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Why Do Some People Succeed in Real Estate While Others Fail?

There are 5 pillars to success in this current day and age and the chances are, you’re just missing an element from one of those pillars.

  1. Attitude
  2. Knowledge
  3. Belief
  4. Focus
  5. Determination

That may be different than what you’ve heard in the past, and you may be thinking… but what about “money”.

“You see, Heather, it takes money to make money in real estate…”

Well, in just a moment, you’ll see why the money will take care of itself when you have the rest of the pieces in place.

Let’s look at each of these (and we’ll explore each in more detail over the next few weeks).

1. Attitude

I’m not going to sugarcoat things and tell you that you’ve got to get up every morning and yell at the top of your lungs that today’s going to be the best day of your life. (Don’t get me wrong… I’m not criticizing those who do. If that’s your thing, go for it! It’s certainly not going to hurt matters.)

But I also realize that most people simply won’t do it. But there are other things you can do to change your attitude. You’ve got to understand that it is something you’ve got to work on EVERY DAY of your life because things are going to get in the way and there are going to be days where things just come up and you have to deal with lots of fires. It’s called life!

I’ve not told a lot of people this, but years ago I was on the fence of a mild depression. I had some life things going on and didn’t have a job and it was real easy to get up in the morning, move to the couch and watch soap operas all day.

One day, I just got sick and tired of it. I got myself up off the couch. I folded up the blanket, took a shower and went to the bookstore to pick up a few books on attitude, mindset, etc. And I read and I read and I read… Within a week, I was back to normal and my attitude had fully turned around.

There was no more “poor me”. There was no more “why is everyone else doing, having, [you fill in the blank]”

I LITERALLY made the decision to turn off the pity party faucet and that was that! You can do the same thing and I encourage you to do whatever it takes to make that mental shift in your head.

Just remember, it’s a PERSONAL commitment. You can tell 1001 people whatever you want, but you won’t see real change until you have a heart to heart talk with yourself and decide that enough is enough.

2. Knowledge

Next we have “knowledge”. This is a tough one because we almost ALWAYS feel that there’s more to learn.

I’ll keep this point brief here because I’ve got quite a bit more to say about this in future articles.

But there’s a pretty good chance you’ve got all the “knowledge” you need OR you have the access to it at a moment’s notice. You will NEVER know all there is to know about anything.

PLUS, I was recently talking to a very successful “guru” who makes over $20,000,000 per year and we talked about how the information overload is just too much! By the time you get through everything, you’re back to where you started. You’ve just wasted time and confused yourself a time or two.

You need to focus on the FUNDAMENTALS. The basics NEVER change…

Oh and one more thing… you don’t need to buy $1997 courses over and over again! Stick with one thing and work that. It’s not worth the mental energy you exhaust trying to keep up with everything.

Trust me… I know this from experience. I’ve got 10s of $1000s of dollars of “programs” I’ve never gotten around to.

Here’s what my mantra was when I started: Do not buy another product, course or seminar until you’ve implemented the meat of the last one.

3. Belief

It’s easy to second-guess yourself or to think you just ought to give up, but belief is CORE to your success. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.

This is where the “money” takes care of itself. If you’re passionate and have the belief, everything else comes into play where it needs to.

4. Focus

This is another challenge for a lot of people nowadays. We pride ourselves in being able to do 5 things at once and by how much we can get done.

Here’s the dirty ugly secret about multi-tasking: It doesn’t work!

You can only do one thing well at any given time. Your brain can only focus on one thing at a time. So, if you’re watching a webinar, for instance, and checking your email, you might as well turn one off because neither is getting the attention it deserves.

You’ve got to focus and focus hard for anything to be successful.

I suspect a lot of us lack focus because as entrepreneurs, we’ve got to do SO much in the very beginning that it’s sort of a way for us to avoid the things we don’t want to do. I call it productive procrastination.

But, it just doesn’t work. If there’s something you don’t want to do, can’t do, or won’t do, figure out how to offload it. It’s going to keep you from focusing on what you really DO well.

5. Determination

This might sting a little!

Most people are not successful because they lack determination. Determination is not simply, “I’d like to be rich and I just hope that one of these days I’ll find the right info-product that has the magic button”.

