The Journal of the Daily Adventures of Indiana-Joe

"Nobody on the road, nobody on the beach! I feel it in the air, Summer is out of reach! Empty lake, empty streets the sun goes down alone......" It has been a busy Summer but that is good. I have had so much fun and fun in real estate. What an awesome combination!

I am looking forward to the Fall season and making some changes that will pay off in the long run. I hope everyone is workign hard on your real estate business. I had a great time last night doing the live Google hangout. I hope everyone liked it and if you did let me know. Make everyday count! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Joe you are always a rock star!! thanks for everything you do of all of us.

I love reading and listening to you

Joe, I attended the Google Hangout, and took copious amount of notes. I am very new to the REI business, and I am trying to get my feet wet with wholesaling. I only have 7 people on my buyers list so far, so I am still working on building that up. I plan to start using the tips you provided on the call very soon to find some deals. Thanks a lot for your time on the hangout, and I hope to learn a lot more from you and others going forward. I will also likely join DG's IE program within the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for stopping by the daily adventure journal. Hope your having a great Fall Season and getting ready for the holidays. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Good luck with real estate investing you can do it. There is so much information on the DG.com website and even more on the IE website to help jumpstart your education. Good luck. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Are you a newbie (new to real estate investing) ? Are you a seasoned veteran been doing it for years? In any case we run into different situations each and everyday no matter if we are brand spanking new or an old crusty seasoned veteran (well maybe not crusty - just a lot of experience).

Have you ever encountered a not so friendly Banker? A not so friendly Contractor? A not so friendly Realtor? In any business there are people that are good, people that are great and people that just need some improvement (and maybe even learn how to sharpen their people skills).

I want to tell you do not feel that you have to work with anyone person or that first person that comes along. Do not let anyone person stop you in your tracks. I often laugh (outloud I must admit) when realtors state before they will even send a list of potential properties to review, that you MUST send them a proof of funds letter! lol lol lol lol lol until it hurts. Oh no, please stop, my stomach is hurting from laughter!

I am thinking give me a break! Does this Joker, oh I mean Realtor, have too much starch in their shorts! I was just in the Miami area a few months ago and ran into this very thing. In the Miami, Florida area there are more than 25,000 yes that is what i said 25,000 Realtors. This joker, I mean Realtor, wants a proof of funds even before I get listings from them. I had one word for them ...................NEXT !!!!!

I don't have time for that. With more than 25,000 Realtors in the area, I will just go ahead and call another one of the 24,999 Realtors out there. Well, one may say the Realtors do not want us to waste their time! Seriously?????

News flash! I agree time is very valuable somethign you always want more of and never have enough of. However, my time is just as valuable and I do not want them wasting my time either! You need to stand tall! Stand proud! I dont care if you never ever have done 1 deal before, your time is just as valuable as their time! Remember, never ever let anyone make you feel as though your time is not just as valuable as their time!

I laugh that they want to know you have money even before they work with you (I call this the Pretty Women.Syndrome - that was a great movie) I ask......Would you walk into the Olive Garden and say table for 5 and the Hostess states alright gentlemen before I seat you open your wallets!!!! Ladies get those purses open, now!!!! Lets see that you have cash or credit cards!!!

Hostess then states....Now that i see you have cash and those credit cards I will seat your party of 5 now. Really? Would you stand for that?

You would not tolerate this at a restaurant so why would you tolerate it with a Realtor! Remember your time is just as important as theirs!! If you ever run into a situation where a Banker, Lawyer, Realtro, Contracotr, is not respecting your time. Just think of one little word...................NEXT!!!!!

Go make it a great day by making every day count! Remember to be sure to always do at least one thing each day to move your business forward. You can do it! Believe and Achieve! - Joe and Stacey

PS - If you like this article please leave a long flattering comment. I do not want to develope a complex if there are no comments about this well crafted article because I may not know if anyone is reading this fine piece of literature that I just composed. It also gives me encouragement to write more! lol

PLEASE NOTE: This article has been reproduced by the prior written consent from The Chronicles of Indiana Joe's Daily Adventure. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be copied, used or transmitted without the prior written consent of The Chronicles of Indiana Joe's Daily Adventure as well as the Commissioner of Major League Baseball. lol
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Read it Joe...don't want you getting a complex. I've been in real estate for a few years now and have to say I totally agree. Also want to add, do not sign an agreement to only use the 1 realtor. If they are good, you will stick with them. If they aren't you shouldn't be stuck with them. That's what I tell mine and have never signed one. I've developed great relationships with all of them. Hope to actually meet you at the Edge next year.

