Success-Is-Certain...starts TODAY : )

Have you ever felt right on the verge of something really big and important and so anxious to see what's around that "corner" but also scared to death at the same time about how you know things will never be quite the same once you've made that turn? Well, that's where I am and although excited to get my first deal done, I'm also finding myself sabbotaging things in little ways and I'm not sure why except that it might represent my simultaneous hesitation to go into those new and unchartered waters.

It's at the point where I need to just start making offers and more offers and I haven't. Why don't I? Well, I tell myself it's because I don't have the right contract to use or because I might not find a buyer, etc. So does anyone have any advice as to how to get over that last hump? My mantra has been to just take action...but this last step has seemed bigger(and more daunting) than most.

My husband has been great and is even this morning asking "So, are we going out to look at some properties we can make offers on?"

I'm just going to take a deep breath (or two, or three) and TAKE ACTION. I'll update on Monday and I would LOVE to get a house under contract by this Friday (1/22).

Have a great weekend everyone...and on a separate note, if you haven't heard yet...a wonderful fellow DGer, Louisa recently announced that she is expecting. Congrats again Louisa!!

Suzi : )

I finally did it. I took the leap and made my first official offer on a property last night. I knew my offer was low, but not crazy considering the condition of the property, the location of the property and what the current investor still owed.

I checked my email this morning to find a flat rejection...no counter, nothing. But that's ok, I'm getting back up and moving on to the next great deal.

A question I have for anyone out there is how have some of you gotten around the "POF" issue when placing offers on properties with realtors. Transactional funding? Any input would be helpful...

Onward and upward,
Suzi

Well as another week comes to a close I find myself reflecting on what progress I've made...

I know I'm close but it seems as though each time I figure out one obstacle another is right there ready to take it's place. I did have a good talk with my coach/mentor earlier this week. He could sense my frustration and offered me this analogy. He said my pursuit of REI is similar to climbing a mountain. He said that as you edge your way up, you inevitably come across rocks and boulders. He reminded me that it's those very rocks (or obstacles) that I step on to get even closer to the top...my REI goals. So as long as I look at the obstacles as a tool to get me closer to my REI success they won't seem nearly as daunting. I didn't explain it exactly the way he did, but I think you get the gist of it.

So...my primary obstacle this week was finding a way to obtain a POF letter to submit an offer with w/o having my end buyer already lined up. I searched around this site some and found that it appears that Coastal Funding will allow me to download just such a document and then I only need to supply them with additional info if I actually use them for the funding. Cool!

With that knowledge I can now move forward with the business of making offers!

Onward and upward,
Suzi

Well...I've continued my forward action and took yesterday afternoon to just drive through some neighborhoods where I thought I might find some potential properties. I hadn't done that in a while and it felt good. AND as it turns out was quite productive. In a matter of one hour driving around not more than a 2-3 mile radius, I came across 9 houses that either appreared run down and/or vacant. I took down their information and went home and typed the addresses into my counties tax website. Turned out that 3 are in all likelihood owned by investors (they had a different address than the property)

So, I wrote up a brief letter explaining that I was a local investor that would potentially be interested in purchasing their property if they had any interest in talking to me. I mailed them out this morning.

I also received an email from an investor who saw my profile on a local REI website and asked if I'd be interested in doing bird-dogging for him. Why yes...yes I would : )

So, even though I've been expressing some frustration with being on what feels like the edge of REI success, I'm now focusing my eyes ahead and I know that deal is coming!

I'm also pumped about attending this weekend's Investor Palooza in Charlotte, NC. They're even giving away a HOUSE to one of the 300 attendees! I look forward to learning a ton and networking even more! That is one of the keys to this game, right??

So, I'll update everyone on Monday about how my REI conference goes (and if I won the house-LOL) and what my goals for the week are.

Take care DGers and happy investing!
Suzi

Good morning DGers : )
Well, my intention of checking in on Monday fell by the wayside due to some unusually winter weather here in NC. There was snow, ice and freezing rain. Now I'm used to that having moved from MA. However, what I'm not so used to is it being left on the roads because they don't have any snow removal equipment down here. So basically, it's been akin to driving on a frozen lake on most side roads and consequently schools were closed until opening after a 2-hour delay today. So, now that I can hang my "Mom" hat up and put on my REI hat (at least until the school bus comes home)I can get back to the business of making that first deal a reality.

Like I had mentioned last week, I did go out to Charlotte, NC for a 3-day REI conference. Boy, did I learn a lot...and get a large dose of information overload. Every speaker had their own "system" to pitch (which I knew going in) but there was a lot of useful knowledge mixed in to the pitches.