There is NO magic button.

Nobody is going to literally do all the work for you and then deposit millions of dollars into your bank account. I hate to break it to you, but that’s just life.

You’ve got to put in effort, a lot of effort.

You have to do things that you don’t want to do sometimes – at least until you can afford to hire someone else to do those things for you.

You’ve got to get your goals out in front of you and not let anyone get in your way. You’ve got to find solutions when problems arise, not excuses. You’ve got to work through the challenges when they arise in order to get results.

Why Invest in Land?

You may be one of the millions of people considering the idea of investing in land, and now you want to make sure that you’re making the right decision. Here are some of the reasons why you should make the jump into land investment.

Fixed Value
Why should you invest in land and not in, say, the Stock Market? One form of leverage you get when investing in land is the ‘fixed value’ that comes with this kind of asset. While the values of shares can start crashing in the stock market, and the value of your stock may take a dive, you have your land retained at its fixed (if not appreciating) value. Severe crashes in land and property value are quite rare. While there may be some fluctuations depending on the economy and other factors, land over the long term is a stable investment in comparison to other investment types.

A Tangible Investment
While banks are experiencing credit problems and paper value is at serious risk, you have your physical investment intact. If anything, it’s always great to have an asset that you can actually see, visit and walk on. The security you get from a physical investment is simply incomparable.

Greater Long-Term Returns
With the heavy investment in land currently rising from the unstable financial markets, you can expect a shortage in this valuable asset in the future. Hence, you can anticipate the value of land properties to undergo rapid appreciation. As the banking sector weakens, investing in property becomes a wiser option.

Low Risk
Historically, the value of land has always gone through an upward trend. This is mainly due to the fact that there is a finite amount of land. With the growing world population putting this piece of asset in increasing demand, the chances of losing your money with your investment are slim.

Leverage
One advantage with investing in land is that you get to negotiate its price. With the right negotiating skills, you can bargain with the buying price. This is especially true if you are dealing with a seller who is highly motivated in selling the piece of land, or who needs cash right away.

High Return on Investment
If you have the right bargaining skills, you can purchase pieces of land at a low price and sell them later, at a much higher price. You may also develop the land and increase your asset’s value as much as a hundredfold. You have heard about self-made billionaires who made it big because of real estate. This is one of the ways they make those billions.

Easy-to-Understand Investment
You may already have heard about accounting scandals involving the Stock Market and other such investments. You should not encounter this kind of complication with land investing. You can usually get a good picture of why property prices change, and at what rate.

Ownership
It goes without saying that there’s an invaluable sense of pride that comes with the idea of ‘ownership’, and this is the peace of mind you get from investing in land.

Practical Use
You can use your piece of land in a number of practical ways. You can develop the land, harvest the resources, rent it, use it as a campground, subdivide it, build a home or business, there’s endless possibilities.

There is so much to gain and practically nothing to lose when investing in land. When all else fails, or when other modes of investment go shaky, land investment offers solid investment ground.

Find training, information and articles on land investing and learn how to profit with land at ProfitWithLand.com, your #1 source for learning about land investment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lydia_Quinn

Hard Money Lenders

Hard Money Lenders (A Primer)

Hard money lenders, are individuals with a great deal of money available for investments. Depending on your investor, some may have limited funds while others have deep pockets.

Based on their own personal criteria, they lend this money, typically on a short term basis to investors who use it for a variety of purposes, primarily buying and repairing properties in distress.

As you develop your relationships with hard moneylenders and prove to them that you treat your investments as a legitimate business, you will be able to negotiate more favorable terms. It is a good idea to learn the requirements of and develop relationships with 2-3 hard moneylenders.

Hard moneylenders will serve as a great resource as you begin your Real Estate investment business, especially if you have limited funds and/or credit blemishes. Having a good hard money lender will help you become more profitable in shorter amounts of time. You will be able to take advantage of deals and act quickly if you need to. You will also be able to refer them to potential wholesale customers in order to help them secure financing and guarantee that your deals close correctly and, more importantly, quickly.

