Robert's Journal - "The Daily Dose"

I enjoyed reading your journal. It sounds awesome. Looking forward to hearing more about your achievements in the upcoming posts.

Keep up the good work!

Good Morning,
Boy! You really do sound busy. It is nice to hear a dad so involved and believing in God. I take my hat off to you and I do understand also. I am a mom of 3, a fulltime nurse and a wife. I have now added REI. Life is just busy. Best of luck to you and your family.

Tricia

Thanks for sharing your "Daily Dose" journal with us. It sounds like your journey to financial freedom is well underway. Good luck on all your current and future deals. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

What is intriguing and inspirational about your daily journal is your love for God and family. It is the cornerstone in which your life's journal will be enriched. Your journal was truly enjoyable and reminded me about those biographies in literature courses. Another for the history books. God Bless.

Sandra

Thanks guys for the wonderful words! Great thing about this website and the people on it; you never walk away without a smile and a little better attitude toward REI and life for that matter!

Well, 6/20/09 was my start up date so here is a little catching up for my first "official" journal entry. I obviously first saw Dean's infomercial and of course ordered the books. Thank you LORD for giving me a little direction on that day! Unfortunately, I'm not quite thru "Profit From Real Estate Right Now" but have made it to page 215. And I think I'm going to definately have to read a little more soon becuase I'm at the section where Matt talks about his $20k in profit in less than 2 hours with no money at all. Now if that doesn't motivate you, I don't think anything will!!

I also ordered the EDGE package and have reviewed the first DVD and a little bit of the VIP session. All I can say is awesome....!! Despite the many blessings I do have, I'm struggling pretty bad with the financial side of things right now, so even ordering the program was tough. I really believed that ordering the EDGE was one hell of an investment for my future so I just couldn't pass it up. I'm sure glad I didn't!! Any of you out there that have not ordered the package yet and are struggling just like me; if your truly serious about this stuff, it is well worth the investment. I encourage you to find a way to make it happen. Think of it as your first investment in this REI world, that will ultimately pay off for many years to come. A house / deal will eventually come and go; the information you obtain from this program you will never lose!!

Besides that, I have reserched some properties, talked with a few brokers, asked and discussed many things on the DG website, etc. But, I really haven't jumped in so to speak. I don't think it is the fear of trying, but more of the fear that once I do jump, I may not be able to finally land. And when and if I do eventually land, how hard will I hit the ground. See my life is so chaotic and I'm so pressed for time, that I worry that once I get the ball rolling, I want to be sure that I don't lose it by not being able to follow thru properly... Does that make sense? I'm a CPA, so it's in my nature to have all the details well laid out and everything in order, but until I do that, I just don't think I'm going to be 100% comfortable. It appears though, that no matter how prepared any of us are, that first deal was always nerve racking... So....., I guess I'm just going to have to start climbing the ladder. No sense waiting. I have the tools, I have your support, I have the passion..... It's time to jump!

Thanks gang... See ya tomorrow!

Good evening guys! Pretty tough day as I was up till 4:45 in the morning working on a big tax return, and then back up again at 8:20 or so. So I was running on fumes today for sure.

I'm pretty excited about receiving a PM today from what appears to be a pretty successful investor that just moved here from the bay area. For those of you who have not been following my posts, I have really been pushing to put together one heck of a great REI group / club. He must have saw my seriousness about doing something like this, so he wants to meet up and try to get something actually happening. I'm all for it and hopefully we will meet up soon!

My neighbor just accross the street is short selling his home and he is also the realtor. He is asking $275k, but total view is coming in at around $262k. Since it is a short sale, do you really think he cares how much it's actually sold for as long as the bank appoves it? I would assume he would but how do you think I should approach it? Being my neighbor, I don't want to offend him, but hey, he's moving out eventually, right!! lol It's a interest only loan and he is a couple payments behind, but I'm pretty confident that rent just to cover the loan payment would be a little too high. Whatever the case, I'm kinda just playing with this one as a learning experience... It's definately not an ideal property, but you never know. What do you guys think out there?

