My Journal to Real Estate Success :o)

I'm writing a summary back log before I log my daily activities.

04.12.09
I was in Las Vegas with my Husband and couldn't sleep. I stayed up and watched tv. I saw an informacial called "Foreclosure Fortunes". Sounded great but before I buy anything, I do research on the web. I realized years ago that if products suck, people blog about it. I will do my research tomorrow.

04.13.09
Did my research on "Forclosure Fortunes". I found a website that bought a bunch of real estate products and tested them out. This was a bad product because the information was old and cannot be used in the current market. I read some more and he showed his top 5 real estate products that he liked. The #1 product was Dean Graziosi's book. I've never heard of Dean but the guy gave him a good review. I was skeptical and scared of wasting my money but I bought Dean's book anyway. It was definitely a leap of faith on my part.

After I ordered the book (which I was able to get a $20 rebate later on), I did more web research on Dean. I found this website and read the contents. I was impressed because I thought this website would be outdated or something, but its pretty current with active people on it. So I signed up because it was free and has a lot of great information.

I also created a new email account dedicaded for real estate.

04.15.09
I mailed the rebate form. I'm expecting a check within a few months.

04.20.09
I received my book today. But it wasn't just any book, the book was hard bound which meant that Dean wasn't stingy about the product. I was expecting a soft cover or xerox copy of a book (I'm used to that from scammers). But the book came with other products; dvd, flyers, 800# for the success academy, and the student secrets special report. I was very surprise and impressed. I was just expecting a book!

04.24.09
I was checking my credit card statement online and noticed that Dean's company had refunded me $20 from my rebate! I was shocked since I was expecting a check in 3 months (like most companies). I was really impressed how professional everything has been since I've ordered this book.

These dates are important to me because it shows the quality and service since I have ordered Dean's book. The days that I did not write down, I really don't remember what I did that day because I didn't write it in a journal. But for the most part of April, I read Dean's book whenever I can and went on DG.com and as often as I could (even during work hours, lol). I've told my Husband about it and he's interested so I will hand the book over once I finished. It's exciting and scary at the same time!

Welcome RE Budda!
Good luck on your investing journey. There are a lot of awsome posts on here that you can draw tons on information from. so read read read.
Oh you may want to click on members journals on your left to keep this in the correct area.

I thought that the best way to start my month off is to create an online journal of my Real Estate Success.

I've done online journals before and I realized that it helped me tremendously to reach my goal. Journals are a great way to see where you are going. It also gives the chance for other people to see where you are going as well and people can help you along the way. This also helps newbie's if they don't know where to start.

That's why I started this. When I reach my goals, I want to be able to go back and read what I've done to get here.

I also called the Success Academy and see if I qualify. I do but unfortunately, I don't have the funds for the down payment. I have to wait until next month to sign up. I was told it was $3,500. The down payment is between $400-$1000. The more I put down, the smaller the monthly payments. If I give that down payment, my monthly payments are around $140-$150. I don't have that yet so I need to wait. But I definitely want to sign up because I'm going to need the hand holding.

1. I finished reading Chapter 10 from PFRERN.

2. I watched Dean's Blogs #1-9.

In one of his blogs, his assignment was to write down goals.

This is mine:
1. Debt Free
REASON: not to worry about bills.
EMOTION: releif.

2. Buy a House
REASON: We've been renting from my parents for a long time, its time to move out and start our family.
EMOTION: Accomplishment and being Grateful.

3. Get Pregnant
REASON: We would like to start our family.
EMOTION: Happiness and Estatic!

Other Goals
4. Travel
5. Buy properties to increase our income and have positive cash flow.
6. Buy my parents house so they don't have to worry about it.
7. Buy my Best Friends parents house so I can be there lender and they can pay it off without worrying about penalties and interest (if they want).
8. Help my sister buy a house of her own so she can earn positive cash flow from her condo.
9. Help my Best Friend with his college tuition.
10. Help my Best Friend pay for his wedding.
11. Help my Best Friend buy his first house.

My Best Friend's name is Edgar. We've been Best Friends for 14 years as of February 14, 2009. I love him like a brother. When we were teenagers, I had no money. We would always hang out at carl's jr or some other cheap place to eat. He would always pay for my meals and buy me presents on special occasions. I wasn't poor but I never received an allowance and it was awhile before I got my first job at 16. I've always told myself that when I get financially successful, I will take care of him. Currently my Husband and I make 2x more than he does. Whenever I can, I take care of him financially.

When I reach my goals of financial independance, my Main Goal is to take care of everyone I Love and if they're open minded and interested, I will teach them about real estate.

Thank You for your Encouragement!

Yes, there are A LOT of reading materials on this site and I barely touched the tip of it, LOL!

I have a lot work ahead of me but I'm excited!
Cheers!