Typical terms for hard money

The terms for a hard money loan will vary from lender to lender, will depend on the investor’s experience, the length of relationship the investor has with the lender, and depending on the lender, sometimes even the credit score of the borrower. However, if the hard money lender does look at the credit score of the borrower, he/she will typically be much more lenient because the property will serve as the collateral

Loan to Value (LTV), Interest, and Points

Generally speaking, a hard money lender will lend between 50%-75% of the after-repaired value of a home with interest rates ranging from 12-18% for anywhere between 6 months to 5 years. In addition, they will charge between 1-10 points as an upfront financing fee.

Payment Schedule

Some lenders will charge interest while some will amortize the loans, though more often than not, for the short term loans, it is easier accounting for the lender to collect interest only payments.

Repair Money

Some lenders will lend repair money and others will not. Many times, this will ultimately depend on the LTV of the property. If you do find a lender that agrees to lend for repairs, frequently the money will be kept in an escrow account from which you draw as the work is completed. In rare instances, or after you have established a level of trust with the lender, he/she may allow you to leave the closing table with the funds

Closing Costs

Provided your Loan to Value (LTV) is within the lender’s requirements, you can often negotiate the closing costs to be wrapped into the loan.

Lending Criteria for Hard Money Lenders

Just as terms vary from lender to lender, so do the criteria. Each lender has his/her own preference with regard to areas in which they will lend and types of investors to whom they will lend.

As you begin to build your list of hard moneylenders, it is important to ask them what their criteria are:

• What is the typical Loan to Value you will lend on?

• Where do you find your comparable sales?

• Do you check credit? (If so, can I provide you with a recent copy of my report?)

• Do you require appraisals?

• Do you charge an inspection fee?

• Are there certain areas that you do not lend?

Property Value vs. Credit

Generally speaking, most hard moneylenders are more concerned with the property value than the credit of the investor. They simply want to know that if the investor defaults, they will take ownership of a piece of property from which they can recover their investment and possibly turn a profit themselves. Basically, the lender wants to feel secure in his/her investment.

Finding Hard Money Lenders

Hard money lenders are, in most cases, private individuals. They are not institutional lenders that must abide by a strict set of rules and guidelines.

This means that they can be extremely flexible, but also very tough at the same time.

More than likely, your local investor club will have several hard moneylenders advertising at each of the meetings. These are great places to meet these individuals, network, and build relationships.

In addition to your local investment clubs, you can find these types of funds in many different places. These lenders can be your doctors, attorneys, friends and even your neighbors. The better the relationship you have with the individual, the more favorable the rates and terms will be.

Try the following question, which we learned to ask from a friend and mentor:

“I know this isn’t for you, but do you happen to know anyone that might be interested in earning 12-15% return on their money secured by a first lien in Real Estate?”

You would be surprised at how often the very person that you are asking says “Yes, I am interested.” You are not asking directly, so the person does not feel threatened. In fact, he/she may even be more inclined to lend you money since you were not asking directly.

Fear of Success

When I got started in real estate, I literally walked away from my life and everything – and everyone – I knew. I put fear in the backseat and made a decision to give it everything I had and to remove failure as an option.

I would be lying to if I didn’t tell you I was terrified more often than not in the early days. So understand that most people in your shoes would feel exactly the same way you do, no matter what your situation is.

But the question I ask you is: What are you afraid of?

The easy answer is fear of failure, but I believe that more people have a fear of success. When you are afraid of failing, you don’t give it EVERYTHING you have. That fear keeps you from putting forth a real effort. It gives you a constant out. “I didn’t do my best, but I could have if I really wanted to”.

The fear of success is what happens when you start moving forward. It’s the fear that “this could work”. Then what? What about your family? Your friends? What would you do if things changed?

Things WILL change if you put all of your energy, effort and focus into changing your future. But remember… change is natural. Change is good. And the only constant in the universe is change.

Learn to embrace the fear and learn to be uncomfortable. I had a very dear friend of mine, who’s remained a friend over the years, say to me one night, “Heather, you’d never be comfortable with comfortable”. At the time, I was a little offended, but learned later that it was the biggest compliment he could have ever given me because it meant that I had finally stopped worrying about what everyone else thought, and was focused on my future.

