Rina's DAILY JOURNAL: Chapter One - The Beginning

Awwww...

I hesitate to put this in but it made me feel really good, and just to show that THEY ARE OUT THERE!
Part of an e-mail I just received from my investor (and honestly I never knew him until this site)

".....You are a top-rated bird dog. You can put that in your DG journal that your investor said so."

To whom I say, Thank you, (anonymous), it has been VERY nice working with you. And I am learning a LOT! (And a few thousand dollars feels nice in the pocket, too. I forget about that part.)

Sincerely,

Rina

So, bird-doggers, do your thing!

Congratulations, Rina. You seem to be always raking in the cash from somewhere!

You're still taking me to Vegas on my twenty-first, right?

Right, Rina?

*crickets*

...Rina?

Where did you learn to write so "visually"? I love it.

I'll take you to Vegas, but not to LOSE money at the "traditional" tourist spots. We'll go check out the props and place our bets on REI!!! hahaha

your virtual guardian 'til 21 (SOMEbody's gotta keep you in line. ),

Rina

Spent a fascinating 2 1/2 hrs this morning shadowing a house inspector. VERY thorough guy, and enjoyed explaining what he was looking for/finding as much as I enjoyed watching/learning. I did learn a LOT.

3 pieces of trivia that stick in my mind, though, are:

1) you can tell the age of a roof by the size of the gap between the tabs of the shingles. (The shingles dry out and shrink)

2) water in a drain circles counter-clockwise in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere. (I should have known that from school)

3) The reason chimneys start to lean after many years, here, is that on the side that receives the harshest weather, driving sleet/rain penetrates the bricks and freezes, expanding the bricks. Slowly, over the years, it pushes them wider and wider, causing that side to extend. Eventually the chimney will fall over (could take a hundred years)

Anyway, that was from 7-9:30am.

Then I went to the courthouse for the weekly Sheriff's Sale. The gentleman I won the East 2nd house against in January was there, and said "Oh, no." when I walked in. (He was kidding) There were the sheriff (my pal) and 3 other guys (investors) there, as well.
Well, everything on the block was upside-down, so they all went back to the banks (will be watching for REOs)
So we all ended up talking instead. It was decided that the sheriff and I are responsible to start an REI club for our area. hahaha
Maybe we'll get one here eventually. Hey, if enough of us go to the Sheriff's sales every week, we could just meet afterward at the coffeshop across the street. lol

One interesting thing about the sale. There was a lady repesenting a bank with a judgement against the Sanitary District. She opened with a bid of $100,000. Nobody else bid so she was on her way. Afterward, we discussed that piece of property (which I'm still not sure what it consisted of). The one seasoned investor who had read up on it said it was vaued at $1.9 MILLION!
Interesting.

The rest of the day was spent at home getting wedding invitations ready/mailed out for my daughter.

"for the weekly Sheriff's Sale"

Rina,
Did you know! Well obviously you do not, I live in Iowa and you don't..... But nonetheless, we have Sheriff Sales once annually here, And there were three properties on the list! Slim pickens, I do say!!!

Maybe i need to start working out of state! "got room for me in Wisconsin?"

Regards, Rohn Everson
(712) 541-2890 (cell)
DeJor Properties, LLC

That's actually a good idea. One of the REI clubs I was a member of in Tucson met at a little coffee shop, so it was actually better because there weren't as many as the big club, so it was easier to get to know the people at that one. PLUS, you didn't have to pay the fee, like you did attending the bigger club. You could buy a drink or something to eat instead. So do it girl!
Love ya sista,

just my two cents,great thread idea by the way rina.i awoke at 9:30 this morning to my 2 year old calling out for her mother like she does every saturday morning,because she knows she has left for work allready.so i comfort her, turn on the tube, and head downstairs for breakfast.after everyone is fed i head upstairs to the computer room, and pickup where i was last night,searching different real estate sites for my second investment property one after another until i stumble accross a sight that offers solely reo's and hard money lenders on one sight www.easymoney-123.com/reo pleased by the long list i dig in, bank after bank looking up all they have to offer in connecticut.i found what looked to be a few strong possibles and contacted the listing agents or at least left a voice mail or sent an email where possible.at about 2:00 i called my tenant to discuss some necessary repairs(minor)and times to schedule the work.i jumped back over to dg to look up some reo info of which i was pleased to find a wealth of information.i called my bussiness partner and informed him about the new prospects,and that we will have some more showings soon.then it was back to DG where ive been trolling around reading/learning about various topics(im sure that comes as no surprise this site rocks)thats when i came across this thread.when i log off i will be diving back into deans course to brush up on some more 4closure/reo, info/tactics,long live "THE DEAN".........."AND FRIENDS"......

