Tom's first 100 Days

I am looking forward to reading about your progress. Alot can get done in 100 days. You are offering a great opportunity for all of us to achieve a goal in the next 100 days. Best of Luck to you.

Cathy

Hey Tom its Amy in VT! Great to see you have your journal started!

WOW...it sounds like you are off and running! Your making it happen and on your way!

You are absolutely correct a lot can happen in 100 days. I can't wait to see how it all comes together for you!

Stay Focused and Best of Luck!

This sounds really interesting! I am excited to get to read your journal!

Way to finally take action... Goes to show everyone out there that it is definately never too late!

I loved the 100 day website. I put in my info (Name and email - Hope to hell I don't get loaded with spam) and downoaded the first pdf and look forward to his future emails...

Now you have someone going thru it with ya Tom!

Take care,

Thank you, Cathy, Amy, LK and Bomber! I hope to have many great things to report over the next 100 days.

The 100 Day challenge launched today, and lo and behold there is a cost of $147 for access. I was expecting there to be a cost but had no idea what it would be. It's more than I would like, anyway. But Amy hit one of my main challenges: STAY FOCUSED. I think this will help, and I'm gonna do it! (With the knowledge that I can get a refund within the first 30 days if I don't find it useful). Bomber, maybe I should have seen that "Affiliate" tab before I mentioned it!

Regardless, this is MY 100 days to do with as I will. And they are YOUR 100 days to achieve your dreams as well.

Last night I attended a Meetup REI meeting, and all I can say is Wow! I've been to various Meetup groups and this was the best. (Meetup.com - if you haven't checked it out you'll be amazed at all the different interest groups going on around you). The person running the meeting was a very experienced and professional investor.

We did a couple of case studies of multi-family properties using actual current listings, working on CAP rates, cash-on-cash return and other things I have no clue about. I learned a lot, and I'm sure will learn more as I attend subsequent meetings (not sure my son will give his blessing to me going to the next one which is on his birthday). There were plenty of good questions as well from the approximately 20 people there.

While that meeting was good, it didn't have the same feel as this site does. I find the posts and journals here inspiring and motivating, so I'll keep coming back for my energy and support boost! I hope to return the favor over the coming months.

OK, I'm off to officially sign up for the Challenge! Then to my son's school tonight where I make my debut as co-president of the Parent's Association. Not sure where I'll need more luck, but if the sellers I talk to are only as motivated as the parents I try to recruit tonight, I'm in trouble! I think I'll be just fine on both fronts as long as I keep my focus - thanks again Amy!

I love this 100 DAY CHALLENGE - how awesome! Love the title of your blog.

It's interesting timing for me reading this, because I have been a part of blogging about a 90-day fitness challenge and I am a portion of the way through it. And as much real estate stuff as I'm trying to get into, I thought ---why not take that "business" challenge along with the fitness challenge. In addition to continuing to blog for support among peers about my fitness....wouldn't it be awesome to journal and keep myself accountable to my business? It's amazing how writing things and saying them out loud to others says "I am going to take action."

And so, this is how I landed on the "Journal" page of Dean's website and yours is the first one I'm reading....very inspiring! Congrats on your first REI meet-up!

Thanks to Rina for starting this whole "journaling" idea on Dean's site.

I'm off to start mine, and look forward to following your success Tom!
Louisa

Tom,
This sounds great! I think we all should challenge ourselves for the next 100 days, whether you sign up or not. I think it'll make us accountable & get off our butts to do something.Whether it's calling some sellers,looking at properties,websites, etc. I'm going to join ya (I can't afford the fee, but I've got a datebook & a goal)I'm excited about this!
I'll keep you posted on what I'm doing.
Best regards,
Serena

P.S. Before I went in to work this morning, I drove by this property I had been eyeing 4 2wks. It look good, been playing phone tag with owner, who's a RE agent. Wish me luck!!

Here are my goals as a part of the 100 Day Challenge:
1. Make $150,000 by 1/7/10 by selling (wholesaling) 6 houses at an average profit of $25K
2. Lose 12 pounds by 12/21/09 - 1 lb. per week, no problem!
3. Saying only positive or complimentary things for a full (continuous) 7 days, starting 9/24/09 and ending at bedtime 9/30/09 - so far so good! Sarcasm, be gone!
4. Have a company name, DBA filed, LLC formed, PO box, business cards and a website up & running by 10/8/09 - piece of cake!!
5. Have 1 profitable short-sale accepted by 10/31/09 with a profit of $25K or greater - this is a mini-goal of goal #1

As I look at these goals on my screen, I notice that my mind sees the middle goals (2 to 4) as doable, and that they're "sandwiched" by the RE goals that my mind says "well... not sure" about. Because of this, my main focus will be on goals 1 & 5, which means that I must accomplish #5, the short-sale, to get beyond it to my ultimate #1 goal.

