Cardenas (25:49):
No, it doesn't happen that way right, yeah,
like, how lucky are we and howgood our country works, that,
even with the influx of peoplethat we have, we still get to do
what we get to do.
Yes, and and most of us are notreally impacted directly by all
of this right, right,especially here in long island,
we don't really see it.
We're not in the southernstates or in other areas where
(26:10):
you have a hotel full ofmigrants, right, we don't see
that here in Long Island,exactly, but it's still part of
our country and it still needsto be resolved.
Mike Litzner (26:20):
So you've got a busy career and you're a family
man with a wife, two daughters.
How do you manage to juggle itall?
Luis Cardenas (26:29):
I think it goes back to passion.
It doesn't feel like work and Idon't like to say that,
especially to my clients Like,oh, I don't feel like I'm
working today.
Well, you're selling my houseand I expect you to do a good
job, but I think the word is Idon't feel like I'm laboring.
I'm lucky I get to work with mybrain and not with my hands,
(26:50):
even though sometimes you haveto move furniture for an old
lady because you have to get thehouse ready to sell.
So sometimes we have to do thatBecause I don't feel like I'm
working every day.
I get to do what I really liketo do every day.
If you call me right now andyou listen to my voicemail, my
voicemail says if I'm notanswering your call, I'm either
with a client or taking care ofmy family.
That's what I like to do.
(27:10):
I'm lucky that I don't have toget up at five o'clock in the
morning and do something that Idon't want to do.
So even though I was at myfather-in-law's having fun with
my family and I had to leavethere to go do something real
estate related, it wasn't like Iwas kicking and screaming all
the way to the listingappointment.
I still like to go showproperties.
I still like to chase.
I still like to chase yeah,because you never know what's on
(27:32):
the other side of thatconversation.
If I showed up to that showingand then that person said to me
I'd love to rent your unit, butI also, the reason why I'm
moving is because I got to sellmy place loose would you take a
look at my place?
I mean, that's like that's theconversation that everybody
wants to hear, and I've hadthose.
Mike Litzner (27:46):
Yeah, yeah.
Luis Cardenas (27:47):
So, because I'm so passionate about real estate
and I'm so passionate about myfamily, whether I'm doing one of
those two, I'm happy and Ithink that's where I'm at.
Mike Litzner (27:58):
So what's one thing you do with your family
that actually helps you rechargefor real estate?
You need the downtime.
Luis Cardenas (28:07):
Yeah.
Mike Litzner (28:07):
What's your passion with your family?
Luis Cardenas (28:09):
the girls are old enough now that they're
independent enough that they cancome along and and be part of
it.
You know, I feel like we don'tgive them an ipad and sit over
there.
Right, we're gonna do, we'regonna do, they're, they're part
of it.
They hang out and they, theycarry themselves.
Well, yeah, right now,specifically right now, the
thing that we do to recharge iswe go to HomeGoods.
Because, we just bought a houseRight, right and it seems like
(28:29):
any time that we go to HomeGoods, Target or whatever, yeah, To
me, obviously to me it doesn'tmatter what we do, as long as we
do it together.
Yeah.
As long as we're hanging outtogether, we could be in the car
driving around.
We just had a four-day longweekend, yeah, long weekend,
(28:53):
yeah, and I was dropping themoff to school this morning and
I'm like man, I'm gonna miss youtoday because we spent, you
know, a better part of four daystogether.
Yeah, um, and we did a bunch ofstuff.
We did the girl.
The girls like shopping.
They don't, they don't loveshopping, they don't get the
shopping thing yet.
Um, but they like hanging out.
We're very light-hearted, welike to hang out, we like to
have a good time.
We got to eat.
We maybe we get a little icecream in between.
Yeah, so everything with icecream is better, I guess, for
them, but as long as we'retogether, I think we're just
having a good time, okay, soyeah, that's great, that's great
(29:13):
.
Mike Litzner (29:14):
So with all the work and energy you put in to
both, I guess, family and work,um, how do you make time for
yourself?
Luis Cardenas (29:20):
I get up at 6, 40 or 5 40 depending on what the
schedule is in the morning, andI hit the gym okay, that's my
thing.
I used to and I found somerelationship in between going to
the gym and the motorcyclething, because it's the time
where you can't really have yourphone on you, right, and we
live by our phone.
Our business runs by our cellphones.
(29:42):
Yeah, so, going to the gym, Ilike classes, like guided
classes, where you just show upat a certain time, you're there
for an hour, you take the classand then it's over because it's
scheduled and it allows me to doit, yeah, in a way that where I
can't say, oh, you know what,I'll go later, 15 minutes, 20
minutes, and before you, youknow you don't go.
Yes, exactly, um, so thatthat's me time.
(30:02):
Yeah, I feel like it's gonnahelp me.
It helps me mentally, it helpsme get my day started earlier.
It's also adult time.
There's this different circleof friends there that show up
every day for the same purposeyeah, getting up in the morning,
going to the gym is being my.
I haven't been doing it for toolong, I think it's only been
like four or five years, so Ididn't grow up that way.
My father wasn't, you know,health not, or my mother was it
(30:26):
but I found that that space andbusinesses come from it.
Right, because they come there.
You become their realtor, yes,the group, yeah.
And then who doesn't want to doit?
There's something sexy aboutreal estate that everybody wants
to know.
How's the market?
I saw the video.
You posted this and that andjust you become the guy for that
, just as much as the accountantis the accountant for the group
(30:48):
, right, right.
So, yeah, the gym is my thing,and when it's warm out, I grab
harley and I and I go out for alittle bit.
Mike Litzner (30:56):
So, all right yeah , that's, you're a harley guy
yep yep, all right, very cool.
Luis Cardenas (31:00):
Yeah, that's the only thing that I was allowed to
get because, uh, if I gotsomething faster than that, I
probably wouldn't have beenallowed to get it so with the
idea that it was a harley, thatit was slow, yeah I was able to
get a motorcycle.
Mike Litzner (31:11):
Well, you gotta be careful yes yes.
Tell me a story about that,what it's like on the road,
driving, getting hit in theteeth with bugs, the go-to
comment when I tell people thatI ride a motorcycle is oh,
please be careful.
Luis Cardenas (31:23):
It's so dangerous out there and it is.
But my most dangerous moment inthe bike was not from another
driver, it was from I was ridingand I got stung by a wasp.
That's terrible.
I wasn't going that fast, I wason a regular road, but I felt
and I knew it was a wasp notbecause I saw it, because you
(31:44):
don't really see anything comingat you, right, I just felt this
sting.
And when you're riding amotorcycle, if I got hit by a
wasp right now, or I saw it onme, I would probably freak out
and run away and be able to getrid of it.
Right, the thing about thishappening on a harley is that
you're holding on for your lifeso you don't fall off, and you
know that something's in yourshirt crawling around.
So obviously I feel this thing.
(32:06):
The reason why I knew it was awasp is because once I pulled
over and I kind of looked to seewhat it was, I saw this thing
that, uh, that, uh, that a waspwould leave.
Mike Litzner (32:14):
He got you good, huh, he got me good.
Luis Cardenas (32:15):
Every time I ride .
Now I just wear a shirt.
I buckle my top button sonothing climbs in through here
anymore.
Mike Litzner (32:22):
Yeah, there you go .
That's how I think he got in.
Yeah, you learned that lessonin the hard work right.
Luis Cardenas (32:27):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's not something you can
learn in a defensive drivingcourse.
Mike Litzner (32:31):
Exactly, we talk a lot about giving you know, so
we work hard, play hard.
We give back Any specificcharities or community
organizations that were near anddear for you.
Luis Cardenas (32:42):
Not necessarily other than the Heart of American
Homes, which I gladly everycheck that we get.
We give back a little bit, yeah, so that's awesome because I
know it goes to a good cause.
Yeah, and I love that.
Yeah, but I grew up in churchthat's kind of where my
community is and for a long timebefore I got into real estate
like really busy I played drums.
(33:04):
That's kind of one of myattributes, I guess, and I
played drums for about 15 yearsevery Sunday in my church and so
, even though I don't get to doit every Sunday now, I did it
this past Sunday, okay.
So whenever there's somebodythat's sick or they need to make
arrangements and they needsomebody, they ask me and that's
(33:25):
how I give back a little bit ofmy time.
Oh, awesome.
So this Sunday I got to do itand the month I have another
time that they need me again andI get to do that.
All right great.
Mike Litzner (33:35):
So what's your jam basically?
