The Journal of the Daily Adventures of Indiana-Joe

Dear ______,

My name is _____________. I wish to submit an offer to purchase the above referenced property under the terms stated below.

o The total purchase price of property is:__________(this is negotiated upon appraisal of said property)

o The initial earnest money accompanying this offer is $1,000.00. Please see attached Promissory Note. Earnest monies for the purchase of this property will be paid at the closing of such purchase at Buyer’s title company Old Republic Title Company.

o The balance of the Purchase Price will be paid in Cash at closing.

o The Closing Date will be on or prior to 30 days after acceptance of offer, at which point the Buyer will take possession of the Property.

o The Buyer's obligation to purchase the Property is contingent upon the completion of a home inspection satisfactory to the buyer to determine the overall condition of the Property. The cost of the home inspection will be covered by the Buyer. The results of the home inspection must be satisfactory to the Buyer and the inspection performed 10 days after acceptance of offer.

o Escrow fees and closing costs for the said property will be paid by the buyer.

o Buyer shall pay for owner’s title insurance policy, and all County and City transfer and document preparation fees

Please get back to me before 1:00 PM on __________, January _____, 2010, or I will go ahead with one of my other offers. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

You may want to provide a few different offers in the same letter and state that each offer is mutually exclusive of the other. Meaning they can not pick and mix terms and amounts of the different offers. Also, the time constraint at the end is good for a regular seller but you have nothing to lose with an REO and it could take them a few days or even a week to get back to you. For additional insight on REOs, take a look at Chapter 5 in Dean's new book "Your Town, Your Real Estate Profits." This chapter goes really deep with crafting offers and emails on REOs, etc. I hope this helps. Good luck. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday....Its funny how we often go through the days of the week in anticipation of the weekend. I often think back to certain dates and years as I look at the calendar. January 26, 1986 was the day the Chicago Bears won Super Bowl XX. I can't believe 24 years have passed by already (ouch). Last night I watched highlights from the 2007 Pro Bowl special events held in Oahu, Hawaii. This year the NFL moved the Pro Bowl to Miami, Florida. It is amazing to think of the economic impact a game such as the Pro Bowl or Super Bowl can have on the economy of a city.

I met a friend for lunch and we talked about investing. As we talked, I discovered my friend got out of the stock market a few years ago and decided to get into real estate investing. He has done rather well with real estate investing. As we talked about some of the techniques he used, I could tell that he was only providing about half the ingredients to the recipe of the deals he had done. A key to remember here is when you meet other investors to ask a lot of good questions when you meet these savvy investors but realize you may have to fill in some "of the blanks" (of the deal) as you go along. Often people do not want to share all the (important) details. As you network with other investors keep an open mind and you will see the difference at times of what people may share with you. Often the people (newbies) that appear as a "beginner eager to learn" or the person that needs the most help (due to their unfortunate circumstances) will usually get more information and help than the person that trys to come across as being more seasoned or all knowing beginning investor.

The key is learn as much as you can from as many people and put all the information together like a puzzle. If you interact with enough people you will get enough of all the details. If people "like you" they will provide more details then if they find a reason why maybe they do not like you (whether it is a valid reason or not). Sometimes it can be something as simple as these other people (more senior investors) view you as "their competition" and they do not want you to become better off than they are. You can view it as ice cream flavors. No matter how good ice cream is in general, there are always flavors that may not be as popular choices as others. So know from the start that everyone out there may not be your friend or wants to help, just focus on the people that do care and want to help you! Do not let this hold you back, just get in the game and you will have plenty of opportunities.

Dean's books and programs also provide a tremendous amount of tips, techniques and strategies. Thus, when you talk to the local invetsors in your area and cross reference the information with what you learn in Dean's books and programs it should give you a clear picture for investing. I believe the more you learn and understand about a subject, the better you will do. Good luck with real estate investing! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives." ~ Clay P. Bedford

wow, how true is that Joe,good one.

If you dont take action, you will never see results.

I believe the key is taking action and often asking the right questions. Once you ask the question determine if you receive 100% of the answer, sometimes you will and sometimes you won't. It is the information that you don't know (or realize at the time) that can cost you in he long run. Once you process the information and the answers you receive from your questions, you can hopefully make better offers on potential deals. These better offers may lead to more successful transactions.