By the way, I inquired a little bit about him potentially being my real estate agent and told him about the 25:1 system. lol.... The first words out of his mouth was, "Well that would probably be a lot of work!". I'm thinking, um, he's probably not going to be my first choice! lol Amazing how so many people out there expect it to just fall in their lap. You gotta work people!

Ok, its 10:26, which is way early for me but I'm going to hit the sack before I pass out right here in front of the monitor!

Have a good Wednesday my DG fam!

What a gorgeous family! Reading through your journal was definitely a bright spot in my morning. Thank you!
Congrats on taking action! I think you will find REI MOST rewarding, and something you and your wife will probably enjoy together. Thank you for your testimony, too. God has blessed so much.

Look forward to reading of your progress.

Rina

You have inspired me Robert and you have a great looking family too. Thanks for sharing. I need to stop getting discourage and get off my duff and go mingle with other investors and realtors. I am working with a co-worker in selling her house in Magna UT she is asking 166,000. I need a digital camera take pics and put them on free classified ads I have several sources I can use. I can use KSL.com, KTUV.com, Craiglist.com, Facebook, Myspace, and many free classifieds too. DG Team is awesome meaning the forum. I can't afford the academy. I need volunteers like this to help me. People here are great. I know when I get better what I do I would like to share how I did it and always want to help people. Times are hard. Just have to trust God and your/my gut instincts and do it. When you help others in not a greedy state you are rewarded many times over. I am truly blessed here. I really think God has a plan for all of us. I know that being a REI is from God’s plan that he has for me. It is not easy to be a newbie at this great awesome opportunity. I had people that say they are willing to help me at a very high cost. Say they are the real deal you will succeed you will make lots of money and it only costs anywhere from $500 and up to $20,000 to be successful. DG Academy is expensive but it is worth it. If I had the money no problem I would have their help. I know it will work cause of the Forum here and the people in Dean’s book are here as well. I look at the successful people here they seemed to have the Academy background for their successes. This is what I would like but can’t afford at this time. My goal is to be very successful and wealthy and have many friends, partners and not lose my faith I have with Jesus, always have win, win, win situations. Helping other investors to become successful and wealthy too in training and walk them through deals without money up front but when making a deal it would be a 30/70. When they are successful they can do the same thing for others. I call it passing the wealth around or better “Pay It Forward”. I am looking for investors like this very successful and willing to sacrifice a little. Or even 20/80 in my case I am willing to be the 20. In return, I will get hands on training at no up front cost and valuable resources and information to grow in being what I can be in this field. Funny thing when speaking with other investors in Utah they want all money up front. They are not willing to work with me. I haven’t found anyone that willing to take up my offer. I know the old saying “Time is Money” and “You need money to make money” I read I learn a little that way but I really learn hands on. I know I can do it. I just want someone to see if I am doing it right and give any pointers. I will keep on trying and using DG book as my resources until I can afford the help I need. The response when posting are sometimes quick in the Forum and sometimes slow or nobody responds at all. This is still better than having none at all advice. God Bless all of you and many successes to all of you. Tom

Hey ya'll!!

Hope Wednesday was good for everyone! Thanks Tom for the inspirational words. Quite obvious you are a dedicated servent of the Lord which will undoubtedly bring you everything you ever needed. I wish you the best in your REI career and look forward to hearing about great things from you!

Well, today was tough... I said in my last post that I was heading to bed around 10:30 but guess what? That definatelly did not happen as I started doing some more reading and the next thing I knew, it was after 4:00 in the morning once again. So needless to say I'm beat!!