Thanks for stopping by my daily adventure journal. I hope your new year is off to a great start. I look forward to meeting you at the EDGE event. Have a great day. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

Offers! Offers! Offers! Be in control and stand your ground! It is a simple principle, if you want more deals you have to make more offers. As you are making offers you will have the seller either do one of 3 things:

1. Accept the offer
2. Reject the offer
3. Counter the offer

Often, Realtors want a multi-offer situation. If you are a seller you want a multiple offer situation. However, as a Buyer you do not want to hear those sweet little words...."we have a multiple offer situation and the seller is requesting your best and highest."

Often, sometimes sellers may claim to have a multiple offer situation just to get the buyer to raise there offer. I often believe if you make a good offer to stand your ground. I also believe you could also be more aggressive and tell the seller you have put an expiration on your offer and if they do not accept to go ahead and tell them you will retract the offer.

Be bold! Be assertive! Do your best to be in control! They have to sell the property, but you do not have to buy the property! Try to stay in control of your offers and create a deadline for them. Make them believe there is a sense of urgency and they could lose your offer.

Recently, I won an online auction and the auction representative called me because they wanted to inquire if the seller did not want to accept our high bid, did we want to go higher. I said what??? This was an auction this was my high bid, they either want it or they do not. If they are not happy with the bid I could always submit a lower bid. The rep on the phone did not see the humor in what I said. Three days later she called and informed us they accepted our offer. STAND YOUR GROUND! You may not get all the deals but you do not have to. However, I will tell you this, it sure makes me feel good to stay in control and stand our ground!

You can do it if you make every day count! Do at least one thing each day. Believe and Achieve! - Joe and Stacey

UPDATE - I just made an offer yesterday on a REO in Florida. The agent told me that the bank needed at least 3 days to evaluate their offers. I stated that my offer would terminate at 3 PM and tell the bank I am rescinding my offer by 3 PM if I do not have an answer. The agent went on to explain to me how REO Asset Managers work. I then went on to tell her how I work. Bottom line submit the offer and I pull my offer by 3 PM.

She did just that and called me at 2:30 PM the next day to let me know the offer got accepted. Now this will not work every time, but you feel much better about standing your ground! You are part of the real estate game and you always do not have to play by the rules! Believe and Achieve! - Joe and Stacey

Just read the above about standing your ground and also the longer post you did and the one entitled "Next-a commentary...". I just want to say thanks for the info. and showing us the right attitude to have. I've only done 1 deal but I'm working on my next one(s)! I haven't even started using realtors yet...just getting leads from letters and bandit signs. It's about all I can handle right now since I have a full time job.

Thanks again!! Keep posting!!

Joe this is perfect timing for me too. I get such a run around. There have been many times that I have been told these stories.. I have often felt that my offer are not being submitted. I have started copying the branch manager when i submit them. I also think they hold on to the offer and send them in as a batch.
Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac are the worst but can be great discounts So i keep submitting

The first deal is always the hardest. Good luck with doing more deals. Keep submitting offers and the next deal is right around the corner! Believe and Achieve! - Joe

I believe you are correct that some of these agents want to be a super hero and they often want to get multiple offers for the bank. They can be a super hero to the bank but they should worry more about being a super hero to their client the Buyer. Keep making those offers and more deals are on the horizon. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

JOE

i love these few new entries, as i start my journey with bandit signs and eventual submitting of offers to realtors/banks

being firm is an excellent negotiating method because it lets the other party know not only are you in the game, but you are not in a treat me as any other party in the equation and they know i am a true player. thanks for sharing we Love to hear from you always Joe

Thanks for stopping by my daily adventure and taking the time to add some additional thoughts and comments. I know several people say they really enjoy the posts but do not take the time to comment or leave a post. I appreciate when people do because I really enjoy chatting and networking with other DGers. You can make it happen, bandit signs and working with banks on REOs is a great way to get started. Do one thing at least each day and watch your journey grow. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

The realtors have a grin on their faces and a little more of a swift step to their walk. They know today is the day! The day they have been counting down. Like a kid at Christmas their can not sleep the night before. The Realtors have visions of dollars dancing through their heads! They hope today is the day the property will close and they will leave the closing with a big fat check. There have spent the commission in their minds even before they received it.

CLOSING DAY can be very exciting for the seller, buyer and the realtors. Everyone wants something the day of closing but unfortunately closing do not always go as smooth as possible. Here are a few words of wisdom. May sure you understand who the closer is and who the processor is and get names, numbers and emails.

