Teresa Jo's journal

Yeah! you started your journal! congrats, and way to get some things accomplished! I know it won't be long before we read about your deals, right here!

Wishing you great success,

Good job! I'm glad you switched over to here. You will be seen more and it will be much more supportive.

I am babysitting my three "four legged grands" for four days also. They are nice and calm until one of their naughty "aunties" comes by and gets them all wound up!

Isn't it fun when thinks start happening the way they are supposed to? It only gets better!

Karen

Yeah, this makes me be more accountable to myself! A little more about myself...

I grew up in a middle class family; my dad worked for a major university and worked his way up into a very high position. He is now retired and living on a lake w/my mom. My mom worked also while I was growing up.

I have one older brother, 2 older sisters and one younger sister. All of them have graduated from a university and either have their own business or are doing really well at their job. I'm kind of the "black sheep" of the family (in my eyes) because I never graduated from college (I attended only one year and then dropped out) and I was the only divorced sibling in the family. That has changed, however, now one of my older sister's is divorced, so I don't feel quite so much like the black sheep. LOL.

Also, my parents were alcoholics. That is, they were functioning alcoholics. Our house was always one big party house. So there was a little bit of neglect in there also, especially for me and my little sister.

Well, since then, I've gotten divorced, filed for bankruptcy, had to go live with my parents for 3+ years and had a 45 min. commute to work each day. Currently I have my own house and a 2010 Corolla so I feel like I'm doing ok. The only reason I got the house is because I practically had to write in blood to the underwriter that I would not buy a new car...I was about to pay off the old car. Well, wouldn't you know, after I moved into my house, I was in a hurry one day to get to work and I was on a highway going 70 mph (which was the speed limit) and the girl in front of me, who was driving a pickup, slammed on her breaks. Well, I ran right into the back of her and the guy behind me, who was in a pickup, slammed into my little Mazda. I swear, we went from 70 mph to 0 mph in 5 seconds flat. So my car was totalled but I was ok, thank goodness. I think what saved me was since my car was smaller, it kind of went under the truck's bumper. But it did crunch up my front hood pretty good. Anyway,so, what do I do? Go out a buy a brand new car (wrong! --don't do this). I actually went to the Toyota place, drove the first car I liked and bought it right then and there. Ha! Don't ever do that. I have a problem with making quick impulse decisions.

So I consider myself to have a B personality overall, but the type A personality comes out like gangbusters sometimes!! I consider myself a B because I like to study, study, study and then make a decision. This is why it has taken me so long to get going in REI. I realized I liked looking at houses while I was still living w/my parents on the lake. I knew I needed to move back into town so I was constantly looking at the real estate section of the newspaper. I knew I didn't want to go back to apartment living. So I finally found a builder that was building houses in a subdivision about 2 miles south of town. They were offering a no money down deal, so I applied! And lo and behold, I was eventually able to buy a $105,000 brand new house! It ended up being about $119,000 because I bought a refrig., washer & dryer and added a few extras into the cost. (wooden blinds, ceramic tile entry) It's only 930 square feet...it's really like a large apartment...lol. I call it my "cracker box" house because these houses in my sub. are literally thrown up in a few months. There's no crown molding, etc. It's a very basic 3 bedroom, 2 bath house. Eventually, I want to move into a condo or another house and rent this one out.

So now I have my house and a great car, but I literally live paycheck to paycheck. I had a boyfriend but I've broken up w/him because he acted like he was supportive, but he really wasn't. He would say things like, "This is gonna take a lot of hard work", etc. Duh!

I'm 53 yrs. old...I know I don't look like it in my pic where I'm standing close to the Golden Gate Bridge. The only reason I was able to go to California to see my daughter was because someone let me use their frequent flyer miles and I stayed w/my daughter while in San Francisco. I've been working for over 33 years at a university and now I have thumb CMC arthritis in my right hand. So, I need to make this REI thing work for me. I have 2 grown kids that are on their own, I don't have any pets and I don't have a significant other, so I don't have any excuses to not get this done. Also, my parents are just barely getting by financially and I want to be able to help them out more.

My daughter graduated from A&M and is now working on Catalina Island. My son is working in construction for his dad. But I want to teach my son that he doesn't have to do construction his whole life...that there is a better way. He is 23 and has a little more growing up to do, so I'm not pushing the REI thing on him yet. I started to, but I've backed off because I could see that it wasn't working. Besides, he needs to see me get successful first.

