The Journal of the Daily Adventures of Indiana-Joe

Hi Joe,
I just noticed your post. Thanks for the positive mention. I also enjoyed your visit and benefited greatly from it. I appreciate your attitude and "giving it up" for the Midwest! The excellent weather has continued through today and more "normal" weather is now in store for the next week or so.

If the "50 pound bag" refers to me then I can say that Joe is the "grease" I needed to help get these pieces moving together. HA! ) The biggest benefit to me was seeing these deals work from top to bottom first hand with someone doing it right in front of you, and I get to watch. The biggest thing is knowing it can be done and getting a better idea of how it is supposed to be done.

I think I mentioned to you that I have partner in a deal in Des Moines, Iowa. I own the mortgage on one of his properties there. He is a "relatively new" real estate investor. We had this great conversation yesterday and he told me he is taking his banker, real estate agent, and property rehabber to dinner to celebrate their mutual success. It's pretty exciting to see that success and know it's only a matter of time and effort until I do the same thing.

I already have the top of the line rehabber, (Steve), and the great real estate agent, (Chris) and am taking applications for the last position to be filled,(banker). And as you mentioned, I know the power team players will change over time, or have multiple players in each of course.

Also working on that buyer's list. I went to the Hudson and Marshall Auction and just stood there taking notes on who is buying multiple properties, which properties they bought, how much they paid, other properties they bid for and at what price they stopped bidding. I had to leave early so I will just follow up on the county records to identify them whenever they get recorded. At present I just know them as (young hot shot kid buying the low end, investor couple buying a lot of middle end properties in first and second tier southern suburbs, "heavy set" guy near the front row, good looking couple in the back buying high end, investor buying inner city and occasional suburb, and 3 or 4 other investors who just bought a couple).

Thanks again Joe for the extra motivation from your visit. Best success to you, Stacey, and the little ones.

Roger Schafer
Jaguar Investment Group

...Thanks for stopping by the daily adventure journal. Keep up the good work and keep networking as much as you can. Auctions are a great way to network and meet others that you might be able to add to your buyer's list. Try to get to an auction a little early and pass out business cards. The more people you can meet the better. The auction was also a great way to see what properties are currently selling for in your local target market area. Keep up the good work and keep me posted on your future real estate deals. Have a great week. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

...The weeks have been flying by as I have had a tremendous opportunity to see more properties in more areas and meet new and motivated investors. I am really enjoying what I am doing and what a difference it is from the daily 2 hour commute and grind to the big city. So often in life we can become trapped by a good paying job.

You reach a point where a company believes that they "have you" and unfortuantely at times they do. I often think back to when I was young and had thought about what my future held. Remember, we could be anything we wanted to be! The best advice I can offer is if you are not where you want to be, then what are you doing today or even tomorrow to make a change? Life is too short to be caught up in a daily grind, work on your "Plan B" today!

Some companies appreciate the hard work of employees where most others do not. That is where real estate investing can be your Plan B. It can be your ticket to anywhere you want to go. I often think of Dean as our Mentor and Coach, the conductor of the train to financial freedom. All you have to do is come aboard, learn, work hard, believe and then you can achieve! "ALL ABOARD....!"

I hope everyone had a great week as the Halloween holiday is fastly approaching. Did you buy your Halloween candy yet? Don't be the house on the block that only has those hard candy corn candies or the hard taffy in the orange and black wrappers. Buy early to get the good stuff! Any left overs will make a nice treat for yourself as you travel on the path toward success! Good luck finding that next deal! Be sure to notice any vacant homes during your trick or treating through-out the local area. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Quote of the Week:
"As long as you're having fun, that's the key. The moment it becomes a grind, it's over." - Barry Gibb

I'm glad to hear that you are seeing more properties, meeting more motivated investors and enjoying yourself!! It sure beats the daily grind

Thanks for the Halloween candy reminder I usually put it off till closer to Halloween and avoid temptation LOL! Candy corns are my favorite.

You always have great posts, thanks.