Luis Cardenas (33:37):
They have an electric drum set, so that's a
little bit different.
It's a smaller church.
Mike Litzner (33:40):
Yeah.
Luis Cardenas (33:42):
But I love doing that.
It's something that I don't getto do often now, and when I get
to do it, it's super rewarding.
Yeah, leading a group of peopleinto worship, it's kind of a
powerful thing.
Yes, it's very humbling.
And it's another thing that Iget to do that it's not I'm not,
I'm me.
(34:02):
I'm not dad or I'm notsomebody's realtor, I'm not a
husband, I'm just me, yeah, andI get to enjoy that.
So it's a really cool thing todo Very much.
Mike Litzner (34:12):
Very cool, very cool.
Obviously, as you volunteer tobe part of our training program,
you actually are helping, yeah,and donating your time and
expertise to other agents, sothat's got to be rewarding in
its own way, yeah for sure.
Luis Cardenas (34:26):
It's a video class, right?
So I'm training people how tocome out of their shell and yeah
, and and explain to them why inthe logical way, but also show
them through my journey how Iwas able to do it.
If I was able to do it, whywouldn't anybody else?
We all have the same skill set.
Basically, you just have toshow up and be in front of the
camera and be, vulnerable enoughto put yourself out there and
(34:50):
not seek perfection.
I remember I played around withvideo for six months and after a
while I said how long am Igoing to do this for?
And so when you try to getpeople to make that leap, and
then you see them do that lateron and they say hey, luis, I did
my first video.
I got my listing because of avideo I put out or you know and
within the company, which isreally awesome.
(35:12):
It feeds me back to continue todo what I like to do.
It goes back to the whySometimes you put out so much
information out there on an hourand a half class and you hope
that something hits home andthen three months later,
somebody tells you that theywere successful because it's
something that I told them to do.
So that's very, very rewarding.
Mike Litzner (35:33):
You recently bought your current home, but
that was actually your secondhome purchase correct yeah.
About a year or so, or a yearand a half, you actually bought
your first house.
Luis Cardenas (35:41):
Yeah.
So what was that experiencelike?
That was an investment house,right, man, everything that I
bought, yes, so everything thatI bought so far has been like
miracle after miracle.
And so the reason I I'm notgoing to take too long, I, and
so the reason I I'm not going totake too long, I'm going to try
to shorten this story as muchas I can, okay, but just to show
you the kind of situations thatwe're getting to real estate.
So the reason I came acrossthat listing or that property
(36:04):
Right, I was selling a studio inQueens.
Okay, it was a very difficultplace to sell because it was in
a building that was not verynice, but it was priced well, I,
for 160 000, that's what youcan get right, right, and then
so this older gentleman wouldwalk to the showings.
He would only come to look atthe place at the open house, and
(36:26):
it had maybe six open houseswhen I was selling that place.
Yeah, he showed up maybe threetimes.
Okay, with a backpack on, turnsout he would come in look at it
.
He's like I'm really interested, I, I really like it.
He came back the next weekendagain and I would say you know,
do you want me to show it?
I can show it to you privately.
We don't have to wait until theopen house.
No, no, no, when you're there,I'm coming.
Good, anyway, finally hedecides to make an offer.
(36:50):
We put interesting, because howis this guy going to be able to
afford this place if he doesn'tdrive?
I mean, yeah, there's got to bea reason, right, right, turns
out, um, he came to the office.
He wouldn't let me pick him up.
He, he took publictransportation to the office and
we sat down because we had to.
It was a co-op and we had toexplain to the co-op that he
could afford the place, right.
So he came with a like four orfive different pieces of paper.
(37:13):
You know, I had to sit there andand figure out, like a
financial advisor, why this guywas able to afford, you know,
with social security and anannuity, and this turns out the
guy was worth a million dollars.
Okay, he had a quarter, aquarter million dollars here on
this annuity.
He had a hundred thousand herein the bank.
He had this and this and thatand then he had a property that
was paid off, right, okay.
(37:34):
So I asked him the property,what are you going to do once
you're going to sell that?
I would love to get theopportunity to sell that once
you move Right.
You know, trying to pitchmyself in that job right, yeah,
you're there.
And he said to me well, if youknow any investors, you know I
would love to sell the rightthing by him.
And I wasn't listening.
(38:01):
He kept telling me he didn'twant to deal with anybody.
That's why he didn't want to.
He wanted to do something, acertain way, and I said to him
well, but an investor is notgoing to pay you top dollar for
your place, and if it's a niceplace, you know, let's open it
up, let's put it out there inthe market so that you can get
as much money for it as possible.
Just trying to do the rightthing, yeah, and I don't want to
do that.
You know this, this, this, this, this, and that I don't want to
(38:23):
, just an investor.
And then, in passing, I saidmaybe I'll buy it from you and
because I'd helped them out,yeah, and.
And so he told me, after sometime talking and figuring out
how we're going to get him theplace, he told me that he had
gone to other apartments.
My apartment wasn't the onethat he necessarily wanted, but
because I gave him time of dayand I took the time to figure
(38:46):
out how he could afford it, alot of people kept dismissing
him when I said to him I wouldlove to, maybe I'll buy it,
because I was starting to thinkabout becoming an investor.
He said you would and I saidyeah, yeah, I mean I'd love to
abide as a rental property,right, I went to look at the
place, I saw it and I knew itwas worth.
You know, whatever it was worthright and I did the numbers and
(39:08):
the offer that I could make andwas a lot lower than what I
thought it was worth right and Iavoided him for two months.
Mike Litzner (39:14):
Wow, to the point you were afraid to make an offer
.
I was afraid to make an offer.
Luis Cardenas (39:17):
I want to insult him I yeah, so, and because I
knew the situation, he was inand I kind of wanted, you know,
I wanted to get him, whatever hewas.
You know he was due, right.
And uh, he finally called meand put me in the corner and
said lewis, um, you either gonnabuy the place and make me an
offer or we got to sell it,right?
And I said look, I've been inborneo for a little while.
(39:37):
This is my offer.
And he said for you, fine, youcan have it for that much.
Wow.
And then in that moment I said Ishould have offered 25 000 less
, but I got a pretty good dealon it and that was my first, um,
my, that was my firstexperience buying a property.
I didn't buy anything this yearbecause I've got my own, but we
(39:58):
have.
You know, it's something thatbrian says all the time, brian
carp.
So you know, we have basicallythe keys to the kingdom.
We know how to create wealth.
Yeah, and I've been encouragedby you and tom to push to find
it and figure out a way.
Yes and um, in my family, mywife and I've joked around that
we have a 20-year plan.
It's, you know, one a year for20 years.
Mike Litzner (40:19):
That's how I plan to retire, yeah, yeah.
Luis Cardenas (40:21):
So my first year was last year, when we come up
with the family motto one a yearfor 20 years and I plan on
getting at least one rentalproperty a year, great plan
Until I turn 55 and then it's afantastic you know, fantastic uh
.
Mike Litzner (40:38):
Retirement plan, yeah, real estate you know it's
wealth building yeah, it's atremendous opportunity.
Luis Cardenas (40:41):
So, and I think everybody, everybody should I
tell everybody that wants tosell their place are you sure
you don't want to keep it andrent it?
And for most people they're,they're not landlords most.
You have to have a certainpersonality and you have to have
a certain yeah, a thick skin todeal with the things that could
go wrong when you own property,right, um, and when you have to
deal with the things that couldgo wrong when you own property
and when you have to deal withtenants.
But everybody, I think, shouldhave at least one that they can
(41:01):
pass on to their kids, becauseit's not something you have to
labor for.
We live in a country.
It goes back to America and oureconomic system, whatever you
have to say about it.
If you tell me that I could putin the grant $1,000 today and
20 years from now it's going tobe twenty thousand dollars, why
wouldn't I do that, right?
Well, the same thing happenswith real estate, exactly, and
(41:22):
you can leverage money that youdon't have right to get a payoff
, that's, you know, 10x, 20years from now, exactly,
whatever that is all right.
Mike Litzner (41:31):
Well, audience is listening.
If you need investmentproperties, yeah, you should
have one.
Yes, yeah, lewis is here and uh, he's got his own personal
experience in managing it andcan give you advice.
So it's time for the drop themic question excited for this
one all right.
So yeah, obviously you'reoriginally from venezuela.
Can you survive without a repas?
(41:52):
Am I saying that right?
Luis Cardenas (41:54):
uh, yeah, yeah can I survive without them?
