Meet Our Owner Financing Team

The Fascinating Story Behind Gene Rife’s Journey to Prosperity with Owner Finance Academy

Gene Rife
President, Owner Finance Academy

Before becoming the president of Owner Finance Academy, Gene Rife spent most of his successful career in the retail industry. More than just a career change, Gene’s life transformed dramatically when he found a way to build financial prosperity and help others with knowledge he gained from Owner Finance Academy.

Gene worked in management and sales for multiple furniture retail stores in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and nationwide. After much deliberation, Gene decided it was time to leave the retail furniture business. His wife of almost five decades, Jackie, also enjoyed a long, successful furniture retail career — and agreed it was time to embark on a new journey. This decision aligned their futures. Gene and Jackie decided to use their sales knowledge and expertise to become real estate investors. They knew they’d need some expert advice, so they plunged in and signed up for a training program.

Gene and Jackie learned new terminology and were introduced to some investment strategies in their first training course — but didn't feel they knew enough to make informed decisions about where and how to begin investing in real estate. They signed up for another training course a few months later. They acquired more knowledge, but again — this course also left them feeling unprepared.

Gene and Jackie understood that real estate investing comes with risks, and they weren’t willing to jeopardize their financial health by making costly mistakes. They also felt like these programs focused too much on taking advantage of opportunities to make money, with little regard for those negatively impacted in the process. This disregard made them uncomfortable and hesitant to proceed.

“Not only was the focus of every program completely on making the next buck, they seemed also to ignore the plight of the troubled homeowner in their calculations to have success.”
Gene Rife

In just under a year, Gene and Jackie were out $32,000 and still lacked the tools and knowledge to comfortably embark on a real estate investment career. Then they met Grant Trevithick, the founder of Owner Finance Academy (OFA) — and realized what was missing from the previous training programs: the ability to change people’s lives for the better while generating income from real estate investing.

“We invested $32,000 on two different training programs in less than 10 months to “crack the code.” Although I am certain the programs we attempted to use worked for some, they weren’t for us.”
Gene Rife

Gene and Jackie completed an in-person training with Owner Finance Academy — and came away with not only the knowledge and tools to embark on their real estate investment career, but with a renewed sense of purpose. Unlike many real estate investment strategies that focus solely on generating income regardless of negative consequences for some, they learned how to use owner financing as an investment strategy that didn't take advantage of vulnerable buyers and sellers. In other words, owner financing was a win-win for all parties involved.

A mere 10 days after Gene and Jackie completed their Owner Finance Academy training, they purchased their first investment property. Over the next two years, they became more than successful graduates of Owner Finance Academy’s training program — they became contributing members of OFA’s internal team. Gene and Jackie assisted in purchasing and selling more than 25 homes with OFA.

“From that point onward, we became more and more involved in the day-to-day business of the company. Jackie focused on our sales side, and I became more and more involved in the Academy.”
Gene Rife

Gene and Jackie experienced firsthand how OFA’s owner financing program improved people’s lives. They helped more than a few couples who didn't think they could secure financing buy their first home. They rescued homeowners who faced financial hardships due to job loss, illness, divorce or other life-altering events from seeing their credit score shattered from a foreclosure or bankruptcy.

Helping homebuyers and sellers wasn't the only appealing aspect of becoming part of the OFA family — or the only way Gene and Jackie felt they could use their new expertise to help others. Gene felt inspired to share what he had learned from OFA’s training and continued mentoring. He so firmly believed in OFA’s approach, processes and tools that he decided to become an OFA trainer. His goal was, and still is, to help others achieve similar prosperity and security as he and Jackie.

“We found that each time we were involved in either a purchase or a sale of a home in this program, we were changing people’s lives. That’s what was missing in every other real estate investing program.
Gene Rife

Gene and Jackie integrated with Owner Finance Academy’s vision to expand its training program. The company soon established a training facility and corporate offices at its current location in Irving, Texas. As a trainer, Gene particularly enjoys coaching program graduates as they embark on their own paths to prosperity using OFA’s owner financing investment strategy. He passionately believes that the company’s growth and success are guaranteed as more people learn how its program can help them achieve their financial goals — with the added bonus of knowing what they’re doing is benefiting others.