Well, this was probably tmi, but I wanted to let others know that you succeed, whatever your past has been. Just look at Dean...he was poor and was raised by a single mom.

I feel like I've been to hell and back, and I'm finally climbing out of deep dark hole and I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm enrolled in the Success Academy and haven't been calling them enough, so I've started calling them more and getting more advice. I'm not rich, as you can see, so I'll be using the marketing that is free, like CL and back page. I did invest in some bandit signs and have already had to change the phone number on them to a Google voice mail number.

Today, I'm going to put my ad in CL. I'm going to stop reading so much and start taking more action. This week I'm going to call the owner of a construction company (who my ex works for) and talk to him to see if he would be willing to do some bids for me. In exchange, I'll refer people to him that need remodeling work, etc. In fact, I've already talked to one investor that needs a huge garage built and I have him my ex's ph. number.

OK, gotta go and do what I've said I do. BTW, not everyone in Texas is a cowboy and enjoys country music. I grew up listening to Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Stones, etc. As I write this, I'm listening to Cold Play. And I don't have a horse in my back yard....although there is a horse farm down the road and some people have ridden their horses in our subdivision!

Please feel free to leave me a comment, even if its to tell me you've been thru hard times also. Sometimes, the people that go thru really hard times are really motivated to make their life better. I know I am.

I just read your new journal. It seems as if I can find at least one thing to relate to in everyone's story. I look forward to reading about your progress.

Anthony,

Thanks for the comments. I went to your bio and read it. I like the saying you mentioned..."failure cannot cope with persistence". So true.

Hi, Teresa,
I just read your 3/10 entry and 3/13 reply and like the quote at the bottom about declaring success no matter the odds (paraphrasing): I hereby so declare! You said you'll be placing ads using "back page" - what can you tell me it - who uses it, how do you access it, what fees are involved, etc...? At my first REI club meeting, I met the V.P. of a local bank where I now have my business account - another local bank looked down its nose and shook its head at me as if I were an errant 3-year-old when I asked what they'd do for a REI business account; I decided I wasn't going to help them mature and moved on! At my current bank, it was the legal team I had to exchange arguments (as in legal arguments) with regarding whether I needed to be licensed in OR to do business in OR...two days after getting my response letter, a call came from the bank's V.P. telling me to come on down and get going! FYI: I do not have to be licensed in OR to do REI...thanks to the man at the Secretary of State's Office for pointing me to the exact part of the ORS code I needed and giving me his best understanding of things; and thanks to my work in the Federal Govt that taught me how to approach "people in power" on their terms, and often, to succeed. Now to apply some of my previous life experience in finding investors and sellers, and closing lucrative deals!

A good deal is on the horizon and I am getting those butterfly nervous jitters! I don't want to be too enthusiastic, but also need enough confidence to see this through! I also need to look for investors I've not approached before - those who might be interested in a commercial zone where a residential use was grandfathered in and is still how the property is being used. Someone suggested putting an ad on CL under developers and also in the residential section...I'm still working on what to say and how since this is not my area of expertise. All suggestions are welcome!

Now, in return, a bit about me. I'll be 59 soon (!) and have also had several challenges in life which, combined with the good fortune of having a very supportive circle of family and friends, probably prepared me for this ad-venture. I've been a volunteer through Brethren Volunteer Service in OH, worked for a manufacturing company in OH, held many different positions with non-profit organizations primarily working with youth and families in OH, OR, WV, & IN; was a GS-13 Management Analyst with the Federal Government in D.C.; owned and operated my own business for 6 years in WV; was a pastor for awhile in OR; I've been unemployed more than once for extended periods, including the last two years; and completed two masters degrees, one in OR, one in IN: I do believe in education, even if it doesn't lead to a job because loving to learn and knowing how to learn are important in anything one undertakes in life, and much knowledge and many skills are transferable - it's wise use of these that makes or breaks their value!...now here I am, back in OR, in the "DG grad school" of Real Estate Investment!

My husband and I adopted an infant daughter who is now 21, have a grandson who just turned 2 and lives with his dad, and we had made an offer on a house about a week before we attended the DG 3-day led by Jim Anderson....and wished the timing had been in reverse - ha! It took way longer to close than we'd hoped and that happened just as the Boots on the Ground started, so we are still moving from place 1 to place 2 while starting this REI business and doing everything else we're involved in! However, we will now be paying mortgage (not rent), building equity, and have a potential rental in a few years, so no real loss. We are entering REI in order to eliminate bad debt accrued while addressing life's challenges; allow my husband to retire from his current pursuit and join me in this one; establish a trust for our grandson; and financially support church-related and civil causes we have supported in non-financial ways. As in everything else we've done, we do with the tag line of our denomination in mind, "For the glory of God and our neighbor's good."
Pearl

Wow! Glad I inspired you to post! I haven't even used Backpage yet. I think it's just like Craigslist though. You just post your ads on there and it's free.