EFFORT LEADS TO KNOWLEDGE

KNOWLEDGE LEADS TO CONFIDENCE

CONFIDENCE LEADS TO ACTION

ACTION LEADS TO .... SUCCESS!

Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Thanks for keeping the adventure just as fun today as it was when we started! I am looking so forward to Dean's Gain the EDGE Event 2010 because I know we will learn even more to take it to the next level! Let's keep "chasing the dream"! Carpe Diem! :0) - Stacey

Thanks for stopping by my journal. I am so glad we were able to experience the excitement over the new found knowledge and wisdom that Dean and his presenters provided at the Gain the EDGE Event 2009. I know that the Gain the EDGE 2010 Event will be even bigger and better! We are chasing the dream and having the time of our life along the way!

I looked back at my copy of Dean's book "Profit From Real Estate Right Now!" At last year's EDGE event I asked Dean to sign my book and he included the following .... "Joe, Dreams Really Do Come True" ..... All I have to say is they do, they really do. Thanks again Dean for all you do for all of us as we continue to chase the dream! - Joe

Joe,

I just have to congratulate you! I wish I had more time to spend on the DG.com site. I just want to tell you that I am proud of you that you have been so devoted to helping so many of the DG Members. I know there are nights where you were tired from work or had a stressful day but spending time on the DG.com website always seemed to make your day a little better.

I believe it was so cool that you were the first DG Member to ever reach 10,000 Points. That was amazing! Now I see that your "Daily Adventure" journal (that you started less than 9 months ago) has more than 20,000 reads! WOW.....that is amazing and I am so proud of you! I am so glad that others can benefit from your insight, motivation and knowledge. I believe it is great that others can see this side of you that I have admired for more than 16 years! Carpe Diem! :0) - Stacey

The week is flying by as we are fast approaching the month of February. We are having another visit from our old friend "Winter". There was a light snow dusting and the cold temperatures have rolled in to our area again. This evening we have single digit temperatures with the wind chill in the - 10 to - 15 range. Sunny warm Arizona is looking rather appealing right now. I can't wait for Dean's Gain the EDGE 2010 Event this year. If you are serious about wanting to make a difference in your life with real estate investing, than I believe you have to be at Dean's Gain the EDGE 2010 Event. It is a tremendous mastermind colloboration of DG Members, presenters, coaches and Dean!

Last year's Gain the EDGE event really opened my eyes to new possibilities in real estate. It really taught me to make an action plan and work that plan. I can't say enough about Dean's EDGE event. I do want to share with you that a routine and a plan will help you accomplish so much more each day. Maybe your routine is checking the FSBOs on Craigslist or driving your neighborhood each Saturday morning looking for the local FSBOs. Whatever your routine, make one and each day, work it to perfection. Your routine will become a habit and the habit will lead to accomplishing more each day that will lead to a greater chance of success. It's like the old adage "people don't plan to fail, they fail to plan."

I put out a few signs in my area for "we buy houses". I was surprised how quickly we received a few calls. The home owners that called us were already in foreclosure and based on the numbers they were upside down on the mortgage. I referred them to a local non-for-profit that may be able to help in some other ways. When evaluationg potential deals, the key is making sure you have a good pulse on the community your investing in and a good handle on the fair market value (FMV) of the properties in that community. Your are looking at purchasing opportunities not problems. So make sure your run the numbers and know your exit strategy for each potential real estate deal you are considering.

I hope everyone is having a great week and working their action plans. Keep the faith and stay the course. You never want to quit just before the finish line! Each day can be a new challenge or a new opportunity, its what you decide to make of that day that counts! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly." ~ B. C. Forbes

Cold...very cold is the word of the day as the temperatures are around zero. I know my car even felt like staying home as I started it this morning. If a car could talk, it would be saying, "I want a nice warm garage, I don't want to be out in weather like this." In any event we have to do what we have to do, right? Isn't it funny how we go through our daily routines and when we are busy we just keep going. By the end of the day, at times, someone has pulled the plug on our energy as we melt in our favorite chair or comfee cozy couch.

I found that one of the keys with anything that I do is making the commitment to do it no matter what. No matter the obstacle, I have the determination to make it happen. I can even think about how I may feel when I make it happen. I will tell you one of the keys to success is never giving up and always pushing forward. It is true the old saying that "if it was easy, everyone would do it." At times it can be hard, frustrating and difficult, but each day you are a little stronger and wiser for your valant efforts!

