30Apr09

Pluggin away. Not really too much to report at the moment.

I wanted to put some pics up on a deal im workin on but takes too long to upload. I have figure it out i guess. No worries.

Ive had some challeneges the past couple days, but hey so does everybody. Had a great call w SC today and man he makes me feel pumped.

Speaking of pumped, I went and worked out tonight. Hadnt been for two days, and man does it clear my head. Ive (unfortunately) got alot of crap swirling around in my head about the opposite sex at the moment....difficult to concentrate. An hour at the gym and I feel a whole lot better.

Im gonna get out and hit the streets with some signs a la Steph and see if I can make some magic happen. Hope all is well.

23Apr09 Bullshit Artists

There are alot of bullshitters in this business. Seriously.

Example: I find a guy on Craigslist (we know there are crazy people on that thing), call him up and strike up a pretty decent conversation. He says he's been in the business for awhile...like 15yrs or something. Looking for rehabs and rentals and did sound pretty damn legit.

Talks about how many deals he had closing and all kinds of good shit ( I should have known by that). Ask him what he likes to see and he gives me the usual generic answer, then tells me that he likes this one particular area in the city...."i'll take it all day long." I know the area so i go out and take a look.

So...I made a bunch of bids, and got a few fish on the line. Before I tie up any of my money I decided to call his bluff and see what he would do......probably should have done that before I made all the bids but whatever. One email. Nothing. One phone call...."oh sorry I didnt get the email, im going out there in an hour." Nothing. A few more tries. Crap.

So I called him up, and left him a message that basically said that it was my fault for preemtively putting him in the category of someone who isnt a piece of crap and actually follows through, and to have a nice day.

I guess im an eternal optimist because this crap has happened too many times before.

I just dont want to deal with these marginal people anymore. It is my fault and I take responsibility, but ive made a decision to not waste my effort with pieces of crap. They never buy anything.

Moreover, people can get bogged down with this kind of shit and give up. I know I have wanted to give up many times after I waded through the mud of people's nonsense before. Part of me got more than a little frustrated with this clown.

I guess the takeaway message is something I know but I guess still dont KNOW....and that is to only deal with people that can perform. How do you know who can perform? Call them on it and see what they do, not what they say.

I refuse to believe that this is the premier example of people in this business....how do I know, because I have sold deals to guys that are not like this. Guys that make a decision, stick by that decision and can be counted on.

I will tattoo a picture of a jackass to my forehead if I fall into this miserable trap again.

21Apr09 Affirmations

So Steph gave me a link to these affirmations for attracting more money into my life. Man, I am kind of surprised at how STOKED I am about them but I really get into this kind of stuff.

I put them into my daily list of stuff that I do, and I do feel a real difference. I am also seeing a real difference...I know its only been a few days, but thats how it begins people!

I got a lead on a new house today and im going to signa contract on it saturday, and someone I barely know overheard a conversation I was having, walks up to me and wants to take me out to lunch to talk about the business.

I gotta tell ya. You are what you think about. Think about crap, and you get crap. Think about success and prosperity, beleive it the same way you believe crap, and you will get success and prosperity.

For the longest time back in the stone age of my previous life, I had probably the worst thinking you could imagine. The one thing I had going for me was my drive to overcome. But that drive was often tempered by constant thoughts of how much of a loser I thought I was in whatever [insert object here] thing I was choosing to complain about in my life.

Through one hell of alot of work, I have come to realize that I am the sole creator of my thoughts. Kind of like a gardner, I took the time to break new ground and do the heavy lifting of clearing the roots and weeds, and in some areas of my life...I have a nice smooth fertile garden. In some other areas, well....um not so much.

Thats where the affirmations come in.

I feel good whenever I find something that takes me to a new level of effectiveness. Im kind of addicted to it in fact. But I have to find it, kind of by happenstance. I have to stumble across it for some reason. I means more that way.

I am going to take stock of my feelings (shocking I know for a guy) every day and repeat these chosen affirmations and take what I get from it.

I know good stuff is going to come of it. I know that as certain as I know anything, because the mind is a fourier transform instrument...it magnifies what it focuses on.

If you think about it, everything in your life (with certain exceptions) is a result of your thoughts and your experience is an expansion of those thoughts. The fact that that makes you responsible for most bad shit in your life is an unfortunate consequence, but doesnt make it untrue.

Here they are if your interested.....

http://www.naturalhealthtechniques.com/ProsperityAbundance/money_affirmations1.htm

19Apr09 Rollin right along

Had a great conversation with you today Steph, even though it was cut off a little short.

Honestly I feel pretty similar to what she said over on her blog about the stars aligning. Ive been busy making offers in a few areas of Philly, I have a bunch of activity, and I took a look at an area close to my house here in NJ.

I figure why not roll the dice over here as well. Never done a deal that close to my house. Kind of funny really, but hey sometimes what I do doesnt make too much sense...cause there's a bunch of wholesaleable crap about 20 minutes from my house.

One thing ive been doing pretty heavy here lately is looking for private money partners and local banks that I can do some KISS flips with...i dont know how to insert the uh hyperlink thing yet for bob's kiss flipping course so whatever.

Basically a kiss flip is selling a wholesale home to a homeowner instead of an investor. It makes a lot of sense in this market weve got because its tough to get investors financed unless they have 30% or more down and the cash guys are CHEAP. I can do a hard money loan with them to get the 30% but its just a pain in the ass seems to me.

I have locked up a couple local banks in the area that are cool with doing deals where I buy and sell on the same day to an owner occupant. I also have a private money guy that is looking to do some deals.