Hey, nice to have you join us!
And thanks for sharing that AWESOME site! I checked it out a little, but, man, there's a lot there! I've got to look through more thoroughly.

Sounds like you had a BUSY day. That's an awesome start for a journal. You should copy that and create one for yourself. (But you can visit me any time you like )

Congrats on your rental property and I wish you luck on tracking down some more good ones!
Thanks again for checking in.

God bless,

Rina

Thanks! I was mostly kidding, but now that you said that, I guess it IS something that could work. Hmmmm...

Miss you sister! When you come up here YOU can help me start one. YOU are the more outgoing of us!

Love ya,

Rina

Well, I guess I AM spoiled, and I didn't even know it! Yeah, there's a sale almost every week. Not very often something gets bought, I guess, but still worth going (to learn and chat with the other investors).

Hey, you are MORE than welcome to head up here for some deals! Only catch is you have to show up to the courthouse in person. So, I guess I'll see you at 10:00am on Tuesday!

Rina

My realtor called this morning and said "Do you want to buy a mansion? The broker that owns it is asking $119K. He doesn't have it listed yet". So of course I ran in to look. lol.
Well, turns out it is not QUITE what I was picturing as a mansion, but a really cool old HUGE 5bdrm house (had to be at least 3,000 sq ft) in really great shape (inside & structurally) with all the original woodwork, built-ins, fireplace, etc. It was VERY fun to look through. But needed enough work on the outside, that it was a little more of a project than I would want to add to my husband's honey-do list right now.

Looked through 2 other houses this week. Weren't in my target areas, but thought I would look anyway since they came up. Talked to FSBO about owner-financing or lease option (just to practice). He was not really a motivated seller, but could become one if his house (rental) doesn't sell. Too bad it's in kind of a rough neighborhood (we don't really have BAD neighborhoods).

I hope to have some good news to put in by the end of this week.

Blessings to everyone out there.

Rina

Sounds pretty cool! Could be my potential new home, hint, hint! LOL! Are you serious? You don't have any rough neighborhoods? Man, I am living in the wrong state!! Do you guys even lock your doors around there? I lock mine during the day... LOL! We've got people steeling cars here and using them to rob other people's houses while they're hard at work!! A lady I work with just had that happen a month ago!

Just perfect for a big family (or several people to share). 4 floors.

We do have neighborhoods that I wouldn't want to own properties in, but I mean theres not like murders or a lot of crime or anything (I'm not saying that NEVER happens). Now go right across the bridge to the neighboring city/state, that's a different story. Weird, huh?

Lena, what I'm shocked at is that in the LARGE city a few states south, where my daughters live, people DO leave things unlocked. It was crazy. I was down there visiting last fall and there were these gorgeous new homes with "open house" signs out front. The doors were unlocked so we went in, hesitantly, looking for an agent. There was NO ONE around. Apparently, they leave them all open for anyone to walk through at their convenience. And it wasn't just this one location. We found that several places. Then this weekend we were looking on Craigslist for houses for rent/lease option. I called my daughter about a very nice 3/2 I saw that was available now and was going to have an open house on Sunday. Right in his ad the guy said to swing on by and view it before hand "Go inside and look. The door is unlocked." Right in the ad. Isn't that crazy? It seemed to be in a very nice neighborhood when I looked at it on Cyberhomes.com, but still.
It sure would be nice to be able to trust people like that anymore.

OK, I'm rambling.

Due to close on the farm tomorrow. I'm excited.

Rina

Does she live in Texas? That's where my oldest lives and houses there are dirt cheap, compared to houses here anyway. Just curious. I know in some of the smaller surrounding towns you can leave your door unlocked I used to live there, but not here in Phoenix!
Good luck on your closing! Keep me posted.

Starts with an "O". lol
Maybe in the south the neighbors keep such a good eye on each other's property that no one would dare to steal anything?!

I'll keep ya posted about tomorrow.

Rina

Ok, I wasn't sure. You silly nilly!! Yeah, I'll be waiting to hear from you about that.

I just read back through your previous post. You said that people are stealing cars to go rob houses? Man! Have they caught the responsible parties? Or is it like a crime "trend"? I have heard of areas, too, where the burglars are coming in WHILE people are at home, and more or less "hijacking" their houses. I know we don't have to fret with God watching over us, but keep those doors locked at night and when you're not home.