I enjoy reading the latest articles on real estate to keep a pulse of the real estate market. I also get inspire and enjoy reading all the great posts on DG.com. Such as the post by DG Member "The Great Martini". After 9 months of trying, determination and a never quit attitude, Martin completed his first deal for a $3,000 profit! How awesome is that! Where will this real estate investing journey lead for Martin? It is up to him to complete each chapter of his journey, but the future chapters will probably have a lot more deals and Martin will have a lot more confidence as he wraps up those future real estate deals!

Friday is in the air! Can you feel it? Keep working those action plans, keep making those offers, whether you are in month one or like Martin in month 9, it will happen! However, it will only happen if you believe it will happen and have the never quit (can do) attitude! COMMITMENT is the Key! Are you committed to your success? Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”
~ Vince Lombardi

Joe,

I enjoyed reading your posts again. I appreciate all the encouragement too. You live in an area that has cold winters but you provide a warm oasis of excitement and encouragement in spite of the weather. I am sure you understand why I live in Florida now.

Tim

Thanks for stopping by my journal. I really enjoy the Sunshine state and can't wait to return on a visit to sunny central Florida. When I was on vacation I use to go to Publix to buy a Florida lotto ticket in hopes of hitting the jackpot and extending the vacation. It never panned out but it was fun thinking about it! I hope the weekend weather is warm and the pool is cool and refreshing. Florida, Hawaii and Arizona are in my top 3 for a vacation home! Have a great weekend. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

....I had to share this with you because I could not believe it when I saw it. We all look for motivated sellers and the more motivated hopefully the better the deal, right? Well, today I was driving in Illinois and the neighborhood had many properties for sale. I was driving down a main 4 lane commerical road and I saw a commerical building store front on a corner for sale. The commercial building had a large metal pole sign with the business name, like most do, and you can write under the sign on a marquee with those big letters like a grocery store that tells you what their special of the week might be.

The sign read: "Motivated Seller will take any reasonable offer to sell fast, stop in to talk it over".

I could not believe it; not only was the property for sale with a large sign but the owner was telling the world he was extremely motivated. I did not have an interest in this building but I still really enjoyed the sign! Wouldn't it be great if home owners started to do this too? In any event that is why we have to make many offers at times to find those motivated buyers. I still like this sign and hope I see these types of signs in my target market areas. Next time, I hope to have my camera with me, so I could share a picture. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

All the listing agents I'm dealing with say all my offers are insulting. What do I do?

The key here is do not get discouragerd. Keep looking for a real estate agent or mutliple agents that you can work with. There are many agents out there and it sometimes takes this screening or vetting process so you know exactly the best agent that can work with you. A good thing is if you locate for sale by owners (FSBOs)and make offers, you can present the offers yourself. Email usually works the best with FSBOs. Once you complete a few deals, some real estate agents that told you "no" will be coming back to you with properties and potential deals to consider. So keep the faith, keep moving forward and you will find a good real estate agent. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

.....Friday Fever is finally here! There is nothing like a Friday and a Friday payday. You have the whole weekend ahead of you and nothign but time! Time to do everything you want, or time to do nothing at all. The right decision of how you spend your time is up to you and the key to it all is having a good balance of what you do.

The work week has been good to me. I have a few projects for work that I am working on and having a great time. I am really making progress and enjoying the opportunity. Each day is a day to elarn something ne and the more you learn the betetr psotion you are to make decisions. I am never afraid to ask questions, because that is the best way to learn. This is true for work, life and real estate.

I made a few more offers this week. We have several irons in the fire and I know a few are starting to get pretty hot. It sure is fun to look at proeprties, make offers and the joy of when the deal finally comes together. The one thing I really enjoy is coming up with ideas or creative solutions. I remember reading a book by Napoleen Hill and he discusses the power of the subconscious mind. It is so true because sometimes you never know when that next great idea is going to "pop-up". So always be prepared with a little notebook to write down these ideas becaue you never know the next idea might be the one you have been searching for.

I hope you are ready to hit the weekend running. Did you make any bandit signs? Did you make any fliers to post? Do you have business cards and a notebook in your car as you drive you can write down FSBOs or other opprotunities. Remember a little preparation will go along way to your success. The deals are out there, the time is now, let's go find the next opportunity! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“I will prepare and some day my chance will come.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

Dean’s Gain the EDGE 2010 Event: Indiana-Joe heads west to sunny Arizona in pursuit of more treasure troves of knowledge!

