Check out the DG students that are MAKING IT HAPPEN! Ask questions get answers

I know what it's like to feel overwhelmed at the sometimes feeling of lack of progress or the amount of learning involved. When it got to me, I just went back to the very old principle "Cause & effect." I've since heard another "philosophy" which are "Immunitable laws" (sorry for the misspelling).
Cause and effect , to me, means if I do something, anything at all, something will happen. Immunitable laws state that (for example) You can not plant a pumpkin seed and not get a pumpkin plant. You will either get a pumpkin plant or no plant! No other possibility exists. How does that translate to REI? If you do, for example, advertising for buyers, buyers will respond. How well you do your advertising only determines how quickly they will respond. You will not get a truck driver asking directions to the highway from advertising for buyers, if you're using the right advertising. (I hope you get my point )

I think you will be better served if you take back control of your destiny and just adjust what you're doing and keep learning and DOING. That's how you make things happen. If you need it to move faster, work harder. It shouldn't be that way forever. Keep moving forward!!!
Hope this helps...

Andy Sager
DG's AndyS
CFIC Member

Hi Carol aka Red Ninja

That is a easy question: If i didn't try again I would be stuck in the hamster wheel going in circles and not getting anywhere, still working from 8 - 5 Mon - Fri.

I know now that I have so much more freedom and more time, I take my kids to school everyday and pick them up everyday. I can be sick and get to work late everyday and not get fired lol.

Oh.... what a wonderful thread you started. Thanks soo much, You are the Best!..but when I hear your story of how quickly you worked your first deal,and with only 1 book, I feel like What is wrong with me ?! I cannot begin to tell you all how encouraging and uplifting this is to me. To hear the war stories of all our DG heroes, makes such a difference to all of us beginners..For me, just knowing that I'm not the only one who hasn't done a deal quickly gives me great hope ! That maybe I am not retarded ! hahaha! It's true Lane M., I am also not doing what I have been told, and what I have learned...trying to cut my own path instead of taking the one that is well worn...trying to take shortcuts and getting tangled up in the weeds...scared like Jen, that I won't know what to say...scerd that "they'll know"
I have 4 buyers waiting for me to call them with deals ! I think 3 are very strong..I am getting so close, I just know it.! And Larry F., I do want this soo bad !! I ate almost 1/2 a pecan pie today !!! stressin ! really !hahahaha! Gonna be a porker before this is all over!! So I hope I don't take too much longer!
Thanks everybody for taking the time to tell us,how it all began and started for you. Your stories mean so much to us.Will be bookmarking this thread for sure.
Best wishes and many blessings for all of your continued & Great Successes
XO

when I bought Deans book it sat on the shelf for 2 years,last August I got hooked up with RBBP & did nothing with it cause work was plentiful(so I thought).Jan 30th work had come to a stand still,so I got out the books & loged onto the RBBP & started the learning process.Ive got my realtor who sends me tons of deals weekly,he did not know how to pull the cash solds untill I showed him(of course I learned that from Dean)the first list he sent me(75-100) none of them had been recorded yet,so I called my realtor back & asked for cash solds from Jan 1 2011-Feb 28 2011(got about the same amount of leads)after all the resurch I found 27 good leads,I sent out the power letters today & hope to start recieving calls on Monday.I remember Dean saying get your buyers list first, the deals are everywhere.Soon I will be posting my 1 deal.Thanks to everyone on this website for all the war stories you have shared with us!Thanks to DEAN cause if he had not shared his wisdom with all of us we would still be where we dont want to be.