1. I finshed reading chapters 11 & 12 from book PFRERN.

2. Went on DG.com, read and blogged.

3. Talked to my Husband about real estate investing and tried to come up with a game plan. I will give him the book when I'm done so he knows what I'm talking about, LOL.

I had my "AH HA!" moment today.
Assignments (Bird Dogging, Finders Fee - I think they're all the same, right?) made sense to me. This was after I kept repeating it over and over, and my Husband was getting tired of me telling him, LOL.

This is my simple understanding of it:
1. Create a Sellers List
2. Get a Real Estate Agent as part of my team
3. Find a property and put it on contract (25-50% FMV or from original price)
4. Create a Buyers List
5. Get all of the paperwork in order
6. Put the Sellers and Buyers together
7. Assigned the property to the Buyer
8. Get paid at closing!

Do I have this right?! This was a great "AH HA!" moment for me, even if I get this wrong.

I also decided to dedicate 2 hours every day after work and as much time as I can over the weekend to study real estate. It doesn't matter in what form (books, audio, web, etc). I just need to understand real estate so that I become better educated and be able to understand a good deal from a bad one.

Since I finished the book, I need to re-read and take notes. I learn more efficiently when I read something first and then re-read it again. It sinks in better in my brain when its repeated enough. But I now, I know which sections I like and will pay more attention to them.

1. Went on DG.com, read and blogged.

2. Watched the rest of Dean's Video Blogs from #10-23.

Blog #14 talked about personal and business goals. Here is mine:
1a. Where am I? - My Husband and I have stable jobs and our combined income is $70K. But we hve a lot of bills and our student loans will start at the end of the year. We have no savings and no retirement. We have been renting from my parents and would like to move out and buy our first home.

2a. Where do I want to go? - I want to be debt free and be financially independant so I never have to worry about money and be able to do things without money being the main obstacle. I never want to work for another person again (unless its a mutual benefit or something). I want to be able to wake up 10am, have breakfast in bed, lounge in the pool, and make a few deals where I can do it home. I want my Husband and I at home and watch our children grow up. I want to take care of my parents, sister and Best Friend.

3a. How do I get there? - Real Estate, this is the Best way to go.

Blog #15 talked about failure and I reaized that I completely understand and relate to it. I never want to fail, its a disgusting taste in my mouth. But if that what it takes to learn, then my mouth is ready. Scared, but ready.

3. Went online and googled to see how to become a real estate agent in CA. Apparently there are inexpensive accredited schools out there that you can take online courses and the materials are inexpensive (about $300). Left my info and an agent called and left a message on my voicemail and sent me an email as well. I need to read it over before I make a commitment. I thought that if I get a real estate license, that will benefit me because then I don't have get a real estate agent on my team. I haven't decided which way to go yet. I might still a real estate agent in the end.

4. Drove around my neighborhood and found a house for rent on a street next to where I live and another house for sale by a realtor on the same street where I live. So I have 2 opportunites and I have no idea how to go about and getting those deals. ADVISE is VERY WELCOME!

5. I set up my FREE WEBSITE that Dean put in his book! YAY! I haven't done anything yet because I need a business name, phone #, etc. There's a lot more to do but I need to do somethings first. I'm familiar with setting up a website so it shouldn't be too hard.

6. My Husband and I have been tossing ideas around for a company name. All kind of goofy so I need to choose a name by this week so I can order some business cards.

7. I need to look into some phone companies for the 800#. Dean recommended a good one, but I know another one that might be less expensive so I will check that out first.

Today was VERY productive!

1. Blogged and read on DG.com.

2. I talked to a person in my office today (non-coworker). It was plain chatter then she started talking about her sister and how she wants to get rid of her house. I told this person that I was a REI and I would be interested in talking with her sister. She said that would be great. But she's going on vacation for 10 days so we can't talk until she comes back. She wanted my business card but I don't have any, so I told her I would mail her some info in a couple of days. Another great prospect!!!

3. Before I came home, I drove around my neighborhood and looked at some houses for sale.
a. I found 4 properties that are being sold by realtors (including the one I saw on the same street where I lived).
b. I saw an ugly house.
c. I wrote down the info for the house that was for rent.

I have all of this info but I'm not sure what to do next.

4. I went to Borders and bought Dean's other book "Be a Real Estate Millionaire". I had a 30% online coupon so I used it on this book. I read 2 chapters.

5. I also read 1 story from Dean's special report of student's successes.

6. I read 30 pages from "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiosaki.

I like to read a lot as you can tell.
I'm gaining more confidence every day. As long I keep reading and understanding the things I read, I feel much better in gaining my new knowledge.
I gave my Husband the book and I told him he has the end of this week to read it, LOL! I want to start this new venture with him and I don't to have to explain things to him when the book does it all.

Today was not so productive.
I found out last week that my older cat has diabetes.
I had to leave him at the vet all day today so they can monitor him. When I picked him up, he was happy but the vet had to show me how to inject him with insulin. I spent about $500 in the last 2 weeks on my cat.

