Tag Archives: contact

5 Deals for Less Than $3K

In the month of October, we put 5 deals under contract and will be out of pocket less than $3000!

In fact, we used someone else’s money, so it’s not cost us a penny… just some time!

What exactly did we do?

1. Find the motivated sellers!

We started by sending out a direct mail campaign to about 350 property owners. What is different about this campaign versus our standard “absentee owner marketing” campaign is the fact that we found owners of VACANT land that had owned the property for more than 10 years!

2. Screen the leads…

Out of 350 letters that went out, we had about 70 calls! Yes… that’s right! Twenty percent of the people responded to our letter. Typically with other real estate direct mail, I’ll get between 8 – 15%, so this market is definitely hot!

Oh! And by the way… we actually send all of these leads to our virtual assistant who called them all back, filled out lead sheets, and gathered all the preliminary information. In some cases, she even pre-negotiated the price down!

3. Evaluate the deals…

Obviously with 70 deals (give or take), the due diligence took a little time. The great part, however, is that since you’re mailing in clusters, you can duplicate your homework across lots of properties! We hand picked the very best of the best and decided to make offers.

4. Make offers…

Next, we had to put our offers together. Some of the sellers, we called over the phone. Others, we simply dropped offers in the mail and hoped for the best! We gave them 10 days to get the contracts back to us and had 6 contracts back in that time period.

5. Additional due diligence…

The executed contract is just the first piece of the puzzle. Now, I would never suggest you go into a contract on a deal you don’t have every intention of closing on, but you aren’t going to do all the due diligence required on every deal until you have a contract in hand. For example, when we buy real property, we don’t pay for inspections and appraisals until after we have a signed contract. The same holds true for land. There are going to be additional calls to make and some more homework to do, but now it only takes you a short while since it’s the deals you’re actually going to close on.

NOTE: You may have noticed I said that we got SIX contracts back, but that we were closing on 5 deals. Why?

Because during the due diligence, we found some issues that were deal breakers for us. We simply decided to get out of the contract, which was completely within the terms of the contract, prior to closing. THAT’S what this secondary period is for!

6. Closing…

The last step in the acquisition process is closing on the deals! Since we wanted to use someone else for the financing (remember… the more you leverage OPM, the better your ROI is). So, we actually assigned the contracts to the LLC we set up with the partner on these deals. He put up all the money and we did the work!

7. BONUS: Pre-sold one…

We actually run regular ads for our properties on Craigslist and happened to be running a group of ads for seller financing. A potential buyer contacted us and the more we got to talking, the more I realized that one of these new properties was much more appropriate for their needs and pre-sold it while we waited for the deed to be signed off on! They are currently deciding between 2 of these BRAND NEW DEALS!

The Numbers

One of the lots, we picked up for a flat $500. It’s one block away from the lake and would have lake view with a two-story home on it. They are looking at that one for $4900 with seller financing option which will be $900 down and the balance seller financed at 8% for 12 months.

Total profit potential = $4575.44 (5075.44 – $500 purchase price = $4575.44)
Total potential ROI = 915%! (Our ROI is infinite because we had nothing invested)

If they choose the other lot, the purchase price is $8900. We have a total of $2100 into it will all closing costs and additional expenses incurred. If they choose this one, they’re going to pay $8900 with seller financing. This will be $1000 ad the balance seller financed at 8% for 12 months.

Total profit potential = $7190.36 ($9290.36 – $2100 purchase costs = $7190.36)
Total potential ROI = 342%! (Our ROI is infinite because we had nothing invested)

The best part about these types of deals is that there’s NO SHORTAGE of deals AND there are loads of people that are interested in putting up a few thousand dollars to “test” something when you can show returns like that on their money!

Heck, even when you split the profits… that’s still over 450% ROI on the first scenario and over 170% ROI on the second! Show those numbers to investors and they’ll be lining up to do deals with you.

PLUS… if you want to get started yourself… you can use your own money or even a credit card advance for less than the cost of most home study courses these days!

For more information on how we’re picking up these land deals for next to nothing, check out our Simple Land Investing

Lessons from Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs passed away yesterday after his long battle with pancreatic cancer at age 56. And today, a lot of words are being tossed around to find the right words to describe him and the impact he made on the world.