With all of your life/job experiences, I'm sure you will do well in REI! Sounds like you're well on your way and you already have a deal on the horizon...great!

That quote that I have on my post is from Joel Osteen, a very popular minister in Houston, TX.

That's awesome that you adopted!

Can't wait to hear about your REI successes. Take care!

Hi Lady how you doing..So Val got you to do it as well. She has that effect on people..lol Your journal will lead to you posting more and then to you starting a reic in your area and then entering the SMA contest next year...I am telling you that is what she did to me....In turn I helped her start in Ohio and look at her now (4-5 homes) i have lost count. No seasoning refi and on to the next one... You can do it as well Teresa Jo..NOW GO GET SOME

Yes, I'm so grateful for my friendships that I've made on here...including you, Val, Karen G., Kathy M., Mike (reinvestor42) and more recently Bennie in VA and Walt in MS.

And appreciative of all the help! I felt like I was writing my diary when I did my journal yesterday. It's pretty therapeutic...I even made myself cry...LOL!

Yes, I can't wait to enter the SMA contest next year, or the year after...whenever.

I want so bad to go to the Edge event, but that will have to wait until 2014 or 2015.

Love to hear all of your experiences with deals...keep em coming!

Teresa, Glad to see your journal and thank you for counting me in your friends here on DG, I am new starting my journal as well and it is great getting support and knowing that we are all in this together! You inspired me because you took action by asking questions and you have a great way about you to get the answers you need all the while making friends. Hope that we can meet eachother at the edge in the future too let that be our goal.

**Love what you said about 'not everyone in Texas listens to country music and owns a horse..".this is hilarious But I like what I picked up living in Houston myself for 18 yrs. and that is

"You Go Girl"!

“Sure I am this day we are masters of our fate, that the task which has been set before us is not above our strength; that its pangs and toils are not beyond our endurance. As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us.”
Winston Churchill quotes

Hey Kathy...yes, let's make it our goal to get to the Edge!! We need to keep calling each other!

TTYL.

OK, just got home from the lovely day job...this is what I plan on doing tonight...repaint over my google number because I got a new number w/the help of Bennie from Virginia. Thanks Bennie. I need to have them done by this Fri. night because I plan on taking off next Monday & Tuesday and I want to be home to take the calls.

Got a call from my mom and she knows someone (a friend) that lives on the lake 45 min. away from here that needs to sell their lakehouse. Said she's going to ask for $300,000+. I'm going to call this seller (who I have dog sat before so she knows me) and see what the lowest is that she and her husband would take. She currently has a couple living in the lakehouse, but they are not paying rent. But they are fixing it up a little. Since these people are friends of my parents, I'm probably not gonna get a deal out of this because I don't want to lowball them. But, this could be a practice run for me and maybe I'll go out there and just take some pics and see what they say.

I also have to review a contract that my attorney gave me to go over and I need to email the investors that I spoke with at the auction. Just want them to keep me in mind. I'll tell one of the investors about the lakehouse. He told me he needs a house in CS and he also wants to buy 30-40 acres of land outside of Bryan/College Station. Not sure that I want to get involved in a land deal right now.

Comments/suggestions?

Teresa,

I knew there was something special in you. Business cards at an auction is a great way to pick up buyers and to network. One word of advice: NEVER, EVER call yourself a "black sheep". Because you are sooo much better than that. Also, your signature come my favorite speaker/pastor. You're in his backyard.

Much continued success.

Rick
Rick Cooper Invstments

ok, ok, I won't ever call myself that again...lol! I'm so excited today because I really feel like I can do this. It really helps to come to DG.com and hear like-minded people tell me I can do this. Sometimes I think I'm not smart enough for REI, especially when I read posts from the more experienced investors. But I just keep telling myself that I'll get there eventually...it will just take time.

Yes, I love Joel Osteen! I bought one of his books and lended it to my dad and he hasn't returned it yet. But that's ok, he's got more time to read it than I do!

Hope things are going well w/you Rick. Keep in touch!

I'm so glad that writing in your journal is helping you move forward; it did the same thing for me! and it only gets better from here!

