REI JOURNAL:

Hey Steve,
The books are not promising you anything that is for nothing. You will still have a lot of work to do. But, what they are doing is to give you a leg up on the rest of the market in letting you in on all of the experiences from the other investors as well as Dean's knowledge from 20 years of realestate. If it takes you 10-40 hrs of leg work and investigation to land a deal that could have the potential of making you several thousand dollars and starting you on your way to a comfortable life, would you not think that is worth a little investment? If you don't make a change in your life today, it will probably be the same way tommorrow-next month-next year, and so on.....Hope it all works your way. Good luck and trust

I understand that the books won't shoot out money without any effort on my part, and so I've been putting hours and hours everyday to read the material and look around all the different forums that could pertain to my entry into the industry. Lucky for me, as a recent college grad, I don't have a lot of other engagements eating up my time, and I think the fact that I can devote so much of my day to developing my investing skills will definitely help me get on my feet fast.

I think the hardest part of beginning REI (as is the case with so many other things) is making the first step.

Thanks for the encouragement!

(I was just looking at your bio and I was wondering if you've only joined up with REI since retiring last year and if so, how's it going for you??)

You are correct. I just started in the rei game, but it seems like if you follow the outline in the books and the advise of the coaches, at every turn or roadblock that I have come up against, there is an answer for. In my short time with this, I have already looked at approx. 25-30 deals. There are several good shots in there to make enough money to make my bills for a few months. Heck, to make ends meet, I am even mowing yards, and I'm about to be 51 years old/young. I am deturmined to make this work. That first real deal is just around the corner, I can feel it. Every roadblock that I come up against, just makes me that much more excited. Just today, I found out about an old friend that was retired right after me that could not make it and he committed harrycarry. That just makes it more important that I make it....I will not be put down by the naysayers..Besides, no one has the power to stop me, not even me...ONWARDS

Good for you. I'm positive you will pull through.

Sorry to hear about your friend. You keep pushing toward your goal(s) and you'll achieve what you set out to achieve. As they always say 'nothing in life ever comes free without putting in the work'. God Bless in your REI endeavors same too you also SteveKesh.

I don't know whether to consider my first step to be buying Dean's books or buying THE EDGE program or just thinking about REI in general, but I have ACTUALLY just taken a first step suggested by the books and by many of you, and that is posting an ad on craigslist.com in order to attract agents to represent me. I used Matt's script off of page 114 of "Profit From Real Estate Right Now" and made a few adjustments to fit me.

I think the fact that I've posted this ad is kind of hilarious because I don't even know what I would do next after getting responses to the ad, but I guess a good way to get started in REI is just to make these little leaps and go through the process one step at a time by just dealing with whatever comes at you next! You gotta learn somehow, right?

Anyway, here is a link to my ad, so check it out and let me know how it looks!
http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/rts/1285628806.html

I was just browsing this website, ZIPREALTY.com and I registered and received this e-mail shortly after

“Dear Stephen,

Welcome to ZipRealty! We are a full-service real estate brokerage that represents sellers in this very important transaction.

My name is XXXX XXXXXXX and I am a licensed real estate professional. I will be in touch with you shortly to discuss your plans for your property and how I might be of service. In the meantime, feel free to contact me at any time.

In addition to effective, world-class service, here are some of the services ZipRealty offers:

1. Full-service from a full-time real estate professional (that’s me!)
2. Free Comparative Market Analysis and online comparables to help you price your property
3. Up to 25% savings in commissions when you sell through us.
4. Cash back equal to 20% of our commission when you buy through ZipRealty[1] [2].

Engage ZipRealty for a successful sale and find out in the process why ZipRealty is “real estate, redefined”! I look forward to being in touch with you shortly.”

Does anyone have any experience with this website? Is it something worth getting involved with?

ZipRealty is a brokerage firm. I was working with Real Estate Agent associated with ZipRealty office here in Atlanta. Keep in mind every REA work ethic is different. I had (and still have) much more proficient REA or I should say Realtor working with me from KW (Keller Williams) Realty. You can use their site to view houses. You can also do the same thing on Realtor.com viewing houses and using Zillow and Dean's Totalviewrealestate site to research comps. It's entirely up to you, whether you use their services.

