OfflineHad the opportunity to watch Dean's videos from the Gain the Edge 2009 Event. Wow. I was really impressed with what I learned. He talked about how he uses a very basic Yellow Legal Pad to organize his day and without it, he gets stressed. I have tried a lot of management techniques regarding the things I need to get done. This really seemed to work. I simply listed out the mini projects I needed to get done and listed out the actions I needed to work towards the completion of those projects. Then I starred the urgent ones that needed to get done first. I am starting to cross out the ones I am getting done. Definitely less stress. Seems very basic but it does work. If anyone uses a different system that seems to work, I would love to hear about it. Tomorrow working on a big project out west with 25 properties lined up. We are definitely going to need some buyers for those properties so if anyone is interested in the midwest, let me know. Have some great deals. This has been an exciting journey so far and look forward to getting up each and every day to move my business forward.
Really starting to build my Buyers List now but am always looking for different strategies to do that so any suggestions would be appreciated. Also still a little hesitant to talk to sellers. I guess that part of the business is still new to me. I guess I just need to get out there and get past that.
Thanks for reading.
Lou
It's not what we get, but who we become and what we contribute that gives true meaning to our lives.
Lou,
Great Start! The Yellow Legal Pad-------I've heard that from even some people I've worked with personally in the past. I've began long ago doing it. If it's written down, MUST get it done RIGHT?. Also, if it's written down, it must be true Right? Just don't write anything down you don't want to be true LOL. Anyway, Hello and Welcome, May You have Great Success on your Journey!
Also, I am currently selling a property if you wanted to "use" it, perhaps make an outstanding 1, 5, or even 10k in the process.
You may PM me for details if that interests you.
Jason
I guess I have gotten to the point where I am trying to multi task and get a lot of things done in a day. I am really struggling with the management of my To Do List and am getting overwhelmed. I know there are methods to manage important tasks and focus on the urgent tasks, but I am not feeling like I am getting accomplished all that I need to do or even a fraction of what I need to do. Calls to make, emails to respond to, building my buyers list, marketing to find motivated sellers, wholesaling tasks, educating myself more, networking, household stuff, time for the family. Can't seem to get it all done. I am using the Yellow pad method that Dean talks about. Maybe I am missing something. Anybody have any suggestions or systems that work. Would love some feedback.
Lou
It's not what we get, but who we become and what we contribute that gives true meaning to our lives.
http://www.deangraziosi.com/content/weekly-video-blog-83-dean-back-huge-...
Lou,
This May take ALL your worries and "to do's" and shed new light on them.
This is great. I did see this video of Dean's before but didn't really apply it. I think I am going to use this method along with my list of "to do's. I plan to break up my days this way and plan for the most important tasks to be written into a daily planner. That way I cross them out when I am done. There is something very satisfying about crossing off a task that is completed. It gives you the feeling that you are one step closer to your goals and ultimate successes. Thought about using an electronic planner but that is not always right in front of you.
Thanks and best of luck with your investments and endeavors,
Lou
It's not what we get, but who we become and what we contribute that gives true meaning to our lives.
Keep chiseling at those tasks and you are bound to get them all taken care of.
Employ that strategy, keep the pad and list going, You will certainly be amazed at the motivation it provideds and tracking, you know: "Keeping you Accountable!
Thanks. Looking forward to getting her all done.
It's not what we get, but who we become and what we contribute that gives true meaning to our lives.
I was really excited to see my seller's flyers are working. Got a call from a woman that was going into foreclosure and wanted to see if I could help. Met with her and was able to provide some options. Next step is to check some tax records because I believe there might be some outstanding liens on the property. What is the best method for obtaining that kind of information? Want to get things squared away with my due diligence before diving into this deal head first. Once I can get all the info I need, I will be locking this property up for a very, very discounted price, so if there are any buyers in the NY area, let me know. I have a real money maker here for you. Off the top of my head, you could probably pick this one up for about 250K and ARV is around 350K. Only about 20K in repairs, Total investment of 270K with a resale value of 350K. 80K profit potential, not so bad. Not to mention that this is Westchester County and prices that low here are unheard of. Also, this town has the lowest taxes in Westchester County. Neighborhood and schools are awesome. Being a teacher myself, I know that is true. NY holds values of properties pretty well. If you hold this one, the profits can be unbelievable. Anyway, let me know if you are interested. Will probably have this one under contract by next week.
More to come.
It's not what we get, but who we become and what we contribute that gives true meaning to our lives.
Sorry I missed the start of your journal until now. First -welcome to the DG family and the wonderful world of RE investing! Its sounds to me like you are on a bit of information overload. It happens to all of us in the beginning! So much to learn and process and wanting to take action at the same time. Dont worry - things will sort themselves out and fall into place. Sounds like you are getting a handle on that with your yellow pads and organizing your days by priority too. Just remember you have to start with small steps to get to the big goals..so have patience with yourself so you dont burn out
Wishing you all the best!
Glad you started a journal too! They are a great way of tracking your progress - and when you go back in a while and reread all you've done since you started you will amaze yourself
www.adeptpropertiesllc.com
my story:
http://www.deangraziosi.com/node/10404
Thanks so much for the kind words and encouraging feedback. Definitely been a whirlwind, but enjoying every minute of it. I do enjoy writing in my journal. Whatever type of day I have had is always brought into a calming state when I do some writing in my journal. You seem as though you have had some great success in the business thus far. Any suggestions to get to such a great place?
Wishing you the best as well
Lou
It's not what we get, but who we become and what we contribute that gives true meaning to our lives.