Uh, I don't think I can I'm I'mnot a huge arepa eater like I
don't.
I don't, you know, crave them,but my wife makes the most.
My wife is american.
She was born here yeah herfather is from guatemala and her
mother is brazilian, so notvenezuelan at all, right, um,
(42:15):
and she's learned how to makethem.
My daughters asked for them.
Can you tell our audience whatan arrepa is?
Sure, so it's a, it's acornmeal.
Um, closest thing I could sayit would be like a tortilla, but
it's thick.
Yeah, you know, it's yourtortilla.
You imagine it would be verythin?
Yeah, this would be, let's say,four times that, okay, and it
has a.
It's a different taste than, uh, than a tortilla, but it's the
(42:36):
same core meal idea, right, andyou slice it in the middle like
a sandwich, okay, and you canput chicken and you can put
steak.
It's basically a vessel rightfor anything that you love to
eat.
So in the morning we have itwith scrambled eggs and cheese,
right, and then at night you canhave them with steak and, uh,
you and cheese.
So it's better than a sandwich.
(43:00):
It's healthy actually becauseit's not fried or anything it's
baked.
So yeah, it's one of thoseVenezuelan goodness that you
really need to try to have atleast once in your life.
Mike Litzner (43:14):
There you go.
I actually have never tried it,oh yeah, and I'm going to lean
on you.
You've got to try to have atleast once in your life.
There you go.
Luis Cardenas (43:16):
I actually have never tried it.
Mike Litzner (43:17):
Oh yeah, and I'm going to lean on you.
You've got to introduce me toit.
Luis Cardenas (43:20):
I'm going to take you to the place, all right.
Mike Litzner (43:22):
We've got a place for that.
So what else is something fromyour home country that we don't
really have here that you miss?
Luis Cardenas (43:32):
That I miss.
I miss my family.
I don't have that here, but theweather yeah, the weather is
the weather in the city whereI'm from.
It's like the.
Caracas, okay, yeah, it's thecapital city of Venezuela.
Okay, and because I came hereso young I didn't realize how
good it was, I mean, I didn'thave.
(43:53):
You know, you have sort ofperspective, right.
If you live always in New york,you think this is what weather
is like, right, right, um.
But if you live in threedifferent places, but what I've
heard that's closest to theweather over there is kind of
like san diego, it's likeperfect temperature yeah um,
over there they don't haveseasons, they have two seasons
it's a rainy season and the dryseason.
(44:14):
So for some part of the year itrains more than the other.
Okay, but it's like dry, crisp,warm, you know weather, that
you go out and you don't sweat.
Mike Litzner (44:26):
Yeah, but you still feel warm.
It's pretty close to theequator, right?
Luis Cardenas (44:28):
Yes, yes, it's right above the equator.
Mike Litzner (44:31):
So where are?
Luis Cardenas (44:31):
the ocean that's right above it.
It's the Caribbean Ocean, okay.
So where are the ocean that'sright above it?
It's the Caribbean Ocean, okay.
So if you've ever gone to Aruba, you can see from the most
southern part of Aruba you cansee Venezuela, okay.
So if you know the Arubanweather, that's the weather over
there.
Mike Litzner (44:47):
That's the Caracas Yep.
Very good, Very good.
Well, Luis, I really appreciateyou sharing yourself your
expertise today with ouraudience.
If someone wants an investmentproperty or to sell a house, how
do they reach you?
Luis Cardenas (45:02):
Probably Instagram Social media is the
easiest place At.
Listed by Lewis, that's me or516-881-0126.
That's the easiest way to findme Awesome.
Mike Litzner (45:13):
All right, excellent, excellent.
Thank you again for taking thetime to be part of our show
today.
Luis Cardenas (45:17):
Thank you for having me.
Hi and welcome to the Work Hard, play Hard and
Give Back a real estate podcast.
I'm Mike Litzner, broker ownerof Coldwell Banker American
Homes, and I'm here today withour guest, Louis Cardenas, one
of our top agents at ColdwellBanker American Homes Hicksville
location.
Welcome to the show, louis,thank you.
Thank you very much for havingme.
I appreciate it.
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely,absolutely.
So we are here at the studio atthe Franklin Square office and
(00:29):
I just want to remind our guests, before we get started, to like
subscribe and stick around forthe drop the mic question at the
end.
It's always a lot of fun.
Luis Cardenas (00:38):
So Louis.
Mike Litzner (00:38):
I want to jump into some good questions here
and share with the audience someof your background.
You know as a dynamic agent whoI see out there marketing and
really engaged in the businessof real estate.
Where do you find yourmotivation?
What drives you and pushes youto be at the top of your game
every day?
Luis Cardenas (00:53):
So I think it's family we were talking about
before, about being father oftwo little girls and having a
wife and, I think, more of aprovider.
I think it's just setting thestandards and I know they're
looking up to me for everythingthey do, especially because
they're growing up and they'reso young.
So I want to set the standardof.
You know, you got to work hardand you got to.
(01:13):
You got to push.
I saw something a couple daysago that um resonated with me.
It's kind of in relation tothey just came to my mind.
Yeah, um, it was.
It was workout related.
The guy was saying how mostpeople think that they need
motivation in order to work out,to get things started Right,
and so he said it doesn't workthat way.
Motivation doesn't work thatway.
He was talking about mostpeople need motivation to take
(01:37):
actions and then see results,and the reason he resonated is
because he broke it down theother way.
He said you first take actionand then you see results, and
that creates motivation to takemore action and then it becomes
a snowball, right, right.
So I got started.
They motivate me to kind of getmy butt out and put myself in
awkward situations, you knowbecause that's all we have to do
(01:59):
right.
we're unemployed every morningand we have to go out and and go
go hunt and that's themotivation to make sure that
they see somebody who earned it.
Yeah.
Mike Litzner (02:11):
Well, it's a big role being dad, but it's
probably one of your favoriteones.
Luis Cardenas (02:16):
Yeah, for sure, yeah, yeah 100%.
Mike Litzner (02:19):
So you mastered really both traditional and
digital marketing.
What made me take notice issome of your unique marketing.
I'm kind of curious where doyou find your ideas?
How do you balance thetraditional marketing methods
with, maybe, a social media anddigital presence?
Luis Cardenas (02:36):
So I think the digital part or video part of it
.
It's all content 's.
All I mean, I think our livestogether is.
It's a piece of content and you, just I choose to showcase some
of it in front of a camera.
Yeah, that then goes into socialmedia today I'm doing a little
bit something a little bitdifferent.
I noticed that a lot ofrealtors put this and social
(02:59):
media um in the last couple daysand they just posted the front
of the, the newspaper, but theynever really went on detail
about.
What does the article say aboutthe market?
Some of the subjects that I talkabout in my more virtual
marketing are still real estatethings that I may have mailed
(03:20):
before or may have done a moretraditional postcard.
That same information justmakes it to video, where now
it's not the postcard speakingbut it's me speaking.
The content If your propertypossesses any of the following
traits, this could be theperfect year to sell.
If it's located on a main roadin poor condition, it lacks a
(03:41):
backyard, it has a poor layout,it's too close to a commercial
building, it has above averagetaxes, it's missing certificates
of occupancy, why sell now?
Well, traditionally, buyerspaid less for these properties
because they seem less desirable.
I always try to chase somebody,somebody that's better than me.
It's cool to be number one,right?
And it's cool to get that award.
(04:02):
I feel like that's that'sawesome, but I feel myself
better on a second place notbecause of anything more than I
always want to be chasingsomebody that's better than me.
I feel like that gains me moremomentum, and so I'm always
looking at people that are doingmore things out of the box than
I am, that are doing newerthings, that are doing things in
different markets the way thatI started selling Levittown
(04:23):
houses in video when they were350,000, it was because I was
looking at people selling realestate in Hollywood that were $5
million and how they were doingvideo and I tried to translate
that into our neighborhoods andinto our areas and that kind of
made a difference and that's how.
So looking outside of my network, looking outside of Looking at
(04:46):
what other people are doing andtry to not copy them but bring
them into my circle.
Mike Litzner (04:51):
Yeah, some ideas of what you're seeing.
You've had some really uniquevideos.
What's your favorite one?
Luis Cardenas (04:58):
I have, you know, I still I don't know how,
because you know, the funnything is, those videos are
always.
That's why you have to doeverything Right and not think
too much about what you have todo, because the ones that you
think are going to be a hit yeah, like, oh, my God, I delivered
that so well.
