Success-Is-Certain...starts TODAY : )

Congratulations on getting Dean's book, dusting it off and restarting your journey with real estate investing. If you make a plan and follow Dean's tips, techniques and strategies, I am sure you will be successful. Good luck with all your real estate deals. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

I enjoyed reading your post and appreciate you being so open with your life. This forum is a great source of knowledge and it's fun! I think you will find what you need here to help you achieve your goals. Good luck.

Cathy

I've seen you provide many valuable tips and insights on DGs site and I look forward to working with you and all the other investors here : )

Congratulations on taking the next step in changing your lives. When you make it your goal to succeed and work at it a little every day, your dreams will come true. Welcome to the DG family and don't be afraid to ask questions. There are so many great people here that are willing to help in every way.

Wising you the success that you deserve!
hillvalley ;0)

Hi Suzi!

Congratulations on making a commitment to your journal. It is a great place to write things down and get a bit of clarity while at the same time keeping you focused on your RE business. So write away and have fun! And all the best to you as your begin this great real estate journey. This is a wonderful and supportive group here and a wealth of information is at your fingertips. Dean says in one of his books that the book is a million dollar education, and he is right!

I look forward to seeing your posts, reading your journal and finding out about your RE activities and deals!

Nancy

I was pleasantly surprised to see several nice comments when I came back on here today to make a new entry. It's funny, I had begun a journal in a notebook several days ago, but stumbling across this avenue is so much better because you get the feedback! I know that will make a huge difference in keeping me motivated and giving me the confidence to take some action every day.

So, anyway...it's Thursday and I am excited because I'll be attending my first local investors club meeting tonight. I found it on MeetUp.com and it'll be great to network with some local individuals who have similar goals to mine (as well as create a potential buyer's list).

I asked my husband to go with me (for moral support) and he is, so I'm glad about that also. One question I have come up with is...as I introduce myself and talk to other investors, should I put out there right away that I'm working using DGs books and strategies. Will that scare potential buyers off, or make them not take me seriously? Not sure exactly how I want to put myself out there. I know I want to get my feet wet via bird-dogging, then jump to contract assignment from there but I'm just thinking when I start saying how I have the ability to find all these great properties at 30-50% below FMV, they'll ask me "What's my secret?" and "How do I know where to find these when others cannot?" You know that type of scenario. Any input from fellow DGers and how you might have handled your first interactions with potential investors/buyers would be very helpful.

Thanks in advance and I'll be sure to check back here before my mtg. tonight.

Suzi : )

Hello DG Family,
Like others, I felt like sharing my excitement as I have set my sites on providing a better life for my family. First, a little about myself; I am married to Melody (ten years this year) and she has three sons (ages 23,21, and 19) and we have one 9 year old son together. I am at home because I have been on disability for stage IV cancer for almost three years. I have been through radiation, surgery, and chemo. My incredible wife Melody has been an amazing source of support and direction (she's my medical director) during this battle against cancer of the past three years. Melody works full time as an executive assistant. Her company has just laid off some people and some of her co-workers were slapped with 20% pay cuts, the ones that are left are grateful to still have a job. She was spared for now, but things aren't getting better for her company yet. So the future of her company is very uncertain. The question for me is; how do I provide financial security for my family while being so limited by cancer and the treatment that goes with it?

I found the answer as I was watching TV late one night and Dean Graziosi found me watching! I could see and feel his sincerity right through the television! So, I bought "Profit from Real Estate Right Now." When it arrived I read it cover to cover in a day and a half! I realized that most of the work can be done with the internet and a cell phone.

A guy named Chris called me from DG's Success Acadamy and after reading and listening to all of you about what a great investment it is, I enrolled by putting a down payment and financing the balance. I have been studying like crazy! So much great information! I can't tell you guys how motivating it is to get on this website and read all the success stories and helpful information, it really keeps me motivated!

A very sincere thanks to the DG family, I am blessed and excited to be a part of it, I'll keep you posted.