Lea

....Thanks for stopping by my daily adventure journal. Each day the adventure evolves and continues with new areas, people and potential deals. It has been a good past few months and each month is more fun than the last. I hope those future deals for you are as plentiful as a big bag of the Halloween candy corn. At least, the candy corn is better than those Halloween popcorn balls. Hope you have a great week! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

...Mondays can be tough especially if your football team has lost the night before. The clock of the weekend tends to move a lot faster than the weekday clock, doesn't it? I know the weekend is 48 hours but it often feels as though it goes by twice as fast. Pretty soon daylight savings time (DST) is coming in the Midwest where our clocks "fall back" an hour. This makes a weekend with 49 hours! Less daylight at night but at least an extra hour of fun. If you have that extra hour, with DST how will you spend it?

This week I have been busy with a few properties on my radar that have made price adjustments. If a property has been on the market for a while, always ask your realtor to provide to you a sales listings history of the property. This will show you who had listed the property and at what price. You will also see the total amount of days on the market and any price adjustments that were made over this period of time.

If a property has been on the market for awhile it could have been listed by more than one agent. Sometimes if you look at days on the market always determine if the property was listed before. A property could appear as a new listing with a real estate agent but if it was listed before it could have been on the market a longer period of time. Time can motivate a seller! Not only to change real estate agents but to possibly take a lower price!

Good luck finding that next real estate deal. They are out there but are you looking for them? Is your Realtor looking for them? Do you have bird-dogs looking for them? Leverage your time and have others helping you locate those deals along the way! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Quote of the Day:
“The greasiest leverage you can create for yourself is the pain that comes from inside, not outside. Knowing that you have failed to live up to your own standards for your life is the ultimate pain. If we fail to act in accordance with our own view of ourselves, if our behaviors are inconsistent with our standards - with the identity we hold for ourselves - then the chasm between our actions and who we are drives us to make a change. One of the strongest forces in the human personality is the drive to preserve the integrity of our own identity.” - Author Unknown

.....The weather has been just fabulous the past few days with sunshine and temperatures in the high 60's and low 70's. This is a great time of year to drive your area with the window down and driving for deals. As you drive an area always be on the look-out for other things you may notice along the way. Such as local banks, credit unions, or businesses that you spot along the way. Each day as I drive an area I usually always notice someone's bandit sign dealing with real estate.

its a great time to continue making agressive offers. Remember the worst that someone can say is "NO". Is it worth the effort? Of course it is! Even if it takes you 10 offers, 15 offers, or even 25 offers to get one accepted. You will get the property at your price. This will motivate you to comtinue to analyze deals and make offers. The more effort you put forth the more results who should experience. Whether the reward is more deals or more knowledge!

I hope you are having a great week. Do what you can and move a little closer to your goals. The best part is have fun along the way. Good luck finding that next real estate deal! You can do it! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Quote of the Day:
“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

.....The day was busy in the morning as I ran a few areas, stopped off at the local Staples for a print order and made the rounds around town. Later in the day I had plans to see another area and look at more properties. The one key that I believe can help you stay on track is to create a daily or weekly schedule of what you might need to do. Try to do the most important items first.

The year is moving quickly so try to set your plan for the next few months. As the new year approaches, you will be well on your way of achieving your goals. Nothing like starting that plan a little early to get that early jump you may need to make 2011 the year that helped put you on the path to success.

Next year is here! Take action and get it in gear as the deals will begin to appear. Action can turn that dream into a relaity if your willing to take that first step. Are you ready? Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Quote of the Day:
“Remember today, for it is the beginning of always. Today marks the start of a brave new future filled with all your dreams can hold. Think truly to the future and make those dreams come true.” - Unknown

...Another fresh start and a new day. Time to make the most out of the day from 6:00 AM forward. Should you start the day with a fresh glass of OJ and a bagel or some bacon and eggs? Well, the choice is up to you! Have that power breakfast and hit the ground running.

I had a great day, met some new investors and really enjoyed seeing another area. It is fun to be able to help others and really enjoy what you are doing. If you do not like your day job and you are working on your real estate investing, keep on the path. Each day will get you closer to where you want to be. you will be able to make that new opportunity.

The challenge for this week or weekend is make a list of what you have to do, go a little out of your comfort zone and do the things you do not want to do. Do it over and over again until you master or enjoy the task. By tackling the things head-on that you know you dread doing, you will be removing barriers to get to where you want to be. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Quote of the Day:
“Sometimes I think change is a good thing. Although it may be terrifying to get out of your comfort zone, it's also very exciting to start a new chapter in your life.” - Katie Couric

Haven't comment it a while! I see you added quotes to your blog, I like it! My source of quotes has run dry...need to find a new one! I think people really like them! You and Stacey are great encouragers, keep up the great work!