I can’t believe it has only been 9 short months since Dean’s Gain the EDGE Event 2009. The dates, April 24-26, 2009, were firmly written and circled on my 2009 calendar. I look back and today realize that this was the weekend that has changed our lives forever! I had received a call from the Success Academy about Dean’s Gain the EDGE Event 2009. I could not wait to share the excitement with my wife Stacey. Later in the day I went to the DG website and showed Stacey the details of Dean's event. I believe she could see the gleam in my eye and hear the excitement in my voice!

At the time, we were experiencing many financial challenges and the bills were coming in like a flash flood on a daily basis. Stacey listed very good reasons why we should not go including the total cost, things currently going on and most importantly if we both went to the event who would watch our children. As we dug deep we found the answers and that day made the commitment to go and make a change in our lives.

This was the best decision we ever made because the best way we could explain Dean’s event was “life changing”. We can’t begin to tell you how excited we were to attend Dean’s event and hear all the latest strategies. We were so pumped up from his book, "Profit From Real Estate Right Now!”, that we were looking forward to finding out any additional information he could offer. We want to tell you that the event was first class from start to finish and it exceeded all my expectations. We learned more information in the first few hours than I hoped to learn from the entire event. We wanted to take as many notes as possible and we almost ran out of paper the first day! I remember going to bed in the evening and having the feeling of not being able to sleep because I was so excited from what we learned during the day. Stacey and I would stay up late and talk for hours about what we learned.

We are so honored to be part of Dean’s Gain the Edge Event 2010! We are so thrilled to be speakers at this year’s event. We really enjoy sharing everything that we learn along the way. We are working on so many exciting things in real estate right now and developing some new techniques for finding those hidden REO gems of a deal. We are so happy that we will be able to share this information at Dean’s upcoming event.

I just want to encourage each of you to buy tickets early because the event will sell out! Last year we purchased tickets just before the event sold out and I am so thankful we did. I just want everyone to remember as Benjamin Franklin stated, “the best investment you can make is in your education.” We can tell each and everyone of you that words can’t describe the experience of this event. If you do just one real estate deal, you will more than pay for the entire cost of this event! However, the education, tips, strategies and information you leave with will be priceless! We look forward to meeting many of our current friends, and more soon to be friends, from DG.com this year! Believe and Achieve! - Joe and Stacey

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"I am naive enough to think that I can do my part in helping change the world, and if that's a bad thing, then, so be it, the Question is....who's coming with me?" ~ Dean Graziosi

....Can you believe that January 2010 is almost complete and in the history books? Monday, the calendar welcomes in February 2010? How fast did the first month of the new year just fly by? Did you make some new year resolutions this year? Did they include any for real estate? If so, are you still doing what you wanted and keeping true to those resolutions? If not, no worries, since it is January just think of it as a "time-out" and now your going back into the game. The only difference is there are not more time-outs left. Thus, each day is critical now that you focus and work on your goals to get you one step closer to success.

I put out some bandit signs this weekend. I went to my local Wal-mart and they were out of the 5 pack of white poster boards that I have used in the past. This is a great tip that I have heard both Matt Larson and Greg Murphy use about hand writing your signs on these boards from Wal-mart. The other tip I have is if you want a color board like yellow, green or orange, to buy a regular large posterboard and draw a cross to make it into 4 equal pieces. Then cut with scissors. They are not perfect squares but this less that "perfect appeal" could generate more calls for you!

I found a multi-unit that is a heck of a deal. It is an REO but the bank is being firm on wanting all cash for the deal. The building will probably need $50k in repair work and upgrades but will still be able to acquire it at less than 70% of teh fair market value after the repairs are completed. I am working on a few things right now as I try to bring this deal to closure. The key is never giving up and keep on thinking of creative ideas until you reach the done deal.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. The last thought I leave you with is always staying as positive as possible and being happy for those that have success. I believe in life there are people that are envious of love, fitness or your success. Just today, Stacey and I attended an anniversary party for some friends and as you are at an event you hear people talk. It surprised me to hear all the critics in the room discuss the love life of others, whether people were in shape or over weight and if some people were successful. However, I always say give credit where credit is due and don't rush to judgment on other's success. Most people have no idea what sacrifices people make to get to their goal plateau. They only see that people are there and do not appreciate the journey they went through to get there. Good luck with real estate investing you can do it! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest." ~ Mark Twain

....Janaury 2010 is heading out toward the history books today and on comes February! Hopefully it will not be a "Frigid February." The open houses are starting to pick-up in my area. I stopped at a few and sa a friend that owns soem rental untis. I asked how things were goign and he stated that he had 2 empty apartments and the prospective tenants coming around are being very picky about the units. He stated tha the rental market, in his opinion, is the sofetest it has been in several years. I wonder if other DG's have found the same to be true in their areas? Any opinions on your market? Would love to hear what's happening?