Matt B

My story begins with ordering the books back in the summer on "10 read them and became distracted with life, for a couple of months, then seen the info Again one nite, drung the books out and begun to read and study them, Oct 14th '11 I started to place my first bandit signs, The phone starts to ring, was networking with other REI in my market, meet a realtor who would supply me with some access to the MLS, started to get expired listing list from him everyday, and every day a couple of yellow letters in the out box,phone rings more, lots of people want to sell home, they all want retail, no terms, no creative financing, talked to a lot of people, then the third time going out and placing bandit signs,Early Dec '11, I received a phone call from a motivated seller, I have a buyers list, meet with the seller the next day, the house was vacant, doors open, gang bangers were using it for there hood, they had made a mess of the place, it was ugly for sure. The seller and I agreeded to 3k and when I went back to the property to place for sale signs on the house, I was in the front yard placing a for sale sign in the ground when a car pulled up to the curb, two older men appear from the auto and I greet them, and them wanted to know the story bout the house, will after 20 mins of going thur the place we were signing a contract to purchase the house, I sold it for $4,500. made $1,500 on the first deal the ARV is 45-50k. And I added two more cash buyer to my buyers list. Deal #2 came via bandit sign als, another vacant ugly house bought it for 6k sold it two hour later for 10k made 4k on that deal, waiting a couple issues to be cleaned up on the title, then we'll get it closed, Looking for deal #3 and more now, want to ramp up to 4-5 deals per month, I need to make more offers to get this done, I have decided to increse my marketing efforts, I have lots of buyers who need properties to rehab to keep there crews busy, every day I'm one more day closer to another deal, I now adv in four different newspaper, plus bandit signing, expired listings, and want to do direct mail to vacant property owners in my market, which should give me more opportunities to make more offers which should give me more deals.Always looking for better marketing ideas thats get the phone ringing wimotivated sellers, also beside whole saling, I want to learn to do Subject 2 deals and Option Leases,.....John H. PS I would like to go to the edge event but I need to get some deals closed to earn the money to get there.!!Thats a good short term Goal to work on for sure. Again Thanks Dean,Matt, Carol and all the great people here on the site, and at the CFIC also and the Two Rivers REI Club in Central Iowa also you guys and gals rock!!!

Carol, you have been an inspiration to me also. Like so many others have stated, I have had fear, I have been overwhelmed, I have felt disappointment in myself, and I have been lazy when it comes to doing the things I should have done. And like Angie, I wonder what's wrong with me. Why can't I move forward. But I got Dean's 30 Days to Real Estate Cash and although I haven't completed everything in the allotted time, I am slowly going through all the steps. The one I'm hung up on is finding the right real estate agent. I've had 2 that were not investor friendly and I let them discourage me. Right now I am trying to find a buyer for a FSBO that I ran across while looking for properties. I talked him into doing a lease option since he is adamant about getting what he wants for his home. I have advertised on CL and Linked in and FB and so far no responses. I have another website, I have business cards, I have joined a REI club and I am trying to learn all I can as I go. I have yet to use bandit signs, but hopefully will get to that in the near future. I am in the worse financial position I have ever been in so like Jen, I am committed to making this work for me and I will!!! Thanks to everyone who has helped me this far and for all the wonderful tips and advice I find on this forum everytime I visit here.

Shirley

You are so funny and yet such an inspiration to me at the same time. Carol thank you for starting this thread. You too are an inspiration! Many great stories on here! I am about to make my first offer and feeling more and more inspired! Jen you remind me of myself putting up signs and afraid to answer the call. Well I didn't get physically sick, nor not answer the phone, but the fear was still there, and I am still worried about getting the contracts right and the attorney. Any advice on these contracts and attorney's would be greatly appreciated. Anyone?

Before I found Dean, I was lost. I'd been a traditional REI since 1997, but with the values in many of my homes going down in value and not being able to get a loan after the 2007/8 crash, I was told at a local REIC about the 'great investment' it was to buy and hold land because there wasn't anything really left for me to do. (Not all REIC are beneficial). So, it sounded good to me and I took $25K and bought land all over the country. But, this had no income and my husband hadn't had a raise since 2008 (still hasn't) Of course, expenses kept going up, and our income wasn't going anywhere. But, this still didn't sit right with me.

NO WAY was this the end of my business, and I began looking on the web for what I maybe could do. There had to be a way for me STILL to be able to increase my holdings and monthly income so we could still afford our monthly expenses. Our rents were about break even, not making too much profit on any of our homes because I was always way too generous in trying to help people other than myself. I gave extremely discounted rents to a pastor, so I was just breaking even on that property. The other one, I refinanced in 2005 so my payment was more than the rents, and the other one I did have a couple hundred a month in income. But, it wasn't what the banks wanted to see.