Lots will be said over the coming weeks and months as people share their memories, thoughts, and impressions of the man behind Apple.

His impact reaches far beyond computers, iPhones, and iPads. He’s changed the way people access information, consume entertainment, and communicate with one other. He’s set the bar for product launches, product design, leadership, and more.

I’ve learned a lot just observing and pay attention to Apple and, more specifically, Steve Jobs over the past few years.

Vision – If I had to use one word to describe Steve Jobs, it would be “visionary”. He had a unique ability to see the future, so to speak. He could dial into what people were doing and what they were saying. He wasn’t interested in creating a better widget. He wanted to revolutionize industries. It’s not enough to look at your competition and say, “I want to be just a little better.” You’ve got to think big and take massive action. Apple didn’t create digital music nor was it the first company to come out with a “Smart phone” but through Steve’s vision, they set the standard to which everything else is compared.

Steve Jobs didn’t just have vision. He had MASSIVE vision which created massive movements globally. We all need to think bigger…

Culture – The Apple culture is one of the most successful achievements. The culture extends through the entire company to their customers. It’s no accident that when Apple stores are “destinations”. People go to the Apple store to “hang out”. Others have tried, like Microsoft and now Google, but it’s not the same. It’s not the storefront that makes it successful. It’s the underlying culture, service, and experience (more on that in a minute).

Another note on culture, which certainly extends beyond Steve’s reach… While most companies would have issued a statement about the loss of their CEO, leader, boss, and friend and then moved on to promote the brand new product launch that happened just 24 hours earlier. Yet, Apple has pushed sales to the backburner and made the home page a tribute in memory of Steve Jobs.

Passion – Steve Jobs never gave up. He retired from Apple less than a month before he passed away. Apple wasn’t a job to him. It was his passion. It was an extension of himself. Every product… every presentation… every product launch was personal. The pride he took in every aspect of the company is refreshing and all too uncommon in today’s high-paced world of

Experience – The “experience” that you have when you purchase an Apple product, visit an Apple store, or engage with a device is not by mistake. The customer experience is at the forefront of everything that Apple is and does. It’s not simply about getting a box in the mail with a big user manual that tells you what to do with it. Are you paying careful attention to the experience customers have when it comes to your business?

Leadership – There’s not much to say about this other than the fact that Steve led by example and was a part of the company. He was loved, respected and admired by his employees and managers. A strong leader can inspire an entire company as we’ve seen with Steve Jobs and Apple. He was more than a CEO or a boss to those that worked with him.

Here’s the email Tim Cook sent to Apple employees when it was announced that Steve Jobs had passed away.

Tim Cook’s email to Apple employees:

Team,

I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.

No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.

Tim

Attention to Detail – This is one of the things that has stuck with me since I read the book “Inside Steve’s Brain” years ago. It brought to my attention the details in design, packaging, and experience. It was shortly thereafter that I bought my first Apple computer and monitor. When the package arrived, I went through it with fresh eyes and was impressed by every detail, knowing that it was all by design! Nothing was accidental. Not even how the piece of paper the instructions were printed on was placed in the box.

As the months and years pass, only time will tell what’s in store for Apple. Surely nobody can fill Steve’s shoes, but hopefully there is someone that can walk in his footsteps to keep the vision alive and moving forward, always keeping the core values in place…

Is Your Real Estate Website Getting Results?

Most people are getting this wrong when it comes to using the Internet in their real estate business. This goes for investors AND real estate agents alike.

The thing is… it’s not their fault. They don’t know any better.

Let me use a story to illustrate this point…

Last week, a friend of mine wanted to “run something by me” to see if it was a good fit for some stuff we’re doing with investors and agents. In a nutshell, it was a guarantee of a page 1 listing in Google in six months or less.

At first, that sure sounds like a big promise, but there’s more to the story and if you don’t know what to ask, then it could either be a total waste of time or money… OR both!

There are a few things that you want to know the answers to…

#1. Who CONTROLS the Website?

In other words, do you own the website and all of the information? Or are you simply getting a “landing page” on someone else’s site? SO, if you stop paying the monthly fee, is your site wiped off the map, or worse… handed over to someone else?

