Mark Stubler is a Real Estate Pro, and he is on a mission to help the average Joe or Jill find a turnkey real estate investing business that can help you grow wealth very fast. In fact, he is the founder of Joe Homebuyer Franchise. In a short amount of time, he built the Joe Homebuyer Franchise model into a multi-million-dollar company through franchising. He provides the blueprint for his operations that enables anyone with some grit to be successful in real estate investing.
He came from a completely different industry. And with his journey of wanting to be an entrepreneur, he actually dabbled with the Amazon business. Because he likes the passive nature of an Amazon business. He did some research, took some light courses, trying to figure out what was going to be best for his path. Then he ended up on the real estate path.
For five years he has done hundreds of transactions, worked with hundreds of families, providing lots of value, and in marketplaces, he specializes in wholesaling and rehabbing. He also keeps rentals as the opportunity presents itself. As the founder of Joe Homebuyers, its mission is to improve lives by delivering creative real estate solutions.
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Building Your Turnkey Real Estate Acquisition Franchise with Mark Stubler
Brett:
I’m excited about our next guest. He is a real estate Pro, and he is on a mission to help you the average Joe or Jill find a turnkey real estate investing business that can help you grow wealth very fast. He is the founder of Joe Homebuyer Franchise, and he teaches people how to use this to grow their wealth. He gave him a lucrative career in sales and took a leap of faith to create financial abundance for himself and his family. And in a short amount of time, he built the Joe Homebuyer franchise model into a multi-million-dollar company through franchising. He provides the blueprint for his operations that enables anyone with some grit to be successful in real estate investing. Please welcome to show with me, Mark Stubler. Hey Mark, how you doing?
Mark:
Hey, thank you so much. Good to be here.
Brett:
Excellent. So why don’t you just call it Mark? The average mark you know, the homebuyer. Why you got to be tough on Joe like that.
Mark:
You know, I don’t you know, we love the name and it’s going on and funny enough, we have two franchises, one in Vegas, and another one in Utah that are with their first name, Joe. So, I think it was inspired. We’ve got some good guys we’re working with that fit the name and that we’ve picked. So that’s great.
Brett:
That’s a good laugh. Okay, my name is already Joe.
Mark:
I’m the original G. I’m the o. g. That’s right.
Brett:
Right on, would you give our listeners a little bit more about your story in your current focus?
Mark:
Yeah, thank you. I love real estate. Brett, just in a short discussion with you we’ve collaborated on that I feel fortunate to be in an industry that I believe just provides an opportunity to create wealth. And I like it because there are lots of industries, lots of opportunities out there. And I think that’s important for us to remember as well. But what I like about real estate is the margin just can be spectacular. You can go from being the average Joe with not a lot of money, a lot of not a lot of things going your way. And you can do some special things in real estate and it doesn’t take a ton of transactions to create a different trajectory financially. And for me, I’ve just been in the industry for five years, I came from a completely different industry. Sure, I did the one rehab with a buddy who didn’t know what we did, we broke even. Did you know a rental-type scenario, but no real experience in real estate?
And with my journey of wanting to be an entrepreneur, I dabbled with the Amazon business. Because I like the passive nature of an Amazon business. I did some research there, took some light courses, trying to figure out what was going to be best for my path. And I just feel fortunate I ended up on the real estate path.
Now five years ago, we’ve done hundreds of transactions worked with hundreds of families provided lots of value and in our marketplaces, we specialize in wholesaling and rehabbing. We also keep rentals as the opportunity presents itself. We’re getting better at the subject to type deals, but just learning so much and feel fortunate to be in an industry that I think you can just really be rewarded by and make some great income.
Brett:
Have to say love cash flowing and producing real estate investing and being a real estate entrepreneur, right? Because that’s really what it is. You’re running a business and the product is real estate. And the people that you serve are the tenants and the families that whether it’s multifamily single-family, senior housing, mobile, home parks, or other types, right and so knowing that and running like a business is cool and I’m excited to dive into that part of the franchising model.
