Meet Andy Martinez Jr. | Realtor, Mortgage Loan Originator, And Owner/Broker of Entity Mortgage and Realty

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andy Martinez Jr. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Deciding to start Entity Mortgage and Realty kind of happened by accident. I had been a realtor with other brokerages for several years. I had some good experiences and I had some bad experiences. I guess it was the bad experiences that led me down the “start my own business” path. During my time as a realtor, I started trying to understand why some buyers “qualified” for loans with some lenders while other lenders would say “No”. When I started to figure it out, I felt that I could also service my clients better if I could help them with their loans. I went out and got my Mortgage Loan Originator license to compliment my real estate license. I accidentally became a one shop stop for my clients. In becoming so, I wanted to be able to bundle pricing and fees like they do with insurance. I got a lot of push back from my broker at the time. See, I still had to hang my licenses up with a broker to practice my business. In other words, I had a boss that controlled the way I felt I could service my clients better. Mainly, by helping cut the costs for them, but that in turn would cut the revenue for my broker. One afternoon, I was really frustrated with how I was forced to handle a transaction and even though the transaction was successful, I was not happy about how I was limited in my ability to do it in a way that I thought would benefit our clients. It was during a “venting” of my feelings in front of my wife and son that the idea came about. My son, maybe 11 years old at the time, and my wife, almost simultaneously said “Why don’t you start your own company?” I wasn’t sure how to go about doing that and I wasn’t even sure that I had the credentials. After a quick call to the state of California, I learned that I was more than qualified and exceeded all of the requirements. All I had to do was pass the brokers exam and I would be on my way. Within about 30 days of that afternoon, I took and passed my brokers exam on the very first attempt. I was officially in business for myself. Let me add, once I started Entity and got that going, it got easier to launch other businesses. I had the belief in myself thing going and the right people around me. Check Out: LordAndArmor.com

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I spent too many years listening to the wrong people. I even tuned out my inner voice and tuned out what God was trying to put in my heart. I spent about 5 years as an Uber driver. During that time, I hated what I was doing for work and even worse, I did not like myself at all. I was in a dark place. I was going through a divorce and I had a 3 year old to provide for. I really could not see the light at the the end of the tunnel and I could not ever imagine the blessings, the life changing moments, there was to come by my passengers. While I was driving around town, I thought it would be smart to put a Real Estate magnet with a photo of me on the car for advertising. A few people from the first real estate brokerage laughed at me. They said it would “devalue my business” and that “no one would take me seriously.” At first I doubted myself, but I had a strong feeling in my heart. The kind of feeling that comes from God. I kept them on the car and kept driving. 3 of my first 4 transactions came from my rideshare passengers. Passengers would order a ride, I’d show up, they’d see the magnets, and start talking real estate to me. Almost every passenger, and there were thousands, spoke real estate to me. Joey, Melanie, and Richard, gave the Uber driver a few breaks. Joey put about $5k in commission in my pocket when I helped him find a luxury rental apartment. I picked him up at LAX and he was relocating to LA. Same with Melanie. I helped her find an apartment as she moving to LA from New York to pursue modeling. That put about $1k bucks in my pocket. And then I picked up Richard on the corner of Hollywood and Argyle next to the Easton building. He had taken a job with NETFLIX and needed to purchase a home in Los Angeles. I was driving him to Burbank airport that day in October and just after the new year, he purchased a $1.5 million dollar home from me in WEHO. That put $30k in my pocket. All of these stories are in my new book, Uber Driver Millionaire. An additional note, a few years later, Richard also had me sell that home for $1.6 million. That put another $32k in the Uber tip jar. I never looked back. Big shot out to the UBER Company – Little did I realize and truly appreciate at the time, UBER gave me an opportunity when nobody else would. Without UBER, I wouldn’t be at this point in my life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’d probably start with a stroll down memory lane. I’d start at my old neighborhood just behind Hollywood BLVD and Bronson. The Palms Thai place used have Thai Elvis perform. I’d have lunch there, then walk him down to the Fonda Music Box where I used to bartend. Maybe a walk down the boulevard and over to the Hollywood YMCA where I also spent 10 years of my life working. Then a drive up Beachwood Canyon where I also lived. My son was born in 1968 N. Beachwood Dr. Apt 205 in 2010. I’d walk him over to Birds and show where I spent a Ferarri’s worth money on good food, plenty of beers and shots, and great times with Mary and all the regulars.
On another occasion, stop by the Rainbow Bar and Grill. I’d tell him stories about Mario Maglieri, Cypress Hill, and Lemmy. I’d show the table where Joey Covington from Jefferson Starship invited me to sit down and hang out with Billy Bob Thorton.
My buddy is a big sports fan. I’d probably go by the house where I had John Sally feed my kid some bottled milk. I have a great photo of it.
After 20 years in Hollywood, I have a lot of Hollywood stories.
Thanks for reading my story.
God bless you all!
Who Loves You Baby?
Your Boy,
AMJ

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Success has everything to do with having the right people around you. Other than my wife, Rebekah, I have to give a shout out to Douglas Stockley with EXP Realty. When I was down in the dumps over a decade ago, I accidentally bumped into Douglas at one of his showings in Hancock Park. Douglas was kind, smart, and full of great information and suggestions. He offered me an opportunity to be mentored by him while I got my business going. It was the best decision I could have made. Within 4 years I was in Real Estate full time. Within 6 years handling mortgages as well. And within 8 years, I owned my own brokerage. Every transaction is different. People are different and circumstances are different. Douglas taught me to always ask questions, always seek good answers, always be honest, and to always do my work to the absolute best of my abilities. And let me say, in a ruthless and cutthroat industry, it can be done with compassion and grace. Douglas is still a dear friend and still mentors me when I need it!

Website: https://www.entityrealty.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theandymartinezjr