Fear can creep up on you when you are not looking and you may not be asking for what you want only what you think you can get. This happens to all of us. I even sometimes catch myself not necessarily acting in my own best interest because of fear. Learn to stay aware of your fear and how it can overpower and paralyze you.

Overcoming fear allows you to be the best that you can be.

Learn to have a positive attitude and surround yourself with like-minded people. This is the key to not letting these fears overwhelm you. And, when they creep up, reach out for support. Someone will be there to put you back on the right track. The fear of success may be more about the fear of losing what you achieve.

I ask you, are you more comfortable never achieving your dreams for fear that you might lose something in the pursuit? Or are you ready to go out and get the things in life that you want and not take no for an answer?

    The Other Side of Short Sales and Foreclosures

    As investors, when we hear the words short sale or foreclosure we may naturally start to salivate; and rightfully so. If you know the ins and outs; they are a great opportunity to make large amounts of money.

    What we don’t always think about is the other side. The person who is having to short sale their property or being foreclosed on.

    And it doesn’t matter if it’s an investment property, primary residence, second home, you name it; it’s not a fun place to be and most of the time, they are less educated on the process and potential ramifications. And that makes it a pretty dangerous and scary position to be in.

    That being said, here are some words of advice that might make the situation a little better as well as make your long term future a little clearer and a whole lot less unsure.

    1. You Must Educate Yourself
      There are a lot of moving pieces in a short sale or foreclosure and you have to get educated on processes. You need to take your head out of whatever you are doing and understand what exactly is coming down the pipe. Once you start, you’ll be kicking yourself for not doing this a lot earlier. Take control of your out of control situation.
    2. You Must Get Professional Advice!
      This goes hand-in-hand with educating yourself; but you must make sure it’s the right information! Find a professional attorney, accounts, whomever you many need and get answers to your questions. Also, make sure it is someone who is actively doing business in these ? elds, not someone who is resting on old laurels or never really had the experience in the ? rst place. You’ll realize that getting some of your biggest “fears/questions” answered; it may not really be as bad as you think.
    3. Only You Have Your Best Interest in Mind
      I know, that sounds negative but unfortunately it’s true. Even though you many have lawyers, Realtors, title companies all working on your behalf, stay involved. Take the 15 minutes or so every other day to do your own follow up and make sure everything you are being told is getting done, is actually getting done. You are the one who has to live with the consequences, not them. It will certainly be worth it!

    Is It A Good Time to Buy Real Estate?

    Nothing is harder to watch than seeing real estate investors simply watch the best market we’ve seen in countless years pass them right by.

    If this is you, here are 5 concrete reasons why this market is the best we’ve seen in years and why now is the time to buy real estate.

    1. Rock Bottom Home Values
      Home values have plummeted. I don’t think anyone would argue here. And what does that mean for you…deals, deals, and even more deals! We have right now the best deals we’ve seen in the last decade or more.
    2. Cash Flow
      It also has gotten a lot easier in just about all markets to cash flow on properties. During the boom, many of the most popular markets across the country became virtually impossible to really cash flow. Now, not only is it a lot easier; but it’s expected!
    3. Real Motivated Sellers
      The real motivated sellers just raised their hands. What was considered a motivated seller 3-5 years ago was they were will to sell their house. Sure, there were some hard cases but they were far and few and took a lot of digging. Now, they are everywhere.
    4. Government Programs
      There are a number of government programs available to help new home buyers buy real estate and to help investors get into real estate for very little down and record low interest rates.
    5. Low Risk Strategies
      Terms have never been easier to negotiate; taking a lot of the risk and upfront money out of the game. You really can invest with very little to no money or risk at all.

    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 Listing Sites

    Free posting sites are the Holy Grail for real estate investors!

    Why? Because not only are the free, they get results. And they get results FAST!

    I’m talking… You can literally post an ad in 5 minutes and start getting emails from prospects in 10! These sites work exceptionally well for ? nding all types of buyers.

    In fact, I gave an agent in my real estate of?ce a speci?c process for using just ONE of these sites to ?nd buyers, and within just a few days, he had 3 buyers for $300,000+ deals!

    The best part is that they are super simple to use!

