The Journey to Freedom

CONGRATULATIONS! How exciting. I'm happy for you. And you have another one soon - you go girl!

Lea
SPR Property Solutions, LLC

Great job on your first closing! You worked hard and deserve it. Enjoy every last penny of the $1500.

Kristin

Thank you Lea! I really appreciate you stopping by and congratulating me. I can't deny that I'm proud of myself. Again I couldn't have done it without my cyber family and support as sometimes that's the only thing that keeps you going.
Blessings,
Cathy

Thank you so much for stopping by and the words of encouragement. I need to save some of it but it was my half of the Edge initially. We had a planned dinner tonight with my parents, 2 aunts, my sister and brother-in-law, and niece, nephew, and of course my daughter and it was very special for me to show them the check. We can all do this just keep at it Kristin; you'll be next.
Blessings,
Cathy

Molly and I decided that she would pay me a bird dogging fee because I was the one that located property and we had looked at them together on the same day and since we didn't assign property we thought it best to do the bird dog fee. So I will have $500 in my pocket soon. Also the house that I'm under contract I found out has water in basement because when they turned on the water they wouldn't turn on the sump pump and the ice machine hose wasn't blocked either so 'they' put the tube in the sink. So who knows what I'll find when I go Mon to do house inspection. Well got to run, drama banquet tonight and 2 day business seminar in Chicago this weekend.
You Go Girl!
Cathy

I'm at a business seminar for this weekend then next is the Edge. I'm very excited. My life is going to dramatically change by the end of this year.

Way to go girlfriend!

Congratulations Cathy! I can feel your excitement through your words, "Yes, Yes, Yes!" And you have another one right around the corner. There is no stopping you now. Reading the positive news from you just added more wind in my sails so you keep it up the good work, because you are inspiring more people than you realize!

Best Regards,
Shane

Hi Shane. Thanks so much for your encouragement and compliments. With the EDGE only a few days away; I wouldn't mind trying to put in some offers but my realtor likes me to look at them first which I don't really have too much time for that so we'll see. Well I'll see you at the Edge all that are going.
Cathy

Well I leave at 6:30 am (CST) tomorrow for the Edge. I can't wait to see everyone. Funny thing happened tonight. My daughter and I both got our haircuts this afternoon while getting our haircut one of the hairdressers asked me: 'How's the real estate tycoon?' Got to love that. Anyway her name is Brenda and she's the one I was going to by a house she owns that she was renting and I was going to do lease option but it caught on fire; that's a big mess, not with me because I got my money back (it was lease option deal). Anyway back to story, she told me she knows someone that owns a house in AZ and is going to lose it. How's that? I told her I have connections (edge event) and it's somewhere in Phoenix I guess. It's no longer listed but was in the past. I left my phone and email to get more info. I figure if anything I can possibly birddog the property; you never know what can happeny; anything's possible. I am wealthy, I am a real estate tycoon.

Oh and I am planning on flipping the REO I'm under contract with and already have some rehab team members lined up.

Just so much going on. Unfortunately I am not packed like everyone else was last week or month, lol. Goodbye and hope to post some things from Scottsdale.
See you at the EDGE!!!!!
Cathy

On my way to edge. Boarded the plane from Minneapolis to phoenix. Will arrive around 10:20 Am. Hope everyone has a safe flight.

I have a counter offer on a 4 plex. Also I'm financing the REO property and going to flip it. Busy and I'm loving it.

You Go Girl! You are Worth it.
Cathy L

Here I am. Had lunch with Jake and Joel. I was hoping to meet someone for dinner but that didn't happen took shuttle to walgreens for some drugs headache. Now I'm at a restaurant, Saltys.

All I can say is do everything you can to get here next year if you didn't make it this year to the EDGE event.

Dean asked us our AH HA moment? Diddo to everyone that spoke up. I have to admit though that I never saw a single infomercial from Dean. But for me the best part is putting faces/flesh/human beings behind these names and posts on this website. It will forever change me and who I am. These are the people that have motivated, encouraged, and keep you going when you feel like you can't. As Randy said to me, the word 'can't' isn't in his vocabulary.

WEll I will post soon again. I really don't know what to say, words don't do this event justice. You have to be here to feel it, see it, be it, and do it.
As Dean signed my book,
ROCK IT!
Cathy

Cathy,

When you talk about how empowering it was to realize that you are a player in this Game by putting in a bid on a property that Matt Larson put a bid on and you got it, keep posting that truth! It is true that when you make offers on Real Estate you are in the Game against Millionaires. Just because you don't have a million yet doesn't mean that you need a million to buy Real Estate.

Way to Go! I was really happy to see you at the EDGE. I will see you back in the QC.

