Hi All!
I first want to say that I love this website. It is so positive and everyone wants to help.
I received Dean's books Profit From Real Estate Now" & "Be A Real Estate Millionaire" about 45 days ago. I have been reading through his books and am on my second read with PFREN and taking notes.
I think that I am a very good judge of character and believe in Dean, his information and that he is the real deal.
This is my first entry into my Investor Journal. I figure that if I intend to move forward with Real estate investing, then I have to actually take action and put myself out there! So here goes!
Reading all the forums and posts from the dg.com site has prompted me to move forward.
Here is my list of assets/motivations and action items:
Location: Central New Jersey
My Assets:
Web design/development freelancer
Marketing: designing brochures (mainly real estate) / postcards
Photographer: I take real estate photos to design the brochures
Real estate licensed (referral agent) - I was an agent for a grand total of 9 months -- bad timing.
Many real estate contacts (this could go either way if they aren't open minded)
My Motivation:
Pay off bills & loans
Be financially independent
Help out my family financially
Have a nice retirement nest egg
Give back to the community
My Action items:
1- Get my real estate team together:
a. Realtor
b. banker-mortgage brker
c. attorney
d. handyman
2- Build my website to get Sellers & Buyers list and provide information to potential
3- Look for feasible properties in the area
4- Join local REI Club
5- Start a members group for Central New Jersey (not sure if there is one already)
6- Find a Mentor -- can't afford Deans Success Academy YET but will join soon.
7- Created a Google group for my investment company -- anyone want to join?
Please pm me your email and I will invite you.
8- Create separate Twitter account / trulia / zillow
9- Create separate gmail account
10-STAY FOCUSED
Ok -- that's it for today. I will post shortly my progress.
If anyone has any advice -- I'd gladly take it!!
Happy investing!!
Welcome to the DG website and congratulations for taking action and starting your journal. Dean's books are great and are packed with an abundance of information and strategies. Good luck with real estate investing. Believe and Achieve!
- Joe
YOU TUBE CHANNEL - Follow me on my You Tube Channel at Joe Jurek Real Estate Investing Adventures
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiko62V79zLKX_owbirAYNA
TWITTER - Follow me on Twitter at Joe Jurek CPA
Joe Jurek CPA
https://twitter.com/JoeJurekCPA
Hello Joyce I see we kind of joined around the same time and alot of your goals are relative to mind. The action steps you set up are great and I believe should benefit you greatly. Just your one journal entry has helped me in finding out what my next step should be, so thanks for the help, and I wish you well in your investments I believe you will accomplish all your goals especially with those action step!!!!!! GOOD LUCK
"Progression beats any recession"
Good faith on all future ventures guys
Stay Blessed
Calvin
Thank you go for your welcome and encouragement.
I see that you are highly active in this forum. How long have you been in the real estate investing business?
Good luck to you too! I'm glad I could help - Surprising as that sounds to me!![Smiling Smiling](http://mail.deangraziosi.com/modules/smileys/packs/example/smile.png)
Here's to an extremely successful real estate investing career! Cheers!!
This is my research and if anything here is erroneous then PLEASE correct me.
I've noticed in this forum that a lot of people are talking about bird-dogging/ assignments / finders fees as a way to start off with no money down/and with some questionable credit situations. So I decided to do some of my own research to get my head around it. Since I'm a big believer in learning as much as I can from many sources, I googled it and found some good information. (obviously Dean has the best info - there is no debating that). Some of this information I found is old -- but I don't think that the concept has changed in research methods.
Dictionary
bird-dog (bûrd'-dôg), v. Also birddog. To observe, follow, monitor and/or seek out with persistent attention.
(source: dictionary.com)
In real estate:
Bird-dogging is someone who identifies a good real estate investment opportunity and puts the property under contract with the sole intent of assigning that contract for a fee to an investor to repair and resell.
Investor frustrations:
I've been reading online that many investors are frustrated with New Bird-dogs that don't have a good understanding of this business and are out-bidding professionals for a property without taking into account all costs associated w/ rehabbing & selling the property. They don't do proper due-dilligence in figuring out every detail to forward on to the investor.
Bird-dog frustrations:
The Bird-dogs assign a good contract to an investor, who tells you they can close, and then turns around and assigns your contract to someone else that can't close. The deal doesn't close and no one gets paid. (More research on this to follow)
BIRD-DOG DUE DILIGENCE
Steps to analyzing a property:
A. Get comps of recent solds in subject properties neighborhood (6 months)
B. Find out average DOM of neighborhood solds (days on market)
C. Use the lowest or average selling price per square foot to estimate the selling price
(to see if there is enough room for a profit)
D. Estimate repairs accurately (within 20%)
E. Know Holding Costs
(The investor needs to knows how much it will cost them monthly if the house does not sell. If the average Days on Market is 90 days then the investor will have to figure that as a cost to them (in loan payments if applicable))
Purchase price
+Assignment fee
+Repair costs
Example of worksheet:
Max Selling Price: $150,000.00
(if house sells right away)
Acquisition Cost: -$7,500.00
Title work, insurance, loan fees & assignment fees
Repairs (estimated) : - $9,000.00
Four month Average. Hold Cost : -$4,900.00
Min Profit (15%) : - $22,500.00
Misc expenses (5%) : - $7,500.00
Cost to Sell (5%): - $7,500.00
If listing with an agent + closing costs
Max Purchase Price : $91,100.00
Additional (Not covered by loan) expenses : $7,500.00
(Source: http://dhlc.blogspot.com/2004/11/bird-dogging-101.html)
As in life there are no shortcuts to anything -- skipping due diligence process on Bird-Dog research is not a shortcut I will ever take.
There is still so much to learn..............yikes....feeling overwhelmed
I have enjoyed business and read books for a number of years. My wife and I purchased Dean's book "Profit from Real Estate Right Now" several months ago and were lucky enough to attend Dean's live Edge Event in April. We are learning each and every day and having so much fun n real estate and on the DG website. Good luck on all your deals. Believe and Achieve!
- Joe
YOU TUBE CHANNEL - Follow me on my You Tube Channel at Joe Jurek Real Estate Investing Adventures
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiko62V79zLKX_owbirAYNA
TWITTER - Follow me on Twitter at Joe Jurek CPA
Joe Jurek CPA
https://twitter.com/JoeJurekCPA
Thank you so much for this information Joyce. Just what I have been searching for. I too am new to this and appreciate all of the help on this site. Much success to you. Thanks Again!
Andrea
Let's ALL be a part of the winner's circle!
Keep your EYES ON THE PRIZE!!!