The Journal of the Daily Adventures of Indiana-Joe

.....The day started out overcast but at nightfall was upon us, the snow started coming down with big heavy wet snowflakes. The trees were grabbing the flakes and soon the neighborhood was looking like a holiday winter wonderland! I know the month of March is next week so my lawn will still have to wait a few months, busy the snow shovel is still in business! The joys of winter, right?

Later in the evening, I decided to watch the USA and Canada in their hockey game match. There was a lot of hype about the game and it sure was good even if you are not a hockey fan. It almost reminded me of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" USA Team that beat the Soviets. However, the 1980 team will always be the most special because of all the college kids rather than the NHL pros that are part of the Olympics today.

Another tip I want to offer for everyone is to scan your Sunday Church bulletin papers for people to help and be part of your team in real estate. I saw everything advertised from realtors, roofers, plumbers, electricians, handymen, and cleaning services in this week's Sunday bulletin. This is always a pretty good source as well as "word of mouth" referrals. I believe you have an opportunity to meet people everywhere you go and it is just a matter of networking, once again.

I hope everyone had a terrific weekend. If you did not get all you wanted done that's ok, there is always another day. The key is you are still in the game giving the time you can to get where you want to be! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"Do You Believe in Miracles?" ~ The Story of the 1980 U.S.A. Olympic Hockey Team

Hi Indiana Joe,
What a nice journal entry and very informative. Speaking of had a terrific weekend? On Saturday, I drove my neighborhood and couldn't believe my eyes. I found 16 vacant homes. Unbelievable. I then thought about the people who say, "I can't find anything in my neck of the woods"! I live in Los Angeles, one of the most expensive cities in the United States. If I found them, anyone can find them. Right?

Just gas up your car, get out there and drive, drive, drive.

Peace and Blessings,

Thank you for stopping by my daily journal. I am glad to hear you found so many vacant home driving your local area. As we believe, the deals are out there waiting for us, we just have to take action and discover them! Good luck with these potential deals. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

....The day started off with about 6 inches of thick heavy wet snow on the ground. If you were not sure it was Monday, this heavy snow confirmed it. For those of you that do not get snow, there are usually 2 kinds of snow we are treated to up North, the light powder fluff and the "hurt your back" while shoveling heavy wet feels like "concrete" snow. The good thing today was the temperature got over freezing and hit around 39 degrees so some of it was melting by the time I got back home.

I spoke to a friend at work that was looking at buying a condo as a primary residence. The only problem was most banks preferred to finance a house or town-home rather than a condo. He then switched gears from a condo to a town-home search. The key to remember here is when you are counting on bank financing may sure you have a good idea what they will do and not do. I find especially in this environment bankers are changing their minds faster than a clock changes time based on new policies from their bank.

I took a look at a few properties on-line last night. I will be making some offers to feel out the sellers. There are so many reasonable priced homes in my local area that would make good rentals to buy and hold. If you are looking for a good buy and hold, let me know because I am finding more each day. These opportunities need cash or quick cash to get them done so if you have cash, you may be in business!

I hope everyone is off to a great start for their new week. Just think, next Monday will be March so what are you going to do for this final week in February? Now is the time to make that dream a reality! Good luck finding that next deal. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"Beware the Banker that changes his mind faster than a clock that changes time."
~ Joe Jurek (Indiana-Joe)

I have returned to the DG site and family after a long hiatus caused by an unfortunate loss in the family. The person whom I've lost was part of my reason for setting my sights towards financial freedom. I had wanted to be able to take care of her in her old age and be able to spend more time with her. And now she is my inspiration that keeps me reaching and striving. She would only want the best for me, my husband and my kids so I will never quit, always remembering her spirit of living.

I wasn't sure how to re-enter the real estate investing world so I first watched DG's Weekly Video Blog #65 which was awesome! And then I read some of your current entries. Your insights are very helpful. Some entries from 2009 that you refer to are great starting points. Thank you for your lists of "how to" I am starting with a couple of them.

Thank you also to DG. A couple pointers I got from his blog was: "TAKE ACTION" and "Keep going past the first three minutes" 'cause only then will it get easier. I am a former runner and a former swimmer who's pretty out of shape now, but I understand the concept of getting past the pain and discomfort because it will only get easier.