Make sure you have them communicate what is needed in writing, like through an email and make sure they do not hit you a day before closing because something is needed at the last minute. If they do not have what is needed they will often point the finger of blame to someone else.

A good Realtor should be the squeaky wheel to make sure everything runs as smooth as silk, but recently I have had a few people drop the ball. Therefore make sure you know all the players and understand who has to do what. Your closing will probably be smooth because everyone wants to be paid but just in case make sure you are an armchair quarterback if your realtor drops an fumbles the ball!

Instead of scoring a deal you may be losing the deal due to no fault of your own. The Power Team is critical for every step along the way and make sure your team has their eye on the ball. Make every day count by doing at least one thing each day! Believe and Achieve! - Joe and Stacey
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If I only had the money attend the program and could get over my fear

Education is a good investment for your future. If you are at a point where you do not have the funds. be sure to utilize all the free information on this website to benefit what you can do in real estate. As you continue to build your knowledge, the fear will go away by taking action and doing. Good luck with real estate investing. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

The year is flying by and I hope everyone had a fantastic Valentine's Day! I made some new real estate friends in Ft. Meyers, Florida this weekend and I look forward to hearing about their progress. I also had a chance to view several houses with the area and had a nice time seeing some new places. I went to Sanibel Island for a little R and R and even had some great seafood. Life is good! Make everyday count by at least doing one thing each day to build your real estate business. Believe and Achieve! - Joe and Stacey

LOOK! They are many faces in the crowd. As I travel the country, I meet thousands of real estate investors each year from all walks of life. Many new real estate investors have that look in their eye and tell me how they want to be successful in real estate. They might have read books, taken special training programs or are self educated through the school of hard knocks.

Often new investors ask for any tips that I can share with them. Some talk to me and often say they are willing to do whatever it takes. As time goes on however some people stop the real estate journey. They get caught up in life and something or someone is there to get them off the real estate super highway. The key here, is no matter how slow it is you think you might be progressing to always continue on your journey and new give up. If you go more than one week straight where you do not do anything to help your real estate business, you probably hit an exit off your real estate journey. You can pull off to a rest area but make sure you get back on that real estate highway.

At times it may feel as though it is only you against the world and you are pushing an Indiana Jones size boulder up a hill. You knock only need to push it up the hill but you keeping having the fear of it crushing you. As you get off track the boulder comes back down hill rather than uphill. You need to keep the focus on moving the boulder uphill no matter how small of a movement each day. Each day if you do at least one thing to build your real estate business, you will have more than 100 things done after the 100 days of effort!

I believe one of the major keys to your success in real estate is HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT? Are you willing to really do things other do not do? Are you willing to do things today that will change your life tomorrow? HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT? Are you willing to put out bandit signs, pass out cards, talk to people you do not know and make countless phone calls? Are you? Do you have that fire burning for real estate/ Do you have the passion? The desire? HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?

The energy, the passion, the desire will come from within you to make it happen. keep trying! keep Pushing! and soon that boulder will be gaining momentum as you are pushing it up the hill. Once at the top of the hill, the boulder rolls much easier down the hill. Buyers come to you! Deals come to you! The only thing is you have to be determined to get there! You need to have the attitude - - - Never surrender! Keep doing at least one thing each day and you will make every day count! Believe and Achieve! - Joe and Stacey

Thanks Joe and Stacey for all your encouragement and knowledge. I love reading what you write. Your so right on with it all. I've been trying to get going since last summer? I think I have developed information overload? I've read till my eyes hurt!! My financial situation is at the rock bottom, (my cell phone is now shut off),"how bad do you want it?" (I got magic jack, but it echo's in everyone's ear) GREAT!!!
I feel so beat up and I feel like I don't know what direction I'm suppose to go? You are so right, even ONE small thing a day can make a "BIG" difference.
You keep posting and we ALL will keep reading. Great stuff, thanks again.

Toni

If you can dream it, you can achieve it!!!

Yes!, it is the weekend, and the sky is blue the air is cold and fresh. You and a few friends are heading over to the local Olive Garden to have lunch. The Hostess greets you as you walk into the door. You say table for four and then the hostess exclaims...."Before I seat you, I need for the men to open their wallets and the ladies to open your purses! I need to confirm you have enough cash or credit cards for lunch even before I show you a table or give you a menu! "

This would probably offend you, correct? Could you imagine the nerve of this hostess to ask you to open you purse or wallet, even before they seat you? This is happening everyday with some Realtors. I have to laugh really just laugh. I have some students call and ask for a Realtor. They tell the Realtor they are a Cash Buyer and would like to review some listings. Some Realtors state that before they send them anything they need to see a Proof of Funds letter. Seriously?????