It was an answer to a prayer when we were on vacation and my hubby had the tv on late at night and here comes this crazy guy driving a car and talking about real estate. My husband and I both chuckled a little and I continued my quest to find some solution online with Dean chit chatting in the background when I heard 'WITH NO MONEY'... Well, that perked up my interest and I listened INTENTLY. I promptly ordered the books and the audio version and began listening to the audio version the very next day. (The rest is in my first journal here: http://www.deangraziosi.com/real-estate-forums/investing-journals/43252/...?)

I now, instead of cashflow of about $200/month have cashflow of over $2200/mo and have increased by networth by over $300K ALL because of that monumental night when I chuckled at someone I initially thought was a wanna be actor talking and driving at the same time. My hubby thought I was crazy, but I have done more in the last 2 years than my investing career combined. Dean and his techniques WILL change your life if you take action, NEVER GIVE UP, get up over and over and over again each time you encounter a failure, and PERSIST at it. ALWAYS Tell yourself you WILL succeed and NEVER accept that this is all there is. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS. If I can do it (I have 4 kids, was homeschooling, and had a 1 and 2 year old when I started using Dean's techniques), would stay up until 1am to get my Success Academy and business in (and still do to this day). Like Dean says, anything easy, isn't worth having at all. JUST DO IT!!

I am SO thankful for that commercial coming on and that animated character we all know as Dean being on that night. I have had ALL sorts of naysaying going on all along, and I'm still struggling and making it work, learning STILL everyday. I have not achieved all my goals yet, but watch, I'm going to make it happen, and this year is going to be phenomenal!

It is CERTAIN I WILL SUCCEED! It is CERTAIN YOU WILL SUCCEED! TAKE ACTION!!!

Guess what? That other 'investor' had to start somewhere too. You will come across many negative people and people that don't believe in you. Set it aside and don't let it effect the action you take. Start posting ads on CL saying you have incredible deals (you can use ghost ads, or, some people just like to say they have several great deals at 65% equity and would love to be able to pass them on to other buyers] . Good luck, and NEVER stop trying, GIVING UP IS NOT, NOT, NOT, NOT, NOT an option, you WILL get shot down A LOT, but you won't succesed until you fail a lot! Persist and do it anyways! You can do it! You will do it!

Mrs. Stinson, it's an honor. My journey began almost a year ago. I saw Dean's one late night and ordered his book Be a Real Estate Millionaire. I read about half-way through it and just forgot about it, until one day, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I picked that book up again and have been a DG student ever since. I joined the Success Academy on July 7th and have never looked back. I have yet to get my first deal done, but working with a great mentor and other great Investors who are helping me along the way. I haven't been using the SA like I should, The Cuban ninja has motivated me to get back with the program. I'm using the power of Linkedin and CL to build my buyers list. It's so cool that I get to find buyers and match them up with my partner's deals.
For all the newbies like myself, build your buyers list, get educated, build your buyers list some more and make it happen. I've had people hang up on me, tire kickers, and a few other interesting calls. Use everyday as an opportunity to take action and learn some new. Go out and Get it!!!

"Winners never quit and quitters never win."
Vince Lombardi

Hey Tammy,

thank you for the kind words, but I'm still "under construction" lol! The primary contract I use is swiped from Carol at wwww(dot)realwholesaling(dot)com. I did make a few modifications myself to make state/county specific, elaborated a bit on the inspection contingency (copied from my state contract used my realtor association). Been closing every since. (disclaimer though: DGcom or Carol site are all mean to be a basic P&SA.) when you have both sides of FSBO locked and find the attorney, you will provide them will all docs (meaning they will assist in covering your 6) for them to start the close process, etc. Don't worry!
don't stress about the attorney either. The local title companies here didn't do assignment of contract or double closings. BUT one company recommended two attorneys who do. I didn't not have them until I needed them. So don't let that be a mountain for you. It's just a speed bump. Same with contracts.

Hope this helps!
Jen

Good for you JOSH! I want to say that the SA is a GREAT tool, and the BEST part is having all the coaches to call. I used to call them SEVERAL times a day. BUT, it took me several months to start calling them being intimidated, but heck, I paid for it, so I may as well just call. No ? is dumb. So, they got to know of me very well at the SA Use it, it is so valuable! I hear of some students that don't call and after going through it, its like having your own personal mentors right there to ask ANY question as you take action. Go GO Go!