So thank you to you both and the rest of the DG family. This site is helping me to keep me on track regardless of what is happening in my personal life and the economy, too, for that matter.

Welcome back to the DG website, I am glad to see you have returned. We are very sorry to hear about your loss in your family. It is never easy to lose someone. Our prayers are with you and your family. Each day forward by taking a step into real estate you are moving closer to your goals and dreams. You can do it! Keep the faith and keep moving closer to your dreams. If you have any questions, please feel free to post to our journal or PM us anytime. Believe and Achieve! - Joe and Stacey

Thank you for your thoughtfulness. It's greatly appreciated.
Congratulations on your EBay/Craigslist business! I am going to look into that ASAP! I've already written comments on that thread.
Thanks for the great ideas!

Thanks for the nice comments we appreciate it. We are so happy to be able to share our positive experience, tips, strategies and techniques with everyone. I have more than 10 years of insight to provide and I believe so many others can learn from my mistakes that I made early on. Please feel free to ask any questions. I know it can be a great business by making some extra cash. Good luck with exploring the business and let us know how it goes. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

....The day started with more snow flurries as I headed off to work. I was running a little late in the morning, but I still needed to get gasoline for the car and fill up the windshield wash solution. When you are driving and the roads are salty you go through windshield wash cleaner like a football player drinking gatorade on a 100 degree day!

As I drove into work, I was surprised to see a car go by me on Lake Shore Drive with a "We Buy Houses Magnet Sign" on their door. This was creative to get attention, but I would also recommend a sign on the back of the vehicle. Especially when you are sitting in traffic you have a very captive audience. I hope others get a few ideas about this because as I have said in the past, your car can be a billboard on wheels! Also, if your looking at building a buyer's list, always have a pen and paper available to write down information.

On the way home form work I saw an "auction" sign stuck into the snow. I decided to take a drive by and look at the auction home. Some auctions are good but others may not be worth the time. You have to know what you're looking for and be ok if you are the "high bidder" but the bank still does not take your bid! I few months ago I found a home that needed a lot of work and I won an acution for the home at $1,000. The large nationwide auction company requested that I complete the purchase agreement contract and send in my $1,000 check (which I gladly did). I was suprised 2 days later when I received a call that the bank received "my offer" and was countering at $28,000 for the property. Thus, I learned even if you are the high bidder at an auction you may not be a winner of the property. A good tip is if an auction is "absolute" it sells regardless of price.

I hope everyone is having a great week. The days are just flying into the nights. On the way home stop off at the grocery store and pick up some of those Free home books to look at after dinner. The deals you might find will be more appealing than the piece of hot apple pie (with cool whip topping) after dinner! Are you hungry for some tasty real estate deals? Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?”
~ Bob Marley

...Snow .... Snow ..... and more snow! I can't wait for the sunshine of Spring to get here. I like the Winter but now is the time we have the cabin fever blues. We want to get back outside and enjoy the day amongst the Great Outdoors! I know it may be only a few weeks, but I am marking my calendar as we get a little closer each and every day.

Can you believe March 1st is just a few short days away! Spring time will bring more buyers and more homes will be listed and sold as the rush is on before the tax credits end. (Don't forget Tax Day is April 15th) So now is the time to make some offers and find those motivated sellers before others do! Have you made an offer this week or even this month? Well, the time is now, search the internet, drive your local area and start looking for that next deal. Once you find it, lock it up and complete the deal, no matter your exit strategy you will be eager for the next deal!

The other thing you may want to do is after you identify your target investment area, have your realtor give you a printout of what has sold during the past 6 months i nyour target market area. You want to compare "sales price" to "list price", look at the amount of days the property was on the market and try to get a pulse of what's happening in your local area as to what';s selling in what areas and how long does it take to sell and for how much. This will give you more information when your crafting your future offers.

I hope everyone is having a great week and is ready to take action. Good luck finding that next real estate deal. Let's go make some offers! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"Find something you love to do and you'll never have to work a day in your life” ~ Harvey MacKay

....This morning was sunny but still kind of cold in the high 20's. I spoke to a friend in Florida and he stated that they have had cold weather at night too. Last night it was in the low 30's in Florida! Can you believe it? They had to bring thier plants indoors so they would not freeze. So if you are in a warm spot of the country, make sure you enjoy it.