This was an unexpected expense on our finances. I have to add about $200 a month to our monthly finances because I have to buy him special prescription diet food, insulin, syringes and I have to pay to dispose the biohazard materials.

I was really stressed out today. This makes me MORE DETERIMINED to become the Best REI I can be. I want my cat to live a longer and healthier life. I want to be able to provide with his special food and meds without stressing about it.

This is what I have done for today:
1. Read and blogged on DG.com.

2. Checked out www.coaphonesolutions.com. I've decided to sign up but didn't have time because I was busy at work and was exhausted when I got home.

3. Read a few pages in chapter 2 from BAREM. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep after a few pages. It also didn't help that I had my other cat sleeping and purring on my stomach and that lulled me to sleep.

4. My Husband read 80 pages from the PFRERN.

Not as productive as yesterday but its something.

Today was a very Productive day.

1. Read and blogged on DG.com.
a. Invited 3 people (Best Friend, sister, Hubby) to check this website out. Used the "Invite Someone!" link loctaed on the left side of the website.

b. Registered to be reminded of Dean's conference calls every month.

c. I tried out the calculators on the DG.com website (the Calculators and Tools link). There's a good variety of them and very informative and interesting. I'll be using the "Net Worth Calculator" every month and see if I'm heading the right direction.

d. I checked out a couple of the forums and took some notes. A lot of good info! In one forum, someone wrote down a few good books to read. Another forum talked about ideas in how to get your buyer/seller lists, another talked about how to put ads on craiglists to find the buyer/seller lists, etc.

2. I did some research on becoming an LLC in state of CA. I read in PFRERN that after I get few deals, I should become an LLC to protect my assests. So I did a lot of research and this is what I found out (this is helpful for anyone living in CA):

a. CA LLC Laws
http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/llc/llc_faq.htm#question3

b. SOS is short for Secretary of State. If you are interested in the laws for LLC in your state, google your state and then secretary of state. It should point you in the correct direction.

c. On the CA SOS site, you can find out if anyone is using the company name that you want to use. I've decided on 2 names so I went there and checked it out. That was a good thing because one of the names that I wanted to used is taken and the other is not. Good thing to keep in mind.

d. If I applied for an LLC now, it will cost me $70 for the application. I know other places will do it for you but they charge $100+ (rip off). I also have to pay $800 yearly taxes for this to the State Tax Board. I asked my Husband if I should do this now and he said NO! First we don't have the money for that (CA is sooo broke that they would want my $800 right now). Second we can do it after we have a couple properties under our belt.

3. I did some research about obtaing an FBN (Ficticious Business Name) statement. This means that since I want to use a company name instead of my name, I need this statement in the county of where I live. Every county is different so check in the info on your county website. You can do a google search for it under the county's name and add county clerk and recorder's office (ex: ventura county clerk and recorders office or FBN statement ventra county). Something will come up to point you in the correct direction.

The fee for the FBN statement in where I live is $53 + $10 additional name. This means that my company name with my name on it $53. Since this will be a Husband and Wife Team, then I need to add another $10 for my Husband's name. The total to get the statement recorded is $63.

Once I get the statement, I have to post it in the newspapers by law. Once I get this recorded, I usually get a lot of newspaper places mailing me that I can do it on there newspaper for $XX. The cheapest that I found in the past was for about $20.

So $63 + $20 = $80 to get my FBN.
I asked my Husband if I should do this and he said NO. I thought I would get in trouble if I started creating business cards and flyers with my company name without being registered. He said that there is no law against that. We can always get the FBN later as well.

So I've saved my money for now by registering my FBN and LLC later on when I actually get some properties. If I do get in trouble for some reason, most likely that I will get a fined and they will tell me to fix it, so I'm not worried anymore.

3. Our new Company Name Is....(Drum Roll Please)...
W2 PROPERTY INVESTMENTS!
I chose W2 because it stands for my Husband and I. Our last name starts with a "W" and there's "2" of us, LOL.

I was thinking too hard about the company name the last 2 weeks that it gave me a headache, LOL.

4. I received a voicemail from one of the sales rep at the Success Academy and asking me if I was still interested in the program. I called back and left a message that I was but will not doing it this month. I hope to do it next month (finaces willing).

I personally think that the coaching program/academy is a great idea. Between my Husband and I we have a lot of questions that we can't find in the book. I can't wait for it but unfortunately I have no funds for the down payment.

5. I read a few pages in chapter 2 of BAREM.

6. My Husband read 2/3 of the PFREN book. He started asking me questions. Some I could answer but the others he needs to talk with one of the coaches. I told him he needs to finish reading this book this weekend so we can brainstorm some ideas and set up goals for next week. I'm really excited!