But before we go there, Mark, I want to take one step back, and I want to help. I want to get to know you. I want to help our listeners to get to know you as well. So, I believe we have all been given certain gifts and these gifts are given to us to be a blessing to others. I want you to go back into the high school days, Junior High days, people call these superpowers, I think their God-given gifts. I’m curious, what are the gifts that you’ve been given? Maybe one or two? And how does that help how you help people today?
Mark:
Well, I think I appreciate you asking that question. I love it. Maybe tenacity is a word that came to mind that I don’t take no for an answer. And I try to be respectful to those that give me a no occasionally, and not overdo my welcome. But at the same time, I don’t see an obstacle like most people do an obstacle when you see a no, or a boundary that says hey, this, you know, this just isn’t possible. It just makes me think, okay, no, it’s not possible this way. But what are the alternatives? What’s the third alternative? What’s the creative way to massage that to a maybe or a yes.
And I think that that’s become something advantageous for myself, my organization’s the team I work with, and then obviously, our franchisees to hopefully instill this idea that hustle, urgency, grit, you know, that type of thing. But I use the word tenacity, because that’s a part of just who we become, as Joe is adopting these ideas, and overcoming hurdles, and working through problems become good at problem-solving. So, the first one is tenacity.
And then the second one that comes to mind is gratitude. For whatever reason, I feel blessed to have maybe this God-given natural gift of feeling grateful. I often reflect regularly on a daily basis on the people that have influenced me to strengthen me. I just naturally get overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity that real estate is. I’ve mentioned that it just dissents me for working with families.
Obviously, in our business, real estate, there’s an opportunity to provide a real service. There are lots of people in my space, particularly in single-family multifamily type things where the owner of the property needs to be relieved of either a distressed property or a distressed situation, or both. And I just feel fortunate to be in front of them and to present our offering and to provide a real solution. And so, gratitude, I feel like it’s been a big one. I just feel like I just naturally appreciate the opportunities afforded me and something that helps keep me grounded and hungry to just get out there and do more of it.
Brett:
Absolutely love it. Yeah, tenacity and being grateful for what you’ve been given and the opportunity that people you get to serve. And also, tenacity means you think in the book or in our success, all of our new team members, the first 30 days they read that book, and that if there’s one word that describes that book, it is tenacity. And so, I love that. What is a third alternative? And maybe there’s another way right, and so cool. What’s the most rewarding part of what you do?
Mark:
Well, our mission at Joe Homebuyers is to improve lives by delivering creative real estate solutions. Each week, we have a Tuesday team meeting. And we have a segment dedicated to seller stories, so probably the most rewarding is we make a lot of money. But the beautiful thing is you can make a lot of money providing a ton of value. So, each week we have a segment dedicated to seller stories where we talk about what we did to provide real solutions outside of a fair cash offer on the property outside of you know, the transaction. What were the other things we did to provide real value and in our marketplace? Were we able to get more Google reviews, video testimonials? So, it’s just fun to see the imprint that we’re making. In our marketplace, the most rewarding part simply said is just providing real value in the marketplace for pretty complex or can be complex issues and getting creative to solve those problems.
Brett:
I can’t say it better than myself, to what we strive to do as well. And I think what every company should strive to do, and you got to celebrate those wins, and then bring the real stories to life, right and connect the backend and all the work blood, sweat, and tears to the actual transformation that you’re providing for folks. I absolutely love that. Would you give us an example of how your service helps others get that transformation? You know, deal done?
Mark:
We’ve had a couple of families where we’ve done some pretty out-of-the-box type things. I think at the time we shipped somebody’s car to North Dakota. You know, that’s simple, that’s easy. That’s just a couple of thousand dollars, but probably the most risk in terms of, “Hey, this could backfire a little bit.” It’s when you have somebody that says, “Hey, I need cash for this amount of time, I want to sell you my house, but I want to rent it back to you for six months, and I want first right of rescission to buy it back from you to type thing.” And we’ve had a couple of those where we’re like, “Alright if you know if this is what you’re looking for, we need to structure it.”
So, you know, as it’s in both of our interests and it’s just a collaborative setting, it’s not cutthroat, it’s not, you know, it’s what you think is a reasonable price, we charge you for this, to mitigate our risk, and the unknowns.