Look out world, here I come! (Anyone know any distressed homeowners on the North Shore of MA?)

Serena, I do wish you luck - maybe you have good news already. You, Bomber, and anyone else is invited to ramp it up - 99 days left in the year/decade!

And Louisa, I'll be following your success too - anyone looking for inspirational goal-setting and backwards planning should check out her journal posts from today.

Hey Tom...

Nicely said my man... i love to see the motivation and I highly agree with the info about Louisa! Man, that girl is going to be a star!! I bet Dean is looking at her right now and if she does 1/2 of what she is hoping to do, count on her being in the next book!

With your lofty goals, you just may get a page too. I wish you the best of luck and look forward to watching your journey.

I did check out the website too but not too sure about signing up for the cost involved. Please keep us well informed on how it goes and whether or not you would still recomend it as time passes!

Take care Tom,

Tom, it's great that you have got your goals in mind. Am wondering about a couple of them. Although it's great that you want to make 150k by jan 7th, I was recently listening to Dean on his think a little different CD and he encourages the goal setting to not be so dollar specific. Instead of saying I want to make XX amount of dollars by X date. Say I want to make X amount of DEALS by X date. With the deals comes knowledge and the money to follow. If you only made 50k by jan would you be dissapointed? But if you set a goal of 8 deals and achieved it and made extra money while learning invaluable lessons that would be just as fantastic. Just wanted to share that with you. Good Luck, we are all pulling for you.

Cathy

This is certainly a creative idea Tom. We could all take a page from this book of success of $150K or more in 100 days. My partner and I will surely look at your strategy and decide for our next 100 days. As it happens, we will post. Thanks for your encouragement and support. God Bless.

Sandra

Good luck with your goals. It is always good to set the bar high and aim to top those goals. You can do it if you set your mind to it! Good luck with real estate investing and keep us posted on your progress and deals. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Hi folks,

First, thanks very much to everyone who's took time to comment. Cathy, you make a great point on goals. I like the specific dollar amount, but it's also tied to number of deals. I'm so new I have no idea what's truly realistic, so I might as well shoot for the moon! Or maybe I'm setting the bar too low!! And Indiana-Joe, I better start writing a lot to repay the favor - I love reading your journal.

OK, quick update anyway. Goal 3, saying only positive or complimentary things - out the window Sat. afternoon. I was really setting the bar high on that one, knowing my relatives were in town for 4 days. I'll start fresh again tomorrow! Goal 2, dropping 12 pounds - still "at weight", plenty of time.

Goal 4, setting up the business - have business name, applied for LLC, bought domain name, filed DBA with city, rented PO Box, have phone #, moving along well. I need the LLC approved, bank account, business cards, and website set up by 10/8 for this goal. No problem!

Goal 5, have a short-sale accepted by 10/31 - still figuring it out, really haven't progressed anywhere here but realize the time is now if I have a shot at meeting the goal. I'm finding little bits of information at a time about how things work around here, but I haven't found a wealth of people that "think a little different" around me. Don't worry, I'll help them get there. I'm attending another REI group tomorrow evening, perhaps I'll find good resources there, but regardless I'll just start making moves and learning super-fast by my results. Awesome! - after that last sentence I got an automated reminder call from the guy running the REI group about tomorrow's meeting. Timing is everything in this business...

Goal 1, making $150K by selling 6 houses at an avg. profit of $25K - I need to hit the starting point by accomplishing goal 5 (one short-sale), and while my focus is on that first sale I will be trying to get as many deals going as I can!

95 days left in the year - go for it everybody!

I just realized typing "Day 7" that I did not get jazzed up watching the short video and challenge on the 100 Day Challenge - I'll get right to it!

Quick update: I am finally starting to see evidence of others in my area thinking creatively (should I put a DG trademark after "think creatively"?). I attended another REI club last night, 3 speakers on tenant welcome/information packages, craigslist ad writing, govt. programs for RE investors. Even better, I had an hour-long conversation afterward with a real estate guy that does BPOs for banks, is very knowledgeable about foreclosure/short sales and also lends hard money, and who gave me the name of someone else to call in the distressed property/distressed homeowner arena. Definitely worth being at a meeting until after 10p.m.

That's about it. Business cards will be here Friday, heading out now to a chamber of commerce networking event - you never know who you'll run into!

Awesome on all your steps!! Great that you're getting so much out of your local REI clubs. I'll be going to my first on Saturday....tour of 6 homes ready for rehab...with complete property sheets and repair estimates, etc...

Your business cards come tomorrow!! YAY!

And great that you're connecting with so many people and contacts.