Hey there! Its reading blogs like yours, is what gets me more pumped.
I've read all through the blogs that you posted. its sounds like you really got your head on your shoulders. keep up the excellent work, you got a lot of potential with that kind of momentome. i also like your understang of the book PFRERN. it helps me to understand it better also, but even knowing i'm only in the begining of it.

Just a little bit of info about me, i am only 20 years old, getting married a month from now, to beautiful red head, got a wounderful newborne due in 8 months, and i also work in the medical field and only bring estimated 16,000 a year. so yes i do need to do something fast, for my up coming future. im going in this blind, and hoping to come out successful. always looking for tips from anyone, and hopefully i have as much information to give in return...

Hi All.
I just finished college and also finished reading Dean's book.

My goal is to buy 1 or 2 homes and then rent them out.
However, I only found techniques mainly for assigning and selling equity.

What are the techniques used to buy a property and then keep it and rent it for the long term?
Thanks for any help!
MayJean

Hi Matthew!

Its very nice to meet you.
Congrats on your upcomming marriage and baby! Very exciting!

Its great that you're starting RE starting at such a young age. I wish I knew about RE when I left highschool. College was okay but I was bored most of the time. If I found about RE, that would have kept me busy (and probably wealthy by now, LOL).

Just keep reading and finish the book. I have to re-read it again just to make sure I understand a couple of things. I gave it to my Husband this week and he's almost done with it. I plan over the weekend to do some brainstorming with him so we can set some goals for next week. I also bought Dean's other book "Become a Real Estate Millionaire". I've read about 2 chapters and its very interesting. It has a lot more info. Between the 2 books, we have a ton of knowlege to utilize.

Here are my tips that has helped me so far:
1. Read Dean's Books, also any RE material that interests you. I'm also reading "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki, reading through the newspapers and see what they talk about the housing in the economy, etc.

2. Everyday, come to this website and READ, READ, READ! You don't have to spend hours like me. Even a few minutes will help. Knowledge is POWER! The more you know, the more confidence you will gain and it will quiet down your fears. I was SCARED when I started reading Dean's book last month and now its not so bad. I know more about RE than the people I know, including my family (except my Hubby, LOL). Also, start an online journal like mine. This helped me stay focused and keeps myself accountable. If I don't blog, then I feel like I have done nothing to show for my efforts. And it helps people (like yourself) and it can benefit them in many ways. Just click on all of the links, check out the forums, watch Dean's video blogs, etc.

3. Find a spot somewhere in your house dedicated to RE (desk, drawer, file box, etc). Anything RE related, put it there (books, articles, newspaper clippings, etc). At least 2x a week, go through it and re-read/research it until its glued in your brain. WARNING: I don't know about you but since I've been doing this, I think about RE ALL DAY and even started dreaming about it, LOL! It's a good thing.

4. I recently started telling people/strangers that I'm a REI (Real Estate Investor). But I didn't do that right away because I wasn't comfortable. What would I do if they started asking questions that I didn't know the answers to? Until I finished PFRERN, and I understood it then I started telling people that I'm a REI. I just bring up in a conversation, I just don't tell them. Now by doing that to a few people, I have 1 solid LEAD that I will work on. The person that I need to talk to is on vacation but when she comes back, my Hubby and I will have a conversation with her.

5. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF ! ! !
That was the most IMPORTANT CONCEPT that I have learned in the past month.
I was sooo SKEPTICAL when I bought Dean's book.
After I read it and I understood it, I DOUBTED my abilities if I can become a good REI.

DON'T DO THAT TO YOURSELF! THAT WAY OF THINKING IS SELF DESTRUCTIVE AND SELF SABOTAGE!

I did this a good portion of my life and I learned that if I remain POSITIVE, even it looks bad, I always made it through. I've tried so many things in the past, and my success was 50/50. I never had anyone show me the way or helped me out. I made all of the mistake on my own and mostly got discouraged and ended up not following thourgh with my new venture.

Dean's books feels like someone is holding my hand even though no one is there. He gives solid info and knowledge that's easy to understand and comprehend. But he also points out that SUCCESS is up to ME. He never promised that I will become rich over night but he does guarentee that I can become successful if I use his tips from his books. So far from what I read on the forums, a lot of people are doing really well from his knowledge. I want to be the next one!

Everyday, always have positive thoughts and attitude. Don't let negativity enter your life. Even if you have a bad day, just think "I will be financially successful and independant" and before you know it, you will be.

That's pretty much it for now. Pop on by as many time as you like and I will help you the best way that I can. If you start your online journal, let me know and I'll check it out!

Hi MayJean,

I'm assuming you read "Profit from Real Estate Right Now"?
Let me know if I'm incorrect.

This is my understanding of the PFRERN book.
Dean talks about assigning because there's a lot of people (like myself) that do not have the extra money to buy a home and rent it out. Doing a few assignments can help people build up their cash so they can afford to buy a home.

If you have the money to buy the home, then by all means go for it!
There's a couple forums that you should check out about the techniques of buying the home and renting it out.