On one occasion, we worked with the family, even recently, that he just needed cash for a transaction for just a small period of time, but he didn’t want to leave this house. It was mom’s house, he inherited it, he took a lot of pride into it. And it was this idea if this is a way for you to have a short fill that gap short term, let’s do it, and we just crafted an agreement that is very customized and catered to what they’re seeking.
And so that’s fun. There are so many ways to provide value in the marketplace that aren’t cookie cutter. Sure, a cash offer, everybody can do that. But can we be mindful of ways to provide in addition to a fair price, other ideas, and solutions, allowing them to stay in their home for 30 days after getting cash so that they can make a smooth transition, helping them relocate, providing a dumpster. Everybody talks about that these things are part of the game, but how often do they do it? And that’s kind of our mantra, or at least we try to, live by those principles.
Brett:
Absolutely love it. Yep, that adding value beyond just the numbers, but finding solutions for families, and connecting the dots. So that’s neat. Let’s dive into the franchise part of the model here. At what point did you become fascinated with helping others? I think we all are successful enough in our own businesses, and we’re making enough money, that we’re looking to give back, leave a legacy or help others do the same and have that same kind of transformation. Walk us through that transition, and then walk us through exactly what the steps are to get started with you.
Mark:
I appreciate that. I’m the father of four, and this is kind of where my mind goes, when he asked me that question, “Where did I kind of have the transformation of I wanted to give this opportunity to others.” I have one boy and three girls, and a lot of my energy goes through finding a balance between giving my son an opportunity versus, he has to obviously come out and capture the opportunity and act himself. And I’m realizing that as a parent that we all have a responsibility to each individual has the responsibility to make the most of who they’re becoming.
And Joe is something that we feel very fortunate to have created, we’re grateful for the success. Now, can we put this in a turnkey model that we can then put out there into the marketplace, and those that want to create more want to be entrepreneurs, or that are already entrepreneurs in saying, I want to have a passive business or entrepreneurs that are down in the dumps. They’ve had moderate success and other things, but they want to capture the upside, that real estate, create more for themselves. And all we have to do is team up with those people that are hungry to develop themselves and be the best version of what they’re trying to accomplish.
It goes hand in hand because we can have a great product. If we have something that’s not working, it’s not going to thrive. If we don’t produce a good product, but we have a great person, it’s going to falter. We have a responsibility to produce a good product, a lot of support, and ongoing implementation. We have to team up with people that are committed to their own success, and buying into the opportunity. And with Joe, it’s a big commitment and it’s also a great opportunity.
So, for those that are thinking, I’m ready to get into real estate and I don’t want to start from scratch, I can go to a seminar, I can receive a coach, and those are great. I have a mentor, but I want to jump ahead to three, four, or five years, that’s what we afford you. We’d love to sit down and talk with you, virtually come out, and visit our office in Utah. But step one is to learn more about the opportunity and dive into it and find out if our turnkey system, tap into how we market, how we set goals and implement strategies for acquisition, and then certainly how we leverage the exit strategies to capture as much revenue as possible and tap into our actual systems that you can leverage so that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, you can leverage our team so you’re not having to hire as many people. So those are some of the by-products of working with Joe, and maybe the avatar of what type of person might thrive as they do this.
Brett:
Beautiful, I absolutely love it. You’re in Utah and Texas, right? And then how many franchises now and what states are those in?
Mark:
We have Florida, Georgia. Vegas. I guess that’s not a state but Nevada and Phoenix, three in Dallas, Idaho, three in Utah, 15 total locations as a whole. Oh, in Denver, it was our most recent, and in North Carolina, Greensboro is just a new addition. We’re excited to just be off and running.
Brett:
Beautiful. And just to clarify, it’s in the single-family fix and flip space.
Mark:
Yeah, wholesaling, fix, and flip small single-family or single-family and small multifamily is generally where we, you know, where our marketing is going to have the most impact for units in below that, again, like four units in below nice when you see the unit to blow.
Brett:
That’s right. That’s awesome. Okay, so COVID-19 the marketplace. You know, opportunities, right? predictions are today’s Election Day. Right?
