Conversations with Brian Dinkel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Dinkel.

Hi Brian, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I moved to Kansas City in 2002 after graduating from Kansas State to start my first teaching job, teaching middle school social studies. Like most teachers, I needed another job to make ends meet. I didn’t want to work for someone else, so I decided to mow a few lawns on weekends, a business I had a little experience in. My brother and I had a lawn care business in middle and high school, so this worked perfectly as a side hustle. Around 2006, my wife and I were sitting on the deck at our house, and we had just watched one of the house-flipping shows that used to be very popular on DIY/HGTV, and I said to her that I thought we should try flipping a house.

By this point, I was tired of mowing lawns and wanted to do something more exciting that offered more income potential. Those shows made it look so easy. Buy a run-down home, fix it by doing all the work yourself, then sell it and make a huge profit! I thought to myself “If those people can do this, I know I can do it”. I grew up in a small town in western Kansas and helped my Dad do all sorts of things with carpentry, electrical, framing, roofing, etc., so naturally, I thought, “This is going to be easy.”

Oh, to be young and naive. I was wrong about many things about that first house: it wasn’t easy, doing all the work yourself does not help you save tons of money, and those HGTV shows don’t tell you the full story.

That’s where my real estate journey began. We contacted the real estate agent we used to buy our house, eventually found a foreclosure in Bonner Springs, and put an offer in. After a few months of trying to purchase the house, we were finally able to close that fall. I spent nights and weekends working on that house, doing everything myself. I’d be over there until 2 or 3 in the morning working, head home, sleep for a couple of hours, head to school, teach 8th graders all day, and be right back at the house. Eventually, I ended up finishing the house, and we ended up selling it quickly for a small profit – which was a miracle because what I didn’t know when I started this journey was that it was definitely not going to be easy.

Even though it was difficult, I was hooked, and from that point on, my main focus has been real estate. I flipped a few more homes, still doing some work but hiring out the rest. I bought a few rentals and decided in 2015 to get my real estate license. Then, I didn’t have much desire to work with other people and help them buy or sell a home, and I got the license to help find better deals for myself. I was also active on a few real estate websites. One day, I received a message from a real estate investor asking if I’d be interested in helping him find a few investment properties in the Kansas City area. That was the beginning of my journey as a real estate agent. This client bought multiple properties from me and referred other investors to me.

My main focus was helping investors grow their real estate investment portfolios in Kansas City and the surrounding markets. It’s amazing how things work out. Because I decided to work with that first client, I’ve had the opportunity to work with people from around the country. This has allowed me to connect with some amazing people from various backgrounds. My real estate business has grown primarily from word of mouth and referrals, which is the greatest compliment my clients can give me. I have been a real estate agent with Platinum Realty® for the last six years, and recently, to serve clients at an even higher level, I formed the BD Real Estate Solutions team. We are currently a small team of 3 agents that each bring something to the table that can help clients throughout the Kansas City metro area. My main focus is to help investors build their real estate investment portfolios, while the other agents on my team work hand in hand with homeowners looking to buy or sell a home.

You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been fairly smooth?

I wouldn’t say it’s always been smooth, we’ve had our challenges along the way like anyone who has been involved in the real estate industry long term. One of the biggest challenges I had early on in my career was around 2008-2009 when the real estate market crashed. I was rehabbing a home, and by the time I had finished it and put it on the market to be sold, the real estate world had come crashing down. This house went under contract four different times, and every time we got to closing, the buyer’s financing would fall through. We ended up holding onto this property and turning it into a rental, but we couldn’t rent it for enough cash to be profitable each month.  It was stressful not only because we were losing money every month but because our son had just been born, and suddenly, our expenses had increased. We held onto that property for a few years, and in the end, we were able to sell it for a small loss.

As a real estate agent, there have been a lot of different challenges along the way. From homes that didn’t appraise, poor inspection results, buyers’ financing falling through right before closing, and of course the challenges of the frenzied real estate market over the last 2 years.

These experiences, however, have been a driving force in growing my business and coaching/guiding my clients to avoid some of the same costly mistakes I made when I first started in real estate. I’ve experienced the ebbs & flows of the industry over the seasons and can provide perspective and guidance to my clients.

Thanks for sharing that. Can you tell us more about your work next?

When I first got started, my speciality was working with real estate investors. I loved getting to help people from all over find properties that they could use as an investment. Over time I expanded to start helping people buy homes that they could live in. My clients range from firefighters, military families, teachers, physicians, corporate executives, law enforcement professionals to larger-scale capital groups. Some of my clients might only buy one or two properties while others purchase multiple properties; I’m proud that I play a small role in helping them achieve their financial goals or buy the home of their dreams.

I’m also going to continue to grow the BD Real Estate Solutions team. We are a growing team, and I feel like the services we are providing our clients set us apart from others. I am proud that my agents aren’t just trying to sell a house or earn a commission; we work very hard to ensure that what is in the best interest of our clients’ goals is being met. Our goal is to not only help them buy or sell a home or add to their investment portfolio but to do everything in our power to make sure that when it’s all said and done, they want to come back to us the next time they have a real estate need and that they are pleased to refer us to others because of the outstanding work we have done.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?

When it comes to finding a mentor or networking, the key is to get involved. Find groups that are specific to what you are getting into, whether that be something local or something online. When I first started, I connected with other investors and people in the real estate industry by going to investment-specific websites such as Bigger Pockets or some of the local real estate investor meetups. When I got my real estate license, I joined a small team, and the other agents were able to help me navigate things as a new agent. Having a mentor or even a group of people you can connect with early on in your career will put you ahead of someone trying to do everything by themself. There is a village behind most real estate transactions, including lenders, inspectors, title companies, escrow officers, property managers, appraisers, insurance agents, and more. Seeking professionals who align with the experience you want to create for your clients is paramount as these team members become an extended face of your brand and what it means to do business with you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bdrealestatesolutions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bd_real_estate_solutions_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BDRESKC
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/brian-dinkel-06962478
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxS6BJXQmg5VDvfGJ-2YXzw