Currently, I'm not doing this strategy because I don't have the money to buy a home, so I'm doing the assignment strategy first.

I'm also reading Dean's other book "Become a Real Estate Millionaire" and that has A LOT of info as well. Read that book and see what other tips and tricks he has in there. I think this book will help you with your questions.

If I find anymore info, I'll post it here. For now, this is all I know.
Sorry if I could not be more of help.

Good Luck!

I cant argue or disagreee with this lady lol shes got answers for everything... also welcome MayJean, sorry cant tell you much, because i'm a new comer myself. but she seemed to answer, and help you... but your on the right track...

Thanks again, for another boost of confidence. i kind of have the same mind set, that i got RE. on the brain all day. I know i can succeed in this, because all my life i've been told i can do whatever i put my mind to if i wanted it bad enough.

I aslo had an ah-ha moment. i took the advise you gave me, and decided to start ove on the book. But this time i am highlighting ever bits , and fragments, also taking notes on it to study. good idea right! i think so... Also what i've noticed, since i actually took the time to notice today, is that just in this small town that i live in, is full of oppertunities. these are a wide variety of housings for sell, exam. are all over of REO's, FSBO's, flip overs, and a lot of forclosures.

And like i said, thanks again for all the tips, info, advise, and however else you would like to put it... But most definately keep up the good work, for the both of you...

Mathew R. Wright...

REBudda,
Thanks for giving me some insight. Yes, I dont have the extra money to buy and hold and that is why i got deans book.
I was hoping there was a stategy that I could use to tie up a property in contract, rent it out for a few years, then sell it for a profit.

So, I am out of luck?

Hey this is mat, i know i did not just here what i think i just herd! OUT OF LUCK, and DISAPOINTED! If you read the books that i read, then i think you definately need go back and reread them, because there is strategies or trick or ways.

You cant give up now or let these blocks or events get in the way or stop you.
if you do you will never get anywhere, especially with that attitude! Do you have a REA. as a personal buddy to help, and back you? If not, i suggest that you find one. Also try to find the right people to talk to for the ways to get around your blocks. There is ways to do it with no money, and no credit, otherwise Dean wolud not tell you there was such a thing in his book.

Also i have been told from people with 65 years of living expierence, that there is ways of doing it, thats what gives me the extra cofidence. Also another suggestion is call the coaches Dean has, and try to get info, try other people on this website (ask a question) you could get lots of people with the expierence to give you answers. So my suggestion is to ask questions and dont be affraid to either, because we are people who are always happie to help, thats what were here for. Dont give up if there is a will there is a way!

"TO OVERCOME THE FEAR OF BEING UNSUCCESSFUL, IS TO BE SUCCESSFUL".

Mathew R. Wright...

Hi MayJean,

I don't think you can tie a property on contract like an assignment, you would need to actually buy the property.

Since you don't have the money, then do some assignments like most of us. It will take time but in about 12 months, you can save up a down payment on home.

I suggest you re-read PFRERN and apply the suggestions that Dean talked about.
That's what most of us are doing. You're never out of luck. You just have to be creative, work around the problem and work hard for it.

I hope this helped.

I absolutley Agree!

I'm glad you found your "ah ha!" moment, LOL. It took me about 3 weeks to get mine. So I have another suggestion for you. Since you realized the vast opportunites in your neighborhood, go scout them!

1. Have a pad of paper and a pen.
2. Map of the town you're interested in doing RE and a highlighter.
3. Digitial Camera (otional)

I've been doing this for about a week or so and it really opened my eyes. Not only did I get to know the neighborhoods around me, but there's A LOT of opportunites at my fingertips! I basically drove around and any properties that I saw for sale by broker, for sale by owner, foreclosed, vacant, for rent, and for lease, I wrote all the info down and sometimes took pics. I finally bought a map because I was driving in circles, LOL. I highlighted streets that I drove on so I wouldn't go there again. I bought my map at Walmart, the cheap $5 one that shows the city, not the huge one.

You can do this in your spare time, but it really helps if you have an idea of what type of properties are being sold around neighborhoods.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

GREAT ADVICE & INSPRIATIONS!
I completely agree with Matt, don't let ANY blocks stop you from your goal.
You can DO IT and there's plenty of info an help to get you where you want to be.

I was VERY busy the last few days so I hope everyone had a great weekend!
Happy belated Mother's Day to all you Mom's out there!

I'm going to do a little back log so stay tuned!

1. Blogged and read on DG.com.
a. 2 people posted on my online Journal. I responded back to their questions.

b. Created my first forum called Ventura County, Southern CA – Networking Group. I’ve had this idea for a week and wanted to start a networking group where I live. My husband and I have done networking groups in the past and it works! I think it will be great to meet people, bounce ideas around and learn from each other. You never know if you get your next deal from a person in the group. I hope there’s other people out there that will be interested. I would like to get 10 people to get together and then start the meetings on a monthly basis. For now it would be great if people participate in the forum to get things going.

http://www.deangraziosi.com/real-estate-forums/local-networking-and-disc...