Seeing the majority of the market is the owner occupant it makes sense to know how to sell to them, probably said that before but ill say it again.

My challenge right at the moment is staying focused and keeping myself out of the rut, executing quality stuff on my daily list and closing deals....Closing deals and closing some more deals. After that I need to close some more deals and find a few more to close.

I was watching Larry King last night an Trump comes on....he makes me laugh. He did have some solid things to say about having the mondset of champion which is super important especially right now.

Lots of people out there have nothing but crap to say about this awesome opportunity market. Trump was takling about alot of stuff that im not gonna go into right now, but his main thing was that you need to think like a champion and work hard. So true.

The wave is coming for REOs and im ready to ride all the way back to Tahiti.

16Apr09

Enough complaining.

The past few days ive been in a pretty heavy rut, im not gonna lie.

The truth is that I have a whole lot to be thankful for and some really awesome things are happening in my business. Not quite as awesome as Steph, but hey give me some time.

I dont know who reads this blog, but its my hope that all of the things that eventually make it onto these pages will help someone. I have yet to get into the groove on this thing, but I will...and I assure you it will be awesome.

I have been using some new tools for keeping myself accountable, and they work like a charm. The old saying goes that if you want something different from what you have you have to do something different from what you are used to. Thats what im doing, everyday.

Ive been hitting the gym everyday and man ill tell ya its good stuff. I have been going 3-4 times a week for the past ~4 years...sometimes I get a little off focus for a few days, but I always come back to the basics and get myself back in the game. I have been doing some stuff in there and w my diet that is blasting my plateaus out of the water and has taken me to ~230 lbs.

I know that this thing with my dedication to my body feeds my dedication to other things in my life, so my advice to anyone is to get in the gym and start pumping iron. Its the greatest shit ever created.

For what its worth, I struggled super hard in the beginning too. Smoking, drugs, bad diet, bad thoughts you name it. For me its a real victory and a super success to be in great shape.

Each success I have ever had has always been preceded by this torturous experience beforehand. Tell you the truth my business has been pretty similar, but thats for another day...im not quite there yet. For the gym I would join, get ready to go, and psych myself out of going....over and over and over again. The only thing that has separated me was that I would never ever give up.

My advice to people is always the same. Never give up, ever. No matter how hopeless it looks, just keep going. The night is in fact darkest just before the dawn, as the sun is furthest away, just before light appears. People need to undersdtand that life exacts a price for your acheivement, and that price is paid not with money but determination and personal focus.

I have some challenges right now happening in my life, and in some ways it does feel kind of shitty. But, I believe in myself and I know I will succeed, so I press on. I press on no matter what happens.

A guiding principle in my life has been my faith, but also my knowledge of shinobi and ninjutsu.

Anyone who is feeling discouraged, take heart, because I have been there, will probably be back, and will leave again for clear water and green pastures for a bountiful harvest. You are what you sow.

Press on towards you vision of quality.

Focus

Its always been difficult for me to focus on my own success. This may or may not some as a surprise for those that know me, but the best way i can desribe it is that with me my focus has always been vague and off in the future. Not really too sure why that is, though Ive got some pretty good ideas why. I enjoy helping others be successful but sometimes forget about myself.

Ive had some pretty awesome success as a real estate wholesaler, but after my trip to Baltimore last week with the FlipVIPS--my mastermindgroup--it became pretty clear to me that I view my desire to help people before myself as a handicap.

Really offering the kind of service I am capable of is not a handicap, but will probably make millions of dollars.

Steve made it damn clear to me that my approach is not a handicap. In fact he went on to say that having that kind of midset has been huge for helping him reach the kind of suuccess he has had. He said this stuff around the table with everyone else, but also during our private meeting.

I have heard this a million times, but not across the table.

So I am drawing a line in the sand....a rubicon so to speak. I will no longer think that my success and others' success are mutually exclusive. I will look at my desires to help as part of my vision for true and lasting success....I mean after all thats what real success is. I will work in such a way that allows me to really harness the energy I have and propel myself past my plateau.

Focus can be a funny thing, and I will post more and more about my experiences with it but I feel super pumped about my business and where i am headed. I feel in solid control of my thoughts and my emotions, as well as the deals I have running.

Im just going to kick the crap out of my limiting beliefs and take myself past whatever I thought was my limit.

01Apr09 The Banks

Im looking for a local bank that can help me execute owner occupant flips....basically allow me to sell a home to a homeowner the same day I buy it. Looks like I have two that are seriously interested in workin on it so thats pretty awesome.

Today I spoke with the title company the bank (Beneficial) likes to use, because when the loan guy talked to her he screwed up my model in his presentation and she was like "no way" are we doing that. So I had to explain myself and she was happy.

I like this model. A guy in my coaching group....Steve Cook's Flip VIPS....Nate Andree developed it and I think its just freakin awesome. Basically it allows you to be able to buy and sell "marginal' deals. I say marginal because most of the time Nate buys at prices that would make no real sense for an investor, as far as I can tell. But he turns multiple deals per month with this techinque. Given the market and the madness out there it pays to know how to work with the first time homebuyer.

I havnt completely gotten these banks on board yet, but Nate tells me that once I hit one with them that they will be believers and will open the floodgates. Makes sense to me, I mean the loan is pretty damn safe, relative to an investor loan.

Its going to be a really awesome year, and im glad I have this little tool to carry with me and journal about my crap that I do (and dont do). Good stuff!