I called on a few listings that I saw to gather more information. There was not too much about the properties that I really like other than the area they were in. I felt that if I could get the properties at the right price, I could have several options or exit strategies of what to do with the properties. The better the deal the more options available.

Remember as you are gathering information on an area a notebook can go along way in keeping track of the information. I try to write down as much as I can because then I can reference back when needed. I believe one day I might even go to a scanning file system, where I scan in notes and information to be able to be a little more organized an keep the information in electronic files. As we all know a little organization can go along way!

I hope everyone had a great week as tomorrow is Friday and the weekend is near! Hopefully, it is a payday and a night where you can go out for dinner and celebrate the weekend ahead. Make sure you get a few things done for real estate this weekend. What you do in your spare time can get you to where you want to be even faster! Good luck finding that next real estate deal! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination." ~ Napoleon Hill

....FRIDAY! Can you feel it? Oh Yeah! Oh Yeah! ....Everybody's working for the weekend! Well, the weekend is almost here and wouldn't it be nice one day to not have to work about what day of the week it is. Often when I speak with retired individiuals they oftem ask about the dtae or the day of the week. It must be nice to not have to worry about a 9 to 5 everyday.

Today is going to be a great day. I am looking forward to some things I will do today. I am very happy helping our with some projects at work and I look forward to anything that I can do to male the project go better. The key is always do your best and good things will happen. You know if you are giving a true 100% effort and the only one you may cheat is yourself. So always do the best that you can do!

There is various real estate i want to look at but Monday is March 1st and I have a new tenant moving into a unit. The unit is gettign new carpet today and I will paint the kitchen on Sunday. I enjoy doing a little of the work because then I can better know time and price when I bid out future jobs. The key is if you know the amount of time somethign should take and the materials to be used, you can have a pretty good idea if the quotes are reasonable.

I hope everyone has a great Friday. To my friends on the islands, Happy Aloha Friday! "Make the most out of each day today and tomorrow you can have more time for the things you want to do, not just the things you have to do!" ~ Indiana-Joe The deals are out there lets go get some deals today! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"To truly prepare for the unexpected, you’ve got to position yourself to keep a couple of options open so when the door of opportunity opens, you’re close enough to squeeze through." ~ Pierre Omidyar

I am with you when you say i cant wait for the day when we dont need to ask "what day is it?? now is correct we cant wait for the weekend!! for me it is MORE time for real estate and time spent with family on the weekends.
YEAH BABY!!! ITS FRIDAY!! hope you also have a great weekend !!congratulations on all your deals and i enjoy hearing your enthusiasm in everything you do !!!
jay

Each day is a day closer to the big day of reaching those lofty goals of early retirment (or the ability to do anythign we want, wheneeve we want). The key is having more good days along the way! Sometimes you can think of weekends as mini-retirement days. I look forward to the future of checking emails for deals, having breakfast looking at deals, closing some deals and repeating often on Monday through Fridays! That day will be here as long as we keep going with the effort and ambition to do so. HAPPY WEEKEND! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

....The bitter cold, ice and snow of the outside. Temperatures warming up to 30 and then dropping like a rock to zero. You run your daily errands and your in a warm toasty car, into a hot and uncomfortable store. Its that time of year where you know if your not careful the flu bug may bite you! I had been bitten by the flu bug and was not feeling like 100% the past 2 weeks, but I heard this voice that said "carry-on!". I started to feel rather well most of this week and just then "BAM"..."POW"...."KABOOM" (old Batman tv show adjectives) it hit me like a ton of bricks on Friday morning. The constant cough was the worse than it had been on 2 weeks, but I was a real trooper and made the most of my day!

I had an awesome day on Friday as I met with some good friends. It was so much fun and I made the most of my day. There are some days that you know you will enjoy reflecting on and Friday was one of them. I was out of the area on Friday so I was sure to grab a few real estate books of the area. It is always fun to see other real estate markets. I was glad to have the opportunity to take a quick trip. The key is always try to make the most out of any opportunity that may come your way.