2. I created a new email account for my company.

3. After work, I decided to drive around my neighborhood for 1 hour and see if I can find any properties. I found 9! That's A LOT. It averages about 1 property for every 12 minutes and I wasn't even speeding or in a hurry, LOL! I wrote down the information from the properties. Some were for sale by broker, 1 FSBO, rent, lease and vacant. I was surprised how many opportunites that were around me because I live in very nice neighborhood and its not cheap to live here. I don't know why but I was still surprised. I stored my info in my RE file box that I have because I'm going to organize this on a spread sheet and talk to RE Agent about them (once I find one).

4. I created an AD in search of Realtor/Real Estate Agent. I took the advice from 5H Enterprises on one of the forums. They posted on craigslist "Investors looking for a GOOD Realtor" and used the ad from PFRERN book with Matt's letter. So I did just that. Below is what I created and tweaked the original letter to our specifications.

--------------------------------------------------------
***Real Estate Investors Looking for Realtor/RE Agent***

Hello, my name is Jesse and my Husband and I are investors in the local area. We have a set goal to buy 10-20 properties in the next 6-12 months. Some of these properties we will buy and hold ourselves, some of them we will sell to other investors and some we will buy, fix up and flip. Regardless of the strategy we use on each property, we need to be aggressive on the price we pay for the property, especially in the current market. We have not chosen an agent to represent us yet.

The agent that we choose MUST be/do the following:
1. The agent CANNOT be afraid to offend agents with low offers.
2. The agent we choose also will have to be available at all times. We use several strategies to buy and sell properties quickly, including making verbal offers when permitted. We will also look at a lot of properties and buy only a few.
3. An aggressive work schedule will be required.

The upside for the agent who gets accepted will be lots of commission. Our goal is to close properties every month. We will pull in the agent on For Sale By Owner deals. At the time we will write additional commission into the contract when we ramp up to full speed. All that aside, we are a professionals and we expect to work with a professional. We want to make money and we want the agent to make money. We want an agent with whom we will feel comfortable with and has an open mind to new strategies. Let’s make money and have fun along the way!

Here are the types of properties that we are looking to for:

Single family homes 2-4 bedrooms
1-2 baths at least 1500 sq feet
No mobile homes
No homes built before 1970 (this can be reconsidered)
Located in cities: Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Westlake Village, Moorpark, Simi Valley, Agoura Hills, Oak Park, and Calabasas

If you feel that you qualify, please reply to this post.
We will email you a questionnaire to introduce yourself.
If we accept you, we would like to interview you in person.

Doubters and Naysayers NEED NOT APPLY.
Thank You.
--------------------------------------

If anyone responds, I also have a questionaire for them to fill out. If I meet them in person, its the same questions that I will ask and elaborate on. I couldn't post this ad because my internet stopped working when I got home.

Another advice from 5H Enterprises was not to look in the phone book, LOL. I was about to do that and I'm glad I didn't. I don't have time to call around, I rather do email and meet in person.

5. I asked my Husband if he wanted to do some RE stuff with me this weekend. He said no because he wanted to be lazy, we've been doing stuff every weekend for a month and he wanted a break. So I called my Best Friend and asked if he wanted to do RE stuff with me. He asked what we were doing and I said that were going to some open houses and then scout some houses. He was game so that's my plan for tomorrow.

1. I signed up with Twitter (www.twitter.com). I always hear about it. It's free and basically its like instant messaging but everyone can see it. If you're interested, go to the website and watch the short video.

I used it for my new company and linked to anyone who was associated with RE. I just did a quick blurb saying I was going to find properties and interested buyers to contact me.

2. I looked through the newspapers today to find some open houses near where Edgar (my Best Friend) lives. None that I saw and my Husband pointed out that I should have gotten a newspaper where Edgar lived, LOL! So I looked at open houses where I lived but they were so far apart. I decided not to do them today. Maybe tomorrow or next weekend.

I read in Dean's book to check out some open houses so I know what it feels like to have one (in case I do one in the future). He wants people to experience it since everyone does it a littl differently. I like open houses, I think they're fun and its interesting to look at homes.

3. I picked up Edgar and told him we were just scouting houses today. Most of the open houses closed at 4pm and we didn't leave his place until then. I told him we'll do it tomorrow or next time.

I decided to scout houses where Edgar lived. It's one of the cities that's on my property list (Simi Valley). I wanted to do it near his home because of his pets (long story). I explained what types of properties that I'm looking for.

We had a GREAT time! We turned it into a game of who can spot the properties the fastest, LOL! We drove around for 2.5 hours and found 11 properties. We could have found more but we actually got out of the car and checked the property out. A LOT were VACANT. It was sad, some were vandalized (and this is a nice and safe city) and most were unkept. I didn't take any pictures because I didn't free up my memory card so we just wrote the property info down, who to contact, and our opions about the property.

