The Journal of the Daily Adventures of Indiana-Joe

Earl,
I am sorry to hear about your friend. Depression is a horrible thing and it is something that more and more American's are going through.
Be strong and know that there is an incredible family out here. It is great to know, that you can ask someone a question and they are willing to help you. Pretty remarkable, especially when you face some bumps in the road.

Good Luck

Carpe Diem~ Stacey

Thanks for the nice comments we appreciate it. It was also a stretch for us to go to the Gain the Edge event in Arizona in April for the live event, but it was so worth it! I am sure you will find the program just as amazing as we did. Good luck with your REI. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

I am sorry to hear about your co-worker. It is such a difficult time for so many people and businesses in this economy. All we can do is the best we can and sometimes things happen that may be out of our control. That is why it is nice to see people helping people (on the DG website) because we are all in this together.

Dean has provided so much great information for all of us to learn and use. His programs are great and his books are also packed with a tremendous amount of tips and techniques. I wish you success with real estate investing and I just want you to know that anyone can do this. Just try to stay the course and learn as much as you can. Before long it will all come together for you. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Thanks for the time and the love. It is truly a wonderful family that we are in (DGFAMILY). If the world could take notes from us. We could fix it.
Lots of Love from Earl and Gay Lynn Hardcastle
Gay Lynn is my boss lady

Mondays are always hard especially when you have a great weekend and you have to head back into work. There were a few new homes listed on the MLS that I caleld on after work. None of the homes met my criteria but I want to keep a few on the radar if they have any price adjustments. I contacted a few additional mortgage brokers and another small local bank to inquire about their mortgage products. It is always good to know what is available and what current rates and terms are doing. Good luck with all your deals! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

The Big Day has finally arrived! We have been waiting for the "blitzkrieg" finale and it was great. The wait was suspenseful but well worth it! We could not believe the home study package that Dean and his staff put together. It is just tremendous to have the opportunity to be able to acquire such a complete program with a guidemap and an action plan for success. We are so excited about the program and the bonus goodies that we can hardly wait for the package to arrive!

It was a honor and a privledge to be able to share some of our thoughts with the DG family. We wish everyone continued success and want everyone to believe in yourself and take action today! The time is now! Good luck on all your deals! Believe and Achieve! - Joe & Stacey

Hey,
Your journal is something like,Out there!The way you use your keyboard,I feel i am right there with you.
Thanks Joe & Stacey for being apart of my REI endeavor and everybody else.
Keyboard means:Some people either are good at talk and some are good on paper,
You guys need too write a book!!! And the call was great 7/21.

P.S.I will never forget an idea i heard many moons ago, You have too know how to read between the lines. Your doing a great job of it!

Believe and Achieve

Thanks for the great comments we appreciate it. We are glad tht we can share information that may help others. Anything is possible if you are willing to believe! I really enjoy real estate and I am glad I can talk about it on the DG website as much as I want. I feel some days there is so much I want to say and share, I am glad others enjoy it. I also enjoy reading the posts and information on the DG website. I learn something new each and every day. Continued success on your real estate journey to financial freedom! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

The weather was slightly overcast this morning and it appeared as though it would rain. Almost every time i have to walk to another location in the Loop it usually decides to rain. I guess that can be a good thing because it makes me walk a little faster. I had an opportunity to have a meeting over lunch at a large insurance building in the loop. I could not believe how nice the "corporate dining" was when I arrived. The tables, the view of the city and the lake, china, silverware and service was like eating at a fine dining restaurant. I had a good meeting for work and went back to finish the day. It was better than my usual lunch run to Subway for a quick sandwich.

I have had a 3 unit apartment building on my radar for the past few months. Each month they have lowered the asking price but still have not accepted my $10k cash offer. The building is probably better off as a 2 unit because it needs a lot of work. Thus, if I can get it for $10k, the numbers will make sense. I also have a few other properties on my radar, a 4 unit residential apartment building, a small ranch style commerical building and a small package of 3 REO bank owned homes.