#2. What keywords/keyword phrases will I show up for on page 1 of Google?

It’s real easy for someone to promise you page 1 of Google, but you’ve got to know what you’re getting to page one of Google FOR!

I could promise you page one of Google for the keyword phrase: “3 ways to find buyers online”. But, is that REALLY going to accomplish your goal(s)? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on what you’re looking to do. If you’re marketing to find pre-foreclosure needs, probably not.

But the point is, page 1 of Google is not for anything and everything related to your website. It is for one specific keyword or keyword phrase.

See #1… If you CONTROL the website yourself, you can have dozens, even hundreds or thousands of “pages” come up on page one of Google for specific keywords.

And YOU want to CONTROL what keywords you’re coming up under on page 1 of Google and you may want to come up for SEVERAL keyword phrases.

#3. What is the PURPOSE of the website (or individual landing pages)?

You’ve got to take a few minutes and think about the types of people you want to attract to your website based on your business. Are you looking for:

  • Motivated sellers?
  • People facing foreclosure?
  • People looking for fixer uppers?
  • People looking for INFORMATION on real estate investing?
  • Credibility to support your marketing campaigns?
  • Etc.

Your website, or at the very least your pages, should be very different for each of these types of leads.

#4. Is your site designed for lead capture?

It’s amazing to me to see the number of real estate sites out there that are just plain junk. They do absolutely NOTHING to capture prospects and provide you the opportunity to follow up with them.

According to the National Association of Realtors® 2009 “Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers”, 90% of all homebuyers use the Internet as a source of information.

And of those, 77% drive by the property prior to ever contacting an owner or agent to see the interior. This means, that you’ve got to capture their contact information to follow up with them or risk losing the lead.

#5. Are you actively generating traffic to your website?

Unfortunately, too many people believe the old adage, “If you build it, they will come.” That is simply NOT the case when it comes to the Internet. You must advertise and market the site consistently. The marketing doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming, but you must do it. PERIOD.

Sure, if you set your site up properly from the ground up, you will have “some” traffic, but you simply won’t get enough to build a business.

It’s also essential to understand that your website is really your HUB. There are lots of other spokes, so to speak, that are a part of your online presence including social media, content marketing, classified advertising, and more.

So to recap…

It is CRITICAL to have an online presence if you want to be doing anything in real estate these days. PERIOD.

Over 90% of all homebuyers start their search online (and for motivated sellers, the numbers are also comparable).

When it comes to your website, you MUST:

  1. CONTROL your own website…
  2. Understand the basics of KEYWORDS and KEYWORD PHRASES and how to effectively use them in your web marketing strategy…
  3. DEFINE the purpose of your website (and/or individual pages on your site)…
  4. Ensure your site is optimized for LEAD CAPTURE
  5. Actively GENERATE traffic to your website…

To use this article on your own website, include the following:

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3 Ways to Find Buyers Online

One of the big areas of questions we get surrounds the topic of finding buyers.

Today, I want to talk about 3 ways to find buyers using the Internet (and this goes for any kind of deal you have: fixer upper, rental, pretty home, land, etc.).

#1: Facebook Ads

With over 500M users worldwide… and with Facebook occupying so much of the users’ conversation around personal events, marketing actual properties on Facebook is a no brainer. You can target prospects by location, age, interests, and more! Plus, you can easily set up a Facebook “page” for your deal and post open houses, photos, and other things about the property. Facebook also allows you to post an image in your ads.

#2: Google Local

I’m not usually a big proponent of pay per click advertising to “build a buyers list” simply because when people are searching on Google, they’re typically searching for something SPECIFIC. Well, when you are advertising a specific property, you meet those criteria. The key here is your copywriting! You need to be able to attract the person to your ad, and away from giants like Realtor.com and other similar sites that offer hundreds or thousands of properties.

#3. Craigslist

I’ve long since been a proponent of Craigslist. We’ve sold pretty houses AND fixer uppers, rented long term rentals and vacation rentals, and even sold land on Craigslist. The ads that tend to work best for actual properties are “plain” text ads as opposed to “pretty text”, or flyer types of ads. It’s not uncommon to get between 8 and 15 contacts from a single ad!