We also got to know his neighbodhood well. There were sooo many beautiful homes. Edgar was surprised how very nice the neighborhoods were (and it wasn't far from him). There was one area that had beautiful homes but no one was selling. We concluded that these homes were expensive homes and these people could afford it; they also looked like new developments. So we left and drove further away from that neighborhood and that's when we started finding properties. These homes were nice, pretty, good curb appeal but were not as beautiful as the first neighborhood we saw.

Afterwards we went to dinner and I explained to him what we did that day. He thought I was buying the properties and I explained to him about assignments. It was definitely interesting to him. After dinner we hanged out at his place and decided to check out open houses and scout tomorrow.

He was VERY supportive about my new venture. But he's always been like that anyway.

4. When I got home, I was sooo EXCITED about the properties we saw today that I couldn't sleep (its about 2am). See next blog.

1. I checked out Twitter and found that other RE people linked to me (or "following" me). I was checking one of them out and I saw that he mentioned Zillow and Trulia. Since I know what Zillow was, I googled trulia (www.trulia.com). It's a similar website to Zillow and its free.

2. I signed up with Trulia, created a profile, and did 2 blogs. The first blog was to introduce myself and the second blog was my ad in search of REA.

Then I took all of the addresses and looked them all up in Trulia. It was great because you can see if the info we wrote was the same as the info on the website (which was half of them). It shows the public history of the property and comps of the other houses. I tried to ball park prices on some of them and I was WAY off. It's good to know what properties you're dealing with.

I printed all of the info out and wrote down my info about them. I'm going to show them to Edgar.

3. I picked up Edgar and got coffee. Showed him all of the property printouts and he found that interesting. We decided not to do open houses today because he can only spend a few hours with me. So we went scouting again.

Since Edgar found so many properties (he makes a GREAT Bird Dog) that I told him that whatever money I make from these properties, I will give him 10%. So if I made 10K, I will give hime 1K. It's a generous incentive because he's my BF, he can definitely use the money, and he's good at it.

We did this for 2.5 hours and found 15 properties. Again, A LOT of VACANT houses. We found 1 house that was vacant and beautiful! I can see Edgar and his fiancee living there. That was definitely a property that I would buy. Afterwards I dropped him off and went home.

4. I checked my email and got a response about me REA ad. Someone responded from Trulia! I was very surprised. I read the email and will respond to the REA tomorrow.

5. Around 6pm, I decided to scout homes where I lived. I bought a city map ($5 at Walmart) and brought a highlighter. I just drove to 1 area and decided to scout that area. I used the highlighter to make sure I don't drive around in circles and it kept me on track. I did this for 1.5 hours and found 5 properties. Tomorrow I will chose another area I haven't scouted yet.

So far I enjoy scouting! It's sad to see many homes for sale but its good for me. All of these info that I have I will store in my RE file box so when I find my REA, we can figure out what to do next.

1. Read and blogged on DG.com.

2. I had 2 Realtor's respond to my Realtor Ad from Trulia and Craigslist. I called them both and left a message. No one called me back at the end of the day so I sent them both an email asking if they would like to meet with my Husband and I.

3. I went on Twitter and people were following me, which is good. I need to add more people so I can network. I still don't know how to fully utilize this so I have to do some more research about it.

4. I spent most of my evening rearranging and reorganizing my office so its more efficient. The last few months I was using it for storage and since I became serious about REI, I wanted my office back. I was putting all of my REI stuff/info in a file box but now I have an entire office to utilize. I still have a lot of organizing to do so I'll be doing a little at a time everyday. My back definitely was hurting after this!

1. Read & blogged on DG.com
a. Printed out RE Acronyms - http://www.deangraziosi.com/node/3208
b. Printed out RE Glossary - http://www.deangraziosi.com/node/4521
c. Found a great forum about places to post your ads - http://www.deangraziosi.com/node/3425

2. I bought Dean’s “Think a Little Different” package. I can’t wait for it! After I bought it, it gave me a online password to get in the website. There's A LOT of great stuff that I can read and print out before my package arrives!

3. Went on Trulia and created 3 blogs:
a. Real Estate Glossary Terms – wanted to share the glossary terms I found on DG.com and promote the website as well.
b. I’m looking for Buyers – I wrote an ad looking for buyers, I hope to generate some leads.
c. I’m looking for Sellers – same thing as above but for sellers

4. I went on Craigslist and created 2 new posts:
a. I’m looking for Buyers – I wrote an ad looking for buyers, I hope to generate some leads.
b. I’m looking for Sellers – same thing as above but for sellers

5. The 2 RE Agents responded to my email today. The first one we created an appointment for tomorrow at 6:30pm in one of the offices near our home. We’re actually meeting 2 of them and this is an informal introduction, nothing fancy. The second agent I need to set up an interview. He wants to talk to me over the phone today but I would rather meet him in person. I checked my cell and I never received a voice mail so I will send him an email later on.