That was amazing.
This is going to be the onethat's going to get me to
stardom and those tank Right,right, but the ones ones you
(05:30):
think I'm just gonna do itbecause this is sort of an idea
that I had those are the onesthat get recognized.
So I did one once that peoplestill talk about.
This was years ago, duringcovid.
I actually presented an offerto a listing agent who does
video right and um, in order.
You know, it was a time wherepeople were getting 50, 60
offers right, it was you had tostand out somehow, and I said in
order for me to stand out andkind of highlight my buyers, but
at least get this guy to lookat my offer.
Because, you know, realistically, if you're getting 60 offers,
(05:51):
you're eyeing through some ofthem?
Yes, and I wanted to make surethat at least I got the shot
that the guy would pay attentionto me, and I jumped in a pool
full suit on yes, and I had mymother-in-law with one camera in
one side, my wife in another,my daughter in another, and
that's how I did it.
So a lot of people stillremember that one yes, exactly
exactly.
Mike Litzner (06:10):
There's one I was wondering what your dry cleaner
said to you when you broughtthat suit in afterwards.
Well, that wasn't my favoritesuit.
That was a suit that I don'twear much because I really
wanted to make sure that thechlorine, if it ruined it it was
worth it.
Yeah, it was worth it.
I got the accepted offer.
You did get the offer accepted,yeah.
Luis Cardenas (06:26):
and the guy called me and said you know, I
don't know who you are, butwe've got to do a deal together,
so let's work it out.
And we did.
And then we went through thatthe house needed a lot of work,
more work than the buyer waswilling to put on, and so they
ended up backing out anyway, outanyway.
Wow.
Mike Litzner (06:46):
but it set a precedent for me to kind of push
to push and do something out ofthe box, because I saw the
payoff on the at the end of theday, very much so, very much so.
So what's interesting is, aswe're talking about video and
some of your marketing ideas, um, you've actually volunteered or
put yourself out there for thecompany which we we respect.
We try to bring this culture atco-op bank american homes of of
we and us and giving andsharing, and you are actually
(07:09):
taking on the role of mentoringand teaching a class on video
and marketing.
What was that like?
Luis Cardenas (07:16):
I mean nerve-wracking the first time
because I never, you know,speaking for an audience, and it
was when we were in digital andeverybody went digital and we
had to do it to zoom, and that'swhen everybody was attending
the classes and there was, youknow, 200, 300 people in the
class.
So obviously it was veryhumbling to get the call and say
, hey, you, you, you can teachthese to put something together,
(07:38):
um, but it's more rewarding nowthat the classes are smaller
and people join and it's youknow, 15, 20 people in a class,
right, and then later on I getvideos from people saying, hey,
you know, I try this.
Or I see dev asher starting todo her own.
She attends my classes.
And then she said you know,what am I doing?
I should be doing what he does,right, right, so that's pretty
(08:00):
cool.
I was one of the lucky peoplethat took your last class, that
when you used to teach thesoaring to success class I was
the.
I was the last class that tookthat class you were, that's
right so before deborah shouldjoin yeah, before she did, and
then I took hers as well yeah soI saw both coin, both sides of
the coin, and and I alwaysthought, if you as a, as a
(08:20):
broker owner, would take time toteach us right, you know who
know what, am I not to do it?
There's a little bit of selfishin there, because if later on
I'm I'm making an offer or I'mI'm making an offer on somebody
else's listing and that personhappened to be on the other side
of the class, yeah, that mademe give me a little bit of
leverage.
So it's a networking thing,it's a giving back thing.
Mike Litzner (08:41):
I find that when you actually teach and share
your thoughts and ideas, itactually is a learning.
You start to hear your ownideas and it helps you organize
those thoughts, so you feel likeyou almost get internal growth
by giving.
I think there's something to besaid about karma too, like when
you give good out, it comesback to you.
(09:03):
So it's interesting.
So I got a real side questionhere.
Okay, so you were both at DebAsher's class and mine.
Now I'm sitting here and stuffand Deb's probably going to see
this.
Whose class was better?
Luis Cardenas (09:13):
You know, I think it's two different styles.
I liked your class betterbecause you are more of a
psychological person.
You break down the way thatpeople think and how to approach
that thought process and walkpeople to the answer that you
need, because sometimes I feellike a lot of times clients
(09:33):
don't even know what they wantat first.
They know they want a house orthey know they want to sell, but
they don't even know how thatall has to develop.
And sometimes you take thelisting on the spot and then the
listing goes live next week,but a lot of the times when you
become a real estateprofessional to them, they call
you much, much earlier than thatyeah, and so you start to peel
(09:53):
the onion little by little, andit takes a little bit of a
psychological presence to know,okay, this person is here and
they want to be here.
How do I get them there?
And I think that's what Ilearned the most about your side
of the.
That side is how to run abusiness?
Yeah, because, you come intoreal estate and you don't know
what you're doing, and you justknow that you've got to get
leads and you show houses andthen, before you know it, you
(10:15):
get a paycheck.
Mike Litzner (10:16):
Right, right.
I think a lot of people get inour business because they I hear
I like houses, you know thingslike that.
Luis Cardenas (10:23):
It's like okay, yeah, or it's freedom or it's
you know, you can make your ownschedule.
Mike Litzner (10:28):
Yeah.
Luis Cardenas (10:28):
And to most people that means I don't have
to work.
Mike Litzner (10:30):
Right and turns out.
You know it's a lot of work.
Luis Cardenas (10:33):
I was at my father-in-law's 70th birthday
party this Sunday yeah, theparty was from 1 to 3 in Glen
Cove and I have a listing inGlen Cove and I told my wife I
have to run out and I went at 230, had an appointment to go,
show that listing and come back.
So making your schedule yeah,allows me to make my own
schedule right.
Mike Litzner (10:52):
also, that means that I work yeah, all the time
somebody calls and.
I gotta run yeah, you know, Igotta run.
Well it's it's.
It's great that your wiferecognizes.
Luis Cardenas (11:01):
Yeah, you know that's probably one of the most
important things that I've everheard that I was lucky, that I
did before even knowing.
But it was marry the rightperson.
Yeah, that's right If they'renot in it to win it with you,
yeah.
And she sees that it's mypassion.
I mean, if I win the MegaMillions tomorrow, I'll just be
home more.
Mike Litzner (11:20):
Right.
Luis Cardenas (11:21):
To be with the girls more.
Right home more right to be withthe girls more right, but I'll
still be doing real estate,because real estate is what I
like doing.
I was one of the lucky peoplethat, at 25, realized okay, this
is what I should be doing withmy life so that's how old you
are when you when you started.
Mike Litzner (11:32):
I'm trying to remember when you started, but
uh yeah, so it was uh, 2013.
Luis Cardenas (11:36):
I wasn't 25, but that's when it started, because
I didn't get started in realestate like belly to belly, yeah
, with clients, uh, in thebeginning yeah, now we want to
share with our audience how youstarted.
I worked with these twobrothers, who I was lucky to
have as almost business mentors.
I worked in an office and theyencouraged me to get my license
and I kept saying, yeah, yeah,I'll get it, I'll get it.
(11:57):
And you know, they kept saying,they kept pushing me and pushing
me.
And then one Monday I showed upto the office and he said, okay
, from now on, monday, wednesday, friday you're not coming here
for the next three weeks, you'regoing to go to this office and
you're getting your license.
Um, and they paid me to do it.
So it was kind of like one ofthose things where people they
saw something in me that Ididn't even see yet, and um,
(12:18):
they paid for it, they paid forthe classes.
They almost forced me to go andthat's how I got started.
But it was to do um, bposbroker price opinions.
It was the time where there wasa lot of distressed properties
out there.
Still, yeah, yeah, and um,that's how I got started walking
properties and giving banks thevalue on their own portfolio,
and then later on is when Ireally started doing so did you
(12:40):
do appraisals, is that?
Mike Litzner (12:41):
what it was.
Luis Cardenas (12:42):
Yeah, they call it light, light appraisals,
that's what they call them.
That's kind of the the easiestway to understand what I used to
do.
Yeah, so I didn't work withclients directly.
I work with banks.
They were my client, okay allright, good, yeah.
Mike Litzner (12:55):
So what was the um mindset that transitioned from
the appraisal side of it to thesales side?
Luis Cardenas (13:01):
of it.
There was somebody at my churchthat knew that I had a license
because in order to do theselight appraisals you had to be a
real estate agent, which meantyou have to have a real estate
license.