So I'm guessing you didn't have the best of experiences with ZIPREALTY?
Thanks for the heads up, although I guess it wouldn't hurt to establish some sort of a connection for future endeavors.

I didn't have problem with ZipRealty, it was the Agent! He didn't move quick enough, for me, as far as getting back to me with a response regarding any listings I was pursuing. By time he did get back with me thru a call or email, dang listing would be under contract. Like I said earlier every real estate agent's work ethic is different. You're going to have to see for yourself if this agent (or any agent for that matter) can keep up with your pace of getting things done in timely manner so you can close deals before other investors even find out about them. Nothing can kill a deal faster than a slow (tortoise's pace) REA.

Again, thanks for the heads up. You'd think in this economy that these agents would be more desperate to get you deals, but I guess everyone has their own stuff going on.

Last I left off, I had posted 2 ads on Craigslist; one aimed at attracting agents and the other (which, for the moment, is the more important of the two) aimed at attracting BUYERS. Strangely enough, in the following few days I got about 5 or 6 replies to this ad, and am now in the process of figuring out how to respond to them. I mentioned I thought it was hilarious that I even posted an ad considering I wouldn't know what to do next, so I'm currently in the process of figuring out how to answer these replies.

A couple of the replies i got asked me to state my criteria for houses I am looking to wholesale. it seems to me that people could be looking to refer properties to me for a finder's fee, which is actually what I'M supposed to be trying to do, haha. So I'll have to try and get more specific with these people.

The rest of the replies came from investors who said they'd love to meet up and discuss our options. This, on the one hand is great because it's exactly what I'm looking to do. On the other hand however, I feel like I have NO idea what I'd say to them. I know I just need to do my homework and figure out EXACTLY what my plan is so I can communicate it to them, but I'm just trying to shake off the beginner's jitters. (and I think I just invented a new term.

Comments? Suggestions?

I just put in my replies to those 5 who got back to me, so I'll wait to see what happens and take it one step at a time.
Also, i got a response to my ad from the CEO of the Cambridge branch of Keller Williams Realty, saying he would love to meet up this week and discuss options. Although this is pretty exciting news, I have NO idea how to even begin the conversation and have A LOT of homework to do before I can even call and schedule a meeting.

(SIDENOTE: I CAN'T WAIT for my Edge Kit to get here! I'm hoping tomorrow, finger's crossed. I'm going to lock myself up in a room with my laptop and a coffee-maker and blow through the whole thing, haha.)

Well, I got my EDGE kit in the mail yesterday afternoon and watched the whole thing through in no more than 2 and a half sittings. I'm definitely going to have to go back and review certain parts in order to apply them to the strategy i want to follow, and I have some specific Q's which will hopefully be answered in the new EDGE forum! I gotta say, it was definitely a sound investment. I can't help but regret it just A LITTLE, however, since I'm so low on cash right now and I'm just now beginning to act on assembling a buyer's list and my team, so hopefully I can replenish that investment in the next month or 2

I am so inspired by your action and courage in jumping in and taking the steps you have. It IS hilarious how things will work when you trust those teaching you and take action! Dont let the fear of the unknown stop you from speaking with those who respond to your ads. You were straight up that you were new so they must be willing to work with you as you go! There are lots of info and knowledge you can draw from here on this site and of course in the books. So congrats on moving forward and cant wait to read the post of your first deal!

Haha Thanks Laura. I can't wait to WRITE the posit of my first deal. Honestly, the biggest thing for me right now is being nervous about talking to people and establishing my network, but I know I just have to throw myself off the deep end and take it from there. It's true what Dean says though, about boosting your confidence through expanding your knowledge, so I think that's one of the most important things for everyone to remember. (I AM the type of person who tends to overanalyze things though, so I'll have to work on that). I'll try and keep the inspiration flowing!