6. Organized my office for a little while.

I was really exhausted that I had a headache and my back still hurts. I need to see my chiropractor tomorrow. I went to bed early because I was so drained.

1. I woke up and couldn't sleep. I checked Twitter and a bunch of people are following me. I need to build it up more for networking. I checked my email and people sent me a direct message from Twitter, I will respond later.

2. Read and blogged on DG.com
a. Backed logged on my journal.
b. I got some new investor ideas from other forum members.
c. I printed out forms to take with me to the RE agent meeting, just in case they need to see a sample of what I was talking about.

3. Realtor/Re Agent
a. The first agent that contacted me was Barry. He texted me his phone # and I called back. He wanted to confirm our appointment for today. We are meeting him and his partner Shannon.
b. The second agent that contacted me was Ricky and he left me a voice mail saying that we can meet with him, his dad, and his dad's partner this Sunday just to talk.
c. I received an email from another agent and was asking me if I was broker (I found this person on craigslist and sent my RE Agent ad). I said no and repeated what I was looking for in an agent. Waiting for reply.

4. RE Agent Meeting
We met Barry and Shannon who worked for Keller Williams Realty. Both were very nice, amusing and professional. We talked for 1.5 hours and they both knew we were brand new investors and had no problem working with us. They showed us a bunch of properties online and explained how MLS works. We told them how much mortgage experience we had (we both worked for Countrywide at one point) and how we got into RE. My Husband and I both agreed we liked them both and will use them. They have no problems emailing them and asking questions. So we'll see how it goes. They know that they want to be a part of our team because if we make money, they make money by helping us. So I'm glad they have that mind set with us.

5. Found ideas for my logo. I need to create my logo so I can make my business cards and flyers.

1. Read and blogged on DG.com.
a. Created a new forum topic “What do you do when the property has negative equity?” http://www.deangraziosi.com/real-estate-forums/buying-foreclosures-reos-...

I created this topic because we found some properties that have negative equity/upside down mortgages and we weren’t sure if we should pursue them.

b. I ordered Dean's "Think a Little Different" Course. I've been wanting to this for weeks but didn't have the funds. I'm so excited! I hope to have some funds to get some coaching in the near the future, that would be so great!

2. Craigslist
a. Deleted my ad searching for RE Agents since we have found agents we want to work with.
b. Created a new ad looking to network with Contractors and Stagers.
c. Created a new ad looking for Hard Money Lenders.
d. Looked at the RE ads to see if there was anything interesting.

Our RE Agents suggested we look into Hard Money Lenders to help us out with funding and I thought maybe putting up an add in craigslist might help so we'll see.

3. RE Agents
a. Emailed my new agents and thanked them for talking with us yesterday and we look forward working them. Sent them our personal info.
b. Received an email from another agent that was interested in working with us but I told her we found our agents for the time being. She responded by wishing us goo luck.
c. Sent an email to Ricky who was the second agent to contact us and let him know that we found our agents and we will keep in mind in the future. He replied and let us know if we change our mind to contact him. I didn't respond but I will keep his email.

4. I did research on Hard Money Lenders and called 3. 2 of them answered and I told them I was a new investor and how does it work. I will need to have a script because I felt really stupid. The first guy said I need 50% down and I said we have no capital and then he said he can't help us. The second guy explained it but needs 35% at closing. I still don't understand how this works so I have to keep researching because it sounds so far that everyone does it differently.

5. Added people on Twitter. I need to think of interesting things to post on this site. For now, I'm just building up my network of people.

6. FRUSTRATED!!!
After my research on the hard money lenders, I was so FRUSTRATED! I talked to my Husband and he reminded me that its going to work and its going to take some time and that we need to follow Dean's advice in the book. I was starting to feel depressed but that cheered me up. I can always count on him to see the practical side of things. I felt better towards the end of the day, especially after drinking a Mai Tai, LOL!

1. Read and blogged on DG.com.
a. Read through the forums and bookmarked more topics that were interesting.
b. Went on Dean's TALD site and read some material while I was waiting for my package.

2. I was thinking of ways to post my flyers so I went to my towns Chamber of Commerce website and checked out their directory. My Husband and I used to be a part of it and it was great that their directory was public. So I started creating labels and once I get my business cards and flyers ready, I'll mail it to them. At this point, I think I will mail it everyone because it affects almost everyone or someone they know. We'll see.

I will also attempt to do the same thing with the other Chamber of Commerce's that's around us. I can google them and get their info as well.

3. I will need to find some REI clubs around my town, I'm pretty sure we them.

4. I need to sign up for COA, I will do that this weekend.

5. I added more people on Twitter.