The way I finally overcame my fear was just doing it. The only way to get past fear (False Evidence Appearing Real) is to face it head on! ATTACK IT! We make things way bigger in our own minds than they really are.

All you have to do is get out there and do it, get told no enough times and you will eventually get a yes!

Remember 25 no's = 1 YES!

GET IT DONE!

I love the fact that each success story here has encouraged others to keep pressing forward! All of these stories are from ordinary people who took extraordinary steps to make a new life possible. As you read each story you see that we were all just like those starting out here on DG. We faced fears, discouragement and often times failure at first but we kept at it day after day until we made it happen.

The reason for this thread is so that the entire DG family can see that Dean's teachings are possible no matter where you are in life, no matter what your facing or what your up against... it all depends on YOU!

If you read Jen's story or Lane's story you see that they both TOOK ACTION and Mike the Ninja he is killing it in his market because he faced his fears and pushed through with what he learned! Knowledge ALWAYS overcomes fear!

I just felt that all of you needed to read about real people and the challenges they faced along the way. I hope that this thread encourages everyone who reads it that FINANCIAL FREEDOM is there for everyone... HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?

I know that you were afraid to call sellers and make offers at first right? Explain what fears you faced with cold calls and how you overcame them. I am sure many people are currently facing the same fears.

After joining the Success academy and having the awesome experience of winning last years Send me away contest and partnering with Dean on some deals, we have continued to build our confidence and strategies for continued success. We met so many great people at last years Edge event that we cant wait to go back this year! (This is a must do) The whole DG family and Deans staff are just Awesome. Since than we have continued to purchase bank properties,Buy ,fix and flip. buy and hold ,lease options and we even purchased a couple private owned properties from a tired landlord. We have personally met with other investors from the Dg family here locally in Michigan to share strategies and have created partnerships as well. This is what its all about.We currently have many deals going on. We will be closing on the sale of one of our properties next week. We have one we are rehabbing currently,we have one we just did a lease option on, we have another flip property on the market currently and we also have several accepted offers right now. So we are staying motivated and moving foreword. I want to thank Dean for his awesome programs and for all he has done for everyone.
Success To All !

I only have incoming leads now, I only cold call when my incoming leads dry up.

I use bandit signs to get people calling me wanting to sell their houses.

I then use a lead sheet with the exact questions I need to ask them so I dont sound nervous and afraid.

When I talk to a seller, I control the conversation with the questions I ask.

The seller never has the upper hand on me.

I act professional and I keep my emotions out of the conversation.

I am a business person, not a regular home buyer.

I don't need the seller, the seller needs me.

I am not afraid to walk away from any deal, if the seller doesnt like what I have to say, I thank them for their time and hang up the phone.

I do not waste my time talking to people that are not motivated.

The leadsheet I use can be found here: www.deangraziosi.com/leadsheet

Glad to see you here giving back!

Thanks!

Having a experienced investor to partner up with can be a good thing. You may also want to check out the Success academy as this is what took me to the next level. Keep going and you will build confidence as you go forward. You can do it!

Carol, thanks for getting this started and Dean, thanks for all you have done and for providing this awesome site where we can all share & connect!

I would say everything started about 5 years ago, after I got laid off from my job. I was tired off working for someone else and thought there had to be a way where I could replace my income without working for someone else. I bought a bunch of real estate investing books and started reading. The more I read the more I thought I needed some money to buy the first house, which I didn't have. So I let that dream die. A few year later I saw Dean's infomercial and it rekindled the dream, I thought what have I got to lose, it's only $19!

Dean's book inspired me to get started, I joined the success academy and was able to buy my first home in January 2009 using money that I had in an old 401k that was losing money in the stock market. That first property is still returning money to my 401k today!

Later that same year I went to the EDGE, met some great people and went home inspired. Within a few months I did 2 deals, I bought an REO useing private $ rehabbed it and rented it, it is still cash flowing for me and as an added bonus when I refinanced it I was able to pull about $15k cash out of it!

My next deal was a Probate that I picked up cheap, but it wasn't in the greatest neighborhood and it needed a lot of work. I bought the house using money I borrowed from my grandmother. None of my buyers wanted it, so I posted and ad on Craigslist and was able to sell it for cash to someone and make a few thousand on the deal.

I have been continuously reinvesting my 401K money as a "private lender" in trust deeds in various development properties.