...and anyone can feel free to chime in.

Basically, my situation right now is that I've just graduated from college and am unemployed. The first half of the summer I spent vacationing in LA, seriously considering moving to LA, and looking for jobs in LA. The second half of the summer however, I've been focusing all my energy on learning about REI and trying to get started investing. Now I'm at a point where I still desperately want to move out to the west coast, but am also starting to think that it would be a better immediate career choice to focus on doing Real Estate here in Boston where I'm familiar with the neighborhoods, trends, and so on.

I know that this is a career choice that only I can make for myself, so what I'll probably end up doing is getting my foot in the door working on assignments and birddogging until I can save up to support myself so I can make the move to CALI.

But what I ACTUALLY need advice with is about work. As I mentioned, I spent some time (unsuccessfully) job hunting this summer, until I recently started pushing that aside and focusing on learning REI.

I know a lot of people talk about holding onto their jobs for a couple of years until their RE career really takes off, so I'm wondering whether it's a bad idea to go straight into REI without another source of income. (Bear in mind that my expenses are pretty minimal and so I can afford to focus solely on REI for the next few months).

Comments/Suggestions??

Congratulations on completing college it is a great investment that will benefit you for the rest of your life. You may want to consider a job to have some steady income and work on the real estate in your spare time. This way you can decide to leave the day job when the income from the real estate grows. If you find the current job market tough, consider part time in your field or pursue an internship. This can lead to a great networking opportunity and build your contacts. The key to any career is the amount of contacts and the network you can put together. You may find that your career and real estate investing paths may cross over time and discover contacts that can assist with both. Good luck with the job search and your real estate investing! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Thanks for the advice Joe. I think in my mind, I know that I should still devote time to pursuing a job (aside from a CAREER in REI) for security, networking, and organizational reasons, but REI is just so much more attractive. Anyway, it never hurts to expand your horizons and incorporate new work.

I'm setting a new goal for myself:

I am setting out to make 10K in bird-dogging profit by the end of October.

I'm choosing this date for a few reasons. One, because I'm turning 23 on 10/19, and it'll be a good way to kick off my new life in REI. Two, I figure that'll give me a couple more weeks from now to focus mainly on building up my buyer's list, after which I can work full time at finding and referring properties. Three, because whether I decide to rough it out in Boston for the winter or head out to LA like I was planning, I'll have the confidence and financial wherewithal to make that sort of decision on the spot.

Also, I'm planning on joining the success academy once I establish this sort of income.
I hope some of you will keep me accountable.

Hey Steve, it's good to see someone as motivated as I am, especially someone living near-by. I highly suggest that you become a member at the Waltham investor club because of their large network. I plan on becoming a member there and in Peabody as well. Anyways, I thought I should let you know that at my current job, I work with a part-time licensed agent who gives me access to the MLS! Therefore, I have the tools to apply Matt and Dean's 25:1 strategy without using a realtor. I was thinking that it would be wiser to make offers to the listing agent direct and avoid going through buyers agents. My only obstacle is that I'm 21 in college and work only 25 hours. Therefore, listing agents won't take my offer's seriously. Maybe if we put more heads in the offers, something can actually be accomplished with this technique.

Anyways, it's good to see you taking action steps. Be sure to include becoming a member at the rei club as your next step! I recently attended the one in Peabody and am looking to network whenever I get the chance. Having cash buyers is the KEY to getting paid for finding deals at this stage in our young lives. Keep at it and contact me back!

Man I wish I had a job in Real Estate, any sort of position to just learn some of the fundamentals quicker. Do you know of any types of full/part-time positions that future investor can get into?

I'm definitely going to hit up the Waltham investing club and anything else I can find, thanks for the heads up! Speaking of which, I just found a bunch of them on Meetup, so you can take a look and see if there's any you didn't know of. Here's the link to my account there. http://www.meetup.com/members/10044724/

That's awesome about the MLS listings. So are you going to make direct offers and deal with all the legality yourself? And as you probably know, I'm looking to get things going with bird-dogging ASAP so if and when I get the ball rolling, I'd definitely be up for working together on deals. In the meantime though, I'd love to meet up and talk more in depth.