So this person knew that I hada license and recommended me
their boss to buy a house.
And their boss moved from Ohio.
They knew nothing about LongIsland, they didn't have any
family here, they knew nothingabout anything.
So to them Hempstead and DeerPark were just two names.
(13:26):
But because they recommended meto their boss, I said I can't,
I have to do what I have to do.
So I went to my manager, Lisa,and I said to her okay, what do
I, what do I need to do?
I need, you know, I have thisclient and I've never sold a
house, but I have to do this forthese people, yeah.
And so she said you know, well,we got to show them houses,
find out where they were, andliterally every single step.
(13:46):
I would go back to Lisa like Ihired a gun, I was a mercenary.
I would literally say, okay,point the gun this direction and
shoot.
And she would say, okay, I didthat.
Okay, well, now this is a newtarget.
This is a new target and I soldthem a house.
I posted on Facebook like hey,just sold my first house.
You know great experience, orwhatever.
They saw the post and theycommented on it.
(14:08):
We would have never known thatit was your first house.
You did a great job.
Thank you so much for your help.
Or?
Mike Litzner (14:12):
whatever right?
Yeah, that's wonderful feedback, right yeah.
Luis Cardenas (14:15):
So I said to my wife I think this is cool, that
I did a good job and maybethere's something in here, and I
went back to doing myappraisals yeah, yeah nine
months later, those peoplecalled me again and say hey,
luis, we don't want to sell ourplace, but we want to buy
another one in a different town.
Okay, I said, wow, I mean, youknow that I'm not an expert,
right, I'm just getting started.
Yeah, and they were like no,you did great and we trust you
(14:37):
to help us again.
Yeah, and so when I finishedthat, I went back to my wife and
I said okay, the BPOs werestarting to come down because
all the distressed propertiesstarted to resolve themselves.
The market started changing.
I went to Hadassah and I said Ithink this is something that I
should look into, and Hadassahhas always been like that person
.
She knows that if I put my headinto it, I could have said no,
I'm gonna open up a car wash andshe would have been like do it
(15:03):
If that's that you touched on.
Mike Litzner (15:04):
so your first two sales were both for the same
person, right?
Luis Cardenas (15:07):
Yeah yeah.
Mike Litzner (15:08):
So you're questioning what they saw in you
, and there's a saying that I'veheard before that I love,
because it just resonates sowell.
But they say people don't carewhat you know until they know
that you care.
Right, and I think that's youjust hit on.
They said all right, we knowyou're inexperienced, but we
trust you Right.
Luis Cardenas (15:29):
And I think that's people.
Now, I think that's kind of mybrand.
I'm a whole believer that thatin order to succeed in this
business, you have to be a brand.
You're basically a walkingcoca-cola bottle, yes, and you
could be fanta, you could becold, you could choose whoever
you want to be.
Right, right, for me it's easyand people know me like I go out
and people know me like oh,that's your wife.
People recognize my wifebecause she's in my photos and
my videos and my social media,my kids as well, and part of it
(15:51):
is the honesty.
Part of it, I think, you go alot farther.
I tell everybody even now andI've been in business for a few
years now I'm not reallyconcerned about your transaction
right now.
I'm concerned about theirrelationship because I know
we're going to be friends for along time after here, right, and
then it's this transaction thatwill lead to the next
transaction, and thisrelationship will lead to the
next relationship, and I don'tknow who else you know, so I
(16:13):
have to do the right thing byyou, and then you know, whatever
you need from me will happen,because this is what I do for a
living, yeah, but it will leadto more of a relationship that
continues to develop.
Mike Litzner (16:33):
And that's what one deal turns into another deal
and realistically that's apipeline, right?
Yeah, well, I, I think peoplethink we're sales people and
that we're we're trying to sellthem stuff and in the reality,
you know, we talked about ourteaching point and our teaching
point has always been you getpaid a lot of money to help
people.
Yeah, so if you help peopleinstead of selling them first of
they're so much moreappreciative, you don't need to
sell them real estate.
Because real estate is such agreat investment they need a
roof over their heads.
(16:53):
It's just a valuable asset toown, so people want to own it.
So it's not really aboutselling them something.
It's about helping them makethe right choice.
It's a big investmentnavigating it through, so agents
that are successful who getthat part of it change their
focus.
They're the ones that becomethe great ones.
(17:13):
Because again word of mouthstarts to spread when you treat
them with care.
Luis Cardenas (17:20):
Yeah, I remember something you said probably one
of the few things that Iremember specifically that you
said in your class, and it wasbecause everybody's nervous in
the beginning, right Once I getthe lead and I'm in front of
that listing appointment, whatdo I say?
How do I know that I'm notgoing to say the wrong thing and
screw it up?
Yeah, and you said they don'tknow what you don't know.
Yeah, and that kind of openedup for me the whole thing.
Right, because I'm like okay,so just really need to know
(17:44):
where to go get the answer andcare that I wanna do the right
thing for them and theneventually it will happen.
And that's kind of.
I've carried the business thatway ever since.
You know, do the right thingand then everything is flowing.
Mike Litzner (17:58):
I know some agents like they get this mindset like
I don't wanna be in front of aperson and be embarrassed, I
don't know an answer.
So it's like they spend theirwhole career getting prepared,
right, but at a certain pointit's like you know you got to
step in the batter's box if youwant to get ahead and there's
something so powerful abouttelling your client?
Luis Cardenas (18:17):
you know that's a great question.
I don't know, but I know whereto get the answer.
Let me get back to you in twominutes and then you shift the
dynamic into I don't know andI'm on the lower side to I don't
know everything.
I mean, I don't think peopleexpect you to know everything.
You go to a doctor and asurgeon doesn't tell you right
away what they you know.
They do tests and then they saywe're gonna call you back.
(18:38):
So the same way we're, I don'tthink we're expected to know
everything that they used toknow.
Because off the top of yourhead, off the top of your head,
because a transaction is thesame one every single time.
That's something that I cover onmy um, on my buyers
consultation.
I say I, I show them the stepsof the sale and I go.
But there's humans on this sideof the transaction and there's
humans on that side of thetransaction and your situation
(18:59):
and their situation are going tobe completely different
depending on what kind of housewe get.
Yeah, so because it's humans,the transaction, the steps are
all the same, but it may takesix months and then sometimes
three months.
There may be things that changethroughout.
So every time it's going to bedifferent and we just have to
figure out how to get to theother side.
Right, exactly, yeah, Exactly.
(19:20):
Yep.
Mike Litzner (19:20):
So I want to pivot a little bit, because I know
you have a kind of unique path,not only into real estate but
even to the United States.
So it's.
Am I correct?
Is that in the last, was it twoyears ago?
About a year and a half ago,you were actually officially a
citizen?
Luis Cardenas (19:37):
Yeah, I think it's going to be two years, I
actually get to vote for thefirst time in this election,
okay, so, yeah, I mean it's veryexciting, so where did you grow
up?
I grew up in Venezuela.
Okay, when I came here, we wererare.
You didn't hear aboutVenezuelans too much.
There was another guy in myschool that just happened to be
in the school, and then us.
(19:58):
How old?
were you.
When you came to the UnitedStates, I was 13.
Okay, I was 13 when I came.
My father grew up here and thenhe went back to Venezuela.
When I came, my father grew uphere and then he went back to
Venezuela, I mean, and then hedid you know, adult life over
there.
And then when things got uglyover there, he kind of foresaw
what was gonna happen and camehere first, yeah, yeah.
And then I came a year laterwith my mom and my sister, okay,
(20:19):
Venezuela.
Mike Litzner (20:20):
they speak Spanish correct?
Yeah, they do, all right.
So were you bilingual?
You taught two differentlanguages?
Luis Cardenas (20:25):
No, so because over there I didn't, but because
I had almost a head start thatI knew I was coming.
My mom kind of got us into alittle bit of English classes so
we wouldn't come here calledTurkey.
But I remember on the flighthere I remember the guy was
asking us in English it was anAmerican Airlines flight and on
(20:45):
the way here he was asking whatI wanted to drink.
And I had taken classes and Iwas so nervous that I had no
idea what he was saying.
All I kept saying was orangejuice.
So I don't know if you know,luckily he had it.
You know that's kind of like Ilearned that, but I didn't.
I came here and I think thesystem here had enough tools
(21:05):
where we came that we justlearned and, as you can tell,
I'm very chatty.
I think that's what I'msupposed to be doing, just
talking to people.
And I couldn't help myself, andI had to learn to be able to
express myself.