Bruce Johnson

I am a novice and I want to say that I am happy to be a part of this happy family, I was reading some of the comments on this site and I also felt inspired and motivated, I myself am struggling with doubt, but its good to know that everyday I can pull this site up and it seems like the go away, thank-you For Suzi I would say don't look back and keep focused on your dreams, because they do come true.

Hi Suzi

Welcome to the DG family. I too am new, I actually purchased Deans book BAREM last year but was too scared to put it to use, even though I beleive it will work. I purchased his most recenct book and am almost finished with it. I am not in the position to start anything right now as I have lost my job, (looking) and am having to sell my house in the next month (cant pay my mortgage)or high credit cards( the wolves are closing in for the kill) but when I find a place to move to after finding out how much I will end up with after paying the mortgage and credit cards off, and get settled hopefully with a new job, I will then be able to concentrate on starting and becoming an REI.
I believe if we put our heart and soul into this endeavor, we will soon be writing about our successes in our own journals too.
Good luck and stay with it!!! Keep up informed on how you're doing.

Sue

Well Sue, in addition to sharing a name, it seems as though we share a similar situation. I'd love to find a way to avoid this bankruptcy thing but, it seems unlikely. Keep in mind however that doing bird-dogging or wholesaling or even lease-options can frequently involve none of your own money and none of your own credit, which makes it a perfect way to bounce back financially from scenarios like we both are facing. I just returned from my first local investor's meeting and I am so pumped up because virtually all of what was discussed completely echoed what's discussed on here which just validates Dean and this site and motivates me even more. Good luck to you and we'll definitely stay in touch!

Suzi

Glad you enjoyed the meeting Mrs. Prime I know I did!! Learned alot and it's glad to see that im not the only one out there.. trying to get my feet wet and think outside the box!! But keep your head up high and the water will start flowing in!! Keep in touch and hope to see you next month... Thanx

I'm REALLY glad that another DGer was at that meeting last night! I didn't know if I should openly say I was involved with Dean's stuff or wait and see. I thought last night's meeting and guest speaker were great. Very insightful! I think she'll make a great resource when it comes to finding a mortgage broker that's really willing to work with you.

I was so encouraged to hear many of the things I've read in DGs book as well as online echoed by seasoned investors there last night. When AC mentioned not to get bogged down by the "paralysis of analysis" I thought to myself...I wonder if he's read Dean's book or if Dean borrowed that phrase from someone else.

Anyway, you'll definitely see me next month and I look forward to working with everyone in that room to make my REI passion a reality!

P.S. Call me Suzi, makes me feel younger (LOL)

Well, as you may have already read...I thought it was great. I was pretty nervous going in and didn't know what to expect. But there was about 15-20 people there and they all had great insights to share. I'm real glad that, as it turns out, a fellow DGer was sitting right next to me and I didn't realize it til this morning. Cool!

In a nutshell, this was just the infusion of optimism I need and it makes this endeavor seem even more like it really could be a viable solution to my families future stability.

I definitely need to get some business cards made. Everyone was talking about trading them with one another last night and that's my priority today. The only thing is even though they have some really good deals online,I know I want to make up several different cards that target different aspects of my REI and many of those places print in quantities of 1000. So, since I actually used to do graphic design and have created many a logo and card in the past, I think I may just grab a couple packs of the do it yourself printable ones so that I can make 50 of each one I design.

Well, it's off to work... I hope you (and everyone else here) has a great long weekend and I'll touch base again on Tuesday with any and all progress and updates.

Take care,
Suzi : )

Hi Suzi!

First, I came over here to not only check in on your journal but to let you know I answered the questions you posted in my journal so you can head over there and see them.

Second, I am thrilled to hear what a great REI meeting you attended. And to find a fellow "DGer" there is a great bonus! How fun! So it sounds like you are off to a fantastic start. Can't wait to read more!

