In this episode, Ellie interviews family business owner, real estate leader, and coach Chris Prefontaine. While Chris grew up in a family business—he was part of the third generation—when it came to choosing his career path, he opted to take a different direction. He’s been working in real estate for over 25 years and is the best-selling author of Real Estate on Your Own Terms (see resources below to access your free copy).
Today, Chris runs the real estate business he started, alongside his wife, son, daughter, and son-in-law. In addition to buying and selling real estate in New England, Chris and his team coach others on finding success in real estate and they host a show called the Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast. Together, they co-authored a new book due out in May titled The New Rules of Real Estate Investing.
In this interview, Ellie and Chris talk about what it’s like to work in a family business. Chris explains how his kids became involved in the business and he shares how they make it all work.
In this episode:
- Meet Chris Prefontaine (1:46)
- How Chris got started in real estate (2:30)
- How the kids got involved in the business (4:25)
- Passing down lessons learned from 2008 (6:16)
- What’s it like working with family? (7:55)
- Chris’ plan for the business (9:04)
- Words of wisdom for working with family (10:13)
- What family meetings look like for the Prefontaines (16:15)
- About the new book (19:10)
- About Chris’ coaching business (20:45)
- Bonus questions (23:35)
Resources from this episode:
Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast
Real Estate on Your Terms: Create Continuous Cash Flow Now, Without Using Your Cash or Credit(click to get your FREE copy of the book from Chris)
Calm (meditation app)
Notable and Quotable:
“One of our values is blunt communication—no gray area.” —Chris Prefontaine
Advice for his 20-year-old self: “Find a mentor in a niche you like, working at the level you aspire to, and set up camp with them. Don’t look left, right, or backward for three years. Success leaves clues.” —Chris Prefontaine
Guest Bio:
Chris is the best-selling author of Real Estate on Your Terms: Create Continuous Cash Flow Now, Without Using Your Cash or Credit. He’s also the founder of SmartRealEstateCoach.com and the Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast.
Chris has been in real estate for over 25 years. His experience includes the construction of over 100 single family and duplex homes (mostly 1990s and selectively to date), has owned a Realty Executives Franchise (Massachusetts 1994-2000) as broker/owner which maintained high per-agent standards and eventually sold to Coldwell Banker in 2000. The 2000s included coaching ½ million and higher REALTORs® in order to scale & automate their business throughout the US and Canada. He also participated (and still does selectively) in doing condo conversions (multi-family homes to condos) and “raise the roof” projects (converting single-family ranches to colonials in growth neighborhoods).
Chris has been a big advocate of constant education and participates regularly in high-end mastermind groups, as well as consults with private mentors. He runs his own buying and selling businesses with his family team, which buys 2-5 properties monthly, so they’re in the trenches every single week. They also help clients do the same thing around the country.
Chris and his family team have done over 80 million in real estate transactions. They mentor, coach, consult, and actually partner with students around the country (by application only) to do exactly what they do.
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