The key with any online advertising it to know what your buyers are looking for and convey that in your advertising message, whether it’s 4 lines on Google or 40 lines with 4 photos on Craigslist!

By the way, if you haven’t grabbed your copy of our Selling Deals System: 57+ Ways to Find Buyers In the Current Market, we cover over 50 different ways to find buyers…

To use this article on your own website, include the following:

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How to Sell A House Fast

We’ll assume that you have a property under contract and you’re looking to assign it to another investor or, better yet, a hybrid buyer.

Often, you don’t have a lot of time to go out and ?nd the buyer. You’ve got to get a buyer – that can close – and you’ve got to do it FAST! So in keeping with the “event” model because events are really the fastest way to get the most bodies through the door, you can consider holding an investor workshop with bus tour.

Here’s how it works (and I recommend you partner with a Realtor® or a mortgage broker so it won’t cost you anything out of pocket):

#1: Find A “Preferred” Partner to Host the Event

You’re going to want to  ?nd a Realtor® or mortgage broker whose of?ce is within 5 miles of your property and who has access to a small meeting space or conference room.

Ideally, you will have both a Realtor® AND a mortgage brokeras a part of this team. Better yet, you’ll have a Realtor® with properties that are ideal candidates for your buyer prospects.

Since time is of the essence, you’ll need to move quickly, so try and secure the locationand partners on a Monday (if you’re holding this event on a Saturday). If you’re using this strategy solely to build a buyers list, timing is not as critical and you may consider anextra week to promote and/or get FREE publicity.

#2. Select 5 Properties for the Event

One of these is obviously your property and it mustbe clear to the Realtor® and mortgage broker.

If you have multiple properties, obviously you will use those before you ?nd “? ller”.REOs and  ? xer upper properties are going to be your best choices. And this is why you’ll need the Realtor®, to get you in! You will need to draft up an agreement with the Realtor to make sure you get paid on any deal that arises from the buyers.

#3. Market Your Event

Your event is going to be an educational seminar with a buyer ?eld trip so that people can actually purchase deals. Make this very clear in your marketing. But remember, we’re using education-based marketing.

Here are 9 ways you can market your event:

  1. www.Craigslist.org (Write your headlines effectively for maximum exposure)
  2. www.Backpage.com
  3. Pay Per Click (Google Adwords)
  4. Local online classifieds
  5. Media websites (most television stations willhave a free calendar of events on their website for community events)
  6. Flyers to local vendors in exchange for sponsorship
  7. Contact local newspaper or TV station to getsome free press
  8. Local REIA group(s)
  9. Your existing database

#4. Hold Your Event

You may wind up with 2 people or you may wind up with 20 people at your event. This depends largely on how well you’ve marketed your event. Obviously themore, the better!

The event will probably take a total of 4 to 5 hours including the property tour. In the “training” portion of the event, you’ll want to have each person meet withthe mortgage broker to know what they are really able to afford/qualify for.

You’ll also want to go over the current market,why now is the time to buy, and the best types of deals to maximize their investment.

#5. Take the Tour of Homes

This is where you help them apply what they just learned. You’ll want to have ? yers, ?nancials, ?nancing scenarios, rehab costs, etc. available for each property. Get them to put a number on each deal at which they’d be willing to write an offer. Do this as you leave each property.

If you have enough people register for the event, you may consider renting a small bus or a minivan, but in most cases, a caravan will serve the purpose. Theonly bene?t of a bus or minivan is that you control thesituation and people can’t leave in the middle.

#6. Recap

Once you’ve visited all 5 properties, return back to the location to go over any questions and write up contracts. You, your Realtor® and your mortgage broker can work together to make sure that any offers people want to place are submitted and that they can actually close if the offer gets accepted.

#7. Follow Up

Again, the follow up is crucial. You will want to touch base with each attendee the following day to get any additional offers, write up contracts, or add to your buyers’ list for the future. In the event someone does not put in a contract on a property, follow up with the same questions we asked in the previous strategy.

These are just a couple of “event” strategies that can help you move a property that you currently have.

Real Estate Market Trends

I know we always hear that “THIS” is the best real estate market in HISTORY to invest in! (We heard in 2000, we heard it in 2003, in 2007, and even now in 2011). Yet, the real estate cycle has looked somewhat like a heart monitor in the emergency room!

