Quick Tip about Getting a FANTASTIC Bird Dog

this may be a dumb question, but when you pay a referral fee do you just plain write the person a check? Cash would work too I suppose. But I guess the second part of my question would be; can this be claimed as an expense?

Back when I was a "Finder/bird dog" for a investor out of Florida I would go to the City Codes Inspector. He always had a whole list of properties/houses that were in distress. HE gladly gave me a list and always wanted to know if the owner intended to fix up or clean up the place because he knew he would have to condem the place if it wasn't up to city standards within a certain time frame.

Theses are all great tips!
Sissy, when you worked for that investor, did he just pay you for each property you found? Right away, or did you have to wait? How did he pay you? Are you a birddogger now, or are you now the investor?
Sorry so many questions. lol

Thank you,

Rina

WOW IS RIGHT....... great tips everyone!

I now have three realtor who are Bird Dogging for us.

Regards,
Rohn Everson
DeJor Properties, LLC

You know who else is a great bird dog? Pizza delivery drivers! They're also cruising neighborhoods and see vacant houses every day. So next time you order a pizza include your card with the tip.
Continues blessings and success to you all,

Hi Rina
Well..he took in a bunch of people from all around the USA. Taught them the difference between Judicial and Non Judicial states and how to go to the courthouse to find foreclosures and what he was looking for distressed propertys. HE had weekly conference calls that were basically to motivate and teach
all of us..he had the message board where we all communicated..we could call him anytime we found a property etc...He never charged any of us for anything. Only asked for us to find propertys for him to purchase around the USA.
I did find several distressed propertys that had a LOT of equity and people wanting out of their houses really badly. Some houses were only about .50 on the dollar and sometimes less.
I had a contractor to meet me at each property and do a estimate of repairs needed...took pictures...subimtted the pictures and all the facts he needed...but he never came through for any of us. None of us other than the ones in Florida ever closed a deal. But I did get a lot of experience from being with him those few months. The sad thing is that I never received a "birddog" fee because he never closed on any propertys. I never learned about assigning or the contracts involved in REI. I am now a real estate investor thanks to Dean and his great books and to all of you on the board who help me so so much.
Sissy
Oh yeah...I also was able to find a good investor friend in Hollywood CA. It was the movie actress Jodie Foster's dad Lucius Foster. He is an elderly gentleman about 82 years old and a genius investor and land developer in Hollywood.

Thank you for such a detailed answer!!! That's a great story (but kind of frustrating for you, I'd say). I'm glad you get to be the investor now.
It's pretty cool some of the ties you have, too.

Thanks again,

Rina

Hello DG Family!

I'm back again, with more questions. LOL! Ok, I've posted internet ads everywhere that I could think of. Actually, I found someone who may be willing to go for it. Not sure yet, $500 per house if the closing deal goes through. BUT!!!! Recently, I got pre-approved for $20,000 and more if I want. I found the ugliest property, which is boarded, the yard is a mess, the doors are boarded. When I say distressed, oh yes, it is distressed, stressed, tired, etc. LOL! It is a bank owned property with a realtor representing it. They are asking the ridiculous price of $199,000. I was going to actually make an appointment to get in, along with the handyman, to do an estimate of all the repairs that I'd need to make. Even without the estimate, I want to put in a bid of $5000 no more than $10,000. Am I being ridiculous asking for the property at this cost? What should be my first step? Any advice is welcome. Thank you family!

Future Investor

These forums are just the best...so many great ideas! Dean's book should be in by tomorrow and then I can put a week's work into digesting it to enhance my REI knowledge base.

Those are such practical ideas nstreet...thanx for the insights!

Seems like the Code Inspector that sistreat mentioned makes TONs of sense as that person would in fact be VERY motivated to work with someone committed to improving distressed real estate property.

And thanx Elena for the pizza guy tip...makes me hungry for REI, not just pepperoni and mushrooms!

to what elena said, i ALWAYS have my business cards on me everywhere i go, and it pays off, i post my business cards @ all the community bullitin boards in the grocery stores, pizza places(elena), movie stores, health clubs, just about anywhere i can, cause guess what?, FREE advertisment is the BEST advertisment, SULLY

I am new at this and am still waiting on my book to come in. I ordered it on 7/29 and still have not received it.

What type of info do you put on your business cards?
Do you put on there that you pay for referrals?

Just blundered (ok, surfed or investigated) a different part of Dean's sites that has a template for crafting business cards and flyers...pretty cool ideas because you can then begin to track their effectiveness when combined with different 800 numbers...seems like I'm just learning SO much...

Feeling like its 6:30 PM on a cool Friday night...you've had your game meal, gone to the stadium and starting to lace up and get ready to play...then you start hearing the fans and the band...whoa am I getting pumped!

Trying to temper the excitement with a solid foundation that I am getting from you guys...almost like a first date! Can't wait till I get my first deal!!!

Sounds like you're catching REI Fever. Watch out, it's addicitve!!!

Great posts from all yous guys. You can get 250 business cards for the price of shipping only @ vistaprints.com. I've been using them for years and I LOVE them!! They also have cheap car magnet signs and website for $4.99 a month. Here's all you need to put on your business cards. Use bright colors that stand out from the rest, they have many styles to choose from. Then put:

I BUY HOUSES FOR CASH!
Your Name

Phone number
Fax number (if applicable)
website (if applicable)

That's it, put that on your car magnets too, just keep it simple! A website is a great way for people to know who you are, what you do and how to contact you, it also gives you credibility. In case you were wondering.

got mine, plus for only the cost of shipping you get some pretty quality cards too, SULLY.

Bird Dogs & Business Cards... this would be a great book title.(lol).

Thanks everyone!

One more question. Can you send me a link to your websites so I can get some ideas on the content when creating my own?

Also, any suggestions for e-mail advertising?

Good ole Indiana Joe Jurek taught me something that is a great idea for getting people bird dogging for you.
First step,,,,,, Find someone who knows the areas and neighborhoods better than anyone out there. who????? Pizza Delivery people. Joe and I obviously love pizza so this is a no brainer!
Second Step,,,,,, Offer to pay the delivery person $1 for every address they give you of vacant properties that they come across. Think about this,,,, is it worth it to pay $20 for addresses to 20 vacant properties in neighborhoods that you don't normally drive through? of course it is.
Third Step,,,,, Offer to pay the same person $500 for every property that they bring to you that you end up buying. $20 is a small price to pay for 20 properties, and it is also a great tip for any driver.
Fourth Step,,,,,,,, Get ready to get as many potential deals as you can handle!!!!!!
Thanks for the great idea Indiana Joe!!!!
You Rock!!!!!!

Happy Investing All!!!