Linda's (from Indiana) Journal

last night we went to Outback for a good gluten-free meal. when we came back to my Aunt's house, one of her grandson's was coming out of his Mom's house and getting ready to leave. (her daughter lives right across the street.) i have not seen any of them in years and my second cousin is a little older than my kids. i found out he got his realtor's license 3 years ago but is not doing much with it now because of the market. i suggested doing L/O's but immediately was told that you can't do that in this area. does that sound familiar? where have we all heard that before? no amount of talking would convince him. he said everyone here only wants an REO and they are selling like crazy, and not to just investors. i don't see how that can be since most homebuyers cannot get loans. but, this is the usual opinion of most realtors and that is why they can't sell their houses. especially in these times, you have to be able to think outside the box. something to think on. have a great day!

i ended up coming to my daughter's a day early. my grandson got sick at day care and had to be sent home, so he couldn't go today either. i left AR at 3:22pm yesterday and got here at 6:10pm. the drive was pretty good, except when i hit driving windy rain here in Tulsa. for about 5 minutes i could barely see and had to go pretty slow and listen to my GPS in construction. not my idea of fun. my daughter's new house is so big, the rooms are huge. it's beautiful and she has done such a nice job of decorating. she had to go to a meeting at the office today and my son-in-law, who is off today, took my grandson to see his other grandparents before they go out of town. we have had a very nice time all ready. i have to email my friends to let them know i'm here and confirm when we will meet. i have been reading those 2 books i started in the hotel on Monday night and it's getting better and better. i want to be ready to take action shortly after i get back home.

we are experiencing very high humidity. not unusual for OK, but i am not used to it anymore. the HVAC guy for my daughter's home is here checking everything out because the air conditioning does not keep the house cool during high temp/high humidity days. one thing you want to make sure of if you buy a property to hold is that the air conditioning unit(s) is/are big enough for the property. in Fort Wayne, builders are putting smaller units in and pocketing the difference in price, not telling the homeowner. it is very profitable for the builder and the owner is stuck with a unit that will not cool the home properly. we did a little shopping after dropping Grayson off at daycare. he loves his Diva (what my grandkids call me)! he's such a good little boy. Danelle has a doctor appointment this afternoon, so we will go to Whole Foods after we pick up Grayson and before seeing the doctor. i love Whole Foods; gotta get some gluten-free food there and the great lotion and shampoo we use. i have confirmed my appointments with my REI friends for Saturday and Sunday, so i'm really looking forward to those visits. i'm sure someone on this website has mentioned this before, but if you want to wholesale REO's, put them in an LLC, putting the LLC as the buyer on the contract and sell your LLC to the end buyer. hope that helps someone out.

i am "home alone" until 2:30pm. i think i need to get a little rest. Grayson is wearing me out. not only that, but my son-in-law set the alarm wrong when he left around 2am this morning. when my daughter stepped into the living room at 5:55am, the alarm went off. i was sleeping and when it woke me up, i was trying to remember what tornado sirens sound like. i sleep best when those go off. Grayson woke up when Danelle rushed into his room to make sure he was in there. i asked her what she was going to defend herself against an intruder with. she said she forgot to think about that; she just wanted to make sure Grayson was OK. i had put special conditioner in my hair for the night, so i definitely would have scared any intruder off and they would never be brave enough to return, believe me. i am really getting into my book on having a constant positive mental attitude. in a few journals on here i have read where the journaler has written that they wait for the deal to go bad because they all do eventually. REI is not gonna work very well with that attitude. i don't think we realize exactly what we are saying and how powerful our words are. Richie from NY is an example that comes to mind about never giving up and his positive attitude. now that things are happening, he is beginning to see that persistence and positive attitude pay off. there are many others on here like that as well: Laura, Erika, Lea, Joe and Stacy, Rina, on and on. we're only gonna get as far as our words take us. i hope everyone keeps that in mind. it works for any situation and we need to quit griping and complaining and talk positive about what we have and what we want. it will really change our lives.

Just wanted to drop in and say hi. Sounds like you are having a fun time in Tulsa.