Later in the day I just took it easy and watched the Olympic games. I really enjoyed the Winter games this year. I see these athletes giving their all and doing the best that they can. As I have stated before it is kind of like real estate or anything else we do in life. Like the old adage...Be the best you can be! In life you want to take action and always be part of the solution. Be a "doer" not just a "talker." In life people will always remember what you do, not just what you say you are going to do!

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Try to find a good balance between relaxing, having fun and doing a little more for yoru real estate investing. Now is the time! Are your ready for action? Lets get it in gear and make this weekend a double deal weekend! Grab the newspaper and check out the classifieds! Yes, its okay to get a bowl of ice cream while you are up! Enjoy those tasty deals. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“We must become the change we want to see.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

....Sunday had a Super Bowl Sunday feel to it as the USA and Canada were going to see who would leave the Winter Olympics 2010 with the gold medal. It was a terrific game and exciting until the end. Unfortunately the USA did not win the gold, but they gave it a tremendous effort. The same is true for us with whatever we want to accomplish. Do your best and be proud of your efforts. In real estate you may make a few mistakes along the way, and that is ok. Just learn from these mistakes and that will keep making you better at what you do and prepare you even more for that next opportunity.

During the day I read several real estate articles on the internet. I always enjoying learnign what is going on with real estate from a market view and a financing view. The key sometimes is not only finding the deal but what you will do with the deal once you lock it up (exit strategy). Even if you have not made your first deal, keep learning your local real estate market because each day your are learnign more and more what a good deal would be. The better you understand your market and the pricing the more confidence you will have in your offers.

I spoke to the realtor handling the multi-unit I made an offer on. He stated that the bank is in California and they are very slow with making a decision. He also stated that they had several offers now but it could come down to financing. I informed him that my offer was a best and final and if the bank did not want it, that was ok, but I would wanted an answer by the end of the day Monday (5:00 PM). If I did not get an answer I would just request my offer to be removed fro mthe table. Sometimes this can cause a bank to make a decision other times a bank can drag their feet for weeks.

I hope everyone is having a terrific weekend. Try to do a little today to get you closer to your goals. Today is going to be a great day if you belive it will be a great day. Good luck finding that next deal. Remember a key tip is "if you don't make offers, you can't make deals" ~ Indiana-Joe Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.” ~ Jim Rohn

...Monday began as a cloudy overcast day. As I drove into the city I could see all the snow and ice chunks hitting the shore of Lake Michigan. The Lake was rough today and looked a greyish blue. I felt even the Lake had a Monday feel to it. At least with March starting we were in the home stretch of Winter and there were probably a good chance we will be mowing our lawns by the end of April.

The Bank in California did not make up its mind about the multi-unit so I pulled the offer. I believe there are too many opportunities to wait around for any one given property. I believe investors need to take a stand and if a bank can't make up its mind, then we move on. Eventually the banks will get the idea if enough people do this that they can't wait for weeks on end to try to get multiple offers. Many times a seller (especially banks) will get your offer and then try to "shop your offer" to others that looked at the property. They may say something to the effect of, "we received an offer (pr two other offers) please come in with a best and final offer if you have an interest in the property".

Overtime, I have tried to develope my own strategies and approach. What works for me may not work for you, however the decisions are up to you based on your local market. If you learn enough strategies and approaches you can then create or form a strategy that works for you. Just learn as much as you can each day and before you know it you will find your niche and be able to create the best approach that may work for you based on the potential deal. Each type of deal could be a diffferent type of approach. For example, when I speak to FSBOs my approach is different then when I deal with Asset Managers or Banks on REOs.

Well, lets get going on this cold dreary Monday. If we create a blaze of activities we can create our own sunshine. The more we do, the more we may want to do and the more that will get done! It can become energizing to see progress. Today is the day you are taking another step closer to where you want to be. So there's no time to waste, lets get going! The next real estate deal is out there waiting for your call. Do you have your phone ready? Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Did you hear about the DG Member that......made a quick $1,000? Its so easy when you apply Craigslist and eBay to your daily routine. Visit my Epic Journal and read about a DG Member that made a quick $1,000 and another eBay auction that sold a rare NES video game for more than $40,000!

The link to my Craigslist/eBay Journal is below:

http://www.deangraziosi.com/real-estate-forums/investing-journals/38372/...