The first time visiting your site,a lot of great stuff,a lot of reading for one sitting,I'll be taking a week or two to back track the rest of the post here.

I'll be seeing you.
Jim Kendrick

....Thanks for stopping by my daily adventure journal ,where everyday is a new adventure. Glad to hear all is doing well. quotes are a great way to keep you going. I enjoy findign new sources eeach day. Looking forward to seeing you again next year at the Gain the EDGE 2011. Hope you have a Happy Halloween. Good luck on your future real estate deals. Have a great weekend. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

...Thanks for stopping by my daily adventure journal. I try to share some tips, techniques and strategies along the way. Hope you enjoy my adventure journal and several of my other posts. The DG.com website is a great place to find information, inspiration and meet other like minded investors. Good luck with real estate investing. I look forward to reading about your progress and future deals. Have a great weekend. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

...Friday is here and the weekend will be upon us. Did you scope out the local listings in your area. What new listigns are in the nespapers, on the MLS on Craigslist or you may have seen while drivign the neighborhood. What are your plans for this weekend? Are you going to take a look at a few real estate deals this weekend? Do you know which home may be hosting an open house this weekend?

As I have stated in the past, some of my ideas for rehabing can come from looking to see the types of improvements that other homes in the area may have. You can also confirm that the improvements you make are hot too high end or low end for an area's price point of properties that have sold or are currently on the market.

The more you do the better you will be prepared. Al lthough our lives we may have done things that we did not want to do at the time, such as eating more vegetables. It's like the old saying, one day you'll be grateful for what you did. So keep a good attitude, keep looking atr properties and keep making those offers. The next deal is closer than you think. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Quote of the Day:
“Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can - there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.” - Sarah Caldwell

....The daily adventure continues as I looked at more homes and opportunties. The key to succes can be persistence, effort and determination. Keep looking at deals, keep running the numbers and keep making offers. It is a numbers game and the more time you have in the game, the better your odds will be of scoring!

I looked at a few homes and one key where a Realtor or other people on your power team can be helpful is to know about certain issues in an area you may not be aware of. They can help guide to to normal types of things to look for for an area such as termite issues, soil issues, etc.

Always use your resources to their full potential. This is such as important concept. If you maximize the resources you have available sometimes you do not need more resources you just need to maximize the resources you do have. Keep the most you can our of each resource and each day! Think of it as a tube of tooth-paste. You want to squeeze as much as you can out of each day or opportunity.

I hope your having a great weekend as we are moving forward into Sunday. Are you going to any open houses this weekend? What are your plans for the week ahead? What did you do last week to move closer to your goals? Good luck fidning that next real estate deal. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Quote of the Day:
“The most essential factor is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.” - James Whitcomb Riley

.....Sunday.....Sunday......Sunday! The weekend is underway and it is a great time of year at the temperatures are in the 70's! Did I say 70's for Late October in the Midwest? Yes, and it is just an awesome Fall season. i know we have to enjoy it while it lasts because we will probably have snow by the end of next month.

I have to remind all those holiday shoppers that Christmas Eve is only 2 months away! Don't forget to buy early this year to get a better selection and beat the holiday rush. Whther you looking for those plus hholiday sweaters or a duplex deal, be sure to start shopping early. If you make enogh offers in the next 30 days what holiday treats will be filling your stocking of deals by the end of the year?

I hope everyone has a great week ahead. Be sure to write out your action plan and "to do's". Make the list and check it twice, because if you get a few deals its gonna be nice. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Quote of the Day:

Lucy Van Pelt:
I know how you feel about all this Christmas business, getting depressed and all that. It happens to me every year. I never get what I really want. I always get a lot of stupid toys or a bicycle or clothes or something like that.

Charlie Brown:
What is it you want?

Lucy Van Pelt:
REAL ESTATE!

.....The winds of change are in the air. The warm weather has turned into rain and forecasted winds of 50+ MPH are on the way (ouch). They even stated we could even see some snow flurries! I knew the nice weather would not last but this is a huge change from the awesome 70 degree weather we have been experiencing.