That is funny about the alarm going off early (I guess you really are living on Tulsa time ) You are so funny and I was laughing at this post about the morning start

You are so right about how keeping a positive attitude can change our lives!!

Continue having fun (hope you get more rest tonight ) and thank you for keeping us posted on everything.

Lea

so glad to "see" you here. i am missing our Friday calls all ready. how are the deals going? you know all about keeping a positive attitude, girl. only 3 days and the new baby will be here. i'm spending this weekend on real estate investing so hopefully that will tide me over for a few days. take care.

just saw my friend off for the day. we met at Abuelo's for some Mexican food and they had a very simple gluten-free menu. i wasn't able to eat my favorite meal because they put flour in almost everything, but i was able to eat gluten-free and it was okay. Cynde and i had a nice visit there, then came to my daughter's for a while too. Grayson wanted his Diva, so it was a little hard to talk over his fussing for me, but we did get to talk. they want to get rid of their 2 rentals and i suggested L/O's of course, or doing contracts for deed if they can do a deed in lieu of foreclosure. she will talk to her husband about it, then check with their attorney, who is very thorough. her husband really loves to do rehabs and i talked to her about going out on their own again and dumping the partner. i don't think the partner is a bad guy, but i do think he is way too busy and not keeping up on things he should. i'm always very opinionated, but they still need to do whatever they think is best for them. i just hate to see partners abuse their partnership, even when it's unintentional. hopefully the next time we get together, we can talk without all the "noise" and be more specific on what we want to talk about. today we talked about lots of things because we haven't seen each other for a year. i would love to be able to fix that.

Danelle had a baby girl yesterday at 12:46pm. her name is Gentry Leigh and she weighed 6lb 13 oz and is 19 3/4" long. she is so tiny and it's very hard to resist her. i am not feeling real good (everyone was getting over something when i got here) and so i have to keep my distance. very hard to do. i have a feeling she will be very independent and let you know what she wants. she was fussy until they gave her a bath, then we couldn't get her to wake up to eat. she'll be awake more today. Danelle did fine and will be home tomorrow or Friday. i found out my application for medical insurance was closed. got them to open it back up. they are really difficult to deal with and it goes back to my doctor's office not sending the information i requested. i am not happy about that and emailed them this morning to let them know i may be denied insurance because of it. Desiree helped me list several things on ebay Sunday. we'll see how that works out for me. not much on the REI front for now. i hope to get back to it soon, but other things are taking precedence right now. i know that i am chomping at the bit to get going on my L/O's and get some deals done. I CAN AND WILL DO IT!!!

Linda, congratulations on your new grandaughter She sounds like a fiesty one (gee, wonder where she gets that from? LOL) She has been given a beautiful name. Get better soon so you can give her lots of close up attention.

Sorry to hear about the insurance co. snag but you'll get it to work out.

I'm glad you got to meet up with your friend. It would be fantastic if you to can work together someday, soon.

Will keep you posted on those deals. The offer is in.

Have a wonderful time with baby Gentry Leigh and you're whole family.

Lea

thank you. she is so darling and will grow up before we know it. brother Grayson isn't sure what to think at this point. it will be interesting to see how he acts when we bring her home. can't wait to hear about those deals. glad you got your offer in. when do you think you will hear back? how exciting!

I sure do miss our Friday calls too. I'm not gonna' tell you ... until we talk again. Tee! hee! hee! Only joking. We should hear something in the next week, hopefully sooner. If we come to an agreement on the price I have a buyer who wants us to contact him first. He's purchased bulk properties before.

Have fun with the baby and your family!!

Lea

i am missing those calls too. we will start up again when i get back. right now i get to change diapers, feed babies, and all that good stuff. i think i have to cook too. can't wait to see what happens with those deals. great that you have a buyer interested. i'm having fun and i hope i survive it!!!

i'm at my daughter's house waiting to hear when they will be home. Gentry has been released but Danelle hasn't. Danelle is chomping at the bit to get home and get in her own bed. her husband has stayed with her the entire time, so she has had his company. i am still studying my books on positive mental attitude and L/O's. the 2 go together great!