I felt like those five, sixmonths in the beginning when
you're just getting your witsabout you with the language.
I was bottled up ready to burstbecause I couldn't speak.
(21:28):
I'm a very social person.
I like being in socialsituations, yeah, yeah.
So I think that propelled me tobefriend other people and kind
of learn.
Mike Litzner (21:37):
Yeah, so, outside of the language, what were the
biggest challenges as a teenagercoming over?
Luis Cardenas (21:42):
I think, just assimilating into the culture.
Kids in school are pretty crueland you don't want to be on the
thick end of that.
Yeah, yeah.
So just try to assimilatequickly.
That was probably the hardestpart.
My story was a little bitdifferent.
So when I came, my fatherbrought us and then six months
later he died.
Okay, so he had lung cancersoon after we came, okay, and he
(22:08):
wasn't sick for very long.
It was only two months from themoment he was diagnosed to the
moment he passed.
Yeah, so couple the newness ofbeing in a new country with the
fact that you lose your father.
It kind of sets you, you know,it suburbs you up, I guess, in
the moment.
And I was lucky to have a greatmom.
Yeah, she went to work.
She asked us in the hospitalthat he's not gonna make it,
(22:29):
basically.
So he had a clear conversationwith us and said you, we have
the chance to go back tovenezuela to our family, or we,
or we can stay, yeah, and if westay it's gonna be tough, right.
And she said and we, my sisterand I, looked at each other like
we want to stay, yeah, and sheworked hard and you know I never
went without.
I started working early.
(22:50):
That kind of showed me a littlebit of a work ethic.
Yeah, because I had to get ajob at a deli when I was you
know 14 sucking bottles andmaking sandwiches and then being
in charge of the deli for alittle bit yeah, so you know you
grow up and it teaches yourresponsibility yeah, yeah so
just I think assimilating isprobably the hardest thing for a
kid at that age.
Yeah, then again you know, girls, friends, high school, what's
(23:12):
not to love?
Right, right, right exactly, soit's a new experience and you
just you know it's just pushedyes.
Mike Litzner (23:18):
Yeah, Now I know there was a ceremony for your
citizenship.
Luis Cardenas (23:22):
Yeah, how citizenship.
Mike Litzner (23:23):
Yeah, how is that?
That's got to be prettyrewarding, yeah, so you know you
cry a little bit.
Luis Cardenas (23:27):
I'm a little bit sentimental guy and I you know
it's an incredible experiencebecause you just don't get a
citizenship.
They do a background check andthey do a lot of stuff to make
sure that you're not.
You know they're not gonnaaccept somebody into the country
.
That's not supposed to be here.
So there's a.
There's a lot of stuff that youhave to do, but then there's a
test and when you go to aninterview and they give you 50
questions and you have to learna lot of stuff that I probably
(23:49):
didn't even remember from highschool, yeah, but basically,
once you go to the interview andthey ask you five of those 50
questions and then you pass, andthen they say, ok, you passed.
You know you're going to getsome paperwork in the mail, yeah
.
And then you go to the swearingand once you pull up to the
chair where they have all thepaperwork for you, there is
stuff about registering to voteand other things about the
(24:10):
United States and there's alittle flag on top of it.
Yeah, oh, very cool.
Mike Litzner (24:14):
Yeah, it was really awesome.
Luis Cardenas (24:16):
I had to do it by myself.
My family wasn't there, becauseit was those times where people
were spread out and all thatyeah.
But it was incredible, it wasgreat and you, you know, just
don't take it for granted, man.
I came here because of apolitical situation in my
country and now I get to makethe difference and shape, maybe
(24:37):
not our immediate future, butdefinitely for my kids.
Mike Litzner (24:41):
With that experience, how would you advise
someone else who's walking thatpath now?
What advice would you, you know, advise someone else who's
who's walking that path now, youknow what?
What advice would you sharewith them?
Luis Cardenas (24:51):
so it's.
It's.
That's a hard question, becauseyou know so.
Obviously, once you become anamerican and once you've
assimilated into the culture,you understand.
I understand the, the good andthe and the and the bad of the
country, and I still think thisis the greatest country on earth
.
Just like every human and everycountry, they aren't perfect.
(25:13):
There are things that we stillneed to work out and I think
it's ever going to be perfect.
But it's very easy for me tosay, yeah, I'm an American now I
got in so close the door behindme.
So there is a little bit of asituation there where you have
to be understanding and you haveto be empathetic about other
people's situation.
Sure, more than thehumanitarian part of it, I think
(25:33):
there's a safety situation.
It can't be a free-for-all.
There has to be a system andthe system makes things go
smoother.
Right, you know there has to bemoney put into the system so
that it works.
Mike Litzner (25:44):
Yeah, but I think you, you, right now, there isn't
a system, so it just has tohappen.
Luis Cardenas (25:49):
No, it doesn't happen that way right, yeah,
like, how lucky are we and howgood our country works, that,
even with the influx of peoplethat we have, we still get to do
what we get to do.
Yes, and and most of us are notreally impacted directly by all
of this right, right,especially here in long island,
we don't really see it.
We're not in the southernstates or in other areas where
(26:10):
you have a hotel full ofmigrants, right, we don't see
that here in Long Island,exactly, but it's still part of
our country and it still needsto be resolved.
Mike Litzner (26:20):
So you've got a busy career and you're a family
man with a wife, two daughters.
How do you manage to juggle itall?
Luis Cardenas (26:29):
I think it goes back to passion.
It doesn't feel like work and Idon't like to say that,
especially to my clients Like,oh, I don't feel like I'm
working today.
Well, you're selling my houseand I expect you to do a good
job, but I think the word is Idon't feel like I'm laboring.
I'm lucky I get to work with mybrain and not with my hands,
(26:50):
even though sometimes you haveto move furniture for an old
lady because you have to get thehouse ready to sell.
So sometimes we have to do thatBecause I don't feel like I'm
working every day.
I get to do what I really liketo do every day.
If you call me right now andyou listen to my voicemail, my
voicemail says if I'm notanswering your call, I'm either
with a client or taking care ofmy family.
That's what I like to do.
(27:10):
I'm lucky that I don't have toget up at five o'clock in the
morning and do something that Idon't want to do.
So even though I was at myfather-in-law's having fun with
my family and I had to leavethere to go do something real
estate related, it wasn't like Iwas kicking and screaming all
the way to the listingappointment.
I still like to go showproperties.
I still like to chase.
I still like to chase yeah,because you never know what's on
(27:32):
the other side of thatconversation.
If I showed up to that showingand then that person said to me
I'd love to rent your unit, butI also, the reason why I'm
moving is because I got to sellmy place loose would you take a
look at my place?
I mean, that's like that's theconversation that everybody
wants to hear, and I've hadthose.
Mike Litzner (27:46):
Yeah, yeah.
Luis Cardenas (27:47):
So, because I'm so passionate about real estate
and I'm so passionate about myfamily, whether I'm doing one of
those two, I'm happy and Ithink that's where I'm at.
Mike Litzner (27:58):
So what's one thing you do with your family
that actually helps you rechargefor real estate?
You need the downtime.
Luis Cardenas (28:07):
Yeah.
Mike Litzner (28:07):
What's your passion with your family?
Luis Cardenas (28:09):
the girls are old enough now that they're
independent enough that they cancome along and and be part of
it.
You know, I feel like we don'tgive them an ipad and sit over
there.
Right, we're gonna do, we'regonna do, they're, they're part
of it.
They hang out and they, theycarry themselves.
Well, yeah, right now,specifically right now, the
thing that we do to recharge iswe go to HomeGoods.
Because, we just bought a houseRight, right and it seems like
(28:29):
any time that we go to HomeGoods, Target or whatever, yeah, To
me, obviously to me it doesn'tmatter what we do, as long as we
do it together.
Yeah.
As long as we're hanging outtogether, we could be in the car
driving around.
We just had a four-day longweekend, yeah, long weekend,
(28:53):
yeah, and I was dropping themoff to school this morning and
I'm like man, I'm gonna miss youtoday because we spent, you
know, a better part of four daystogether.
Yeah, um, and we did a bunch ofstuff.
We did the girl.
The girls like shopping.
They don't, they don't loveshopping, they don't get the
shopping thing yet.
Um, but they like hanging out.
We're very light-hearted, welike to hang out, we like to
have a good time.
We got to eat.
We maybe we get a little icecream in between.