Look forward to keeping posted with your next results!!
Cheers,
Louisa

Thanks for your encouragement Louisa! I'm a bit frustrated today, got caught up in "the thick of thin things" and did not devote the time I envisioned to moving myself forward. But I do have my business cards! I really feel I need my website launched since I have it on my cards - but I do have my email set up! I will make the effort to get the site up in some manner tomorrow - and I don't mean "under construction" on every page. Maybe just 2 or 3 pages of basic info and a contact page. From little acorns mighty oaks grow...

OK, tomorrow (after my landlord and the plumber leave after fixing the leak that's causing the kitchen ceiling to bulge) I plan to go to a few open houses and just see what I run into, what RE agent is there to talk to, other buyers, who knows. I'm just keeping as open mind. I'll be trying to qualify the plumber while he's here too!

It's funny, when I read Indiana Joe's journal about his typical Saturday I feel like I don't do anything - but at the same time I love that he shows what's possible. As I move forward my planning, execution and focus will improve. One day at a time, and inch by inch it's a cinch.

The beauty about your journal is that you identify with what you have and should have done, which automatically tells you that you have fall short of your expected goal for that day. Your honesty would give you that additional push you need to acquire that first deal. It is a pleasure reading your progress. God Bless.

Sandra

Hi there,

Sandra, I love the fact that you find pleasure in my progress - and it helps, so thank you!

OK, let's look at goal #4 I listed above: "4. Have a company name, DBA filed, LLC formed, PO box, business cards and a website up & running by 10/8/09 - piece of cake!!"

Goal #4 is DONE! (as of five minutes ago when I published my web site). My web site could be much better, but you know what? It can always "be better", and I have a decent presence to work from now. And I thought about a nice double-panel business card, almost a mini-brochure, but decided to go with a high-quality but traditional business card, knowing I can always upgrade when I have the $$ to justify it. And I'm still waiting for the state to respond with my completed LLC docs, but I'm not able to do the work for them, so I will focus on what I CAN do.

Now I'm off to go for a run as part of goal #2 (lose 12 pounds) before I get back to work getting forms together, calling rehabbers/landlords and everything else. This goal reinforces that you get what you focus on, and usually do not get what you don't focus on. I'm the same weight as when I started in spite of exercising every other day. My new actions around this goal are: exercise 5X/week, no food after 8pm, no beer after 9pm (except when my football team is on at night), make 4 Weight Watchers recipes per week (which pleases my wife anyway) and eat 1 fruit serving minimum per day.

OK, that was way off the RE path, but I put it there to belabor yet another angle of the same point. I don't have any offers in on any properties, which would make it really hard to make my goal of 1 accepted short-sale by 10/31. You can't get an offer accepted without making one! So my mini-goal for this week is to find the situation and make one offer. I'm sure I'll learn a ton and make it easier to make the 2nd, 3rd, 100th...

Tom
Do Or Do Not... There Is No Try - Yoda

WOW!!! I am still working on my Business plan for my LLC, have went with (SCORE) who I found through SBA, the Appointments are one week apart, Have always been one of (those people) who insist on getting it right the first time. would have loved to have gone through the TAX CLUB but just couldn't afford it right now. your doing a great job and any tidbits you can feed us through your trials will be helpful. Michael J

Hi Tom,

In following your most recent posts, I am finding commonality in the same goals of real estate and fitness/health. Trying to be extremely successful at both at the same time is a HUGE task and I can relate! I have a separate fitness blog, and I must say I haven't been as good keeping it up in the past 2 weeks as I have with real estate. I keep realizing it is all the little things in BOTH areas that make the larger collective steps in each move forward. And it is sometimes hard to see those little steps actually affecting things, but it's great you are noting your progress and celebrating your finished goals.

Also ---the whole "managing your time" to get the most out of it is another area like you that I struggle with. It's like we're trying to go 0 to 60 in 3 seconds, and I find myself drowning sometimes as I don't get near what I want accomplished (with my current ways of doing things)! But I have to remember how much more I'm getting done than I was before I had any goals! I find as I continue to "correct" my way of doing things reflecting on each day at night and planning for the next... more than I ever have before, it starts to become more natural, but I still have to take these "baby steps" to a "better me". Will be nice when that "better me" will be more organizationally on auto-pilot rather than struggling to "change" all the time so I can take more on!

Thanks for sharing yourself with us so openly.

I look forward to continuing to watch more of your success Tom!
Louisa

Maybe you have an "inner critic" like me, the little voice inside your head that points out what's difficult, what you haven't done, perceived failings, etc. We all have it, it's just that some have learned to see it for what it is, a frightened child trying to "keep you safe" by doing whatever it can to keep you in your comfort zone.