Best,
Nancy D.

Hey Suzi.... What a great start and I commend you. As you know, there are some great people on this site; actually the majority of them, so definately stay involved with DG.com and you will always have a great resource.

I really feel for your situation and know exactly what you are talking about. I certianly pray that it will all work out in the long run. I also really like to see that your husband went to the meeting with you. Despite the prior loss of monies, strain on your relationship becuase of the financial situation, he still took the time to join you for something that you really believe in. Sounds like you got a great guy that deep down, simply loves you... Otherwise, he definately would not have gone with you. I think he is coming around and will be your number one supporter soon, if he isn't already!!

Anyway, welcome and I wish you all the best of luck and God Bless you!!

Stay active ok!!!

Hope everyone had a relaxing and fun Labor Day weekend. It's now back to the grindstone (or maybe some of you work-a-holics never left--LOL)

In any case, I just finished reading a great thread started by the ever-insightful Indiana Joe called "New Forum Idea - New Investors: How to get started, how we got started, a Mentor for everyone, etc."

It's chuck full of posts from nervous newbies (I lump myself into that category) and many reassuring replies from more seasoned investors. One tidbit i just took away from it was a great strategy to help me from getting overwhelmed when I sit down at my computer with DGs site open and his books and my REI notebook in front of me and think to myself...NOW WHAT?

It's to come up with a "To-Do" list of goals you want to accomplish for the day or even the week. This will help you focus on smaller more manageable tasks and actually get stuff done that you can check off. It may sound obvious to most of you...but for me, it's a simple step that can help me go from spinning my wheels to completing action steps that are actually getting me closer to a deal.

So with this in mind, my goals for the week are as follows:

1) Finish the business cards I started designing during the weekend
2) Send them out to get printed
3) Create flyers (one for sellers; one for investors/buyers)
4) Post as many of these as I can (15+) around my target area
5) Finally get up nerve and contact at least 3 sellers and practice "interviewing them about their property" if for no other reason than to get more comfortable about doing that part of the process.

I'll stop at 5 goals (since it's a short week) so it stays manageable for me. If I get through these quicker than anticipated, I'll add more.

Thanks for reading and let me know what your goals for the week are too?

Suzi : )

Suzi,

You rock, I think you are truly on your way to major success. I do understand what you and your family is going through. We are borderline Bankruptcy at this point but are fight tooth and nail to do go that direction. We are fighting to save our own house.

It is so funny b/c I really just want it to all be over so we can just go forward with our REI business. But rebuidling credit from Ch. 7, I am not sure if it is better or worse then rebuilding from where I am now.

But what I do know is that come what may success is in my future and yours too.

Rock on Suzi

It's always helpful to know you're not the only person going through a situation and (as icky as financial woes are) there's truth to the "strength in numbers" thing. Knowing that I can be a successful REI, even though my husband and I are struggling through these other issues right now is possible in great part because of the honest and open posts placed on here by other people just like us. So thanks to everyone who's taken the risk to be forthright and upfront, telling their situation like it is, not just how you think you should be perceived. In this day and age full of scammers and fraud, it's refreshing to say the least.

As for my progress so far this week...here goes:

Did finish and post one flyer geared towards sellers. (Am having a more difficult time than I thought finding appropriate places where I'm able to post them) All I found was a supermarket bulletin board so far...I'm still looking. Any ideas from anyone for good places?

Just about finished creating my primary business card which will just be to hand out with my contact info and what I do. Still tweaking one's for buyers and sellers. Would also love input on a good online sites that have good prices and good quality.

Emailed a seller who appears VERY motivated based on his ad wording. However, he specifically says "NO INVESTORS" so my question to you all is do I move on from that property OR approach him anyway and say upfront that I am an investor and want to respect his wishes but may I leave my contact info in case he changes his mind... Thoughts? Ideas?