Off to look for BUYERS!

Organization is key right now.

I’m working on building up my list of CASH BUYERS to bird-dog properties for.

BOSTON AREA INVESTORS WANTED!

I'm not sure what I'm going to do as far as the MLS. I ran searches of 'As is', motivated seller, etc... Sooo many opportunities, I just can't make offers on them without proof of funds. I was thinking of taking the expired listings and mailing them a letter; That's what I'll be doing with probates. Luckily, I have a lot of free time to research and create lists. It's only a matter of time before I begin mailing and getting leads. I have a simple voicemail message that sellers will call through the letters and already paid for a PO Box to separate my business activities.

I'm very busy with school, work and such. But I'm going to make time to actually start implementing and generating leads; and of course going to club meetings as they are only held once or twice a month. We should become members at the Waltham club and go to the next meeting. My friend probably won't be able to make it cause of work.

Interesting... But clarify this for me... Even if you mailed expired probate and MLS listings a letter/offer, wouldn't they still want to see some proof of funds? And let me get this straight... is it impossible to lock down a contract without proof of funds?

We should definitely hit up some of the club meetings.

Steve,

In the world of For Sale By Owners (meaning not listed with the realtor) or FSBO
S, everything is in your control. The only time you need a proof of funds letter is when you're dealing with banks, which is what realtors (MLS Listings) expect when you present offers to them.

Expired listings are owners who recently ended their agreement with their realtor because their house did not sell. Therefore, a friendly letter from an investor to a motivated seller (one who thinks their house un-buyable) could be just what their looking for. And of course, our offers will always be for all cash since you should have end buyers in place.

Probates is another form of a motivated situation in which (when contacted promptly)the property is usually not listed with a realtor immedietly. Therefore, a letter to a probate lead will be sent prior to them listing their house with a realtor and giving the investor the opportunity to purchase the house with, yet again, an impressive all cash offer.

So just remember there are two types of motivated sellers: Those listed with realtors (MLS), and those who are not listed with realtors (FSBO's). And the whole purpose of marketing is so you can deal with FSBO's who are much easier to negotiate with than MLS listings.

What's up everybody.

I haven't posted in a week or so, but DON'T WORRY, I have a couple things brewing.

Firstly, I started the day off by meeting up with Arodriguez3322 (as seen above) and getting together a game-plan for bird-dogging probate deals. Dude's done his homework and is definitely helping me get to his level as well, so a special shout out to Alex.

Also, my inbox surprised me with a YOU'RE HIRED! message from an apartment rental brokerage which I applied to this past Friday, so I'll be starting training with them Monday to work as a rental agent. The name of the brokerage is APARTMENT RENTAL EXPERTS and they are one of the biggest names in apartment rentals in Boston (Cambridge/Somerville to be more specific). The pay is fully commission-based; I know that's kind of a scary detail, but seeing as this brokerage basically controls all of the rentals for Cambridge/Somerville, I'll always have a steady flow of deals that I can work my way up from. Seeing as I've already made Real Estate my full-time concentration over the past couple of months, I'm very confident that this job's going to give me access to all the training, resources, and connections I need to get going. This is EXACTLY the type of job I needed to help me learn more about the industry in general

Alex and I are actually taking the real estate salesperson course this weekend, I start training for the job Monday, and I'll probably go for the license exam on Tuesday.

So for anyone who's feeling down or pessimistic about getting this REI thing going, my advice is to just keep throwing yourself out there and seeing what kind of return you pull in. TRUST ME.

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW PUMPED I AM!

on landing a job. As you already quickly finding out networking is the key in any business. As Salaamu Alaikum wr wb

This is awesome news....you have been giving yourself 100% since you started posting and I knew you were going to make things happen! Keep at it, keep your fabulous positive attitude, and keep you eyes on the prize! Its going to be fun reading your success as you go!