A $2.8 million lawsuit. An $80,000-plus loss on a separate flip. And a moment when Sergio Martinez seriously questioned whether real estate was worth it.

In Episode 351 of The Kash and Dash Show, hosts Ted Kaasch & Owen Dashner sit down with investor and Realtor Sergio Martinez for an honest conversation about getting started, taking some expensive hits, and building a business around relationships and your reputation.

Sergio shares how he bought his first investment property for just $7,000—with only $400 to his name and funding from others—and pawned his Xbox to afford gas while working on the renovation. That first deal opened the door, but the deals that followed taught him how quickly things can go sideways.

He walks through a Subject-To transaction that led to U.S. Marshals serving him lawsuit papers, the roughly $15,000 he says he spent on attorneys before being dismissed from the cases, and a separate flip where failed sales and mounting holding costs wiped out his profit and more.

We also get into:

• Why he shifted toward wholesaling after carrying as much as $20,000 a month in hard money costs.
• How meeting two new investors each week has helped him find deals, build friendships, and raise private money.
• Finding opportunities in small towns that other investors overlook.
• Why he disclosed a termite problem even though it cost him a five-figure wholesale opportunity.
• Becoming more selective about deals—and defining success beyond money and doors owned.

Sergio’s goal isn’t just to build a bigger portfolio. It’s to be someone his family and community can count on.

Want to connect with Sergio? Find Sergio Martinez on Facebook—look for the verified profile featuring him and his fiancée—and reach out to schedule a coffee or conversation.

Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel, or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: What’s the most expensive lesson real estate has taught you?

Watch on YouTube here 👉 https://youtu.be/zM3fUjmnHEQ

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