That little voice is trying to work on me today, but is not having much luck. I did not get as much done yesterday as I would like, but have to remember that I did take steps, stopping at the local Association of Realtors office, studying, etc. And I did manage to successfully run my first parent's group meeting at my son's school (and give blood at the school blood drive - I'm an awesome bleeder!). But doing good things for my son's school is no reason to slow down doing something as important as succeeding in real estate.

Hope does spring eternal, and this morning I woke up ready yet again to move forward.

And I opened Dean's newsletter. And read the first couple of pages. And could not stop. Reading about SanBern's patience and persistence finding their first deal - I pray that I have as much strength to persevere! I also like riding my bike through neighborhoods - I found a nice REO I am investigating that way. Reading about Chip and Andrea's deals, especially the short sale expert - I want to be that expert! And I won't stop until I am! And everyone else mentioned - I am pumped!

I have to go run around the block now, then find (or create) some deals! I do have my goals established, but I printed out the last page of Dean's newsletter to remind myself. Maybe you did as well?

You are on FIRE!!! Stay focused your maken it all come together! Keep it up you inspire me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can relate to it! Having a couple discouraging days myself, but hoping to hop back on the horse today.

Hey TOM!! Just wanted to check in with you buddy and see what is going on in your world? How many days to go in your 100 day journey?

This is the time it gets tough, you know...right in the heart of it!!

Let us know what is up in your world.

Hope all is well! Still working on my 5 deals

Cheers!
Louisa

Hi folks! I've gotten a little behind in my journaling

Not much to report here, I guess I haven't been able to justify a post! Looked at a few houses, went to a few auctions one day, only one of which actually occurred - and it was the EastWest mortgage building, kept by the lender for the $2.7 Million owed.

I'm a little stuck and moving forward at the same time. I don't feel like I know what I'm doing yet (anyone else here ever feel that way once? I think the answer is probably everyone at one time!). But I'm still doing things. I went to the registry of deeds to check out notices of foreclosure, but the best I could find was notices of sheriff's sales, or the end of the line rather than the beginning. I went to the county courthouse looking for public records and got nowhere - according to the folks I talked to I need to know specifically who I'm looking for, that they don't just list matters of public record. I need to keep asking more people better questions. I'll ge there! But it needs to be sooner rather than later.

I may have found a good realtor, who deals with short sales a lot and has a good track record (according to him). I met him at a group showing of one of his listings, so he may turn out to be a good fit. We'll see. I'm going to my second REI club meeting tomorrow, and now have access to a foreclosure REI club - they meet next week. I'll probably find some good answers there.

I'm still reading and getting inspired by my fellow DG members. reading Rina's, Louisa's journals and others. It's great to know while I'm finding my own way it's not much different than all of you - thank you for the awesome reminders! I hope everyone is off to a great RE week!

Tom

Just reading through some of the journals I haven't had the pleasure of visiting yet! Great to see you back today! In reference to your "Not much to report here, I guess I haven't been able to justify a post!" I say "Hogwash!" LOL. Whatever happens each day of our lives helps grow us as a person. I LOVE hearing what's happening in people's lives. Just because you don't do something off your goal list or something you "consider" REI, doesn't mean you haven't been learning and doing things important to your goals. This is a people business, and by creating confidence and forming relationships, you ARE building your REI base. While lists are good, if you miss one of your goals for a specific time, throw it out the window and make another one! lol. There are so many opportunities coming up for you, I'd hate for you not to see them because you're looking behind you.
I am looking forward to reading lots of good stuff in here, and I promise to be more diligent in keeping up (if I don't, just pop into my journal and yell at me.. well, don't do that, but you can say hi. )

God bless!

Rina

Rina, I will think of you every time I catch myself looking behind - and I will turn my attention where it belongs, at the opportunities surrounding me! Thank you so much.

Tom

Well, I see you are still pounding away! Most people would have already quit by now, so just think how far you have come along. I congratulate you on so many of these mni successes which ultimately lead you to that "miraculous" deal. It's out there.... and I think your going to find it pretty soon!!

Wish you the best Tom!

Take care,

I appreciate the insight. Yes, I have had mini successes in the sense I'm still moving forward. In fact, one of the auctions I went to see that did not end up happening actually tuned into a 40 minute conversation with the "tenant", a man whose niece bought the house for him (which is now in foreclosure because of his situation). Having that talk showed me that I can help people, even if I only half believe it now, and that people are out there ready to work with me if I can present the right solution. And we ALL have that ability!

...and I do hope I find that miraculous deal very soon!

I certanly hope you find that miracoulas (sp?) too! I hope we all do!

Have agood Thursday...

Hey Tom,

Just skimming through your posts here at work (I'll take the time to read through them more thoroughly later) and it looks like you're doing awesome. Let's try and set up another REI club meeting soon!