Did you ever figure out who threw that concrete block through your window last month? I'm so glad you weren't hurt.

your sis,

Rina

That happened to a couple of people I work with. They were held hostage at gunpoint for hours while the gunmen ransacked their house! Another couple of teachers were held up at gunpoint, he just came back from walking the dog to find three masked gunmen pointing a gun at his wife. SCARY!! I know the LORD's umbrella of protection is over me, but it's scary to hear of these things happening to other people you know and work with, it brings it close to home. Not like hearing it on the news. Last year we had a rappist running around and the year before two guys were randomly shooting people around the valley. These things didn't happen in Tucson or the smaller town I lived in.

I think you need to move.
Come up here where it's safe!

Hey, we closed on the farm today!! (There you go, a house for you. )

I wrote about it in my blog.
http://www.deangraziosi.com/node/9748

I learned a lot with this transaction. (I even had to draft a mortgage!)

And nearly $22,000 CASH BACK at closing! Yay!

When I have enough cash, I will move there. So be careful what you ask for!

I will be waiting.

Lena, if you move up her.....and Rina is up here....
I hope you save a few deals for me!LOL!!!
Dawn

Don't you worry, my dear! There's enough to go around!
We sure wouldn't pull any out from under the new kid. lol
We're just as anxious as you for you to get your first deal! Keep us posted on your progress, and we wish you ALL the best! Let me know as soon as you hear back from Emily, but keep checking into the other sources of funding while you're waiting, OK?

God bless,

Rina

I appreciate you're not keeping all the deals for yourself. LOL!! Looks like you're branching out VERY quickly Rina! I am in awe of you (and everyone else here). You go girl!

I did check out that 203b on the internet but it isn't available for investors...I'm still looking for "other" financing. (If anyone reading this wants to partner up, I'm game!) Hope that helps! lol! I keep seeing all these REO's, Columbia county is full of them! Granted, they do need a lot of work (previous owners trashed them) but it would be fun to rehab them! 2 of them have reduced their selling price in the last week...sure wish I had a rich relative!!!!
I'm not giving up even if I have to wait a while longer (for a job)...good things come to those who wait, right? I eat, sleep, dream and drink this stuff! I think I'm going nutty! Ugh! Sorry to ramble, I'll stop hogging your space Rina. (sorry again, but it did feel good)

Dawn

Dawn, I know EXACTLY how you feel! Don't lose that excitement. As soon as that funding comes through for you, I know you're ready to take off like a bullet! I wish I had a million dollars already so I could just throw you some. I know you would be a good investment!

And don't you worry about hogging my space. You're welcome to put that enthusiasm in here ANY time.

your sis,

Rina

I think I'll probably explode like a bomb! I look at this as a temporary set back. IT WILL HAPPEN! No doubt in my mind that you'll get that million soon the way you've been going! Then you can throw me some (with interest of course!) lol!!!
Luv ya sis!
Dawn

Hi Rina!

How ya doing? Just for kicks I was looking in Superior area/Craig's list. I saw your next adventure! Posted 9-13...4 income props for sale, they moved.
I'll bet you saw this one right away huh? Keep me posted sis!

Dawn

Good thing you're watching the props FOR me! I don't even think I saw that one!

Actually, I've been swamped the past week. Our daughter is getting married in 2 1/2 weeks, so between wedding stuff and working on the farm house now (MANY hours sorting through OLD stuff. LOTS of memories for my mom, who grew up there) I haven't had enough time nor energy to pursue anything else wholeheartedly.

How goes your REI? I've been reading your posts. Sounds like you're moving ahead! Growing and gaining knowledge is an essential part of your future success. Congrats on all that you're doing!!

Talk to you soon.

Your sis,

Rina

P.S. Keep pursuing those FSBOs. You may find a deal that you don't NEED to wait for funding on.

I'm always there for ya!

Congrats on the Wedding,lots of work but fun the day of! You'll have to PM me some pics!

I am on my way, talked to a broker for over 2 hours today. He told me his life story...YUP! He's on my team! He gave me a lot of info (including 100% financing for "certain" buyers)and will try to help my buyers...when I have some! Life is good, now the fun stuff, MARKETING! Grab the cards & flyers!

I posted a ?? about IEE's to see if anyone has done that. No response yet, have you? Seems similar to an assign except the buyer is not an investor. Well, I'm off to create some fun stuff. Talk soon...

Your sis,
Dawn

Yahooo on the broker! Another member of Team Dawn. (or Team Dean? But I think that's taken. lol)

Nope, no experience on the IEE. If you do one first, I'll have to learn from YOU!

Thank you for the wedding congrats. This will be two down, one to go. (for daughters, that is. ) No hurry on the third, though. My baby.

God bless and congrats again!

Rina

P.S. I'll remember to share the pics.