Well congratulations on your grandaughters arrival LINDA!!

Glad to hear all is going well.
Sometimes its nice to take a breather from the daily grind of REI.
Enjoy your visit and take lots of pics
Keep up the intensity on those deals when you get back, and don't forget to call our friend Lea Her and Denny are on their way to a blockbuster deal and im probably as excited as they are lol.
good luck
Richie.

and thanks for stopping by. yes, i'm so excited for Lea and Denny to get these deals done. they have worked so hard and they deserve it. i've been following your journal too and you are going to town. it's amazing what doing that first deal can do for a person.

I'm so happy for you! Please let us know Grayson's thoughts on his new baby sister. I know Danelle can't wait to get home! Please tell her I said CONGRATULATIONS!

Thank you and Richie for your kind words and support!

Keep us posted on the family and REI.

Lea

thanks for stopping by. Grayson is very concerned with Gentry, but he can only do so much. he does love to give her kisses. you deserve our kind words and support. can't wait to hear about your payoff!

things have been crazy since they brought the baby home. Grayson has been pretty good with Gentry, but he is still confused about her place in the family. understandable. we took Grayson to pre-school this morning and on the way back i noticed a sign that said "home for sale" and underneath that, it said "Lease Purchase". i found that interesting. in case someone doesn't know, a lease/option and a lease/purchase are different and shouldn't be confused. a lease/option means the tenant/buyer has a lease with an option to buy if they want to. a lease/purchase means the tenant/buyer has a lease with the obligation to buy. be sure you are using the correct terms so there is no question when you do a deal. i myself will not be doing any lease/purchases but i will be doing sandwich lease/options.

it feels weird not to post just about every day. i am on here whenever i get the chance. i have a little time alone right now, then i will be cooking dinner. today is my daughter's anniversary but they are so tired that they will wait to go out to dinner when it's a little more convenient. i told them i would cook something up and they are good with that. i am hoping to meet with my friend again sometime this coming week and possibly a DGer. i leave a week from Tuesday to go back home. Chuck has been very sick since i've been gone and i've been down myself, but not as bad as he has been. today i finally feel better and am on the upswing now. i am excited to get home and get some deals going. i have to bite the bullet no matter what. i've waited way too long and i must start making things happen. i keep studying and being motivated by the posts here on the website, getting myself in ACTION mode. it's time! i hope you all have great REI adventures this week!

I finally had a chance to get caught up on your journal. Congratulations to everyone on the birth of that baby girl. I am glad to hear you are doing all you can to keep up on your REI efforts along with caring for all there. I pray that all goes well and you can get back home. It sounds like you and your husband are down with a cold or something. I hope you and he get that resolved soon. Thank you for keeping us posted.

Tim

Congrats on your new granddaughter! Man, I'm exhausted reading all you've been doing each day on your 'vacation' lol. But how wonderful you get to have all that time with your family especially at this magical time! Enjoy each moment

It is so kind of you to cook for everyone while they get some rest. Seems you always end up cooking somehow

Hope you get to meet up with your REI buddies. Thank you too for taking the time to keep us posted on how things are going in Tulsa.

I'm sorry you weren't feeling well but glad you are doing better now. Sorry to hear Chuck isn't feeling well.

You have great REI adventures this week too!

Lea

thanks for stopping by. we are truly enjoying the little one as well as her brother. sometimes the 2 year old wants to be the baby and we let him for a little while, then he is the big brother again. i am finally feeling better and Chuck seems to be having bad allergy attacks. hopefully he will be well by the time i get back home. sounds like you are keeping the ball rolling. hope you are feeling better.

thanks for stopping in. i'm exhausted too! i am really enjoying this time. i didn't get to do this with my other 2 grandkids, so this has been special for me as well as my daughter. i'm having to be creative with the 2 year old and i thought i was only creative with REI.