Mark:
That’s not fair. You’re asking me on election day. You should have given me after it takes place. At least I’m free to guess. I got nothing.
Brett:
Yeah. So, I guess a dude, you know, beyond the election, what’s happening? Do you anticipate opportunities for distressed sellers, given what’s happened, or even just the economy itself? Because we’ve had a record kind of run for appreciation, and prices going up. At least here in California. For sure. What do you see in 2021, or 2022? And how are you positioning the Joe franchise model to be able to help people out but also to make some good profit there?
Mark:
Well, that’s what I love about real estate is you can make money, regardless of what the economy does. And that’s one of the things we help navigate as a Joe Homebuyer franchise, or we help our franchisees navigate, you know, the ebbs and flows of the market. At the end of the day, there is going to be a time and I’m not certain whether it’s going to be 2021 or 22. But there will be impacts from COVID. That will mean there are more distressed sellers, more distressed sellers means more properties for, you know, franchisees, like ours, but there are necessary pivots, when there’s a plethora of or you know, a surplus of properties in the marketplace, that means that you have to get better at different aspects of the business, which would include negotiating lower prices because the margins are going to be tighter. You also are going to have fewer cash buyers, buying your wholesale deals, and you also have to make sure that you’re, you’re broad in terms of your exit strategies including fix and flips because when there are more offerings out there your margins can suffer if you don’t manage those couple things.
On the flip side, when the market is robust like it is now when you find a property, that’s why I don’t can’t keep as many rentals as I’d like right now is because the market is so good. My buyers are paying just extraordinary amounts for properties. And so, I have this threshold, hey, if I don’t get this amount, I’m going to keep it as a rental, but they knock it out of the park every time. And so, I’m not compelled. But I choose to take the revenue now, so I can continue to grow. And so hopefully, I’ve answered your questions there. But at the end of the day, there will be a time that our market has that change. And we can benefit from both aspects of it. It’s just making sure that we pivot accordingly.
Brett:
Yeah, it makes perfect sense. And so now let’s dive into the capital gains tax part of that, and or the ordinary income, right, because of the way your way that the deals are structured. So how many fixes and flips are you turning per year and you’re in right now? It sounds like you’re probably paying ordinary income tax on that. Is that a fair summary?
Mark:
Yep, ordinary tax. In my Utah market, I might do 100 some odd properties, between wholesaling and rehabs. But again, both would fall under that same tax bracket.
Brett:
Excellent. And if there is a way where you could literally just defer that and park it into something like a deferred sales trust, and that becomes a kind of like a self-directed IRA, if you will, or kind of like a 1031 exchange, and then you can go do more deals out of this thing and just keep rolling it in and building this up and saving somewhere between, I don’t know, let’s say 25 to 40% on every deal. Would that be of value to you Mark?
Mark:
The deferred sales trust is definitely of value to me. At the end of the day, I pay way too much in taxes. I shouldn’t say that. I’m grateful to have taxes to pay. That means we live in a blessed country. But yes, deferred sales trust is definitely something I need to do more about.
Building Your Turnkey Real Estate Acquisition Franchise: “Every day, you’ll have opportunities to take chances and to work outside your safety net. Sure, it’s a lot easier to stay in your comfort zone… in my case, business suits and real estate… but sometimes you have to take risks. When the risks pay off, that’s when you reap the biggest rewards.” – Donald Trump
Brett:
Full disclosure, Mark learns about this for the first time. I’m confident I’m on the spot here. We talked briefly before this, he probably doesn’t know much about it at all. But, you can go to Capital Gains Tax Solution and get a free consultation. But one of the beauties of the deferred sales trust is that it’s called an income tax advantage, meaning once you sell something, and you can defer and roll it into this trust, you can defer the payments to you. And therefore, you can lower your actual net income tax personally, right. And this trust, it’s kind of like a 401k, in a sense, where you’re parking this money here, right up into this spot called the trust, a call it and then that all of it, the interest that it earns, can just roll on top of itself.
