Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Serna.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in Corpus Christi and my Dad was a well-known real estate broker in South Texas. I grew up in a real estate family- in 1984 I was 12 years old and Dad would ask me to use the dial up modem to get amortization schedules through that dinosaur computer. Dad would often take little brother and me on his house or ranch showings- he would explain the art of prospecting, the art of the showing, and the art of the transaction to us.
I later graduated with honors with a philosophy degree in Texas, and then other degrees in Italy- this served me well for 17 years as a Catholic priest and as a college professor. Dad’s teachings helped me as a priest to raise massive amounts of money for the churches, and the diocese, that I served. The monies would be used for the poor, for giving scholarships to needy students, and for humanitarian purposes.
After 17 years as a priest I felt lonely and wanted to have my own family. I later had a daughter and realized fast that I needed to make money to support this beautiful life! I raised money as a priest for others, now I had to raise money for my daughter and me- so I resorted to what I grew up with, namely, real estate!
Marcus & Millichap was the commercial brokerage I started with- they only let us transact with commercial inventory in the $1 million to $50 million inventory. I learned much there and then went over to eXp Realty- they let me do commercial, ranch and residential transactions. I went from making $12,000 my first year in real estate to much more than that, only 4 years later. In all things, God helped me succeed.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There were many struggles along the way, before reaching this place of joy and security. I left priesthood with a 10-year-old truck with 320,000 miles on it and $2000 in the bank. My first two years in San Antonio, 2017-2018, I relied on friends guest rooms at condos, or couches, or floor air mattresses- I was living on credit cards because of a slow start in real estate. At one point I was renting a room from a widow for $300 a month because I could not afford an efficiency apartment. I rented that room until January 2019, then I was able to buy my first house. From broke and credit card debt 2017 to 2019 to financial freedom 2019 and after. My daughter was and is my inspiration for needing to succeed. I drove and I drive hundreds of miles a week showing ranches or commercial properties or houses, all over Texas, mainly Central and South Texas, with a few ranch listings near Fort Worth and Dallas. No one knew me when I came to San Antonio in 2017- it was discouraging and intimidating to start over at 45 years old, in a town where no one knew me, in a career where I had to compete with 14,000 other licensed agents, with me being the ignorant unconnected rookie, no pipeline, and challenging odds. But I knew God always helps underdogs, and in this was my hope.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Serna Realty Group?
My brand is a golden crown top center with two regal lion busts below the crown, on each side. The crown on the top center means for me that Jesus is King of everything. The two lions symbolize for me the two natures of Jesus- His earthly nature which means He relates to our weakness and suffering, and His divine nature which means He is all powerful and He conquers all. For the first half of my life I tried to imitate Jesus the High Priest by being an ordained priest- burying the dead, visiting the sick, helping the troubled, teaching the Word. The second half of my life is dedicated to serving my new family, and God as a real estate professional- the way my earthly hero – my dad- did it. My career is how I serve my God and how I serve my loved ones. I am well known for driving hundreds of miles every week, leaving early in the morning and returning to my San Antonio home late at night- finding buyers and sellers for properties I have been entrusted with. You ask me what makes me stand out? Many have said that I am conspicuous for my passion and my eccentricity- only because my career is how I serve God and my new family, ergo my intensity. Another feature of my brand is the index finger pointing up. It is not me and my partners saying we are number one. It is me and my partners pointing to God, giving Him all the credit.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can work with me by being positive, by being determined and resourceful, by using common sense, and by being dedicated and committed to bringing success to our clients. How can they support me? People can support me by recommending people with real estate needs to give me a call.
Pricing:
- FREE- Estimation of value for homes
- FREE- Commercial property valuations
- Free- Consultations about ranch purchases
- Free- Consultations about Joining my Real Estate Group
- Free- Mentoring, Coaching, Tips for new business
Contact Info:
- Email: Patrick.Serna@exprealty.com
- Website: https://patrickserna.exprealty.com/
- Instagram: patrickserna777
- Facebook: Patrick Serna
- Youtube: Serna Realty Group or shorturl.at/bAKTV