What would you do with an extra $1,000? Buy Local (Craigslist) and Sell Global (eBay). Believe and Achieve! - Joe

....Tuesday is upon us. Is it a terrific Tuesday or a Terrible Tuesday, only you know the answer to that question. The key is turing a terrible into a terriifc, right? Well, let's do it! Did you ever know your state of mind has a lot to do with what you see, hear and do? The more we are open to new things the more we take in each day. Sometimes we may find out the best iunformation and all we have to do is just ask and then listen. The key part here is listening. Often if you do not say somethign after somone tlaks, they have an urge to keep talking.

I believe you can learn somethign new each day and you can always learn something from everyone. Everyone has some useful information to offer, the key is will they provide it to you? So the next time you meet someone new, always make them feel welcome. It makes the world a better place and you never know where it may go from there.

I looked on-line at various properties and I even checked out the major real estate auction sites. On these sites you can search by state and even in most cases bid on-line. There is risk invloved especially if you have note gone through the property, so if you bid, make sure you bid wisely. There was not too much at this time that caught my interest. The key about looking for deals is sometiems there is nothing and other times they come in clusters! The key is preparation and patience.

I hope everyone is having a nice week. Keep looking for that next deal and soon the deal will appear. Good luck with real estate investing. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived." ~ Captain Jean-Luc Picard ("Star Trek: Generations")

...The weather is at least sunny and slightly warmer. It is giving a few of us in the Midwest Spring Fever. It is nice to be outside a little more and enjoy part of our day. I was able to go out for lunch and decided to take a longer walk then normal. I just wanted to enjoy more of the sunshine.

It is a little strange in our area. The proeprties are not moving as quickly but we are not seeing the price reductions in some area that you would expect. As you begin to study a market, usually days on the market and the number of other similar homes should drive down some of the prices or further motivate the sellers. I wonder if all the tax credit incentives are convincing sellers to wait a little longer than normal. Once the tax credit ends, it may be interesting to see the amount of price drops.

I also had to share a viewpoint with everyone. Down the street a new neighbor moved in recently. We decided to go over to their home and say hello and welcome them to the neighbor as did other neighbors. One of the other neighbors stated that did not want to. I asked why and they said ...."Well, I have been on this block for more than 10 years, so they should say hello because we were here before them." Never take this appraoch in life because one its not nice and two people forget where they came from. I often see this in jobs, in local neighborhoods and even on the internet where some people have a belief over a so called "seniority". This makes me laugh each time because often these people don't realize what they are missing.

I hope everyone has a great week and is working hard to find that next deal. I found the secret ingredient and it is called action. So take action, create action, get in the game! Good luck finding that next deal! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"If you believe that some day it's going to happen, some day it probably will happen. You just have to make sure you're there when it's happening, and ideally you're at the front of the parade, and the principle beneficiary of when it happens, but it's not a kind of thing where you just sort of sit back and wait." ~ Steve Case

....The week is cruising by as we approach Friday! Some call it T.G.I.F. and my friends in the islands call it Aloha Friday, but no matter what you call it its a time to get ready for the weekend! My Thursday went by rather smooth. The sun was out so I went for a walk around the city at lunch. It won't be long and those boats will be dotting the Lakefront on Lake Shore Drive and cruising down the Chicago River. Spring and Summer are just the best times of year.

I was speaking with another person that was interested in real estate investing but they tried making a few offers and they did not get accepted. They wanted to give up because they could not make the first deal happen. I encouraged them to continue. It made me think there could be others out there that may have these same thoughts. I want you to know if you work hard, learn a little each day, stay committed and make offers it will happen.

I often believe that deals can come in cycles you may have several hot prospects this month and it could be cooled down next month. The key is staying with it. Doing, learning and believing. Have you posted any signs, flyers or ads in local papers. Have you joined a local real estate investing club. Do you regularly look at potential deals each week? Make a plan and work the plan, and have fun along the way! Tomorrow's task is post at least 3 flyers around town and at least see if your phone rings. The flyer can state "We buy houses any situation, any area and any condition. Call today with your phone number." You may find motivated sellers...awesome. Do you have your Buyer's List up to date?