I found a very high end luxury house new listing. The homd sold last year for the low $600's and is now listed for around $400k because it is a bank owned REO. I am curious to see what happend with this home. If I had access to more cash, I would love to make an all cash offer for say $300k and get it back on the market for the low $500s in the coming Spring. The profit potential on this one is pretty amazing. I am going to look at the home in person in the next day or so. By knowing the market as wekll as I do, I know this home will sell rather fast. that is why it is key to know your fair market values of your local target areas. There are some homes that hit the market that scream "BARGAIN"!

I drove by a few of my bandit signs and they were gone. I have found that they usually only last a few days. People tend to take them down or I even believe some people take them to remember the number. In any event, it is a numbers game so yo ujust have to keep putting out more signs to keep the odds in your favor.

I hope everyone is having a terrific weekend. Super Sunday is only a week away so make sure you get those snacks and bevergaes before the weekend because the stores shelves will be wiped and you won't have the goodies for the big game! Good luck with real estate investing! I hope to meet a number of the DG members at Dean's Gain the EDGE 2010 event! Don't forget to buy your tickets early because last year I almost missed out because the event sold out within days of me buying our tickets! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.” ~ Lloyd Alexander

.....Welcome to February 2010! Another month of Winter is behind us and in the history books. Pretty soon their will be baseball spring training and Spring right around the corner. There is nothing like getting the lawn mower tuned up and heading to the local garden center to get ready for the Spring time. I know, I can't put my snow shovel until the back of the garage until early April, but its nice to think about Spring time.

I stopped at my local grocery store to get the February free home books, they usually put them out around the first of each month. I enjoy going through these books. I drove and looked at a few new listings today, but nothing was too special to make an offer. I am sending out some inquiries to a few invetors that own some multi-units. Just want to see if they may have amotviation to sell and underwhat terms and conditions they would consider selling.

I hope everyone has a great week ahead. Make sure you do a little today to get to where you want to be in the future. There are tremednous opportuntities waiting for you whther the opportunities are the knowledge you gai nalong the way, or the deal itself. Good luck with real estate investing. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”
~ Alexander Graham Bell

....The sun was out, the weather was cold and there was even snow in the air, so I guess its true that we are looking at 6 more weeks of winter. However, in the Midwest it has snowed in April before so there could be even more than 6 weeks! I remember a few baseball Opening Day's were cancelled because they were snowed out! (ouch) Well, at least you don't have to worry about a snowed out game in football!

Spring is around the corner so there may be some great deals out there. The other thing to consider here is that when the tax credits end for home buyers will this create a surplus of properties and motivated selelrs? Who knows? However, it could mean for a good Summer to buy and even a better Fall and Winter 2010 to find bargains and motivated sellers! So be sure to keep an ear to the ground and keep a pulse of your local target market areas. When the markets change you want to know where it is headed so you can better craft your offers and decide better exit strategies. There were a lot of people that did property quick flips that got caught with an inventory of homes that "flopped rather than flipped".

I went to look at a few more properties this past week. I enjoy keeping up with the new listings and FSBOs of the area because they help me to craft my offers on other properties. Also, I can try to figure my own comps based on what is selling where and for how much. Its not an exact science but I usually trust my gut more than the feelings of some of the realtors.

I hope everyone has a great week ahead. Make sure you do a few things this week to get you closer to your goals. Its all about your "why" and committing to get to that next level. You have your why and the how, its just up to you to take action! You can do it! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.”
~ Leo F. Buscaglia

The day started out fast and on the run. My mornings are usually a busy time and today was no different. I had several errands to run to before work and a few after work as well. I knew the quicker I go through the "have to's" I could then focus on my "want to's". At least the weather was decent today and a little overcast but un the mid 30's. For early February this is a good thing especially if my snow shovel can stay in the shed!