And then likewise, you can use the funds to go hard money lending, real estate investing. We just did a deal a $7.6 million deal and in Georgia, and he paid off all this debt, deferred about a million in tax, and then he’s put it into hard money lending as well as multifamily and purchases passively, which is also a very cool part about it. And then he’s going to roll it back into this trust and defer more tax incentives. It’s just a strategy, just a tool. And you can learn more about that at Capital Gains Tax Solutions. Are you ready for the lightning round, Mark?
Mark:
I’m ready, let’s go.
Brett:
All right, knowing what you know, now, if you go back to your 25-year-old self with the one Golden Nugget, what you would do?
Mark:
Oh, man, there are too many default answers to this, but to my 25-year old self is I would stop worrying. And I’d start working this idea that we spend so much time in analysis, paralysis of learning, learning, learning and applying some of it, at the end of the day, just get to work and be okay with not batting 1000 on everything, making a mistake once in a while, and just be okay with imperfection and just move forward. I think I would overthink things too much and worry a little bit too much. Rather than just act and being okay with a failure because it’s part of the game. It refines it, moves you forward, and falls faster type thing. But if I could go back to my 25-year-old self, I think it’d be worry less and just take more action,
Brett:
Beautiful. Love and read a book called Mentor to Millions by Kevin Harrington, and he talks about when we’re setting plans or strategic goals and such, basically get 70 to 80% of the way there and then go act. And if you’re over planning or taking too long, you probably waited too long, you probably over the plan, and you’re doing yourself a disservice. Because eventually, you run out of time and or money. What you want to do is just plan up to a certain point about 70 to 80%, of whatever it is, and then go act and then pivot, right and learn from those things. And then, of course, failures are what is a good thing, right in the sense that you don’t plan to fail, you plan to succeed. But failure teaches you what you need to do so you can succeed on the next one. I think that’s, that’s well said. recommend it or give it the most in the past year, Mark.
Mark:
You know, my classic is 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell. I’m of this opinion that the better leader that I become, the more opportunities I attract, and the better people I have been able to surround myself with. I like books on leadership. And that’s just a catalyst for me. And I’m also reading his other one, like great vision or the leader, the greatest return on a leader. He has so many books.
Brett:
Give me a mobile or digital resource to recommend for your business.
Mark:
Whoo, mobile or digital resource. Okay, notes on my iPhone. Simple, simple, simple, but I’ve just found it to be because it syncs with the Mac, and I just like notes. It’s been a little ninja trick to capture details and then be able to pick it up on my computer on my phone anytime, you know, favorite leadership quote or theme that you strive to live by?
Let’s see if I can quote this one on the spot here. Horace Mann, the educator, shared one to recognize human suffering is human. And I’m butchering botching it a little bit but to do something about it is godlike. Basically, this idea speaks for itself.
Brett:
Right. Yeah. to actually do something is like God to recognize it’s just human right? Yeah. What are you curious about right now?
Mark:
I’m really on this journey to really discover what my full potential is. And I’m curious about can I get more done in less time. Can I challenge others to accomplish more? Honestly, it goes back to that whole leadership thing can I become this leader that people want to be around and want to follow. A lot of my curiosities and aspirations are to really develop as a leader.
Brett:
Beautiful, love it. Last question Mark, and it’s centered around you. And after all your success, real estate investing, teaching a bunch of people franchising blown up million-million-dollar business, how do you say centered marking your values? And how do you stay encouraged to charge forward to reach new goals?
Mark:
Oh, wow. Well, how I see centered is I have a very ordinary morning routine where every day I’m feeding myself the same thing. I have this habit of waking up and having a 10-minutes of gratitude, 10-minutes of inspirational, and 10-minutes of journaling. I set the tone every day to what I’m trying to accomplish so that I can have a crystal-clear vision of what I’m trying to accomplish for the day. And, you know it goes back to that clarity, if I know exactly what I’m trying to accomplish for the day, deviations or distractions or shiny objects, or even temptations don’t have power over me, because I’ve stayed grounded, I started my day correctly, I found that I’m weakest when I’m fatigued, not getting the sleep that I want, I’m out of my morning routine. And, you know, then those shiny objects or those temptations are those distractions that have more power over me. But when I’m crystal clear on what I’m trying to accomplish, I’m able to stay centered and focused on what’s most important.