Hey Lou, congrats on getting that deal. I see you said there may be liens on the home. Tell the owner you need her to be honest with you so you can help. Let her know that you need to know if there are any liens against the home besides the first mortgage, because when you do a Title search it will all come up anyway. Find out what she owes on the home and any other liens that may be involved.
Since you live in NY also ,you may be able to use this to bring up the deeds.
WWW.acris.COM DO A PROPERTY SEARCH BY ADDRESS AND YOU WILL FIND THE DEEDS ON THE HOUSE.
You can also sign up for propertyshark.com for free, They allow you one search per day for the free sign up.
good luck
Richie.
Sometimes this business and life also throws some curveballs at you, you just have to think about the end result and not the actions you need to take to get there. Its not about having to do something, but getting to do something. Watched Tony Robbins new show tonight. Man, that guy really knows how to put life into perspective and if people accomplish the things they do when the challenges are incredible, making money in this business really is not too difficult at. You just gotta believe in yourself. Like he said on the show, "when You Can't, You Must." Simple words. Huge meaning.
Keep up those spirits and keep moving on to your goals. Don't let anything or anyone get your way. Create the life you want. Hoping that real estate can help to do that for all of you awesome people on this site.
Enjoy life and Enjoy the Journey.
It's not what we get, but who we become and what we contribute that gives true meaning to our lives.
definitely keeps things in clear perspective! I love listening to him! Looks like you are well on your way to success!
The yellow notepads do wonders... unless you have kids who get ahold of them when you leave them out for a second and they get ripped up or scribbled on.
LOL (Yes, both of these have actually happened to me.)
This is something Tony Robbins says and something you must constantly keep at the top of your mind.
It is CERTAIN you will SUCCEED!
Yesterday was one of those eye-opening, yet emotional days. I got into real estate about 3 years ago, but can honestly say that I didn't really learn anything until about 6 months ago. My first couple of investments were some rental properties in Noblesville, IN and I would say in the end and after selling them off, I broke even. Not so good considering my plan was to make a ton of money on them. I am okay with it though because it made me want to learn more about real estate and all of the different paths and strategies that were available. Dean's books and site have really helped me to grow in this business, along with my great friend and fellow DG member, Gorgeous Frazier. What a gem she is and an incredible wealth of knowledge.
My partner, Tom, and I have been working to find ourselves a rehab project for quite some time now and our thought process was not until the right one comes along. We finally found a pretty good opportunity thanks to the one and only Gorgeous Frazier. Long story short, Tom, myself, and other partners celebrated a bit because we decided we were going to move forward. Nice deal: 27K purchase, 41K rehab costs and about 115K ARV. 30K-40K profit margin. Approx a six week project. Nice little project. We were the end buyers on it. Had my share of the investment ready to go. Seems funny but the day after we decided to move forward, I was informed by my financial planner that my some of my investment accounts which was supposed to be for the rehab project had taken a pretty good hit. All at once, the plans changed. I was now out of the deal because I wasn't going to risk anything at the expense of my family. It was quite an emotional day and in the end my partner, Tom had these words to say: "Listen, bud. It just changes the plan a little. It doesn't eliminate it. We just need to adjust and know I will never do a Real Estate Project without you." Can't really explain what those words meant to me considering the disappointed state of mind I was in. Pretty great guy I must say. Anyway this isn't stopping me at all. I just need to take a step back from one path and that will allow the room to take at least two steps forward in another direction. I plan to work again as a teacher for the benefits and love of working with kids and plan to learn about and wholesale until it brings me the success I know it will. I am looking at this minor setback as a blessing because without it, I may not be putting in the effort I should into wholesaling and I wouldn't be able to do something I really do enjoy: teaching our youth and hopefully inspiring young minds. I have always believed that you are always going to experience setbacks and make mistakes. You might as well make them small setbacks and minor mistakes and make those mistakes now, so you learn early on what not to do and more importantly, what to do the next time.
I look forward to this journey and never see anything as a problem, simply a challenge and obstacle that need to be taken on.
Best.
Lou
It's not what we get, but who we become and what we contribute that gives true meaning to our lives.
I think that tracking your progress is a critical component to reaching your goals. Allows you to see what you have accomplished in the past, what you completed today, and what you have still yet to do tomorrow. Wow, I think we should all have a journal to write in. If you are not comfortable writing publically, you should at least consider keeping a private journal and writing in it at least a little bit each day.
It's not what we get, but who we become and what we contribute that gives true meaning to our lives.
It is amazing that I find myself getting things done with my investing goals and utilizing many of Dean's strategies with only the feedback and information I get from this site. I find it hard to believe that I haven't even read through Profit From Real Estate Right Now or gotten through all the lessons with the Success Academy which I purchased the moment I learned about Dean. I know I need to get through those online lessons and read that book and Dean's other two as well.
I was finding that I was in need of about four more hours in a day so instead of getting up at 9AM each day, I am now getting my day started at 6AM and it's amazing how much I can get done before my previous wake up time of 9AM. Today alone I was able to read a couple of chapters in Dean's book, work out a bit, have some breakfast, go to the bank, check emails, and work on my to do list and I was done with all that before 10AM. With that said, I realized I was wasting valuable time in a day. Not to mention I just feel better and more productive when you can get that much done in only 2 or 3 hours. Well, just thought I would check in and share a bit.
I hope you all enjoy and have a productive day as well.
Lou
It's not what we get, but who we become and what we contribute that gives true meaning to our lives.
That's the way to work your time! Good for you!
I take the route of making more time at night and am up until 1am every night (because I have the kids making all kinds of noise and constant distraction or attention all the rest of the day). LOL