I called a realtor that I have worked with in the past about a high end listing in a golf course gated community. I learned with REOs that when the power goes off so does the sump pump in basements so at times you may encounter water and worse yet mold. I inquired about the property and he stated yes it had water and mold in the basement. I wanted to look at the property anyway because most homes in this exclusive community are $600k to over $1 million dollars.

The realtor gave me the code to the lock-box and stated that I could go in and check it out. I got to the home and the combination lockbox was broke and I could not open it to get the keys. I checked the doors to see if one was open, by chance, and they all were locked. I decided to check the big garage door because if there was no power, chances are the gargae door would lift right up. I lifted from the bottom and yes it opened right up. I drove all this way so I was determined to see the home! The home had a very bad layout with limited living space. It only had 3 small to medium size bedrooms. It had 2 jacuzzis and a nice glass chandelier hanging on the ceiling by the spiral wood staircase. The kitchen was completely gutted to the bare walls, it appeared the home owners wanted all the cabinets. The home did not have a comfortable feel to it. It was also on a corner lot but had a limited yard. You could see the golf course across the street but the layout of the home did not maximize the home square footage or the lot it was on. These are all things to consider if you want to try to "flip" a high end home. Who is your buyer and what are they looking for in a high end home?

I got to the basement and it was unbelieveable. I only made it down 4 stairs and there was about 2 feet of water with all the contents still in the basement and mold from the floor to the ceiling. I should have worn a mask because the mold was everywhere. This home needed extensive work including cleaning of all the duct work etc. It was a shame to see this home in this kind of condition. I believe I would pass on this home unless they sold it for a "steal". I know the lot alone was probably worth $200k to $250k. They were asking just under $400k for the home. If the home was in nice condtion it could sell between $550k and $600k.

Thus, I believe the home would need at least $100k in repairs and upgrades so you might have to get this home at $250k to give yourself plenty of margin or "margin for error" when it came to unexpected things during the rehab. This one will stay on my radar as I watch for future price drops. Have a great week and make sure your working your real estate action plan! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” ~ Gail Devers

Just wanted to say thanks a million. I just got my empowering conversations dvd and I seen your name and your lady name too.Your info was helpfull in so many ways. I'm going to watch it again tonight and write my plan of attack.I'm always keeping up whit your pages here cause you type lots of good info that I like.Again thanks Joe and stacey, and for sure You will hear about my first deal I am scared but if I don't move I will never get no where.One last thing I was trying to figure out how to start a new topic like when I get my first deal done I whant to share it whit everyone but don't know where to do it thanks in advance best wishes.

Thanks for stopping by my journal. I am glad to hear you order the Empowering Conversations series. I believe the EC series is tremendous. Thanks for the nice comments, we appreciate it. We were so happy to be invited to be interviewed by Dean. We also have been honored to speak at this year's Gain the EDGE event 2010 which will be a fantastice event as well. Hope to see you there! Your first deal will come, just realize there is nothing to fear and learn a little more about real estate each day and the knowledge will help you to overcome the fear. Yo umay mae a few mistakes, we all do, but the ky is to learn as we move forward. You can do it!

In regards to posting a new topic, just go the the word "Contribute" in the left hand column. It is toward the bottom on the "Main Sections" heading. There you will select "Forum Topic" and then if you are writing about a deal select "My Deals". I hope this helps. Good luck with getting your first deal. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

The week is flying by and Friday is in the not too far distance. Looking back on the first week of February its hard to believe by the end of the weekend February 2010 will be 25% complete. March is right around the corner, before we know it Spring, Summer, Fall and back to the holidays. Did you ever notice as we get older that time seems to speed up? Its like the old saying of you never have enough time or money. Well, the great thing with real estate is as we work toward goals, we hope to have more time nd more money!

I spent some time reading more real estate articles in the papers on-line and looking at new listings. I always believe the key is to make your own decisions based on the information you gather. Often people or investors want someone else to say what a good deal something may be. Create your own opportunities and try to see the deals that others do not. That is why there are deals all around but people may not realize it.

Over the weekend I have to order some more business cards and put up some other fliers. When you make it part of a routine it is not as bad. Each day you can do a little more to get closer to finding the next deal. I hope everyone is havign a great week. Keep up the search because the next deal is not too far away! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” ~ Jimmy Dean

The Winter season was going pretty well weather wise. We were starting to get Spring fever a little early and then Mother Nature reminded us, it is still Winter time. The temperature was cold and towards evening, it turned from a cool crisp clear day with almost no snow left on the ground to a fridgid cold winter white wonderland. The snow came down quick and the snow plows/salt trucks were a little slow to repond. As you drove down the streets, people were sliding through intersections and we even saw a few spin-outs off the road.