Each day I am finding more potential deals and I am working overtime at creating a win-win deal for both parties. I have cultivated a relationship during the past few weeks with an REO manager. The REO manager just contacted me to inform me of a few new properties they had available. Establishing a good relationship with a REO Bank Asset Manager can be a tremendous key to success. Always determine how far removed you are from the final decision maker and try to find out their needs (the seller's hot buttons) as Dean has discusses in his book.

I have a call scheduled for early next week to present our intial offer. I will crunch the numbers a little more in the next few days to determine what we may be able to do and also inquire what the bank may be able to do for us! Good luck with real estate investing. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

I have been thinking of how to contact small community banks, did you just cold call and ask to speak to the assets manager or did you happen to have a property that you wanted that they owned? I was working on the probate stuff last night and looking at the notices in the local paper, bypassed the 50 forclosure notices before I got to what I was looking for and then I said wait a minute maybe I should be looking at who the mortgagee/lender is for each foreclosure maybe one of them might be a small community bank. I didn't finish the list (my eyes had started to cross) but I found one, a local credit union owns the property. Tell me Joe what did you do?

Sounds like you are on the right track. Yes, I cold call these institutions. I believe the small local banks that have a handfull of locations and local area credit unions are the best types to deal with. You can usually get direct access to the REO Asset Managers. Just be friendly call and inquire who may handle the REOs for their institution. If they inquire why, you can state you are an investor that has an interest in acquiring some property and you thought you may be able to create a win-win deal with them. The key is to find out the name and go from there. It may take a few calls but if you get the right person that is more than half the battle.

If you already know they own a property, such as this credit union you noted above, then when you call you can state you may have an interest in the property they own. Even if you do not buy it, work on establishing the relationship with the REO Asset Manager so if they get another REO down the road, they consider calling you about it first. Good luck with this REO. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

It is true that sometimes you need to keep your eyes open and see the things around you.

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller

Thus, this morning I decided to take Lake Shore Drive into the downtown Chicago loop area. It was a great drive and sometimes I often see things a little different when I am not rushing to get into work. The sun was coming up over Lake Michigan and the water was gently hitting the shore. Ever so gently the small boats in each of the little marinas I passed were slowly swaying with the water and light breeze. The sun began to shimmer and glimmer on the water as the sky was filled with vibrant blues, oranges and pinks as the sun rose. I thought how cool this is. The lake front to my right and beautiful flowers dotted all along Lake Shore Drive. The joggers, walkers, and bikers were out on the lakefront trail which winds all along the lakefront. It is so cool to see the lakefront as you drive miles and miles into the city. The majestic steel, concrete and glass mountains are in the distance. This is the Chicago Skyline and the buildings are rather spectacular. All this as I drive into work in the morning. I think about all the great places I am passing on the way in: the Museum of Science and Industry, Soldier’s Field (Home of the Chicago Bears), the Adler planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, Buckingham Fountain, Grant Park, Millennium Park, the Art Institute of Chicago and finally the “Mag Mile” Michigan Avenue.

Today after work I am going to hit the ground running and continue my real estate efforts. I can’t wait for those 4 hours to do so many things that hopefully a few may move me a little closer to that goal. So, today, don’t forget “to stop and look around once a while, (otherwise) you could miss it”! Good luck with your real estate investing. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

It sounds like you took a little time to stop and smell the rose or cement as the case may be. Definitely a time to center yourself before heading into the fray. Love reading your postings, keep up the great work.

Listening to you and Stacey on the call Tuesday was a great inspiration for my wife, Vickie & I. Being aligned in spirit and in our REI business is such a blessing for us. Being new, we're still in the midst of finding deals, crunching #'s, making offers, wondering if we're crazy for doing this, etc...

One thing we learned from the call was how helpful it is to journal throughout the adventure. It's great to learn from other success and even better to be able to look back & reflect on your own success.

Thanks Joe & Stacey...keep it up!