For laughs, I even had the student ask why do I have to send the letter just to review some listings? Some of the bone headed (underwear too tight) Realtor responses include:

- It is state law
- My Broker stated I have to ask
- As A Realtor I am required to always get this before I can assist you
- My Real Estate Company require I provide this before I work with you
- the list goes on and on and on and on and on and on ..........

It is so funny the excuses the Realtors come up with. Here is a unique concept for the realtor....Why not just tell you the TRUTH! What the Realtor is really is "I do not want to waste any time on you unless you can prove to me you have money! It's like the ESPN catch phrase "C'MON MAN!"

Question? Would you let other businesses treat you this way? Do restaurants treat you this way when you eat? Do car dealers treat you this way when you look at cars? Why let Realtors treat you this way when you want to get listings or view real estate. Now with that being said, I can understand if they want a Proof of Funds when you make an offer but not to get you listings or show you properties.

Here is my Joe's Rule of Thumb, modest title I know, if the Realtor is giving you this much grief before you even look at a property, then how easy will it be to work with that Realtor? Can you imagine making a well calculated offer and they state your offering WHAT? Then they roll around on the ground throwing a temper tantrum like a spoiled 5 year old stating something like they do not like your low ball offers! The issue is the Realtor probably has too much starch in their underwear. Do not let them throw you off course. If a realtor is this way move on to another realtor.

This past weekend, we ran into this in Tampa, Florida. Well, according to Realtor.com there are 5,365 Realtors within the Tampa area. if we found one agent that too much starch in their underwear we could go to 5,364 other agents. It is a numbers game. Find a Realtor that wants to play ball and not be so anal in the beginning to get a Proof of Funds from you. They are slowing you down and will give you more grief in the future.

If you need a proof of Funds Letter, go to a banker you know, your CPA or accountant, or just go to the search engine Google and type Proof of Funds letter. There are several Transactional Lending Websites that offer a letter. Good luck and Happy Investing!!! Go make it a great day by making everyday count. Believe and Achieve! - Joe and Stacey

LOL I love this!!! Crazy how more and more are doing this but you are correct by saying "move on to next".
I know a relator in my area and she's having a tough time and thinking about getting out and finding a new job, I think im going to ask her to run some searches for me and put a lot of offers out and make us both some money.

Well said Joe, a lot of people are asking this hope you don't mind but im going to tell this to everyone asking.

We can do this

Aaron

Thanks for stopping by the daily adventure and the additional insight. You are right it takes persistence and finding the "hungry" realtors that want to work and submit offers. Keep making offers and you will be creating the deals by the offers you make! Make everyday count. Believe and Achieve! - Joe and Stacey

Notes from the desk of Indiana-Joe..............The year is in full swing and it is hard to believe it is March. The weekend is almost here and it is another great time to do some things to help build the real business. It is all about getting leads and hopefully those leads can turn into great deals. Keep doing what your doing and good things will happen. It is a numbers game and the numbers will be on your side if you do not quit. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

P.S. Glad to hear Harrison Ford made a smooth landing in LA in his private plane. The Actor still has a little drama even today for Indy!

love this joural too \joe, look forward to seeing you at the edge again this yr btw n you too Aaron. i agree if an agent is that much of a pain then yea we should move on, i am replacing my agent in kc n am getting better at cutting it short with agents like that, that waste our time.

its true agents like deals that are going to be such a pain in the butt are not worth it i just want to do deals that are smooth n work with agents/buyers/title/escrow etc that are easy n friendly to work with, forget all these \pita's.

I am looking forward to seeing you at the EDGE this year, it will be another amazing event. Glad to read about your deals. I have not been to San Diego in a while but will let you guys know when I get that way. Hope you have a great weekend. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

posts. Thank you for this info I love it. "best and highest" "pof" give me a break "NEXT"
!!!!!

So I have a question ? do you think it's ok to call realtors/buyers etcetera on weekends to talk to them about working with me or should I wait for m-f ? thanks joe look forward to your response. I always hate weekends/holidays because I feel I have to put my business on hold and I want to get things done

WALT

Joe I know this is your journal but I just wanted to add my thoughts on this hope you don't mind.

All my power team members tell me call anytime day or night, I always get a voice mail that's because its there biz number and they can listen or read anytime and get back if they choose to. I have called and text at 9pm before and sometimes they get back other times they wait till morning.

They don't make money till we bring them the deal, that's my thoughts on it Walt.

Givem a call.

Aaron