In the book I'm reading, it is extremely clear that Dean wants us to find a good mortgage broker. It is emphasized throughout the book many times. Question that came to mind is about commissions or a referral fee paid to us by the mortgage broker of our choice. What are the ethical / legal consequences of setting up a contract with a good mortgage broker that results in us receiving a small spiff here and there if some of our buyers close thru him or her? First off, is this an acceptable practice and is there anyone doing it out there presently? Second, what kind of disclosure would need to be made to my buyer, the seller, RE agents, etc. I would have no problem opening up about it. And last but probably most significant, should I even be thinking about these "small" little potential spiffs or should I just focus on the big picture?

I tend to lean to my 3rd question, but truly I don't think there would be anything wrong with it. I mean it's just business and I'm essentially getting paid for my services / leads I provide. Hum.... Something to definately ponder but please let me know your thoughts out there.

Ok, despite that it is now 1:30 in the morning and thats far from 10:30, I am definately hitting the sack right away!

Goodnight....

Thanks Rina for, again , the kind words!

Hopefully Dean will be doing the Edge 2010 hear in AZ again so I can finally meet you and everyone else in person. That would be terrific!

But until then, I'll just try to work with you and Laura and find some deals out in your neck of the woods so I have a reason to visit!! lol Sound like a plan??

That really is cool with you guys working something out together. And man, it really sounds like a great deal and the house looks like it cleaned up really well!

Question? Actually, I have two?

- Why did you not just keep the deal for yourself or were there some circumstances that prevented you from doing so. I don't want to be too personal so please answer if you are completely comfortable or by PM.

- The other question relates to Sully. Where is he? It seems like he was such a well respected member that really participated, but it seems as if he has dropped off the planet. I kinda got the impression that something pretty negative happened so I'm thinking maybe that is why we don't hear from him so much. Anything you can tell me? Hopefully, he is doing Ok! I enjoyed his writings so I would welcome him back. Again, you can PM me if it's anything that shouldn't be discussed openly. Whatever the case, if you do still stay in contact with him, wish him well and tell him to get his butt back home!

Ok, I'm going to bed!

Goodnight!

you would have to find out from them whether if they're allowed to do a "kickback" or pay out a referral fee. For instance with real estate brokers a they can't pay a referral fee to an unlicensed person. They have to follow their state RE commission's rules or otherwise pay some hefty fines and possibly lose their license if they violate those laws.

Quick answers: (no problem posting here)

1) It was my first "assignment of contract", first one my team had done. I needed someone I could trust to completely follow through, and Laura was that someone. So it was a win for both of us.
I would have LOVED to keep that house for myself, but I'm glad I didn't, not only because it served my purpose, but now Laura has a great reason to have to visit once in awhile!
Don't know if you got to read this thread:
http://www.deangraziosi.com/real-estate-forums/everything-else/16902/fir...

2) I have to give Sully a call. Yes, he's not been on in quite awhile. I don't think anything tragic, though. I'll e-mail him your plea. lol

Let me know if you're serious about a "plan"
I've kind of got a list, but now I have a couple bird-doggers working for me. Don't know how much I can handle, but you never know. I really like to work with people I can count on.

Have a GREAT day!

Rina

Hey.... I was totally thinking the same thing. I assumed as well that if I were actually licensed then I would have some grey areas but by being a REI, it should open up what I can do. Again, I'm not really sure I should even pursue something like this and just focus on the big picture.

For those that are making deals out there and have a good mortgage broker, are you receiving any dort of compensation for a good buyer that completes a deal?

Thanks Altcamel

Hey,

Yep.... I did get a little. Went to bed at 2:45 but back up at 6:50 to get my girls ready for school (Wife is working today...) My first day walking them all to school! Fun, fun, fun!