Robbie Inks
Kingdom Property Investments, LLC

Thanks for the nice comments, we appreciate it. The week is usually more fun as we approach Friday. Our passion is real estate and Dean has provided us that roadmap to follow our passion. Sometimes we have to remember to stop and smell the roses once in a while because that makes the journey that much better! Good luck with all your current and future deals. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Thanks for the great comments, we really appreciate it. It was such an honor to be on the call on Tuesday because Dean has really changed our lives forever. This is a great business that couples or families can do together and have fun doing it. Sometimes when you share the dreams and the journey along the way, it makes it that much better.

Everyday can be a learning experience that better prepares you for tomorrow. Often I tell people think about how much knowledge they are gaining and that knowledge can give them the confidence to make good decisions. I believe a DG Journey is a great way to reflect back each day on what you have accomplished with your investing education and it can outline an action plan as you go forward. It is fun to look back and see how things can change from month to month. Keep the dream alive and keep chasing the dream. It day is is getting closer than you may see. Good luck on all your deals. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

I am looking forward to the weekend. The summer in the midwest seems to always fly by after the 4th of July holiday. I have a few homes to look at this weekend and I want to have some summer time fun before the snow starts! Good luck to everyone on your current and future deals! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Can you believe it, only 5 more months until Christmas! Better start shopping now to help the economy and miss the holiday rush! Today I went to a local county fair. It was fun once we got the car parked. I had an elephant ear, and several of the "Hot Buttered Sweet Corn!" The corn was great, but is is recommended to have dental floss after eating corn on the cob. It was great just to take a day off (i did see a few FSBOs and I did write down a phone number or 2) and walk around and see people having a good time. I hope everyone found a deal or two today.

I am on the computer tonight going through the MLS listings looking for the latest gem in my area and also cruising through the listing of some water front property to see whats happening in that market. I can't ever probably afford these, but it is fun and interesting to see waterfront REO (foreclosed) condos where the banks are motivated to look at "all offers over $1 million" (ouch!). Did they say bank owned??? Good luck on all your deals! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

It was a busy day Sunday. We went back to the fair to have more fun. There was not much time left in the day to do much else. Later in the evening I would go on the computer and do some real estate reading and research. I want to keep up with what is still on the market and what may have sold during the week. Good luck on all your deals. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Mondays are usually the worst day of the week and this proved to be just that and maybe even worse. There are always issues that come up and sometimes you feel like you just were hit by a mack truck you did not see coming. You need to make the most out of it and do the best you can.

Today I had a very busy day at work and when I got home I did not have much time to spend on the computer or to look for deals. I do have to say the drive home was rather nice. A cool breeze around 70 degrees and a very clear night. I hope summer stays around a while. Good luck on all your deals. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

"HAPPY ANNIVERSARY......HAPPY ANNIVERSARY......HAPPY ANNIVERSARY......HAPPY-HAPPY- HAPPY....HAPPY ANNIVERSARY......!" - Fred Flintstone

How time flies when you are having fun. It is like being on vacation where you can't believe the week is over and you are headed home and back to work. Oh, just a few more days in the sun, at the beach or having fun. Today is our 3 Month anniversary on the DG website! And what a 3 months it has been. We have had so much fun and have met so many great people on-line. We continue to expand our knowledge and real estate portfolio plans each day!

The week has been very busy and it is only Tuesday. I had several items that I need to address after work including looking at a 4 unit REO bank owned building. I am excited about the proeprty because the bank seems anxious to move it. It is near an expressway and has a newer roof, funace and centra air units. It is located a little farther then where I want to travel, but if the numbers work out, we may have to consider it. I am in the process of updating some of our records during the past few days. I want to ensure I stay a little organized because it will be easier as our real estate continues to grow. Good luck on all your deals! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Today was a long busy day at work and I had to drive 2.5 hours to take a look at a 4 unit building. It was worth the trip. The buildign was in great shape, parking and each unit was a 2 bedroom 1 bath (2/1). The bank is very motivated and I think I will ask for 100% financing. I will keep everyone updated on this.