It was a year before my next deal, but it was huge. I was doing some local marketing and had offered to buy a house locally. The owner said it was not for sale, but he had just inherited a property in Philly that he wanted to sell. I knew nothing about the area, so I partnered with a local wholesaler and after a bit of a bumpy ride we ended up wholesaling the property and splitting a $42K profit!!!!

I have recently read Dean's latest book and have refocused my efforts on wholesaling in my local market. I have determined the area that cash buyers are looking and I out there looking for deals, primarily using bandit signs, which some of the most successful DGers say is still their best marketing material!

Thanks again Dean & Carol!

Excelent

Hi All,

Thanks for all the posts and inspiration you give on this site.
My name is Steve, my wife and I are starting our REI business here in Southern California. Though we have not made a deal yet we are not discouraged. We know it is a process. We are exactly 1 month from attending the seminar that introduced us to all of you. We've built a buyers list already and have some very hungry investors. In my market homes are starting to be sold close to asking price on the mls. That just means we need to find the ones NOT on the mls sheet.

We will NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER GIVE UP!
We look forward to a bright future and being able to help a lot of people through our REI efforts.

God Bless You All.

Steve Laskey

Your feedback was very helpful. I also read here that attorney can be paid at closing. This site is so helpful. I am about to call an attorney now that my guy at the title co recommended. I am not feeling like it is a mountain anymore, but your right it was like mt Everest before and that kept me in analysis paralysis! Thank so much!

Carol, I believe you have created the longest post on DG.com! This is why this is a great family, people with different experiences sharing their stories and helping each other.

My wife and I never knew that we were going to get in real estate investment as we are now. Ten years ago I moved to US from South America to pursue college education and met my wife Jeri at school, got married, and a child. Where I came from, opportunities are very limited, especially in a socialist country, but this Country opens doors to new businesses and people searching for freedom and opportunities. When I first came here, my English was really bad! you can ask my wife! also I didn't have any credit history in the US, so you can imagine I had the lowest credit ever. Everything has changed and this is now my Home. In 2007, we started doing a little real estate but not the way we are doing it now and after getting involved with DG. When we bought Dean's book in 2009, I remember I was watching one of his infomercials late at night (my wife was already sleeping), and the next morning I ordered two of his books. I remember we bought two for the price of one, just paying additional shipping and handling cost for the second book. We read the books, applied his techniques, and started buying more and more properties using OPM. In 2010, we attended Dean's event in Tulsa, then we went to Oklahoma City for another 3 days event, then we joined the success academy late in 2010. I believe this is what it really triggered our business. We met great people, got more involved with DG website, attended Dean's Edge event in 2011.
Right now, we have over +50 properties cash flowing every month, great income, better tenants, and good property managers. We got involved with REOs, Short Sales, FSBOs, Single Family properties, Duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, Mobile Homes, and some Commercial. In fact, we are now closing on our second Quadplex we are buying for $20K and $7K in repairs, and approximately $400 rental income per unit. We are also in the process closing a flip, but we will post more about it once we close. Several weeks or months ago, we posted that we reached our milestone on $1MM in equity. Right now, we are working on doubling our goal, and believe me we will get there.

We discovered that Real Estate is our passion. My wife and I work together on Real Estate as we feel this is the right time to buy like Dean always says. Without this site, and the people on this site, we would probably not be where we are now. We have learned so much from everyone and want to continue giving back to others. Thanks for initiating this post, thanks to you and all the people that makes this site interesting, and also thanks to Dean for being the mastermind and creator of this community. Our next step is to use OPI!!! Other peoples IRA money!

Sounds like you guys are truly MAKING IT HAPPEN!!! BRAVO! I am so excited to read the things you were able to accomplish with Dean's training. There is no other GURU on the planet that provides what Dean provides with the byproduct of SO MANY success stories! He is by far the best!

I am so happy for both of you and look forward to hearing more of your REI journey of success. Keep on making it happen!