Wow... That is a great thread to read thru and just another example of what a good heart you & Laura have. You know, money obviously makes a difference in this world, but you really can't replace a good solid relationship. The way I see it, you gained so much more than the assignment fee. Unfortunately, so many people think so short sighted and not in it for the long haul. Greed, or instant gratification, seems to make many of our decisions but you & Laura showed that things can be different. Most importantly, you have solidified a wonderful relationship that will just continue to grow. Second, and as a direct result of this relationship, you will undoubtedly make SO MUCH MORE in the long term future. I think a lot of people out there, especially for what you have literaly put into this deal, would have scoffed at a $2000 fee!! What are you insane.... NO, I think you and Laura are pretty darn smart becuase it will most likely pay off many times over down the road.

LOL, I was kidding, kinda, about finding deals for you, at least right now! I think I need to get my feet wet here in AZ (Now that's an irony, lol) before I head out to other states. But, totally shocked you would actually even consider me. That is awesome. I think ultimately, the serious go getters that are out there on this site will undoubtedly work together in many ways down the road. It just makes sense!

Cool to hear about Sully! Like I mentioned, he was just a big part of this site so I'm sure many miss him. Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. Seems like a great time for a power nap!

I got to be ready for football starting later tonight!

Thanks,

I have enjoyed and still love learning from everyone on these forum. To me all of you are a Godsend for myself and many others. We do need to treat God always #1 and he is of course #1. People I have noticed that what I have read has God our Lord Jesus in their hearts. I think that businesses, that have God in their lives and practices it through their profession they succeed many times over. I don't believe in Religion there is only one God and one Church and one Cross and my friends it is our Lord and God Jesus as all of you know. If we grow in faith and this awesome opportunity everyone who are serious will succeed. When I first read DG Profit from Real Estate Right Now. I see myself succeeding. I look at myself and I can and will do this. What an awesome way of helping others out of a very hard bind. Never stop learning read and take action. After I wrote what I wrote last night here. I have been getting phone calls of opportunity of working with other Investors and Realtors. I just need to stay focus on God and helping others and the rest will follow. I just say God is always amazing and wonderful even through crisis. I love God and Love people only through Jesus I can do it. I really love to see scripture on these forums. What a motivator. God Bless all of you and many successes to all of you. Thanks for being here. Tom

Wow, Wow Wow.....

Was today really for real? Exciting news on my front that could be really big. I woke up early this morning to get my girls ready and off to school. When I got back and logged into DG, I had a PM in my inbox from a fellow DG member, so I was excited to read it.

For those that don't know, I have been pretty determined / motivated to create a great "EDGE - AZ" REI club or group. Well, I check my message and a fellow DG member wants to get together and potentially get something going. So, I give him a call and we have a great conversation; and we are definately going to get together soon with one more member of the DG group and see what we can come up with. Most exciting part is that this member seems to be a great guy, very motivated, and experienced in REI. He has actually just moved here from the Bay area just to take advantage of the great AZ real estate scene. I'm excited to have a chance to think out of the box and really committ to this group and make it a huge success! Thanks Nick for wanting to include me...

So, I finally get to my office and unfortunately, I walk in the door to find out that one of the partners for a partnership tax return I just completed had emailed and he was extremely upset, asking a ton of questions, and basically ready to take his aggression out on anyone who walks in his path. Now, I'm definately not the guy to shy away from controversy or issues, and would much rather tackle it head on, work it out, and move on to bigger and better things. So I prepared myself by trying to get all the answers and explanations together, took a deep breath, and made the call. Yes, it was extremely nerve racking becuase this guy can be pretty intimidating, but we started talking and eventually we were having a great conversation. By the middle of the conversation, I inquired about what he did, and he said he was heavilly involved in real estate and had been for many years. Now take into consideration that this gentleman has absolutely no debt and recently invested over half a million dollars for a small movie project without blinking an eye. He also mentioned that he was the single largest investor in the country into low income housing projects, urban development projects, etc. He is also easily worth probably 20+ million, and that may be a low estimate!!!

So, once again, I take a deep breath, gather up my courage, and ASK! "You think once we get all this stuff taken care of, that we can possibly meet up for lunch to talk about potential real estate opportunities and also just pick your brain?" Unbeleivably, he not only said that would be terrific, but he also mentioned he needed a CPA out here in AZ for his 47+ partnerships!!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!