“I connect weekly with dozens of prospective partners looking to make their mark. The great part of this program is that there are many ways to design your business to succeed.”

Gene attributes much of his success in becoming Owner Finance Academy’s president to his wife, Jackie. Jackie now serves as the sales manager for OFA’s sister company, Owner Finance Homes, LLC. Jackie and her team benevolently guide every homebuyer through the process, providing aid at every step. Gene believes the success of Jackie’s team is a testament to its perseverance, loyalty and drive, as well as her leadership. Under Gene’s thoughtful tutelage, Owner Finance Academy will continue to grow and offer even more win-win services to all parties involved in owner-financed real estate transactions.

Prosperity with Purpose

Gene has experienced far greater success than he anticipated for this retirement phase of his life. He is providing long-term prosperity for himself and his family while advancing the lives of so many others. As proof of Owner Finance Academy’s commitment to improving the lives of those less fortunate, 10 percent of all profits earned are donated to charities. The entire leadership team at OFA wholeheartedly supports this practice.

About Grant Trevithick
Sr. Instructor and Trainer

Grant Trevithick empowers others to achieve prosperity, wealth and security through owner-financed real estate investing. He intuitively instructs and guides beginner up to experiences investors to become exceptionally successful entrepreneurs in control of their futures and incomes. Under his careful tutelage, new investors learn how to buy homes from distraught sellers trying to avoid a financial disaster and sell homes to eager buyers who cannot obtain traditional mortgages. Grant lives by his core values: enter every real estate transaction with absolute honesty, integrity and transparency — and each transaction must be a win-win outcome for all parties involved. He also wholeheartedly believes in the power of generosity and making a positive impact on others’ lives.

When Grant developed his expertise as a real estate investor, primarily through owner-financed investment strategies, he felt inspired to share his knowledge to help others achieve unassailable prosperity. As the Senior Instructor and Trainer of Owner Finance Academy, Grant achieves his goal. When students complete one of Owner Finance Academy’s programs, their training doesn’t end — they become lifelong learners. They receive ongoing guidance (and even partnership for some) from Owner Finance Academy’s team of talented investors. Grant developed Owner Finance Academy’s educational program such that students experience real-world scenarios, not merely academic overviews. Students benefit from hands-on, application-oriented training instead of lofty theories and materials to study at home.

Grant practices what he preaches and experiences extraordinary success as a real estate investor. After a prosperous professional career working for visionary tech companies such as EDS and AT&T, Grant retired in the early 2000s to pursue a new chapter in his life. He invested over $30,000 into a real estate education program, only to discover the company only partially delivered what it promised. Armed with minimal knowledge but a determination to succeed, Grant began as most real estate investors do — with “fix and flip,” “buy and hold” (rentals) and wholesaling.

After moderate to slight success with those strategies, Grant focused on owner financing as the optimum strategy, primarily because it ensures a win-win (meets or exceeds objectives) outcome for all involved — and multigenerational wealth for investors and their families. Grant designed a superb real estate educational program to help others avoid the mistakes he made — and give them an optimum chance to earn a substantial long-term, passive income.

Grant enthusiastically supports those less fortunate and is actively involved in his church. He donates a portion of all company profits to community programs and charities that primarily support abused women and children. After a job loss early in his career (which necessitated working in temporary jobs for a period), he discovered that spiritual tithing led to financial and personal fulfillment. He fosters this belief today and enjoys genuine peace and prosperity due to his efforts, perseverance and embracement of life. Grant is happily married to the love of his life, Mirna. They share the joy of parenting an endearing young child — and share their home with a lovable golden retriever named Shiloh and a saltwater tank full of fish. Grant is also a fun-loving individual who thinks eating dessert first is absolutely OK.