invest des moines

Oct 14th the day it all started, Placed out 22 bandit signs, the phone has started to ring, nothing really good on the phone yet but I'm getting comfortable talking to people and listening to there problems, haven't been able to help one yet, but this is a numbers game, the more people you talk to the closer you get to the first deal, Sent out 20 yellow ltr the past week, received 3 calls from that also. Will send out 20 more this week to expired listings. Something good is about to happen soon ,I can feel it.

Wow really getting some great phone calls now, today, One guy wanted to give me a burned house, I decline on that one, til I had a chance to investigate more, Then sent up a walk though on another house deal, And another one called with 2 houses owned and was wondering which one to sell. Been working on my 20 yellow ltr for the week. All in all a very good day. One day closer to that first deal.

well its been a week, rec a total of 21 calls from bandit signs and ylw ltr, did one walk though, the home owner is over priced, house needed some serious work, checked on bandit signs, the sign police have been busy picking them up, started a adv in the hawkeye shopper, have ten calls to make on sunday, then get my 20 ylw ltr ready for this weeks mailing. Everyday is one more day closer to closing my first deal, I can do this,check back in a couple of days.

More calls every day another call come in, Still wanting retail, still keep working the phone calls till we get that first deal, Saturday did two more walk thurs today, both were in the process of being rehab, the first one needed a lot of work, but the owner wanted to much money, the second one has even in worst condition then the first a truly junk house, I did make a offer on the spot of 6,500. and wanted 12k, but think about the the 6,500. he's very motivated to sell, tried of landlording the tenend has,'t paid rent since being there. This mey be the first deal, will follow up in a couple of days. one day closer.

Keep it up! Sounds like you are working harder than a lot of people. Your getting close to that deal! You will succeed!

RENinja

Coming to the end of week three, the phone has slowed down ringing, I'm sure the bandit signs are all but gone, been picked up, still getting calls from the latest mailing of Yellow ltrs to expired listings, still have a cuople of deal coming together, and the newspaper adv comes out again today, so that will get a few calls in.Will know bye Monday if my first offer is going to be accepted, and Ive made a couple new conections this week with investors, all in all a very good week, one day closer to that first deal and to freedom, wait til next week to put up new bandit signs, still have a few out there getting calls off of, thats just amazing, been rereading a lot of deans books again to keep my mind sharp and to keep marketing, besides the 20 ylw ltr per week campain Im going to start cold calling for rent adv's and see if I can find a tried landlord or two,til next week action+knowlege=success$$$$$

What does your marketing consist of? Bandit signs, letters, etc? Do you mind PMing me an example of your yellow letter? Hope it goes well for your for rent calls!

RENinja

Hey John,
glad to see you here. You may want to start a jounal to track your progress instead of posting it here in your guestbook.
PM next time and give me aheads up on the LinkIn connection-
Best wishes
Mike

What a week this has been first I learn that I was out bided on the junk house in the drake area, which was ok, I wasn't going to go any higher then what I'd bid on it originality. Phone calls slowed down to two maybe three a day, no motivated sellers, more like tire knickers, going out today to refresh my bandit signs, My daugher gave birth to a beautiful little girl, so I spent a day with her and the family visiting, another grand child in the family, friday vets day back to work ordered new blank 18x24 yellow signs, made up some signs that I left in inventory for todays work of putting them out, kept a couple of the blanks back just in case I needed some for buyers instead of sellers, which I'm currently looking for that first deal to be accepted. But Ive only made one offer, I need to make some offers so I can get a deal completed, goal is still three bye the end of the year. I'm one day closer to that goal. Want to start calling rent adv to find a landlord who is tried of being a landlord, going to start doing that on monday morning.20 yellow letters per week to expired listings, bandit signs,newspaper adv, and now calling rent adv ishould been able to find a motivated seller or two here in central Iowa....Its only a matter of time now.

Phone is ringing again, not any motived sellers, not sure what is going on, bid on another house, didn't get it they wanted the moon for it, just keep pushing on, going to start bandit signing another city, to the the north of me. We'll see if we can get some results from there, I'm interested in doing the smaller cities in the area, how ever in the big city I'm getting the phone ringing. There is no one else using bandit signs, at lease not where I'm using them have not seen any at all. They are using realtors or birddogs or MLS or list and dircet mail. Oh will just keep marketing getting my name out there, sooner or later I will get my first deal....Going to start working the rent adv on craigs list, looking for tried landlords, and start working probates also. Action+knowledge=success.....

The last two weeks have pasted by quickly, with the recent births of two new grand children into the family, one on the 10th and the other one the 22nd, both grand daughers are doing great. Its time to redircet my attention and efforts back to work. Did travel monday to ft. dodge,ia and put out 12 bandit signs, looking for rent 2 own and pre-foreclosurer deals there to get my L/O program going here. Will wholsale if something comes up recieved a phone call about buying vacant land. The game plan here is to start building a list of rent 2 own buyers, and find some pre-foreclosurer people we can help out and save their home and credit, and get some people in homes that would not normaly be able to be qualified, via the banks, need to locate a mortgage broker in the area, who will work with me on helping to get these people credit score raised in order to get qualified for a home mortgage in the next 12 to 36 months allowing them to purhase the house. The phone is ringing with calls from the ft dodge area, more rent 2 own then foreclosurer callers at this time, still working wholsaling in des moines,market.. should have deal soon.....one day closer to the first deal.......john

Neat Journal, keep it up!