    You just have to know which ones are the best for your target market and come up with a consistent strategy for posting. Since they ARE FREE, it’s critical that you post frequently because many other people are also posting their ads and, consequently, moving your property down the list. (Most are displayed newest ?rst).

    It seems as though there are new websites popping up daily, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed trying to ?gure which ones – and how many of them – you should be posting to on a regular basis.

    So, for now, let’s stick with the ones that have proven to work. But always keep your eyes open for new sites that are getting visitors and gaining traction!

    Craigslist (www.Craigslist.org)

    Craigslist is a great place for posting a variety of free classi? eds, real estate in particular. You can post properties for sale, properties for rent, vacation rentals, etc. And this should be your ? rst stop when it comes to using free posting sites.

    Pay careful attention to your headline, pricing and location.

    There are a number of strategies that you can use to increase the chances of prospects getting TO your actual advertisement such as including extra characters, changing the last few digits of the price, etc.

    Learn how to Crush It with Craigslist Real Estate ads…

    Zillow (www.Zillow.com)

    Zillow is also a great site to post and advertise your home. Zillow was initially used as a “comp” tool. Zillow also allows people to list their properties for sale as well.

    The good news is that Zillow has a substantial amount of traf?c and you can capitalize on that for free. Not to mention, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on Zillow because they’re de? nitely adding some new tools that will be valuable resources for investors and homeowners alike.

    Postlets (www.Postlets.com)

    It doesn’t get much better than Postlets. This site allows you to submit your classi? ed ad, for free, and will distribute it to a number of other free positing sites.

    In addition, you can create your own property webpage that they will host for free. So, not only can you submit you ad for free to their site, but they’ll do lots of the other work for you (also for free!).

    In addition, you’ll also get the code to post it right on your own blog. This is one of the best tools for selling deals (and most investors and Realtors® haven’t got a clue about it).

    If you want to take it further, upgrade to their premium package which gives you a multiple page website for your property, integrates Google mapping, allows for enhanced photos, and video/virtual tours as well as external website links potential buyers can be directed to for even more information.

    Here is a partial list of sites to which Postlets will aggregate your ads:

    • Backpage
    • Craigslist
    • Enormo
    • FrontDoor
    • HotPads
    • Oodle
    • Trulia
    • Vast
    • Zillow

    These are just a small handful of sites that you can post your properties on absolutely free! When it comes to these types of sites, the old adage: “You get what you pay for” is not true! These sites pack a big punch…

    The only caveat is that they require an investment of your time to post. And the best part is that you can always outsource that part for pennies ;-).

    Tips for Effective Online Classified Ads

    • Write Attention-Grabbing Headlines.

      You are ?ghting for your prospect’s attention and you’ve got loads of competition! So, you’ve got to grab their attention in order to get them to click through to your actual ad. The ENTIRE goal of your headline (or title) is to get the person to click through to read the rest of your ad. That’s it!

    • Use “odd” Number Prices.

      For example, if your property is $150,000, by simply changing the last three digits to something other than “000” or “900”, you will increase your click-throughs. To keep it simple, we recommend using the last 3 digits of the property address, so if the address is 1234 Main Street, your price would look like this: $150,234. It just breaks up the pattern as the prospect skims down the page.

    • Describe the Features and Bene?ts.

      Always include the features and bene? ts in your actual ad. Most people remember the “features” and leave out the “bene? ts”. This is extremely important!

    • Include the Maximum Number of Photos.

      Always include the most photos that the site will allow. When people are sur? ng the Internet looking for properties, you can never have enough pictures.

    • Bonus Tip: include a link to your own website where you have more photos of the property. To see the pictures, ask for a name and email address! Now, you’ve started building your list.

    Getting Things Done: What Is Your ‘Jabberwocky’?

    “That is an excellent practice. However, just at the moment, you really might want to focus on the Jabberwocky.” ~ Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland.

    We recently watched “Alice In Wonderland” and in one scene she turned to the Mad Hatter and said, “Sometimes I believe as many as 6 things before breakfast.”

    The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) replied, “That is an excellent practice. However, just at the moment, you really might want to focus on the Jabberwocky.”