On another note, I found a great duplex that the seller is very motivated to sell. It is in a great area and will cash flow itself. He is asking around $200k for an all brick duplex with 2 two car garages. He can only sell conventional and can not carry any financing. This is a great deal, in a great are, that would be a great buy and hold property. I wish I could move on it but I have several other better deals in the pipeline. Well, I got a deep dish pizza to eat, so I gotta run. Good luck on all your deals! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Good Afternoon DG Members,

I have to share an amazing story with you. I received a call from a friend that I have not heard from in a few years. His name is Rick (or a.k.a. "Doubting Thomas") and he participated in the conference call from last week. He could not believe that we actually have increased our net worth by $750k. Rick stated that he has seen Dean's commercial and finally decided to order the book, browse on-line at the DG website and decided to listen to the conference call. He could not believe when my wife and I were on the call with Dean.

Rick stated "Did you really increase your net worth by $750k?" I do not like to brag, but I believe you have to be honest. I simply replied "YES" and we owe it all to Dean! It was so silent on the phone line, that you could have heard a pin drop ......Hello..........Hello...... Finally Rick said WOW!, it really can happen! Rick knows that I am a person that "tells it like it is" and I am honest with ethics and integrity. If Rick had a bad haircut in high school and everyone told him yeah it's cool. He would ask Joe what do you think. I would say you want an honest answer otherwise you would not ask...right? Then I would tell him the truth. He stated, Joe I can always count on you to be truthful even if I do not like your answer when it comes to haircuts or anything else!

Rick wanted me to recap all about it. I asked Rick if he spent anytime on the DG website. He stated he needed to spend more time. I informed him that I recapped each and every deal on the website from Deal #1 through Deal #8 and these deals increased our net worth by approximately $750k! It is funny that today, I am working on a current deal that could be worth more than $250k in equity (just on this one deal alone!). I tell people this to let them know the deals are there and they are all around. You just need to be looking in the right places and be ready for the opportunity when it presents itself!

Rick and I talked for hours and I want to share part of the things we discussed. Rick stated perfectly that "sometimes people spend so much time trying to to question other's success but that time would be much better spent taking and applying that energy toward their own success to change their life to make it happen for them"!

We also discussed that there will always be doubters and nay-sayers in your life, but how you deal with things makes you into a stronger and better person. Often people that do not want to make a change in their life are sometimes looking for a way to make it "ok" for their lack of passion or drive to make a change. In their minds they may believe that they can't do it so others can't do it either! In life, we will always face a "Doubting Rick", but when we zip by in that new flashy sports car, they can watch from the curb or come along for the ride! Like Tom Hanks said as the Conductor in the movie The Polar Express ..."Well, you coming?" The decision is up to you! So don't be a "Doubting Rick"! You can do this! Dust off Dean's book and make today the day you are ready to motor into the fast lane! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Thanks for sharing Joe. That's what I love about this website. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

Thanks for the comments. I am glad that Dean put together this great website to share and discover information each and every day. Good luck on all your deals! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Doubting Rick is no longer doubting Rick. It is so often that we hear stories of those who try to persuade us from our dreams. However, it is important for us to stand firm in what we believe and make it happen. You post continue to inspire us to believe in ourselves. Thanks and God Bless.

Sandra

Thanks for the nice comments. Sometimes I learn the only person that can hold us back is ourselves. If we believe we can do it, it does not matter what others think. We have the power to change our lives and destiny. Continued success to you and your fabulous friend. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

One of the best days of the week has arrived. There is nothing like Friday and looking forward to a fun filled weekend. The new listings have been rather slow in my area so I have explored further areas. I do not want to be too anxious if the deal does not make sense. I have a few offers pending, but no done deals at this point. I believe the Fall is going to be a buyer's market and I am preparing myself for it. I hope everyone has a great weekend and finds a lot of great deals! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

You have a great weekend too Joe. There will be plenty of new listings (deals) coming on the market soon! I'm preparing for the early Christmas RE shopping spree of buyers as well.

How great is it that Rick has you, someone he knows to be completely honest and can tell him it's possible to be succesful at real estate investing in this market. Great story.