Brett:
That is so, so well said. And I like that a little bit different than a lot of motor routines. But similar to but 10-minutes of gratitude, 10-minutes of inspiration, and the 10-minutes of journaling. And that helps give you clarity for the day and helps to defeat some of the temptations of shiny objects that can get in your way. By the way, I also relate with you too on the other part of it and a little acronym for that. I teach my team and it’s called a halt. See, ha LTC, whenever we’re hungry, angry, lonely, tired, or in conflict, we’re most vulnerable to the temptation to saying something in a way that we shouldn’t have set it to make unwise decisions. Right? So. halt, see hungry, angry, lonely, tired, or in conflict. And we all, generally speaking, have one or two of those that are like our weakness, or weak or weaker ones. We’ve got to be careful about right and then other ones, maybe not, they don’t bother us as much, but everyone’s a little bit different. So just kind of figure out which one of those and kind of go back and kind of do like a reflection are the ones that are my bigger triggers, right? And then so be extra, extra cautious, or extra, you know, thinking about ways to put yourself in a better spot, if that makes sense.
Mark:
I have to tell you I wrote down every one of those.
And when you’re very lonely, tired, and we conflict. I love it. You know, I go straight to being a dad and thinking, “Hey, this is a new topic I can share with my teenagers.” I love that that’s such a great acronym. I love it.
Brett:
It’s powerful. Learn it from a leader somewhere maybe was like John Maxwell. I don’t know. But that’s so great. That being said, Mark, I want to thank you for being on the show, sharing a part of your story, inspiring me and our audience to go and create, preserve more wealth and be better leaders. So. with that, I’ll give you the last word.
Mark:
Thank you so much, Brett. And it’s been privileged. And really, I’ve gotten a lot of takeaways, I’ve enjoyed the heck out of this. Please find me at joehomebuyer.com. You can find me, Mark Stubler, on LinkedIn or Facebook, we’d love to connect with you. I’m like any listener, I imagine in the sense that I’m hungry to learn about how I can improve individually. And also, this idea that we want to aspire within real estate to accomplish great things and create a legacy for our families. I’m hopeful that I shared some things that will be a catalyst for growth. You’re fortunate to be following Brett. If you’re listening to this, you’re already on the right track, so compliments, listeners that are learning and pouring into themselves to improve. For me, it’s continuous improvement that provides us all opportunities. And so kudos to you for already being on that journey. And I’m grateful that I could be on this show with you today. Brett.
Brett:
Beautiful. Thanks, Mark. He’s Mark I’m Brett and check out Joe Homebuyer. Thanks again for listening. We appreciate you. I want to encourage you to go use the gifts and talents you’ve been given to bless others today. And as well if you’re selling a highly appreciated asset and you’re struggling with capital gains tax. By the way, it can be a primary home. It can be a business, it can be cryptocurrency, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, anything that’s highly appreciated, go to capitalgainstaxsolutions.com we have a solution for you. And with that, we appreciate you. Thanks, everybody. Please rate review subscribe. Bye, everybody.
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About Mark Stubler
Mark Stubler is the founder of the Joe Homebuyer Franchise, a turn-key real estate investing business that helps homeowners sell their properties quickly without the hassle of traditional listings. Mark gave up a lucrative career in sales and took a leap of faith to create financial independence for himself and his family. In a short amount of time, he’s built Joe Homebuyer into a multimillion-dollar company. Through franchising, Mark provides the blueprint for his operations that enables anyone with gumption and grit to be successful in real estate investing. By following a simple and proven business model, one can create financial independence for themselves and their families.
His innovative approach to sales, negotiations, and closing deals has been the foundation of his achievements. Mark uses an authentic, collaborative sales style that feels more like a trusted advisor than a salesman. With a growth mindset, Mark is continuously improving himself, his team, and his business. He has a passion for coaching others to achieve high levels of personal and financial success.
Mark is a Utah native, sushi lover, wake surfing fanatic, father to four children and he is married to his high school sweetheart.