I went to the local Staples to have some of my flyers run. I have a tip for flyers. Normally you get more of a reponse when you post a hand written flier over a nicely typed one. Thus, I take a white piece of paper and hand write the flyer in black sharpie marker. When I get it copied, I use bright yellow paper. The flyers then are bright yellow with black writing, even though they are copied they still appear as "hand written". This way I can have a few hundred flyers on hand and in my car for posting. As a reminder, you may want to have the following 3 things in your car at all times:
1. your flyers to post
2. your business cards
3. your bandit signs

Once you have these items in your car and you make it part of your daily, weekly or monthly routine, it is a lot easier to multi-task as you go through your normal day. However, you do get to the point where you know your "favorite" spots for posts ads or leaving bandit signs. Try a few different places in your town and track the results. See which areas or locations get the best response. Its all a numbers game but educated guesses can turn into hot spot prospects which in turn can turn into potential deals!

The weekend is almost here. Have you allocated anytime for your real estate efforts? Do you have your business cards, flyers and bandit signs ready? Are you ready to put these advertising tools to work for you? How are you going to spend your time this weekend? Good luck with real estate investing! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't
own it, but you can use it. You can't keep
it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it
you can never get it back.”
~ Harvey MacKay

The weather outside was frightful, but my warm toasty house was delightful. We had about 3 inches of snow, with high winds and the temperatures that were in the low 20's. I was very thankful we did not get the 2 to 3 feet of snow that some areas in the East Coast received. It reminds me of a few years ago in early February when we took a trip to Maui, Hawaii, we had about 1 foot of snow in Chicago and Maui was 80 degrees, sunny with a low surf and a slight tropical tradewind breeze. For those of you living in those warmer climates, your in the right place at the right time! Share in the wealth of that good weather! Aloha.

The other day I discussed bandit signs. Another tip for bandit signs is if you use white cardboard signs and it snows, they tend to blend into the snow a little, but if you use orange, yellow or bright green, the snow makes them "pop" like a billboard! Thus, depending on the area you post your bandit signs or flyers make sure you step back or drive around the block and see how easy they are to spot or read. If you can't spot or read them, how can your prospects?

I looked at a townhome today that was in a decent rental neighborhood. The area isn't great but its not a really bad area either. The townhome was listed at $45k and was built in the early 1990's which is great for this area. Most homes in this neighborhood were built in the 1950's. I just could not believe a 1994 townhome with 3 bedrooms, 2 bath and a one car garage for $45k. This was a property that was "on my radar" on I saw it boomer-rang back onto the MLS on Friday. I immediately called the real estate agent and inquired why the deal fell through. He stated that the previous buyer's financing "fell apart". I asked how long the property was on the market and he stated the bank (this was an REO) was upset that the deal fell through and it was on the market for several months (which I knew).

Now here's another tip....I stated "yeah, that's frustrating and I hope the bank does not take away the listing now". What I have found is bank REOs can bounce from broker to broker. A broker could have an REO for 6 months and then the bank gives the property to another broker and drops the price by $20k. The key here is relate to the broker as best you can get common ground and then ask the questions you want to know. As we talked another 10 minutes, I explained I wanted to save him time and if I was a cash buyer that could close fast what might be a strong offer to get this deal closed. The broker stated probably a cash offer in the low 30's. I could not believe it, this then peeked my interest even more. I am going to take a quick walk through on Sunday to go through the townhome in a little mroe detail.

I hope everyone is having a great or even (SUPER) weekend. Don't forget that there are probably a few deals in your local newspaper and on Craigslist. When was the last time you looked? Make sure you make it a routine to make a call on those potential deals before someone else does! Just do the best that you can each day and things will fall into place. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.” ~ Dale Carnegie

Joe, I agree that the badit signs are very helpful. I use blue and white lettering.

Thank you for sharing so much of your knowledge and for the great tips. That is great news about the townhome I'm looking forward to hearing how this goes and as always wish you the best.

Lea
SPR Property Solutions, LLC

Thanks for stopping by my journal and sharing your thoughts. Thanks for the tip on the lettering. It is always good to know what draws attention to our signs because the attention will generate calls and leads. Believe and Achieve! - Joe