So, what’s the real answer?

IS IT a good time to invest, and SHOULD you get started now in, arguably, the worst economy since the Great Depression?

The answer is YES!

And I’m not going off of any media reports or exhaustive expert research. I’m going off of what real people are thinking and doing.

For example, I’ve had 3 friends contact me from all across the country (Nevada, Texas, Virginia, and Florida) asking for some advice about investing now.

These are people that are SUCCESSFUL business owners and savvy with finances. They’re NOT real estate investors, but they ARE looking at the opportunities that are out there.

THIS is the time to get in… (Before the media jumps on the bandwagon. Before the experts reveal the market’s taking off. It’s when the “real people” are starting to get in the game). And you can too!

Why do I share this with you?

Because when my personal friends call me and ask for advice, I share with them the same fundamental process and system. It’s this exact system…

I’m not giving them a strategy to make $11 Million dollars in the next 7 days… I’m not giving them advice on how to “beat the system”.

It comes down to the fundamentals… But too many investors have lost sight of them which is why they’re losing their shirts or have never gotten off the ground in the first place. Well, you don’t have to!

If you’re FINALLY ready to make real estate work, THIS is the complete roadmap… It’s the same information I paid $3997 for in 2003. And it’s the same stuff that’s worked for decades all across the country.

By the way, people have asked me what training I took when I started?

Here’s the truth. I took a Robert Allen class offered by a training company. I went on to IMPLEMENT, and then to teach that same training alongside my own instructors. And here’s your chance to get your hands on the SAME information. SO, it all comes down to this:

The RIGHT System + Focused Action!

Absentee Owner Marketing Real Estate Course

This comprehensive real estate course opens the door to one of the most effective markets for real estate investing: absentee owners.

This training, you’ll discover:

  • Why absentee owner marketing is one of the most profitable niche markets you can tap into
  • How to get motivated sellers calling as early as NEXT Wednesday
  • The single most important thing that you need to know when it comes to contacting absentee owners
  • How to eliminate time-wasters and focus only on those sellers that have equity, and are interested in selling their property quickly
  • how to convert dead absentee owner leads into a positive return on your marketing investment
  • And much, much more.

Course contains: 57-page digital training guide, audio training, absentee owner blueprint & process map, “dead leads” marketing fee, sample letters

Training created by Heather Seitz, Real Estate Training Academy

Foreclosure Investing: Persistence Pays Off

We’re currently working on a short sale for a property on which the owner hasn’t made a payment since February of 2008. (Yes, the banks CAN take that long to foreclose!).

There had been a few offers along the way, but they were either refused by the lender or the Realtor® she was using didn’t know what to do in order to get the deal closed. In addition, the lender is AHMSI, who is difficult to say the least.

Offers came and went because the bank simply didn’t respond. When we finally got involved, we moved right up the chain of command, contacted the Attorney General for the State of Florida and a few other agencies. Amazingly enough, we got a reply within a few days. Continue reading

Getting Started In Real Estate Investing

Real estate investing is really simple if you simply follow the basics. The problem is that we have the tendency to complicate things more than they really need to be AND that we over-think things too much. We get “too much” specialized knowledge that it begins to cripple us from ever getting started in real estate investing.

When I started out in the business, I made a commitment that I had to implement at least one thing from any home study course I purchased, event I attended, or book that I read before I could buy something else.

You see, we all tend to keep looking for the “magic pill” to riches in real estate and no such thing exists. You need to actually take action and apply the specialized knowledge that you are getting — not simply go from strategy to strategy, never actually implementing anything.

In addition, when you take this piece meal approach to getting started in real estate investing, you often get contradictory information, which makes you start to question if a strategy will work. Continue reading

Selecting the Right Structure for Your Business

Without a doubt, the single biggest question that I receive as I travel the country and meet with clients is this: which is the best entity?

While it is indeed the most common question I’m asked, it’s also the hardest to answer. The reason for that is that I don’t think that there is a “best” entity. You see, some entities will give you certain benefits that aren’t available through other entities from a tax standpoint. At the same time, these entities may not offer the same benefits as another type of entity from an asset protection standpoint. Additionally, they may not offer the estate planning benefits offered through Continue reading