Another question...found another potentially really good deal but it looks as though it could need a fair amount of work. Being new at estimating this kind of thing, how do I make an accurate assessment to know if the numbers would work. Also keeping in mind, I'm just looking to bird-dog so I don't want to put too much time into evaluating this since I'm merely passing it onto another investor. Any advice would be helpful.

Well, that's it for now... It's Thursday and I hope to get more accomplished today. Happy Investing All!

Suzi : )

Thank you for your interest in my journals. I have made a to-do list as well I just hope to finish it as quickly as i made it. The thing that keeps me going the most is just simply brushing off everything negative. Everything. Just focus on the positive. Dont think that youre going to fail and you wont. Thinking positive leads to acting positive and that will always get you to positive results!

I hadnt actually heard of anyone specifying, "no investors" thats interesting to me so I would probably call the man anyhow and simply and respectively ask why he doesnt want to deal with an investor. If he just seems unsure because he has "heard" bad things then just positively educate him on what it is you do and what you can do for him that others may not be able to accomplish because of your knowledge of how things work in todays market ( i learned all this from dean.. isnt it great???) But if he seems irritated or completely uninterested dont waste your time wasting his. There are other houses on the block! ah! get it?? like the saying "there are plenty of fish in the sea." haha.. its late where im at and I havent had much sleep. I should stop now.

well best of luck to you and i'd like to read a follow up on what you decided to do with the man who doesnt want to deal with an investor so keep the journals comin!

Great reading Suzi. I for one is really determined to start this business but I am a little bit nervous. I read the books and i do understand its strategic application but its really different when applying it on a factual basis. Maybe reading your journal more will motivate me...dom

Ok, so it's Tuesday, 9/15.
As sometimes happens, life got in the way yesterday and decided there were going to be other things that I needed to take care of (other than REI) that could not wait.

So, I'm moving on and today is a new day. I hopped on this site as soon as I got my boys on the school bus and listened to Dean's blog. It was a great one (in case you haven't watched it yet...you should...after you finish reading my post, of course : )

Got my business cards in the mail yesterday and am going to make the hour plus drive up to Raleigh, NC to attend my 2nd REI club mtg, but the first with this group. I went to the Fayetteville REI meeting a couple of weeks ago and it was great and there was a gentleman there who was very active in the Raleigh group and strongly suggested that anyone who could make their next meeting should do so... Well, I listened and I'm going.

That, in and of iteself, is a goal for me since my husband, who joined me at the last mtg. cannot come to this one with me. So, I'll be solo, around a much larger group of investors that I've never met before and I will most certainly be out of my comfort zone. But I know doing things like this will propel me in the direction I need to go, so I'm goin!!

Other than that I know a HUGE goal for me is to actually make a few calls on properties, talk to some owners and keep reaching out to find a realtor to work with me. One woman wrote a post on Dean's blog this week and she said that she had heard the word FEAR stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. I really liked that and wrote it down and put it on the bulletin board next to my desk. I've allowed fear to become a BIG hurdle for me and seeing it turned into that acronym takes some of its power away from deterring me to do what I need to do to succeed.

So, that's my goals for the week. Although somewhat small in appearance, they will be monumental in achievement for me...

I'll keep you posted : ) Have a great rest of your week everybody!

Suzi

I think by reading others journals (and hence their REI journeys) you get great motivation and reassurance that you're not alone in all the little daily things that you may struggle with and that many of the fears you have are the exact same ones that hundreds others have or have had and then the cool thing is seeing how others got past whatever was holding them back and we can all learn from it. It's so helpful... Do you have a journal of your own? If so, I'd love to read it. If not, what are you waiting for?

Best of luck!
Suzi

Well, after going to my first Raleigh REI (TREIA) meeting last night my head is spinning once again.

This club was much bigger than the local (Fayetteville) mtg I went to a couple of weeks ago. It was somewhat intimidating since many more attendees there were long-term investors that clearly knew what they were doing.