Funny about TX and the horses and the cowboys... I lived in TX for eight years, and now that I think about it, I don't think I ever saw a horse nearby?!

btw, crown molding is a very inexpensive and easy thing to add to your house, if you ever want to do it...and it does make the houses look more expensive

Make it a goal to call the Success Academy at a minimum once a week!!! If you don't, you will regret it when your year is up! Trust me on this one!!!!

Let me know if there's anything I can help with... oh, yeah, you can tell Keith it's 6, lol

Wishing the best!
Val

You just stepped in it again! You need to start RIGHT NOW adjusting your thinking. You corrected the "black sheep" and then said you "sometimes think you aren't smart enough".

You have to be VERY careful how you speak/write/think. Your thoughts become reality. You are changing your reality. Start being more conscious. Reread before you post to make sure you are speaking positively. Think when you speak. It is very difficult at first but gets easier! This is one of the first steps but a crucial one!

I am really glad that you are excited! That will attract more positive things! The Law of Attraction is as real as The Law of Gravity!

Good job on moving forward! (See how much more you are seen on this type of thread?)

Karen

ok, Keith, did you see that? 6 properties...way to go Val! Are they all in Ohio?

Yeah, this journal is definitely pushing me forward. I know that I'm "out there" now, so I don't want to embarass myself and not get anything done REI-wise.

Yes, I called the SA today and spoke w/Jesse about a lakehouse. He thought it probably wouldn't be a good idea to pursue since the people are friends w/my parents and they probably are asking for retail cost, or something along those lines. I'm waiting on the lady to call me back. If I don't do anything else, I'm going to go to the lake and take pics just to get some practice. Plus I can go visit my parents at the same time.

Thanks for the info. about crown molding...when I have enough money I'll def. look into adding that to my house. I also want to paint my dining room kind of a muted yellow/orange color. My whole house is just off-white...kind of boring.

Need to get more buyers...I have 5 but I need at least 5 more. Just got thru painting over my google number on my bandit signs. Tomorrow night I'll fill out the last 4 digits of my ph. number on the signs. Just found out my son got a job doing directional drilling with pipelines. Not sure that I understand it all. He said it was a little bit dangerous...just what a mother wants to hear...right?! He said a guy got killed just last week. Ugh! Now I'm more motivated than ever to be successful so I can take him out of that dangerous job and have him work w/me.

Teresa,

if you haven't done so already, I highly recommend you read Totally Fulfilled by DG; it's an awesome book! Very uplifting! (since you like to read and read and read

hugs,
Val

Yeah I did, didn't I? OK, the pity party stops here! LOL! Yes, I'm def. excited. From here on out, positive words from me only! Things can only get better. Like Dean said in his weekly wisdom, just look back and see the progress you have made! Or something to that effect. I need to go listen to it again. LOL!

Karen--yeah, I did it again. From now on, positive words only from me!

Val--yes, I've read Totally Fulfilled. Tammy Reoch recommended it to me...thanks Tammy! I have all of Dean's books!

Tonight I'm going to listen to "Working w/RE Agents" on the PMI website. Spoke with Brandon today at the SA and he gave me some advice.

I signed up today to attend a wholesaling class at my rei club in Houston next Monday night. I'll hand out my business cards and talk to some investors & get some more buyers. Need to order more that say "I wholesale" or something to that effect.

Also tonight I'll be writing in my google # onto my bandit signs (while I listen to the call). Got to be good at multitasking!!

I just read your journal and I hope you see light at the end of the tunnel very soon!

it's people like you. This is one of the reasons why I love this site. It's grounded and full of real people like you. I really appreciate your journal you made me fell something-like we our family we are happy together and sad together we support so go do it.

Thanks Thomas!

Glad you liked my journal and yes, we are one big happy family! Hope you get out of that truck driving job soon!

Yeah!!! you did it you started your journal!!! That is great. it is such a good way to track what you have done and it will keep you motivated!!! WELCOME!!

I think i created a monster in Val there. She will be known as the refin queen. I will also bet they are in ohio as well. We have not been talking much since I started my company. Which is my fault for not keeping track of what she has been up to. Teresa I think it is great that you started a journal here because it will help. I am on the IE site now more than here because they have ask me to do daily wisdoms there (4 per month). I will have to be back and forth for awhile here..NOW GO GET SOME

Donna--this journal is definitely keeping me on target!

Keith--yes, I guess you have created a monster in Val! I hope I can be that kind of REI monster!

Oh goodness I love Monsters!!!!

Like your new pic Donna!