I hope you are having a Terrific Thursday. Get those action plans ready for the weekend! This is the month to begin to make it happen. Good luck with real estate investing. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"Opportunity is often difficult to recognize; we usually expect it to beckon us with beepers and billboards." ~ William Arthur Ward

...Another week has just ended and the opprotunity of the weekend is upon us. There is time for it all...family, fun, relaxation and your real estate. I believe a key is try to have a good balance and on Sunday night review your scorecard of activities and feel good about what you have done. If you did not get to everything, that's ok, just try to do it during the week. The more you do the easier it will become.

I always like sharing tips when I can. I have a general tip to share. When we all start somethign new their are "naysyaers" that say somethign can't be done. I want you to step back and soemthimes think about why people say what they do. Is it they truly believe it can't be done? (like sending a man to the moon?) Does the naysayer belive they can't do it so if they an't you can't either? Does the naysayer just want to hold you back because they know you can do it and would be upset over your success? The key here is not to dwell on the naysayers, just to have a better understaning that there could be other "motives" driving their views and opinions.

It is good to listen but keep and digest only the good parts. Think of it as a tasty fruti snack, you may peel the skin to get to the good part but if it has a pit, your throwing the piut away. Was the whole fruti great? No there were parts that were good and parts you can do without. So in life may sure you keep the thoughts you can use and disregard the "pits" that may come along.

Make sure you post some flyers today. If you want to canvass a neighborhood maybe an ambitious paper boy/girl would like an addtional opportunity to make some cahs. Another idea is contact a local school and maybe their is a group of students such as a club or athletic team that wants to raise money. By paying the kids to pass out your flyers, you are helping many people. Win - Win! Have a great weekend. The deals are hidden like Easter eggs but as you look you will discover some even in the tall grass or under a blanket of fresh puffy snow. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

....The weather was very nice midway through the day. The temperature actually hit 54 degrees and this was the first time this year we saw 50+ degrees. It called for a drive to the local Dairy Queen (Ice Cream Treats) to get some shakes. You can really see how the economy is hurting so many small businesses. In our area they are running constant specials just to keep their doors open in some cases. It is nice to have a ressession proof business such as an internet businesss by utilizing eBay and Craigslist, but that is information for my other daily journal:
http://www.deangraziosi.com/real-estate-forums/investing-journals/38372/...

As I drive my local neighborhood, ths snow was beginning to melt and you could actually see grass in patches across the neighborhood. The ground was no longer frozen like a rock so I began to see more and more FSBO signs and For Sale signs. March Madness is here, so make sure your driving, reading and calling about any potential real estate deals! The time is now, so don't put it off another day! Remember you never want to tell others...I should have...I could have....but I didn't.

I called on a few properties I saw while driving. Sometimes I just like to get the information and pricing to compare a home to others on the market. That's a key tip that every home you call on you may not have an interest in, but it could lead to useful information on your local target market area or it could lead to other leads. So, be sure to make the most out of every call.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. The sunshine always makes you feel better so I hope you are out and about this weekend having some fun and learning about your local area and the current listings in your market. Good luck finding that next deal! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“You control your future, your destiny. What you think about comes about. By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands - your own.” ~ Mark Victor Hansen

..Sunday had arrived as the weekend was about half over. The morning was overcast and warming up. We saw temperatures in the 50's so I decided to go to the local car wash because my car was covered in a thick white coating of road salt. Days like today are great to get your cars cleaned because it is not too cold and you then don't have to worry about the car locks or doors freezing on your car.

As I drove to the car wash, I did see a few open house signs that I decided to check-out. They were nothing special, just an opportunity to see the homes and briefly talk to the real estte agent hosting the open house. There have been a few listings I have had on my radar and watched for a few weeks but no price drops at this point in time. I decided to post up a few new flyers, my last flyer post generated several calls and like anything it is a numbers game. The good thing is you get calls you just have to go through them in search of the deals that make sense.