Now, if you remeber from my 8/10/09 post, I feel I'm ready to jump into the REI game, but a little fearful that once it all started happening, I wouldn't be able to keep up or find the right investors, backers, buyers, etc. I think after today and the potential it may lead too, I might not have to worry about that any longer. Let's hope and pray so!!

ABSOLUTELY GREAT DAY!! Who could sleep at all now? lol

Have a great Friday everyone!

Robert,

This is the type of guy we spoke about this morning, a real game changer for you. Good for you, we'll get together and get some idea's for the future, maybe we can get some educated questions together for you to ask your possible new client.

I look forward to moving forward with you on a future projects, at the very least, on getting the group going.

Regards,
Nick

That's awesome news Rob, congrats!

Does CPA stand for Certified Public Accountant?

That really is incredible... just by asking him what he did for a living opened up a HUGE window for you.

Good luck, and let us know how it unfolds.

-Steve

we don't have time to sleep this is our market. lol......

congratulatons robert that is fantastic.

good luck and happy investing !!!

That is so awesome Robert what an awesome opportunity. Great Job by not giving in fear. JUST DO IT! Great success and I am praying for you. Again Great Job. Tom

Today was a slow day from the REI perspective for sure. An unfotunate thing for probably many of us is that sometimes the "main" job has to be pushed to the forefront. So, today was one of those days... I continued to put out a lot of fires with issues, questions and concerns from clients. It seems with this economy thing going on, everyone is quite simply worried.

I know when the time is right, I will definately introduce my customers to the REI world in some capacity. I'm sure many will want nothing to do with it, but if I at least make it known that I'm now a real estate investor, something down the road many happen.

Good night everyone.... I'm going to bed. REALLY!

Well the networking and interaction with others, especially on DG.com, seems to be finally paying off. I have met some really great people out there and you all know who you are. Thanks to everyone for the support, kind words, and great conversations.

I met this weekend for our first official meeting for the group we are putting together out here in AZ. Thanks Nick & Craig for taken this totally serious and making it happen! I'm excited to say we will be having our first meeting tomorrow, so its ON!! I said some time ago, that I definately wanted to put one heck of group together and this is just the beginning. "EDGE - AZ" is coming so get out of the way, unless your getting on board!

I got some really good things popping and I'm starting to get a pretty good idea of where I want to be with REI by the end of the year and how to get there. Look out baby!!

Hoping the rest of you have a great weekend!

What a nice day, but you talk about hot!! Of course, gave thanks to God and went to church this morning which is always an event with my little monsters running around constantly. I should just make it a point to go right into confession after the masses end, just for having to deal with my kiddos. lol Sometimes, it's not too pretty....

Anyway, did a little bit of reading today, worked on a few projects around the house, and TOOK A NAP! Boy, I can't remember the last time I actually took a nap. But after this past week, I needed it. Now, I'm ready to hit next week running, especially with our first official meeting happening tomorrow! I'm pretty excited about that and look forward to meeting everyone that is attending.

Overall, it was a pretty awesome weekend. Great REI stuff, projects getting acomplished, and having a little bit of fun with the family. Now how can you beat that?

Take care everyone and have a great week! God Bless!

Well, Bomber, looks like you are OFF AND RUNNING! That is amazing! And you've got a strong start with a collection of people from the greatest REI group there is!! DG Fam, of course!
Great job!!

Hey, as long as you are on hold for WI props , seriously when you guys get going and start rounding up AZ properties, I know who to go to to find a vacation home out there. Find some great property managers, too! That will make all the difference in the world for out-of town investors, such as mua (I don't know how to spell that. lol)

God bless and keep it up!

Rina

Hey to all my DG peeps... Hope everyone's weekend went well and your all now off to a good start for this week.