Yeah, so everything with icecream is better, I guess, for
them, but as long as we'retogether, I think we're just
having a good time, okay, soyeah, that's great, that's great
(29:13):
.
Mike Litzner (29:14):
So with all the work and energy you put in to
both, I guess, family and work,um, how do you make time for
yourself?
Luis Cardenas (29:20):
I get up at 6, 40 or 5 40 depending on what the
schedule is in the morning, andI hit the gym okay, that's my
thing.
I used to and I found somerelationship in between going to
the gym and the motorcyclething, because it's the time
where you can't really have yourphone on you, right, and we
live by our phone.
Our business runs by our cellphones.
(29:42):
Yeah, so, going to the gym, Ilike classes, like guided
classes, where you just show upat a certain time, you're there
for an hour, you take the classand then it's over because it's
scheduled and it allows me to doit, yeah, in a way that where I
can't say, oh, you know what,I'll go later, 15 minutes, 20
minutes, and before you, youknow you don't go.
Yes, exactly, um, so thatthat's me time.
(30:02):
Yeah, I feel like it's gonnahelp me.
It helps me mentally, it helpsme get my day started earlier.
It's also adult time.
There's this different circleof friends there that show up
every day for the same purposeyeah, getting up in the morning,
going to the gym is being my.
I haven't been doing it for toolong, I think it's only been
like four or five years, so Ididn't grow up that way.
My father wasn't, you know,health not, or my mother was it
(30:26):
but I found that that space andbusinesses come from it.
Right, because they come there.
You become their realtor, yes,the group, yeah.
And then who doesn't want to doit?
There's something sexy aboutreal estate that everybody wants
to know.
How's the market?
I saw the video.
You posted this and that andjust you become the guy for that
, just as much as the accountantis the accountant for the group
(30:48):
, right, right.
So, yeah, the gym is my thing,and when it's warm out, I grab
harley and I and I go out for alittle bit.
Mike Litzner (30:56):
So, all right yeah , that's, you're a harley guy
yep yep, all right, very cool.
Luis Cardenas (31:00):
Yeah, that's the only thing that I was allowed to
get because, uh, if I gotsomething faster than that, I
probably wouldn't have beenallowed to get it so with the
idea that it was a harley, thatit was slow, yeah I was able to
get a motorcycle.
Mike Litzner (31:11):
Well, you gotta be careful yes yes.
Tell me a story about that,what it's like on the road,
driving, getting hit in theteeth with bugs, the go-to
comment when I tell people thatI ride a motorcycle is oh,
please be careful.
Luis Cardenas (31:23):
It's so dangerous out there and it is.
But my most dangerous moment inthe bike was not from another
driver, it was from I was ridingand I got stung by a wasp.
That's terrible.
I wasn't going that fast, I wason a regular road, but I felt
and I knew it was a wasp notbecause I saw it, because you
(31:44):
don't really see anything comingat you, right, I just felt this
sting.
And when you're riding amotorcycle, if I got hit by a
wasp right now, or I saw it onme, I would probably freak out
and run away and be able to getrid of it.
Right, the thing about thishappening on a harley is that
you're holding on for your lifeso you don't fall off, and you
know that something's in yourshirt crawling around.
So obviously I feel this thing.
(32:06):
The reason why I knew it was awasp is because once I pulled
over and I kind of looked to seewhat it was, I saw this thing
that, uh, that, uh, that a waspwould leave.
Mike Litzner (32:14):
He got you good, huh, he got me good.
Luis Cardenas (32:15):
Every time I ride .
Now I just wear a shirt.
I buckle my top button sonothing climbs in through here
anymore.
Mike Litzner (32:22):
Yeah, there you go .
That's how I think he got in.
Yeah, you learned that lessonin the hard work right.
Luis Cardenas (32:27):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's not something you can
learn in a defensive drivingcourse.
Mike Litzner (32:31):
Exactly, we talk a lot about giving you know, so
we work hard, play hard.
We give back Any specificcharities or community
organizations that were near anddear for you.
Luis Cardenas (32:42):
Not necessarily other than the Heart of American
Homes, which I gladly everycheck that we get.
We give back a little bit, yeah, so that's awesome because I
know it goes to a good cause.
Yeah, and I love that.
Yeah, but I grew up in churchthat's kind of where my
community is and for a long timebefore I got into real estate
like really busy I played drums.
(33:04):
That's kind of one of myattributes, I guess, and I
played drums for about 15 yearsevery Sunday in my church and so
, even though I don't get to doit every Sunday now, I did it
this past Sunday, okay.
So whenever there's somebodythat's sick or they need to make
arrangements and they needsomebody, they ask me and that's
(33:25):
how I give back a little bit ofmy time.
Oh, awesome.
So this Sunday I got to do itand the month I have another
time that they need me again andI get to do that.
All right great.
Mike Litzner (33:35):
So what's your jam basically?
Luis Cardenas (33:37):
They have an electric drum set, so that's a
little bit different.
It's a smaller church.
Mike Litzner (33:40):
Yeah.
Luis Cardenas (33:42):
But I love doing that.
It's something that I don't getto do often now, and when I get
to do it, it's super rewarding.
Yeah, leading a group of peopleinto worship, it's kind of a
powerful thing.
Yes, it's very humbling.
And it's another thing that Iget to do that it's not I'm not,
I'm me.
(34:02):
I'm not dad or I'm notsomebody's realtor, I'm not a
husband, I'm just me, yeah, andI get to enjoy that.
So it's a really cool thing todo Very much.
Mike Litzner (34:12):
Very cool, very cool.
Obviously, as you volunteer tobe part of our training program,
you actually are helping, yeah,and donating your time and
expertise to other agents, sothat's got to be rewarding in
its own way, yeah for sure.
Luis Cardenas (34:26):
It's a video class, right?
So I'm training people how tocome out of their shell and yeah
, and and explain to them why inthe logical way, but also show
them through my journey how Iwas able to do it.
If I was able to do it, whywouldn't anybody else?
We all have the same skill set.
Basically, you just have toshow up and be in front of the
camera and be, vulnerable enoughto put yourself out there and
(34:50):
not seek perfection.
I remember I played around withvideo for six months and after a
while I said how long am Igoing to do this for?
And so when you try to getpeople to make that leap, and
then you see them do that lateron and they say hey, luis, I did
my first video.
I got my listing because of avideo I put out or you know and
within the company, which isreally awesome.
(35:12):
It feeds me back to continue todo what I like to do.
It goes back to the whySometimes you put out so much
information out there on an hourand a half class and you hope
that something hits home andthen three months later,
somebody tells you that theywere successful because it's
something that I told them to do.
So that's very, very rewarding.
Mike Litzner (35:33):
You recently bought your current home, but
that was actually your secondhome purchase correct yeah.
About a year or so, or a yearand a half, you actually bought
your first house.
Luis Cardenas (35:41):
Yeah.
So what was that experiencelike?
That was an investment house,right, man, everything that I
bought, yes, so everything thatI bought so far has been like
miracle after miracle.
And so the reason I I'm notgoing to take too long, I, and
so the reason I I'm not going totake too long, I'm going to try
to shorten this story as muchas I can, okay, but just to show
you the kind of situations thatwe're getting to real estate.
So the reason I came acrossthat listing or that property
(36:04):
Right, I was selling a studio inQueens.
Okay, it was a very difficultplace to sell because it was in
a building that was not verynice, but it was priced well, I,
for 160 000, that's what youcan get right, right, and then
so this older gentleman wouldwalk to the showings.
He would only come to look atthe place at the open house, and
(36:26):
it had maybe six open houseswhen I was selling that place.
Yeah, he showed up maybe threetimes.
Okay, with a backpack on, turnsout he would come in look at it
.
He's like I'm really interested, I, I really like it.
He came back the next weekendagain and I would say you know,
do you want me to show it?
I can show it to you privately.
We don't have to wait until theopen house.
No, no, no, when you're there,I'm coming.
Good, anyway, finally hedecides to make an offer.
(36:50):
We put interesting, because howis this guy going to be able to
afford this place if he doesn'tdrive?
I mean, yeah, there's got to bea reason, right, right, turns
out, um, he came to the office.
He wouldn't let me pick him up.
He, he took publictransportation to the office and
we sat down because we had to.
It was a co-op and we had toexplain to the co-op that he
could afford the place, right.
So he came with a like four orfive different pieces of paper.
(37:13):
You know, I had to sit there andand figure out, like a
financial advisor, why this guywas able to afford, you know,
with social security and anannuity, and this turns out the
guy was worth a million dollars.