I often think of our gameplan for investin the next few weeks at a time. Th key is to create your plan and work the plan. So often it is easy to get side tracked or to be working on 10 things at one time. Be sure to bring each item to completion as you strat the next task. You may experince more success with having a few thigns completed rather than several things just started.

I want to offer everyone a huge tip. Always remember to look for the hidden value in a proeprty. The key is to see what others miss. I had a Realtor inform me just the other day never to look at 2 bedroom homes bnecause they did not sell in the area. The typcial 3 bedroom home was over 1,000 square feet. The realtor did not want to include any 2 bedroom homes in the search criteria. However, this proved to be a mistake because there were a few 2 bedroom homes with "hidden value"!

The 2 bedroom homes that I had an interest in taling a closer look were over 1,000 square feet in size. One of these homes had a dinign room while the other had an office or extra family room. These homes screamed possible thrid bedroom to me. if I could make a third bedroom this could immediately improve the value. Thus, always look for hidden values in homes and see what others miss.

I hope eveyone is having a great week as we dust off our Fall sweaters and jackets for the change of seasons. Keep looking for those deals and keep making offers. See what others miss and be sure to take action. Each day you are closer to where you want to be! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Quote of the Day:
“I think there is something, more important than believing: Action! The world is full of dreamers, there aren't enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision.” - W. Clement Stone

.....From 70's and sunny to sleet, snow, rains and winds (up to 50 MPH)...oh my! The weather has been anything but pleasant as the storms move through the Midwest. The Fall season has been rather pleasant, but this type of weather reminds us we are in the Fall season and Winter will be here before we know it.

Each day can be an adventure as some days are a little more adventourous than others. One tip that I continue to learn is keep an open mind and continue to learn. The old saying of you don't know what you don't know is so true. Therefore keep an open mind as you speak with more seasoned investors and see if you can learn a new technique or strategy that can assist you with your investing efforts.

I hope everyone is having a great week and your area is having nicer weather than what we have been experiencing. Make the most out of your day, each and every day. A little progress can go a long way. Good luck finding that next real estate deal. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Quote of the Day:
“We must expect to fail...but fail in a learning posture, determined not to repeat the mistakes, and to maximize the benefits from what is learned in the process.” - Ted W. Engstrom

havent stopped in to say hi in awhile.played phone tag for awhile and i know u r busy.We r getting ready to go on that vacation in dec and wanted to thank you again.wish you and stacey could join us !!
i Really use your strategies from your book on craigslist and make extra $$$ to use for real estate.its amazing what u can make when just take action.i really agree with you too on your earlierjournal post about using and maximizing our resources.sometimes we try to learn and look for that secret or resource that someone else has that we think we r missing and we dont realize or use what we have in frnt of our eyes.so thanks for your tips and reminders of the things we may have available in our book bag on our shoulders.
have a great day joe and tell stacey we said hi.....cant wait to see u guys at the edge 2011 !!!!

jay

I have started to read your journal entries. I'm very inspired by your success and I hope that I can a lot from you. Thank you again for sharing. I greatly appreciate it

We were out in west central Indiana over the weekend to work on the house we bought back there. The weather was warm around 75. We left on Monday with a little overcast and I guess on Tuesday they had high winds. All the locals were thanking us for the California weather when we were there.

Thanks Joe for helping us with the courage to step out of the box and take action to get a deal done out of state for us.

We believed and we achieved

Steve and Veronica.

...Thanks for stopping by the daily adventure journal. I have been working with several investors in various markets and have been having a great time with meeting these investors and having the opportunity to see other markets. Congratulations once again on the big win. Keep up the good work. We hope you really enjoy the trip. Remember....Buy local and sell Global for steady cash flow! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

..Thanks for stopping by the daily adventure journal. We enjoy sharing what we learn along the way. We wish you success with real estate investing and all your future deals. You can do it! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

....Glad to here you had a good trip to Indiana. As they say there is more than corn here. Hope you had a relaxing trip back to California. I am sure the weather is a little better out west than in the midwest. Congratulations for taking action on your Indiana real estate deals. Keep up the good work! Looking forward to meeting you for that future dinner. Have a great weekend. Believe and Achieve! (way to go) - Joe

......The week is just flying by as the end of October is near. Can you believe how fast the year of 2010 has been passing by? It is a busy time of year as there are many tempting tv distractions. The World Series is under, NFL football is running strong and the new NBA season has tipped off. The holidays are almost here as we get ready for Halloween. I saw a few Halloween specials on tv and these shows always take you back to a simpler time.