I had an idea that I may try in the future. I saw people walking the neighborhood passing out a bag with a local restaurant coupons. I may approach the restaurant and see if we can work out a deal to split the delivery of these items and include our "We Buy Houses" ad in their bag. It may be worth a shot! The great thing about marketing is try, try, try and see what works by getting results. Most of the best techniques can be perfected through trial and error. The more we do the more we will learn.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. As you know when you wash your car there is a greater chance of rain. Thus, my clean car was covered with rain later in the day. However, that's ok, its better than having to shovel snow. Have a great week! I hope your weekend was also relaxing to give you that extra energy this week as you track down some potential deals. Post some ads, get that phone to ring and generate some real estate deals! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise”
~ Benjamin Franklin

...The weather was still a little balmy for the Midwest as the majority of the snow melted and temperatures were in the 50's. The commute into the big city was not too bad for a Monday as traffic flowed steadily into the city. My day went by fast as I made it out for lunch and took a little walk around due to the decent weather. It is always a great feeling once the weather begins to warm up. The weird thing was when I was driving home the fog was coming off the lake in such thick heavy layers, your visibility was very limited. It felt more like Halloween rather than an early Monday evening in March.

I called on a few properties later in the day and I drove to look and do a drive by another. The one thing I realized, especially with REOs, or listings that have been on the market awhile. Is sometimes the current condition of the home does not match the pictures they have on file. A drive by sometimes can save time from setting up an appointment especially if there is something major about the home you don't like. On the other hand a good tip is if you have the time go through the home to estblish a price in your mind for what you would "want" to pay. If the home is on the market for more than 30 days start sending these offers of your "want to pay price". The more information you have on the home the more you can offer multiple offers and counter offers.

Another tip is don't forget to take pictures of each property you look at to help you remember different features at a later date. Save them on your computer by address and then you can quickly reference them in case they hit your price range or go off the market and then boomer-rang back onto the market. Also save any listings sheets, disclosures, cards of realtors, etc. because you may need to reference these in the future even though you may have no interest today in the home. For example, I looked at a home 6 months ago that wwas priced $159,000. The home dropped to $79,900 and I pulled out my pictures and notes to see if it was now something to pursue.

I hope everyone had a great Monday and has a great week ahead. Be sure to check out the new listings, drive the area, look at FSBOs on Craigslist and check-out the classifieds in your local paper. The question is will you find the deal or call on the deal before the deal disappears to another buyer! Good luck with real estate investing. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“Business is not just doing deals; business is having great products, doing great engineering, and providing tremendous service to customers. Finally, business is a cobweb of human relationships.” ~ H. Ross Perot

...Spring Fever is in the air as the temperature were in the upper 50's with warmer air forcasted for Wednesday. It is funny to see all the people in Chicago in shorts when the weather hits the upper 50's. The Lake Michigan lake front was dotted with joggers and people riding thier bikes just enjoying the warm day as we all look a little more forward to Spring and those warmer longer sunny days ahead. It won't be long until the boats are back in the water!

I went through the latest Free Home book from my local grocery store. I enjoy seeing properties from various areas as well as going through the book to spot ads of additional players I can add to my "A-Team" of real estate support professionals. I always believe if you find good people that can assist you now or in the future with your real estate investing efforts to have these A players available when you may need them. You never can have enough good people because you realize what an asset they can be to your real estate investing team. Therefore, a tip is always look to have a good team of real professionals ready to help you, have depth in the team and make changes as necessary. As the "manager" of your team you have the ability to select the right person at the right time!

I have read several stories about people trying their best at the real estate investing business. I want everyone to know that if you give your best effort, thigns will happen. They may not happen as fast as you like, but it will happen. The keys are having patience, persistence and commitment. I always enjoy reading about members first deals because at that point they may realize that they can make it happen and make it happen in their town. It makes me understand that we all hold the key to our future and it is up to us when we decide to open the door to future opportunities. You not only have to open the door but walk through and begin the journey. You may not find the fastest quickest ways in the beginning but over time you will gain the confidence and wisdom that you need to be successful.

I hope everyone is having an awesome week. Try to make the time to take more action this week with your real estate efforts such as posting more flyers, calling on a few more leads and if the numbers are good making more and better calculated offers. The effort you put forth today will create the opportunties and deals of tomorrow. Let's make it happen! Good luck with real estate investing! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

“Confidence is the most important single factor in this game, and no matter how great your natural talent, there is only one way to obtain and sustain it: work.” ~ Jack Nicklaus

....Sunshine has returned to the Midwest! Can I dare say it hit a high of 68 degrees! For March 10th this is pretty awesome. I had to double check the date on the calendar! Just a few weeks ago the temperature was around 10 degrees and we were sleding down the small hills covered with snow at the park. Today, I saw people out and enjoying the day. Some neighbors were even raking their lawns in anticipation of the Spring! You don't get too many days like this early in the year, so you have to maximize them when they come. Did you ever notice the warm weather and sunshine just makes you feel better?