i can't believe i cooked! that is not my forte, but at least i did it. the meals turned out okay, but i'm ready to eat out. we're meeting my oldest daughter for lunch in Claremore and then i'm going to a friend's for supper tomorrow. we'll probably kind of cook together. oh, yippee. we'll talk REI too. i am feeling quite a bit better and each day seems to get better for me. Chuck seems to feel okay but sounds awful; probably allergies. i hope we get to talk next week! anything on your offer??

i am finally feeling better. i am not used to being around little kids all the time and it has been a real challenge for me. i wouldn't trade it for the world though. Grayson is almost 2 and he cannot say Grandma or Diva (what the grandkids call me) so he calls me "Maw". it's hilarious. i am living in the upstairs of my daughter's house and every morning he stands at the bottom of the stairs and yells "Maw!" anytime i go upstairs and he is looking for me he does the same thing. it is so cute. although it does make me think of Ma Kettle from the old, old movies. today i kind of looked like her. Danelle and i were running a couple errands and i told my son-in-law that the way she and i looked, we'd probably scare everyone out of the stores and get all our stuff for free. the son-in-law laughed. unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. i am meeting with my friend tomorrow night and i hope to talk more about REI. we didn't get much of a chance a week ago so i hope to pick each other's brains more and see what we can work on. as long as i get to talk REI, i'm good. got some more good information today on doing L/O's and i need to reread it and digest it better. more to think on.

Glad to hear you and Chuck are on the mend. I'm happy too that you are having such a nice time with your family and the kids too. You always make me laugh when reading your posts (thanks!) Very cute about Grayson calling you 'Maw' Hope you get some good REI time in with your friend at supper tomorrow night. I'm with you sister about the cooking thing

I'm looking forward to talking to you when you get back home. It seems like ages since we've talked. The owner called yesterday and left a voice mail. It wasn't quite clear to me exactly all the details he mentioned in the message. However he did say he is interested in our offer Fortunately he is educated about REI and understands what we do. He was dissapointed in the offer but said he knows that's how the market is today. He asked me to call him on Wednesday. Will let you know how this goes.

Continue having a fun time with your family and REI!

Lea

anything more from the owner? sounds like you are on your way. i can't wait to hear more!

i had a nice meeting with my friend last night. we talked about L/O's and lots of other things too. she made supper for us and was very careful to make sure it was completely gluten-free. Danelle and i were gone all day shopping and eating at my favorite Mexican restaurant. i'm sorry to say that eating gluten-free doesn't taste the same at all, but at least i was able to eat there. i just make the best of it and move on. i finally heard from the title company for my HUD deal as a realtor. i will be hearing from them in the next 24-48 hours by phone. i also got an email from my co-realtor who has been helping me. i forwarded what i got from the title company to him and asked about closing instructions. hopefully i'll know something tomorrow or Monday. looks like we could be closing right after i get back home. they need 4 days after receiving closing instructions to close and i have to stay on top of everything. i also have to get the wiring instructions to my clients but i do not want to let them know anything until i hear from the title company. there is no sense in getting them all excited until i know more. i can close Thursday afternoon or just about anytime on Friday of next week. it's kind of exciting and kind of scary too. i can't believe my time here is almost over. it sounds like i'll be back in a month or so since Jared is deploying early, but i'm hoping it will be after November 05th or so before i have to head back. it's nice to be here, but i have to get back to my real life too and get some deals going and done.

i have spent the morning getting my HUD closing set up and i'm really excited. it will be my first deal/closing as a realtor. now to get one as an REI. anyway, i got the title work and the wiring instructions (cash transaction). sent those off to my client and then when i get the settlement statement (HUD 1), i will send that off to the client too. she can check that out and also find out how much cash to wire for the closing. i should have the HUD 1 the end of next week. i will also call my broker and have him issue a check made out to the title company for the earnest money deposit. my realtor friend will come to the closing with me if at all possible. i'm keeping him up-to-date on everything. he's been really great. i was told that this took a long time to get to this point and it was unusual, but i really wanted to be at the closing and now i can be, so i figure God worked that out for me. my clients are ready to go with the rehab as soon as we close and i am so excited for them! after this closing i will need to do something special to celebrate. i will have to think on that!!!