Well, today we actually had our 1st meeting and got four of us to show up. Yes, I met with a few DG members on Saturday, but that was to only get the ball rolling and officially set up the plan for our first meeting. Whether 4 people is good or bad, it is indeed something. I'm sure as time goes on, the numbers will increase. Especially as we start pumping out huge success stories!! lol I can only hope that for all of us.

Tomorrow, I finally get to meet my potential "big" investor for the first time. Now, this meeting is strictly for my clients benefit, but I'm definately hoping to be able to set something up with Mr. "Big" (Wasn't that guy in Sex And The City??? Oh, well... Have to ask my wife! ) so that we can sit down one on one and explore some REI opportunities together. I need all the luck I can get...

Better get some rest!

Rina, you know I will! Especially for mua... or, you ... well, you know what I mean!

Like I said, I really do see that we will all start working more and more together over time. Besides, the many REI groups that are all over the place in each of our own cities, this certainly can not be mistaken for possibly the best REI group. It happens with the little groups, why not this one? Besides, you and Laura already proved that it was possible!

Have a great Tuesday!

Well I was amped up, all ready to sit down with Mr. Big but unfortunately he awoke to 6 inches of water running out of his guest house. So, we have postponed the meeting for tommorow. Gave me a little more time to catch up on some other work and ensure I was armed witht the right questions!

We will see how tommorow goes!

Take care and God Bless to the entire DG family!

Well today I felt what it was like to be in the big time! I was able to sit down with Mr. Big as I had already posted. We met to discuss a client's business but I was able to speak to him a little bit about real estate and developments.

He is really big into taking advantage of "tax credits" and he noted that in the course of his career, he had acquired over a BILLION dollars in different tax credits. Now that is a ton of jack! I also found out that there is quite an aftermarket for tax credits! It really was amazing. Do you realize how much money you need to basically invest to acquire something like a billion dollars in tax credits.... Big Time!

Well the good news is that this gentleman definately wants me to help him from an accounting and tax situation, but he was also open to the idea of working with me / mentoring / possibly partnering with me in real estate and other development projects. Hey, he started somewhere.... Why can't I? Big Time!!

Here is why I mentioned at the beginnig of this post why I got to feel what it was like to be in the big time. See, during our meeting, he had an important call he had to take on a large project he was doing down in Tucson. I said, sure, take your time... Well, in the course of 10 minutes, I literaly saw him introduce himself to this person on the other line, and by the time he was done 10 minutes later, he had committed himself to a 10 million dollar deal! He then, get's back off the phone, appologizes for making me wait, and we jump back into our 1/2 million dollar movie project we are originally meeting for. Now at this point, I'm like thinking to myself, wow, I just saw him complete / commit to a 10 million dollar deal like I would commiting to buy a Bic Mac!! Now that's Big Time!!!

I look forward to hopefully being able to work more with this gentleman.... Mr, Big! I know he is busy and probably has everyone tugging on him for a piece, but if I can show that I'm motivated, have a good knowledge of the atrategies that are available, and most importantly create win win profit opportunities for him, maybe he will give me a shot at the Big Time! Oh, and by the way, I have been informed he is well worth over 100 million! BIG TIME!!!!

I hope all your "Big Time" dreams all come true!

Today was a rough one. One of my partners in my CPA firm just had a stroke and is currently in ICU. I also found out one of my long time clients went in to have a basic surgical procedure to remove some cancer that had been discovered. Unfortunately, something went wrong and he is now fighting for his life.....

I pray they both recover soon!

Then, to kick it all off this morning, my battery was dead due to the unbelievable heat here in AZ which caused me to miss an early morning appt.

Some times there is simply nothing you can do but keep your head up and have faith things will get better. So, that is the plan and I ask you all for your prayers for these fine 2 gentleman!

God Bless,

Robert, they will be in my prayers today..

We will also have these 2 gentlemen in our prayers today. God Bless and take care. - Joe