Welcome to the DG family. We are all here to help and support each other. You can make it if you believe you can

I also saw that late night infomercial!! That is what got me started. I ordered Dean's books and read and re read them. I knew NOTHING about real estate. Had the same job all my life and wanted to do something else after 30 years. I did something that I do not recommend anyone else do. I quit my $100,000 a year job to pursue REI full time. I joined the success academy and did everything that was taught including the action steps on each lesson. IF you do what Dean and the academy teaches there is no way to fail!! BUT, you have to do exactly what they say. Then have the common sense to modify the teachings to your local market place.
I did not do a deal for 6 months but I met a ton of people by getting out and making offers, looking at properties and going to every REI club meeting I could find. Just like Dean teaches!
Now here I am, making twice as much as I was before with the potential to go as far as I allow myself to go!!

Was this easy? NO! Did I have to come way out of my comfort zone? Yes!
Was I and am I still embarrassed by my lack of knowledge? Yes! Will that stop me? No! Do I still learn something new every day? Yes.

Thanks Dean !!!!

On cold calling and door knocking and speaking to ANY distressed, motivated seller (and unmotivated for that matter) I recommend that you DO NOT use a line by line seller qualification script. Let the seller do most of the talking and you do most of the listening. Empathy is what is needed. If you are a strict "businessman" you will not close as many deals or get ANY referrals. If they LIKE YOU and TRUST YOU they will SELL to you.

So listen carefully to what your seller is saying. The "Hot Buttons"!! If they want(or owe)to much to make it a good wholesale deal, do I just say "Later" and hang up?? NO!!!! I could refer the listing to my agent if they need to list it. Do something FOR my agent! I could refer the seller to my short sale team! I could negotiate a L/O or a subject to if they don't need to cash out. I could ask him if he knows anyone else that needs help. I WILL
ask him if it is ok if I call him back in a couple of weeks to check in on him!!!

Thanks again Dean and thanks Carol for all you do!

Michael Mangham
Mentoring/Team Building Nationwide
MD Home Acquisitions LLC

I read all of the stories here and I must say that I had tears in my eyes because I know what each one of you were going through when you got started. I remember the feeling of overwhelming fear as I took each step. My situation was desperate. I had to make some money quick or I was going to lose everything!

I was afraid to move forward but I was more afraid of being homeless. It's like standing on a cliff with a great lion standing on one end and a huge drop on the other. I had to chose one of the two or I was going to be eaten by the lion or drop to my death over the cliff... that's when you look for ledges along the cliff, think outside the box, the hell with the lion I wasn't going there...lol Step down onto each ledge one at a time until you reach the land. The first ledge is the hardest but each one gets easier. Was I afraid, heck yea! But I decided to DO IT AFRAID! Lost my balance a few times, there were people on the ground but no one thought I was going to make it. Sounds like allot of people in your life right?

I could hear their negative remarks and their doubt but I ignored them because I was going to live no matter what they said I had a desire to live!

Point is it is not going to be easy, it wasn't for me or any of the others that have posted successful stories here and it won't be for you. But if you stay focused, keep learning because knowledge is power and stay motivated to live you will do this!

I suggest that you read Dean's books, ALL OF THEM, then read them again! Join the success academy if possible. Learn the all of the strategies and steps before you run out there and try to do it, too many people read a chapter or two and then try to go apply it without reading the rest of the information. They are in a hurry to make money and they skip some important information, skip chapters in the books etc...Thinking that they can make it and guess what?... They fall flat on their face because they did not read the chapter that told them what to do in a particular situation, they did not reach out to their coach when faced with a particular challenge. They felt they could go it alone and they quit because it did not work.

I have been there! I wanted to skip chapters and get right to the money making nitty gritty at the back of the book. But I read each chapter word for word, then read it again and highlighted the things I felt important, I reached out here on DG and got advice from others and I have never stopped educating myself. I am still learning.

I know many of you want to run to the finish line before you even learn the course, you have bills piling up and need to make some money. But trust me if you do not take the time to learn learn learn you are going to get frustrated and maybe even give up. Reach out to the person hear who posted a story that motivated you, ask questions and get advice. This is the purpose of this thread.

I wish everyone oodles of success!!!

Thank you for your examples and kind words. I do appreciate it and you are so right. I did not want to write a book about the things that I am faced with these days and wanted to enjoy and not take away from the positive effects of this thread. It is for sure that we are not alone in facing problems while trying to make this work.

Thank you for taking the time to share your insight and opening the door to more shared knowledge. It means a lot to me. God bless and keep you always.