Wasn't it great when you were young the toughest decision of the day might be what to watch on tv? As we get older our lives can become a little more complicated and as we strive for success we conuously put additional pressures on ourselves that we may not have had before. Choice can lead to action but also sacrifice. If we sacrifice to learn and become better at what we do we may be able to succeed greater than we might imagine.

It can be the same way with real estate investing. Do a little each day to learn a little more in your local target area. Push yourself to strive for success. Sacrfice some of your free time for time you can spoen on your real estate education. You will be amazed at how fast you learn and build your knowledge base. One of the keys to success is to take action as you are learning and taking action. Good luck on your future real estate deals. You can do it! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Quote of the day:
“There are plenty of teams in every sport that have great players and
never win titles. Most of the time, those players aren't willing to
sacrifice for the greater good of the team. The funny thing is, in
the end, their unwillingness to sacrifice only makes individual
goals more difficult to achieve. One thing I believe to the fullest
is that if you think and achieve as a team, the individual accolades
will take care of themselves. Talent wins games, but teamwork and
intelligence win championships.” - Michael Jordan

Just thought I would stop in and say hi, I do always keep up with your journal. I have been staying pretty busy in KC. 600 miles from home. I just can't turn down the deals i am getting their. Hope all is going well for you two.

Randy

Thank you so much Joe for sharing your techniques. Briefly I'll explain. You encouraged others to contact banks and specifically the asset manager. Well sometime ago I did this and did find a bank that sends their foreclosures to a small list of investors and try to sell before listing with realtor. My perseverance paid off as just recently they accepted my offer on a property and closing will be in a couple weeks. So thank you. Oh no money down with 4% fixed int rate for 30 years and the bank is paying closing costs and giving me money to repair property and 90 days before 1st payment due. Not a bad deal. Thank you so much!!!

CAthy

...Thanks for dropping by the daily adventure journal. Glad to hear all is going well, keep up the good work. I know what you mean about those good deals, there are so many available in our target market areas. Since it is the Fall season we want to rake up as many deals as we can because they are more plentiful then those fallen leaves on my front lawn. Have a great week. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

...Thank you for stopping by the daily adventure journal to share your news about your latest real estate deal with us. This sounds like a great deal! Congratulation because your hard work has paid off. I look forward to reading about the details of this deal as it evolves and all your future deals to come. Keep up the great work and have a wonderful week. Believe and Achieve! - Joe and Stacey

....Wow, I can't believe how fast the month of October went and I have been seeing Christmas commercials on the television already. I hope everyone had a wonderful and Happy Halloween! Did you receive all those tasty treats you desired? It is a great time of year to have fun and absorb the holidays. You should try to slow down enough to enjoy this holiday season.

I had the opportuntiy to visit another new area, meet several motivated real estate investors, assist in building a few more power team members and run the numbers on a few potential deals. It is always great to visit another real estate market and have the ability to work with others. I really enjoy seeing the excitement of others as they gain the knowledge they need to become successful in real estate investing.

I have to share this story because I believe it is important about driving but also about the direction or path we take in life. I recently got a new phone that had the GPS navigation built into it. It is a great device especially helping me find homes that I want to take a look at. Also, I enjoy the new areas I discover by being a little mroe adventourous when I am out on the road.

I was with a group of friends and we were going to look at some potential deals. I programmed the address into my GPS in my phone and we were off. Several of my friends were stating "GO SOUTH" others said no "GO NORTH" and my GPS was stating to continue going "West". Everyone was confident in the direction they wanted to go. We all would have probably got to where we were going. It just may have taken some of us longer than others as we traveled along the way.

The point of the story is consider whom you listen to as you are traveling on the real estate investment highway. You may have construction or bumps along the way but be determined to get to where you are going. Get help along the way as you need it and don't be afraid to ask for driections when you need them. The knowledge of others can help you along the way as long as the poeple providing the information are qualified to provide the information you are seeking.

I hope everyone has a great week and good luck finding that next real estate deal. Be sure to keep on track and keep moving forward as you blaze your journey toward financial freedom! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Quote of the Week:
“Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be...Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.” - Erich Fromm