Jake Greer

I feel completely the same. And it's so true about it. Jake it was great to talk to you and Joel here. I think we share something special about being here together and that we both have the same info and the experience of it all. As Shane says, 'See you at the top!' We will be at the top.

I guess I should share so the others that might read and weren't at the Edge may understand a bit. If you read just a few earlier posts you will find I did my first deal, assignment of contract with Matt. However what I didn't find out until I came to this event is that Matt's bid was approx 2 weeks prior to mine and my bid was accepted prior to Matt resubmitting his bid. I am a firm believer in My God and he had control of the whole situation, nothing is by luck. I thank all those that have supported me. I wasn't going to stand up to that mike but during a break Laura Johnson told me I should share it. I was real nervous as everyone that was there could see and hear but I wanted them to know this was my first deal and past 100 for Matt. Jake is right you don't have to have money to compete with the big fishes. So that was just an amazing process for me. I think the confidence from this whole thing is worth more than the $1250 profit from that deal (I paid $250 earnest money).

Thanks Jake and can't wait for good things coming your way as well.
Blessings,
Cathy

I thought I would post what I did today to take Action. Here goes:
1) I called an owner of a previous for rent ad that I kept their info because they said as they lose tenants they would be interested in selling some of their properties. Get this his name is Mike and he told me I sounded like them when they first got started in REI. I told him my plan to retire and do REI full time and he retired at 50 and then did REI. He said they had 18 properties and that was all they needed at the time. Anyway just thought I'd share. He wrote down my info and will call me if anything happens to the properties he wants to sell.

2) I filled out loan application for a bank that has a program where they will do 90% LTV on the ARV; how about that.
There's more got to go.
Cathy L

Hey cathy, I just caught up on your Journal, WOW!! I am really impressed by your go get attitude. Keep up the good work and you will have those 18 properties soon enough.

Richie.

Hi Cathy!

We had so much fun and learned too much to even fit in this big head of mine. I am still remembering something a speaker said or just a passing comment from the other attendees.

It was great to finally meet you and your action is catchy. I have been suffering a bit from jetlag and trying to catch up on my sleep since I had lousy seatmates on the flights home. But today I am getting busy and will post my progress in my journal later today.

Loved meeting you and you let that momentum carry you through to your Real Estate Empire, just like mine!

Kristin

Richie. Thanks for stopping by. Thank you so much for the encouragement; good timing with what is going on but will all work out.

Kristin: I know what you mean by the jetlag. Today was the first day I felt like I was in a routine. I have to figure out a way to multitask these deals and not just focus on one at a time. Just set your goals Kristin and do something everyday (this helps me to tell myself as I'm telling you, lol).
We'll get there.

All I keep telling myself is there a solution to every problem! Well here goes I changed my offer from cash to finance however this particular program involved estimates for repairs so takes 30-45 days to close. Lesson learned find out timeframe to close with types of loans. Secondly I'm going to email my sister and a friend of hers that once loaned me some money and see if interested in private lending to close this deal soon as the bank wasn't happy at all about the delay. Next plan is hard money; Nerve-racking but that means your learning and doing something different when you put yourself out there with the unknown; I could cry right now but that wouldn't help. It will work out; I just don't want to give myself a bad name especially since my sister works for the bank's attorneys; not good if you know what I mean. Any other suggestions welcome.
Love ya Girl!
Cathy L

Well tonight is what I should say. I think I'm still on AZ as it's 10 pm and I'm just wide awake. Just caught up on Richie's journal; man action action action and learned alot about dealing with a 'dark' agent. I also told myself to block time out for this. Sometimes I think I really didn't do much but I look back and realize now I spent quite a bit of time but then how much was action at least an hour or so. I see my last post I talked about the closing on this property I have locked up. Ok update called the success academy and Eric was great and a big help. Told me there should be a loan denial clause or something and that I should be okay and to not get uptight about it; the delay in closing. I know we all have personal things going on too but to keep me focused I'm making a list on here what I need to get done tonight yet and tomorrow.

email rotary for daughter's exchange; we found out where she's going in Germany, Menden (Sauerland).

Contact a friend as her husband wants to paint houses and knows general contractor; I've been lazy about building team but was going to just try to wholesale but now I'm holding above mentioned property.

NYC leave next week but haven't made hotel reservations or bought tickets for the broadway shows we want to see.

I did look at some properties listed and send email to realtor to find out DOM and such.

Talked with realtor about 4 plex: here's what's going on with that is his offer is final which is $89000 but I have to run numbers and to be honest I don't think it's going to happen because it doesn't cash flow very much at that price with expenses, etc. so we'll see. We also talked about the financing for the prop I'm under contract with.

