What happens when the market crashes… and everything you’ve built disappears overnight?
Welcome back to ep139 of Inspired To Invest. This week, Chris Prefontaine is here. To watch rather than listen, click HERE.
Chris is the Chairman and Founder of Smart Real Estate Coach, to talk about one of the most powerful comeback stories in real estate.
Chris has spent over 30 years in real estate, completed hundreds of deals across North America, and helped thousands of investors build wealth through creative real estate strategies. But his journey wasn’t always smooth.
During the 2008 financial crash, Chris lost everything.
Instead of filing bankruptcy, he rebuilt from the ground up. That experience ultimately led him to develop a powerful framework for investors called the “3 Paydays” model, a strategy designed to generate income upfront, monthly cash flow, and long-term wealth from real estate deals.
Today, Chris runs one of the most respected real estate coaching communities in North America and hosts the Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast, ranked in the top 0.5% globally.
In this conversation, we dive into:
• The lessons Chris learned from losing everything in the 2008 crash
• Why signing personal guarantees can destroy real estate investors
• The power of creative real estate investing without banks or large down payments
• How the 3 Paydays strategy works in real estate deals
• The importance of mentorship, community, and accountability for investors
• Why scaling a business requires letting go of control and building the right team
• The mindset shift that helps entrepreneurs recover from setbacks faster
Chris also explains how investors can acquire properties using strategies such as owner financing, subject-to deals, and lease purchase agreements—approaches that can allow investors to control real estate with minimal capital.
If you’re interested in real estate investing, creative financing, building long-term wealth, or learning from one of the industry's most experienced investors, this episode is packed with insights.
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Connect With Chris Prefontaine
Free books mentioned in the episode: https://3paydaysbooks.com/inspired
Free workshop: https://smartrealestatecoach.com/mastersclass
Inspired To Invest features conversations with entrepreneurs, real estate investors, and business leaders who are building wealth and creating impact through investing and innovation.
Hosted by Serena Holmes, REALTOR®, investor, entrepreneur, and founder of the Inspired To Invest podcast.
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00:00 Introduction to Chris Prefontaine
00:30 Growing up around business and early exposure to real estate
01:35 The 2008 crash and losing everything
03:00 The emotional and financial toll of the market collapse
04:15 Downsizing and rebuilding after the crash
05:00 The rules Chris created after losing everything
06:30 The “3 Paydays” real estate model explained
07:15 Why mentorship and community accelerate success
08:20 The evolution of real estate investing and new opportunities
09:00 How Chris built his real estate coaching company
10:10 The biggest challenges entrepreneurs face when scaling
11:20 A wild real estate story from Chris’s early investing days
13:00 The best business advice Chris ever received
13:30 The importance of hiring the right people to grow your business
14:50 Chris’s next big acquisition strategy
16:10 Creative real estate strategies: owner financing, subject-to, and lease purchase
17:00 How beginners can start learning creative real estate investing
18:30 Chris’s financial freedom philosophy
19:00 How real estate created time freedom and lifestyle flexibility
21:00 Building a family legacy through real estate
22:00 The quote that inspires Chris’s entrepreneurial mindset
23:00 How to connect with Chris and access free resources
23:30 Final thoughts and closing
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Serena Holmes is a licensed REALTOR®, real estate investor, real estate investing coach, podcast host, published author and chief content officer of Executive Lens. She is also the former CEO of Tigris Events, a multi award winning brand experience agency.
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