If there is anyone out there thinking about buying real estate and holding it for a long term future stream of cash flow, that can be a great strategey. I believe you can do some deals and take care of the immediate cash needs but if you can try to hold one every now and then for a rental. I believe this will be a very nice investment and can you imagine if you pay off the proeprty in less than a few years how powerful that could be? You may need only 1, 2 or 3 rentals that could replace the income from your job. How cool is that? The key is have an action plan but also a strategy as you move forward with this business.

I enjoy having some buy and hold rentals because I see the potential not only today but in the future. I have a rental that rents for around $850 per month. In my mind it will be a happy day when I can get $1,000 per month. There is something about that comma in the thousands that is exciting. Maybe its just because it is such a nice round number (like the $5.00 Subway sandwich). I think back to when I worked all week at a local grocery store and I hoped to make $100 in my 2 week paycheck. Now there is that same excitement or anticipation just with another zero at the end. As Dean often says, make sure you celebrate your plateaus of success, because I believe it inspires you to continue to take action when it may be easier for you to just take it easy.

I hope everyone is having a great week. Is it time to update you action plan, your short term goals, your long term goals? If so then do it and remind yoruself everyday why you are doing what your doing. It will make your day seem a little brighter like the sunshine after a long dreary Winter. Good luck finding that next deal! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine." ~ Thomas Jefferson

just wanted to drop in and say thanks for sharing tonight.i've been biting off a little piece of your journal at a time and it's fascinating but loooong,lol.signed up tonight and really excited to get my info.hopefully i'll have a few success stories of my own by the time i get there.keep moving forward,rob

Thanks for visiting my daily journal. I started my journal shortly after the Gain the EDGE event 2009. I am so glad I could share our journey and adventure with everyone. The EDGE event is so awesome be prepared to be totally inspired to take action and change your life. They cover so much great content the ideas just keep flowig! You can do it! We look forward to seeing you at the live event! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

...My day today went by as warp speed as I knew we had Dean's conference call later in the night. Stacey and I always enjoy speaking with Dean whenever we are fortunate enough to have the opportunity. It seems like just yesterday Stacey and I had ordered Dean's books. We then made the decision to attend the Gain the EDGE live event in 2009! I remember sitting at the computer reading about it and saying if we truly want to make the most out of this opportunity we had to be there!

I want to share with everyone out there that is is just as real as the words you are now reading on your screen. (yes , these words, right now!) It can happen and it will happen for you, if you stay "persistent and consistent"! Last year we went to the EDGE event and I tried to sit as close to the front of the stage as I could. I did not want to miss a single thing. I wrote so many notes and had such a great time. At each break I would head over by Dean to ask him a question or to listen to the words of wisdom he would offer to others. I want to tell you that was just so awesome to hear many great questions and then be there to hear the answers first hand that Dean would offer to each student. I would think how often we listen to Dean's weekly video blogs, now I was right here and I could ask him any question I wanted about real estate investing. Man, it was so cool!

Stacey and I were really enjoyed being on the conference call with Greg Murphy, Carol Stinson and Dean. I want to tell everyone that Dean does care so much about doing all he can to help us get the latest and greatest tips and techniques for real estate investing. The story that Stacey discussed last night on the call about Dean signing our book at the EDGE event was something we will never forget. We left that event last year empowered and had the confidence we so desired to siucceed with real estate investing. We would often look back at Dean's book and that would drive us to the next deal. I really hope each of you get to experience the EDGE event LIVE and in person because words can't decribe the energy, information and benefits it has to offer.

We want to help people and Stacey is often told by her friends that she says what's on her mind and tells it like it is. Well, we are just the average couple from Indiana that had a dream and put our faith in Dean's books and programs. Dean's books and programs made it happen and we just want to share the REAL excitement with each of you because you can do it too! Have a great day! Looking forward to meeting YOU! at the EDGE event in May 2010! Believe and Achieve! - Joe and Stacey

"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