There was so much at the EDGE. I am very interested in Nate's technique and am going to look into that more seriously but will wait until after NYC to put it into action. Also it was great to talk with my friend, Jake and his friend Joel. They live in my area and Jake is in the same REI group. We've talked but this event (EDGE) was special that no one in our REI group could understand. I was so happy for him going to work for Matt. They will be a machine I don't want to mess with except to help them, lol. Thanks Jake for all of the insights and conversations.

I forgot to mention the camera and photos. I've got to upload them to the site Chris started on facebook. I need better time/house/work management skills.

I can relate to Richie in his journal about just wanting to do REI fulltime and not our JOB. It's all I think about, all I want to do, all I want to be when I grow up is a real estate tycoon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God is with you who can be against you!
Cathy L

aka real estate tycoon! You are taking lots of ACTION and I know that it is only a matter of time before you are posting about lots of great deals happening for you I love your attitude.

Have fun on your trip to NYC.

Take care,

Lea
SPR Property Solutions, LLC

Are you shaking things up in the Quad Cities? Just touching base to see if anything exciting is going on in your neck of the woods. Things are heating up here in Lil Rhody for sure!

Kristin

Thanks for stopping by. I decided to use Carol's term for birddogging, 'property locators' and I turned to my daughter and her teen friends. I am slowly getting my daughter interested; I think after the first deal she realized I'm serious and bingo, she found an empty house and it's bank owned so will try to contact tomorrow. It's been a bit slow for me because I first thought I need to get my house in shape and I had company stay here Sun night and had to book hotel for NYC as we are going there this week. Hopefully I can meet up with some DGers in NYC (Shane Richie and whoever else). So Kristin I did get sidetracked but it's always on my mind. I'll check on you later. Going to dinner for my Mom's birthday.
Go Cathy; You are a real estate tycoon.
Cathy

Trying to slowly get my house in order too, and that makes perfect sense. Hard to concentrate when household issues hold you back. Keep at it and excellent idea to get your daughter involved. I have started with my younger son, and my daughter will be next...

Kristin

Cookin... that's what you're doing. Keep that Edge energy going! I know you're on a roll.

Ronnie

Ronnie,
Thank you for stopping by and I can use all that encouragement.
Take care and go get those deals!
Cathy L

Where do I begin. I was out of town in NYC with my daughter for a short trip before she goes to Germany for her year abroad. I did get to talk to Shane out in NYC but didn't get to meet him; maybe another time. We did overcome some fears by riding the subway every night back to hotel and rode in taxi for the first time. Enough about that.

REI. Nerveracking as the bank (seller) wants me to put up more earnest money to guarantee I will close this deal by Jun 18 and they wanted $2000. I am a softie at times but bargained to $1000 (which I would have to put up an additional $800) but even that's a bit tight for me but not impossible. Some people told me to tell them no and stay where I am but I feel guilty about delaying the closing. This is all new and I'm jumping in not knowing what's going to happen. I have to get a General Contractor in there tomorrow and get all the estimates done by Wed so appraiser can come in and see all the repairs and estimates to give an ARV so I can do this rehab financing deal. In the meantime I haven't been able to focus on even looking at other stuff or putting in offers; I feel like I need to get through this one. But I really can't wait either; I want more deals to get some quick cash initially and do some more fix and flips. I did finally make some flyers and they are in the car to deliver to some laundromats and a deli and some grocery stores.

It was wonderful talking to Shane. Tonight I hope to get caught up on some other's journals.

I believe in you CAthy; you can do this.
Cathy

I know you can do it, and you will.

I totally understand what you mean about wanting to get a deal settled before starting in on another one. I have 2 current offers out there awaiting an answer, but I feel like I need to get those answers before moving forward.

And earnest money can be challenging, especially when dealing with a bank, because it is "expected" to be a certain percentage of the offer price. Glad you stuck to your guns and said $1000.

Good luck with the estimates and hope it all goes smoothly for you.

Kristin

Kristin,
Thank you so very much for your support.
I'm a bit 'emotional' right now but this too shall pass; it's just my first one I'm going to attempt to flip but in the meantime another idea popped into mind from a Greg Murphy story. He found a tenant buyer that was a handyman if I remember correctly that did some of the repairs. So that's another option.

I feel as though I'm way over my head on this one. But it is what it is. I'm just breaking through these fears that have been tormenting me for years because I let them hold me back but no more.
Cathy

Hey, you're doin' fine. Let yourself focus on this one property. With experience under your belt, you'll get to the point of handling multiple deals. Ya gotta walk before you run. So, focus, stay cool, and take the time you need for now.

Just got caught up on your journal, Keep up the action like you are and great things will happen.

Randy