Have you heard of Two Rivers REIA?

http://www.tworiversreia.org/Home-Two_Rivers_REIA.html

Its been awhile since I have been to a since I live in Davenport. Its seems to be very good group and they usually always have a guest speaker that has great content relative to Investing.

Hello, Yes I'm a member of two river rei group, I go to meetings every month. Thanks for the note, I have gotten my first deal working now, will get the contact signed on monday, and will start showing and adverting the property for sale, working the first flip, and have two more in the pipe line now. Thanks...John

What a very productive past week, Bandit signs are generating a lot of interest in the Ft. Dodge Market for Rent 2 Own properties, and ther'ye working still in Des Moines market as well. Putting my first house under contract on Monday, well start marketing it right away, have two more deals in the pipe line also. Now to get this one sold and closed before Xmas.. Action+knowledge=success...

Just a few lines here today, What a busy day indeed it was, completed my first no money down deal.I have started on the second one right away, Just imagine now all the new opportunities ahead, in the future, now I can rely on my own skills to move forward. Wow what a powerful feeling indeed, need a raise just put another deal together, create a win-win-win sitution for everyone......John

Its been a very busy last couple of weeks, been putting in at least 5 hours a day if not more to real state, be it returning phone calls, to sending out yellow letters, to looking for property via driving for dollars, I like to good thur a new area's and locate a vacant reo, with no signage in the yard and place a bandit sign there, I do get calls and they last a long time, write down all the FSBO numbers I can find etc. Making a few offers here and there, nothing accepted yet but I Know deal #2 and #3 are just around the corner. Took the weekend off to spend with the family for Xmas,everybody's working xmas weekend, any way made 3 offers on friday past, would like to get one. Monday just keep after it till we get that next deal or two. Any way picking up my new car magnet signs on monday, we buy houses-555-5555 simple and to the point, just more marketing,letting folks know what I do, will gave me opportunities to make more offers, which will lead to more deals,which is what I want, ordered another 30 yellow blank bandit signs also, still have 10 or so up, Next weeek I'll refresh them and add more around the malls, for those return xmas shoppers, Have also picked up three new cash buyers over the past two weeks also,yes sir its been a very productive past two weeks, work a little harder over the next two to finish the year off right, and start the new one. One day closer to my goal....Action...Action...equals offers=Cash.

But not the end of my REI, Its just begining to really take off, I've grown over this past 12 weeks, completed projects, and built my network of buyer's, completed my first deal, and closed it and was paid. Took on a new parnter for the new year. Upgrading my website, adding lease options and subject to's to my service's for providing solutions for my customer's, adding direct mailing to pre-foreclosurers and asbent owner for vacant property, work more FSBO's also and Probate's also. So I plan to double the budget for marketing efforts, want to develop more motivated seller leads and to convert those leads into business, goal is to complete 4 deals per month in the next 12 months, I have a feeling its going to be better then that, Just take action everday to make offers and close deals, and the new year will be fine indeed....John H.

Well this year flew bye, completed five whole sale deals had lost three deals, earn 50k total, earn from $500 to $12k on another one. Lost a couple deals under contract. Learning exper for sure, have been studying a lot about Lease Options and sub 2's, looking for monthly income and holding some property for wealth building, also wanting to invest in apartments and mobile home parks,,, doing more direct mail, post cards to expire listings, not many bandit signs, code enforcement are really bad. If I do signs they go up out on Friday nite and pick up sunday nite just over the week end.

First two deals of the new year are sub 2, sold one via lease option, and the other house is just a rental. Have completed a total of 6 lease option deals this past year. I learn a lot with each deal. Didn't do any whole sale deals, want to do 12 L/O deals for the year, I was side tracked about mid year with the passing of mom, I have been dealing with that , probate of the estate, dealing family etc. have most of this behind me now, hired a Va to help with marketing, hired and fired 3 so far in the last 4 four months, they don't work very long, any way getting better at hiring better people to fill the position. Look at a coulpe of apartment buildings this year have been doing a lot of reading about them , took business trip to NC for a couple days, network with some people, went to KS City and meet a REI group in that area, member of the Ia landlord association thinking about the BBB also, using pretty much direct mail now for all my leads, sending out 100 postcards per week, continue to network with other investors something I haven't been doing much lately, there two weeks left to the year, so we just keep up the marketing, this yes new year we'll continue to do L/O's and wholesale and hud homes and I want a Apartment house deal completed, I need to get that first one done, then we keep adding them for the passive income that's my goals for 2014 work harder do more deals create more passive income, did get paper work filed for my LLC, which is Apple Property Solutions,LLC another goal completed, also all deals from here on will be titled in LLC or Land Trust or both.....I have a feeling 2014 is going to be a great year going to start working full time, this has been part time up til now. See you at the top....