I got to meet investors from all over (Virginia, DC, Florida, Georgia, NY, Michigan, California, South Carolina...to name a few) and they also had an awesome component called "Club Palooza" that was open to any attendees children from ages 13-20. This also went on for the entire 3 days and during that time these amazing kids were taught all about financial literacy. Everything from creating budgets to being entrepreneurs to REI. At the end of the weekend these kids had a "graduation" ceremony where they each spoke about one thing they had learned. One boy's comment really stuck with me. He said that he learned that he would be able to "buy" his first house before his first car. How cool was that??? These kids had a whole world of opportunity opened up to them that could help them never have to get caught in the whole J-O-B (just over broke) lifestyle that so many of us have struggled through most of our lives. I know I'm definitely bringing my 2 boys next year to give them an edge I never had as a teen.

So...now I'm ramping up for another 3-day conference this weekend being put on by Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad group called "Choose to be Rich." My husband is going with me to this and I'm very excited because I know part of what's holding me back is not having fully switched to a different mindset. Meaning, I feel like I haven't fully committed myself to achieving (or believing I can) achieve the success in REI that I have said I want. I think going to this workshop will get me mentally where I need to be and hopefully give me that last push to make my first REI deal happen. I know that a large part of the focus will be on what he refers to as the cashflow quadrant (which if you've read any of his books will be familiar to you) and we'll be playing his cashflow 101 game which also helps you think about money differently. So I know I'll need to spend the next day or so packing and preparing my goals and financial statement for that which begins this Friday morning.

Finally, tomorrow evening is the first REIA meeting where I'll be serving as VP and I'm honestly a little nervous, but I know I'll do fine and it'll just be another way to push past my comfort zone to help get myself to the next level of confidence and success.

So thanks for checking in and I look forward to reading everyone else's success in their journals and blogs.

Talk to you next week : )
Suzi

VP?!!!!!! How awesome! You are already half way there to ruling your neck of the woods...in Fayetteville no less! IMPRESSIVE!! GREAT!!! I'm so happy for you!

It is almost 1:00am and I've got to get to bed...I just haven't had time to catch up with friend's journals, and just skimming yours lets me know I have some real reading and digging into do here more than what I can manage tonight.

But I caught that awesome piece of news, and I just know you'll be a great officer, and will have oodles of opportunities to network and also grow and help an organization which has the awesome reward of also growing YOU as an investor. What a great few weeks you have had!

Lots of "action" I have to catch up....will be back soon! Your page-turner-novel here is calling me back quickly...
CONGRATS!
Louisa
p.s. thank you for your sweet note above!!

Well...today is FINALLY predicted to be a much more typical weather day here in NC. With temps getting into the mid-60s, I'm planning on taking my husband over to a potentially great piece of investment land to walk it. He's a land developer/civil engineer and he's decided to throw his hat into the REI ring with me. I accidentally stumbled across this available land while picking up an item from a local stranger that just happened to be a realtor and just happened to be very interested in the investing side of RE. We wound up talking over a half hour and have a lot in common. It just helped to remind me that you never know when and where you'll meet people that can help you reach your REI goals and to treat EVERY interaction as a potential networking opportunity!

Also yesterday I went "door knocking" (at the urging of my local RE coach/mentor) I always get in my head about this but feel much better after actually connecting with three homeowners who were facing foreclosure. It wasn't as scary as I had psyched myself up that it would be and I tried to just keep telling myself that I'm here to offer them help to get through a very stressful and difficult situation.

So...my REI goals for this week are to keep contacting motivated sellers and to help pull together a needed board meeting for our REIA as we prepare to welcome a national speaker for our May meeting.

I'm excited to have been able to connect with some fellow DGers this week and look forward to catching up on journals this coming week, as well.

Happy investing everyone!

I've decided to use this month's very name to be my mantra for REI success! I will MARCH forward each and every day to keep heading to my goals!

The weeks have seemed to pass so quickly and I find myself not getting on here as often as I should.

I've gotten wrapped up in working with my Fayetteville REIA's other board members to rejuvenate and regrow our group into a valuable and viable asset to all REIs in our city and county and beyond. Our board has been meeting with event planners, internet/social media marketers and website designers to continue our big 2010 re-launch. I'm excited we've secured a successful national speaker for our May meeting and we now need to promote this meeting to capitalize on his upcoming appearance.

As for actual REI activities, I'd be lying if I said they hadn't slowed down and I'm working this week on rebalancing that aspect of my schedule.

I had a unique and exciting opportunity to help out a fellow REI colleague last week and I was very honored to be included in their latest endeavor and wish them much luck!! I wish I could elaborate more, but my lips are sealed : )

So...I'll check back in soon and wish everyone here much continued success in reaching every goal you strive for... MARCH ON!!