The guest speaker was a gentleman by the name of Larry Goins. Apparently he's a licensed real estate agent in both North and South Carolina, a licensed general contractor in NC & SC and a licensed mortgage broker in both states as well. Talk about a tri-fecta of knowledge!! He was a very enthusiastic and genuine speaker. He has a RE course that teaches how to do what he calls Real Estate Day Trading. He spoke for about 90 minutes then offered us his course for the dramatically reduced price of only $1288 and change. YIKES! part of me was dissappointed that I drove over an hour to attend this meeting which wound up feeling like a glorified infomercial. However, there was the other part of me who was intrigued by his strategy of buying and selling property online using tons of automation and duplication to keep it going. About 15-20 people got up and "went to the back table" to potentially purchase his course but I simply don't have that kind of cash laying around to throw down right now... My biggest question is, has anybody heard of this guy or his strategies and have any impartial feedback about it...

So...today, it's continuing to move forward with this week's goal of actually making some calls. Haven't done it yet but (taking a deep breath) am going to by 5pm. Will update you tomorrow morning : )

Hi Suzi!

Sounds like it was an interesting meeting! I haven't heard of Larry Goins but I bet you can "google" him and find information. There are a lot of programs/software and such out there,including good programs that Dean offers on the site. I was in a teleconference (by another real estate type I had taken a seminar with years ago) that ended up promoting a $3000 plus software that seemed absolutely fantastic and they too were selling it at that moment to those of us on the call for around $2,000. I didn't buy it though. I have no doubt it was worth the money, but not what I need at this point in my investor career. All of that software and such will always be around so no worries there if you decide you want want it or need it one day. I tend to learn things even from the so-called live "infomercials;" I hope he dropped some good information into his talk!

Loved that you have two REI meeting options!!!!

Keep up with the great work and progress!

Nancy

How's progress on your end? I've been reading your journal and it seems as though you've hit a couple road blocks recently (not that you're letting that stop you)

Do you prefer to try and speak to potential sellers in person or by phone or email?? And why?

Lemme know...

P.S. My sister's name is Nancy so I always think of her when I speak to you : )

Thanks Suzie for asking. As of now, not yet. If ever I am ready to post my journal I want to present it in a narrative type. From the very start to finished and to let my readers know that I made this much in my first deal...things like that. As of now, I am working on short sales but as you know it takes a lot of procedures to do before the bank approves it. dom...

I spent my morning driving around neighborhoods, writing down FSBO and FOR RENT numbers. In some ways it feels like a waste of time doing it that way, but in other ways, I think it's very valuable for me to do this since I'm new to the area and houses always look different in person than on a 2D photo online.

When I got home I went onto a very useful site called militarybyowner.com that is chuck full of FSBOs and FOR RENT by owner properties. Since I'm so close to both an Air Force and Army base, it's a great resource that many military personnel use when getting deployed, transferred or whatever. I sent emails on several properties that appeared to have motivated sellers. I made sure to say that I'm an investor so not sure what kind of response I'll get. I'll let you know.

Then I received a call from a local RE agent that I had sent an email to earlier in the week -- my first response...YEAH! (I pretty much followed the sample letter that Matt Larson put in Dean's book for recruiting a realtor.) This agent sounded very eager to work with me and said he's done investing for over 6 years himself. He proceeded to give me the specs on a HUD, owner-occupied property (he said to show me he was serious) that had just come available. He then gave me the addresses of properties he's invested in/rehabbed to go look at. He closed by asking if I'd be willing to meet at my convenience to speak more about a possible working relationship and added that he's single and has the availability I said I need from an agent.

So that was the call in a nutshell, and...yes, I'm feeling excited but very nervous to meet with him (for fear of coming across as an newbie idiot). So, it's good that I have the weekend to take some deep breaths and think of what I want to accomplish at this meeting. A question I do have for anyone out there is...will he be looking for me to sign any kind of agreement or contract to work only with him? And should I be doing that without having done any deals with him yet? What's the norm, I guess I'm wondering.

Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend and I'll check in on Monday to see if I've received any words of wisdom to take to my realtor meeting/interview...Thanks!

I apologize for my delay in responding to your question here, I had a hectic week with no time to spend on this site . As to your question, I am using a variety of methods to contact sellers and it just depends on which way I feel may be best for that particular property. In some cases, I've only been able to rely on mail, as is the case with a property down south I want that used to be family property. The owners address is all I had and no amount of research found a phone number. The owner has not responded to my letter and I am not completely sure she even lives at this address anymore -- I can only assume that she does.

As for a recent foreclosure going to auction, I decided to call instead of email as I felt the personal touch would be better. I had a wonderful conversation with the husband and learned a lot (you likely read about it in my journal).

I haven't yet spoken to owners in person, though I am not at all adverse to doing that. Speaking to people in person or by phone can feel intimidating, but if approached the right way it can establish a bond.

For now with my schedule, I'm working my RE "the slow and steady route" until a few other non-RE projects I also have going are completed. Once I get more in-depth into my real estate then my contacting of sellers may change again!

Nancy

Wow the weeks go by quick!
Well, it's Wednesday morning, 9/23, and I have my first meeting with a realtor this morning who had replied to the "Matt Larson" letter I sent out a week or so ago. He seems very enthusiastic and even gave me specs on a HUD property to show me he's serious. I'm VERY nervous about meeting with him and coming across as professional and as a "serious" REI. I'm also nervous to tell him to start sending me potential properties since I am struggling to get my Buyer's list going. I've tried many of the strategies that I've seen listed on this site but as of now...nobody yet except a couple who seems serious but only buys homes in a county other than the one I'm in (Sigh!)

I emailed the details of this HUD property to several people from the two investor clubs I'm in to try and simply do a bird-dog type of deal for a flat $500 fee and although I've received a couple replies...no definite takers yet.

Well, I'm going to keep on pushing through and take some type of action each day! On a positive note, I did get my husband to sign up and get his own account on this site so I'm hoping he can see the enthusiasm from many of the members on here (and not just me).

The other really neat thing that happened to me is I had posted a couple questions about doing L/O and had referenced that I liked the excerpt from Dean's book where "Greg M." talked about how he did them but needed more specifics and who do you think emailed me but Greg M. to offer his help!! He gave me his number...I called and he said I could come up with a bunch of questions, email them to him and then we could have a phone call where he answers them. How cool is that? Very cool, in my opinion and exactly why this site is so invaluable to our efforts, morale and in the end our success!!

Well, got to go get ready for my meeting but I'll update again when i have more...

Happy investing everybody!!
Suzi

So, as I journaled yesterday, I had a meeting scheduled with a realtor who had replied to my "Matt Larson realtor recruitment" email.

I met him at a local coffeehouse and we wound up talking for nearly 2 hours. I thought once he realized just how much of a newbie I was he'd politely find some excuse to end our meeting. Well, he did just the opposite. He explained his whole background thoroughly. A really cool aspect of this realtor's past experience is that he was in law enforecement for 10 years. What more perfect person to truly help me pinpoint the areas I want to avoid and focus on. I was so psyched to hear that. Also, he's been actively investing for over 6 years. He's bought and rehabbed properties then either rented them out or flipped them. He completely gets about the advantage of buying low and also talked about how one of the aspects he likes in REI is how he can help people and not just be in it to make as much money as he can. He was not put off when I told him that I want to focus on wholesaling initially until I can build my own money to buy properties with and said how RE was his passion.

This guy seems like an absolutely perfect fit and my only concern now is going with the first realtor I met. Shouldn't I interview several more?

Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know that going to that meeting was a big step outside my confort zone and I made it and it turned out great. I actually invited him to be my guest at the next REI club meeting and hopefully he'll join me.

This has inspired me to keep moving forward...one step at a time : )

Thanks for listening!
Suzi