Okay, he had a quarter, aquarter million dollars here on
this annuity.
He had a hundred thousand herein the bank.
He had this and this and thatand then he had a property that
was paid off, right, okay.
(37:34):
So I asked him the property,what are you going to do once
you're going to sell that?
I would love to get theopportunity to sell that once
you move Right.
You know, trying to pitchmyself in that job right, yeah,
you're there.
And he said to me well, if youknow any investors, you know I
would love to sell the rightthing by him.
And I wasn't listening.
(38:01):
He kept telling me he didn'twant to deal with anybody.
That's why he didn't want to.
He wanted to do something, acertain way, and I said to him
well, but an investor is notgoing to pay you top dollar for
your place, and if it's a niceplace, you know, let's open it
up, let's put it out there inthe market so that you can get
as much money for it as possible.
Just trying to do the rightthing, yeah, and I don't want to
do that.
You know this, this, this, this, this, and that I don't want to
(38:23):
, just an investor.
And then, in passing, I saidmaybe I'll buy it from you and
because I'd helped them out,yeah, and.
And so he told me, after sometime talking and figuring out
how we're going to get him theplace, he told me that he had
gone to other apartments.
My apartment wasn't the onethat he necessarily wanted, but
because I gave him time of dayand I took the time to figure
(38:46):
out how he could afford it, alot of people kept dismissing
him when I said to him I wouldlove to, maybe I'll buy it,
because I was starting to thinkabout becoming an investor.
He said you would and I saidyeah, yeah, I mean I'd love to
abide as a rental property,right, I went to look at the
place, I saw it and I knew itwas worth.
You know, whatever it was worthright and I did the numbers and
(39:08):
the offer that I could make andwas a lot lower than what I
thought it was worth right and Iavoided him for two months.
Mike Litzner (39:14):
Wow, to the point you were afraid to make an offer
.
I was afraid to make an offer.
Luis Cardenas (39:17):
I want to insult him I yeah, so, and because I
knew the situation, he was inand I kind of wanted, you know,
I wanted to get him, whatever hewas.
You know he was due, right.
And uh, he finally called meand put me in the corner and
said lewis, um, you either gonnabuy the place and make me an
offer or we got to sell it,right?
And I said look, I've been inborneo for a little while.
(39:37):
This is my offer.
And he said for you, fine, youcan have it for that much.
Wow.
And then in that moment I said Ishould have offered 25 000 less
, but I got a pretty good dealon it and that was my first, um,
my, that was my firstexperience buying a property.
I didn't buy anything this yearbecause I've got my own, but we
(39:58):
have.
You know, it's something thatbrian says all the time, brian
carp.
So you know, we have basicallythe keys to the kingdom.
We know how to create wealth.
Yeah, and I've been encouragedby you and tom to push to find
it and figure out a way.
Yes and um, in my family, mywife and I've joked around that
we have a 20-year plan.
It's, you know, one a year for20 years.
Mike Litzner (40:19):
That's how I plan to retire, yeah, yeah.
Luis Cardenas (40:21):
So my first year was last year, when we come up
with the family motto one a yearfor 20 years and I plan on
getting at least one rentalproperty a year, great plan
Until I turn 55 and then it's afantastic you know, fantastic uh
.
Mike Litzner (40:38):
Retirement plan, yeah, real estate you know it's
wealth building yeah, it's atremendous opportunity.
Luis Cardenas (40:41):
So, and I think everybody, everybody should I
tell everybody that wants tosell their place are you sure
you don't want to keep it andrent it?
And for most people they're,they're not landlords most.
You have to have a certainpersonality and you have to have
a certain yeah, a thick skin todeal with the things that could
go wrong when you own property,right, um, and when you have to
deal with the things that couldgo wrong when you own property
and when you have to deal withtenants.
But everybody, I think, shouldhave at least one that they can
(41:01):
pass on to their kids, becauseit's not something you have to
labor for.
We live in a country.
It goes back to America and oureconomic system, whatever you
have to say about it.
If you tell me that I could putin the grant $1,000 today and
20 years from now it's going tobe twenty thousand dollars, why
wouldn't I do that, right?
Well, the same thing happenswith real estate, exactly, and
(41:22):
you can leverage money that youdon't have right to get a payoff
, that's, you know, 10x, 20years from now, exactly,
whatever that is all right.
Mike Litzner (41:31):
Well, audience is listening.
If you need investmentproperties, yeah, you should
have one.
Yes, yeah, lewis is here and uh, he's got his own personal
experience in managing it andcan give you advice.
So it's time for the drop themic question excited for this
one all right.
So yeah, obviously you'reoriginally from venezuela.
Can you survive without a repas?
(41:52):
Am I saying that right?
Luis Cardenas (41:54):
uh, yeah, yeah can I survive without them?
Uh, I don't think I can I'm I'mnot a huge arepa eater like I
don't.
I don't, you know, crave them,but my wife makes the most.
My wife is american.
She was born here yeah herfather is from guatemala and her
mother is brazilian, so notvenezuelan at all, right, um,
(42:15):
and she's learned how to makethem.
My daughters asked for them.
Can you tell our audience whatan arrepa is?
Sure, so it's a, it's acornmeal.
Um, closest thing I could sayit would be like a tortilla, but
it's thick.
Yeah, you know, it's yourtortilla.
You imagine it would be verythin?
Yeah, this would be, let's say,four times that, okay, and it
has a.
It's a different taste than, uh, than a tortilla, but it's the
(42:36):
same core meal idea, right, andyou slice it in the middle like
a sandwich, okay, and you canput chicken and you can put
steak.
It's basically a vessel rightfor anything that you love to
eat.
So in the morning we have itwith scrambled eggs and cheese,
right, and then at night you canhave them with steak and, uh,
you and cheese.
So it's better than a sandwich.
(43:00):
It's healthy actually becauseit's not fried or anything it's
baked.
So yeah, it's one of thoseVenezuelan goodness that you
really need to try to have atleast once in your life.
Mike Litzner (43:14):
There you go.
I actually have never tried it,oh yeah, and I'm going to lean
on you.
You've got to try to have atleast once in your life.
There you go.
Luis Cardenas (43:16):
I actually have never tried it.
Mike Litzner (43:17):
Oh yeah, and I'm going to lean on you.
You've got to introduce me toit.
Luis Cardenas (43:20):
I'm going to take you to the place, all right.
Mike Litzner (43:22):
We've got a place for that.
So what else is something fromyour home country that we don't
really have here that you miss?
Luis Cardenas (43:32):
That I miss.
I miss my family.
I don't have that here, but theweather yeah, the weather is
the weather in the city whereI'm from.
It's like the.
Caracas, okay, yeah, it's thecapital city of Venezuela.
Okay, and because I came hereso young I didn't realize how
good it was, I mean, I didn'thave.
(43:53):
You know, you have sort ofperspective, right.
If you live always in New york,you think this is what weather
is like, right, right, um.
But if you live in threedifferent places, but what I've
heard that's closest to theweather over there is kind of
like san diego, it's likeperfect temperature yeah um,
over there they don't haveseasons, they have two seasons
it's a rainy season and the dryseason.
(44:14):
So for some part of the year itrains more than the other.
Okay, but it's like dry, crisp,warm, you know weather, that
you go out and you don't sweat.
Mike Litzner (44:26):
Yeah, but you still feel warm.
It's pretty close to theequator, right?
Luis Cardenas (44:28):
Yes, yes, it's right above the equator.
Mike Litzner (44:31):
So where are?
Luis Cardenas (44:31):
the ocean that's right above it.
It's the Caribbean Ocean, okay.
So where are the ocean that'sright above it?
It's the Caribbean Ocean, okay.
So if you've ever gone to Aruba, you can see from the most
southern part of Aruba you cansee Venezuela, okay.
So if you know the Arubanweather, that's the weather over
there.
Mike Litzner (44:47):
That's the Caracas Yep.
Very good, Very good.
Well, Luis, I really appreciateyou sharing yourself your
expertise today with ouraudience.
If someone wants an investmentproperty or to sell a house, how
do they reach you?
Luis Cardenas (45:02):
Probably Instagram Social media is the
easiest place At.
Listed by Lewis, that's me or516-881-0126.
That's the easiest way to findme Awesome.
Mike Litzner (45:13):
All right, excellent, excellent.
Thank you again for taking thetime to be part of our show
today.
Luis Cardenas (45:17):
Thank you for having me.
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