    Now… you’ll have to see the movie to put it all together, but when I heard it, I thought how much that scene relates to us as entrepreneurs.

    So often, our minds are running in 100 different directions and we’re thinking of all the possibilities that surround us. We see new opportunities everywhere we turn and we dream about the potential of each.

    However, when we spend our time focusing on all the “dreams” that surround us and the exciting opportunities that come our way in 1000 different directions, we often forget – or neglect – the “jabberwocky”.

    And the jabberwocky is the thing that we have to face if we want to move forward with anything at all. If we don’t face the dragon that’s in front of us, it will eat us alive, destroy us. It will keep us from living the life we dream about.

    So… my question to you is this:

    What is your jabberwocky? What is the “stuff” that you need to get rid of TODAY so that you can focus on your future tomorrow… so that you can design the life that you desire?

    The key here is to get it out of the way BEFORE you do anything else. Realize that you don’t always “slay” the jabberwocky in one fail swoop. Sometimes it takes days or even weeks. Sometimes it may take many months to overcome.

    However, if you commit to a few minutes EVERY morning before you start your day to make positive progress on your jabberwocky, everything else will seem easier!

    What I’ve found is that by taking just 30-60 minutes each morning to cut away at the thing(s) that’s holding me back and that’s creeping into every aspect of my life, I start my day with a feeling of accomplishment AND I know that I’ve taken a positive step towards overcoming what is holding me back.

    When you take this approach, you’ll ? nd that quickly this “jabberwocky” falls and you’re able to begin focusing on the things that really matter – those six things YOU believe before breakfast… or at night when you’re falling asleep dreaming about what your life would be like if…

    Just for fun… before you start this battle, think about those 6 things that are really, truly, important…

    And remember… as soon as the jabberwocky is gone, you can begin focusing on all of them and start moving to make them your reality rather than things that simply exist in your dreams

    time management

    Tips for Time Management for Real Estate Investors

    With all the day to day task that seem to take up the bulk of our time, how would you like to get just as much done or even more, and have more time left over to enjoy other things in life? Well, whether your real estate business is a full or part-time career, we all can get a few more hours out of the day by doing a few simple time management strategies .

    Here are Tips for Time Management for your Real Estate Business:

    1. Prioritize

    We all are looking for more hours in each day. We’ll, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are never going to be more than 24. But, you can seemingly get more hours if you learn how to properly prioritize your tasks. Start off by clearly defining what tasks are the most important and those that are not the most important. Arrange your schedule around your list.

    Also, like most of us, you probably have other jobs and responsibilities other than your real estate business. Developing a clear cut time allocation system for when you can do each task will great improve your efficiency. For each task or set or responsibilities, make an independent priority list for them as well and you will soon find that they get done more quickly; freeing you up to do other things.

    2. Delegate

    Some of the most affective time management strategies evolve around delegating. Learning how to affectively delegate is a skill in itself but once your learn it, it can free up valuable time to either grow your business or to simply give you more time to spend with your family. Don’t make the mistake that just because you have done certain task up to now that you must continue to do them.

    Often times, you’ll find that delegating these tasks out not only saves you time, but can also give you better results. We all can be experts at everything. Take the tasks that aren’t necessarily your strongest suite and delegate them to people in that field that can do them better. This will allow you to focus on the parts or your business that you do best and allow you to do them even better.

    3. Set Goals

    It is also advisable to jot down your desired goals in the form of a checklist. Take the time to think out your goals and their associated tasks and put them into a long term and short term list. Make sure you put realistic, obtainable timelines for each goal as well and give yourself deadlines to review where you are and to make the necessary adjustments when needed. Over a short time, you will become an expert at setting goals and task and yourself up for success.

    4. Get organized

    This is a fundamental requirement for effective time management.

    Begin by keeping your home office or office clutter free, neat and tidy. You will find half your problem will be solved from the get go. Spending valuable time looking for files, documents, etc… is not only wasteful but very frustrating as well.

    Taking a few minutes to come up with an affective filing system and calendar is also critical. If your business is new, set your self up for success but getting a good filing and calendar system ready from day one. If have an established business, it well worth a few hours and a few steps back to get these items ironed out and headed in the right direction moving forward.