Linda's (from Indiana) Journal

Oh yea!! first REA deal in the bag. Way to go Linda! I was just catching up on your journal. Its hard to keep up with you lol. good luck on the closing and keep going.

Richie

YIPPEE! Congratulations on your first deal!!! You deserve it and I'm happy for you. Have you decided yet how you will treat yourself?

Good for your for sticking to your gluten free meals even when there are temptations. I understand where you are coming from. Not the gluten free part but I've been eating healthier these days. It gets easier all the time. It's a mind set

The owner has asked for a little more time to think about what he wants to do. He goes back and forth on wanting cash and not wanting to loose all of his rental income. I have some thoughts that could be helpful to him. Will talk to him on Monday.

Again, CONGRATULATIONS on your 1st deal!!

Lea

thank you. it's been kind of drawn out, but i'm excited to get it closed.

thank you. not sure how i will treat myself, but i'm sure i can come up with something. with all these trips to OK, that is the biggest treat for me. i have really stuck to the gluten-free meals. i'm not willing to take a chance on being sick like that again. just not worth it. yes, i think your thoughts for the owner will be very helpful. sometimes it's hard to be decisive when our life has changed so drastically and it's not in the way we wanted it to. been there, done that. i think you will be able to help him see things more clearly.

i can't believe it's almost time to head back to IN. the time always goes so fast. i talked to Jared yesterday and he is expecting to be in Tulsa toward the end of October. we talked about me heading to Fort Knox and then riding with him. it would be nice to have the company and i'll have to pack a lot less so there is room for both of us in his truck. he wants to haul his motorcycle back to his Dad's for while he's gone, then leave his truck with us because he needs it until he actually deploys and we are much closer. i think Chuck and i will have to go pick it up and bring it back. i spent several hours with my friend yesterday. we had a great time and she mentioned that she would be interested in doing research/due diligence for me here. i have been making some notes to myself about things to take care of when i get home, and i need to work out how i would work with her. this is something we have always wanted to do. i could probably find the properties and then she can look at them for me and take pictures. i could screen the T/B's but she would probably have some time with them as well. then it comes down to paying her and i would like to make it that she gets paid (maybe a percentage) on each deal i "close" that she has worked with me on. once i got nonrefundable option consideration, i could send her the "fee". so, we have some things to work out. i really want to get a few deals under my belt in IN first to get that "hands-on" experience, then get some deals going here in OK. that would give me a good excuse to come out here and "check on my properties", as well as see my kids. great tax deduction! if anyone has any suggestions, let me know. thanks. i got a message through facebook from a friend of mine who lives in IN, but is in truck driving school in NE. she used to be in REI, but some things have happened and she had to change direction for now. anyway, she asked if i would be interested in managing a property for an out-of-state investor of hers since she won't be around much because of over-the-road driving. i think she all ready has a job lined up. i would have to check with my broker, but if it pans out, that would be great. i am interested in property management and it would be good experience, but i know it will depend on the location for one thing. Chuck does not want me in the bad or questionable parts of town at all. i'm just going to go with the flow and if it works out, great; if not, great. (this will be a new thing for me - going with the flow. but i am practicing this religiously from now on.) through my friend here in OK i have learned a special lesson that i'm going to share here. i can be pretty tough to get through to and very bull-headed. some things have happened recently that i was not happy about at all and i was really bucking it all the way. i didn't agree with how they worked out and was really "struggling" with the way my prayers had been answered. i read something by Dr. Robert Anthony that talked about struggling and if we're struggling, we're not in faith. we're not believing God loves us and will work things out best for us. and let me tell you, i'm very verbal when i disagree with something, even with God. after reading that article, then talking with my friend, my whole attitude has changed. i'm grateful for the way things have been worked out for me, even if it's not what i wanted and i don't agree with it. it has really released alot of misery and i am more at peace than i have been before. i have to consciously make the effort, but it's been pretty easy so far. i am grateful and that is the most important thing. i think being grateful brings more good into our lives and i'm all for that. hope everyone is having a great Sunday!

CLosing on your first home as an agent must have felt spectacular! Go out and get 'em for you now! You're all set to go!

And, congratulations on your new grandaughter! Precious! And the 2 year old will be talking non stop before you know it! My son was the same; didn't say too much until 26 months, and then he started talking in sentences! My girls, different story. They all spoke before they were a year and saying sentences well before 2. Just wired differently! My 3rd was singing her ABCs at 15 moths! (I have video of it, because I thought it was amazing! But as mom, I'm a little biased! )

I understand your frustration over some situation that you disagreed with. Leaving it in His hands is sometimes very difficult, especially if you are a "doer" and that is how I perceive you to be. I have had some severe set backs recently and it has made me question God's motives or inactivity. Relying on the promises of God is sometimes really difficult to do. I have felt like He has not kept me protected from Satan, but then after listening to Joel Osteen, I have realized that He has me in His hands all along. I think you understand what I am saying. Keep up the good work. Your are an inspiration to many of us.

Tim

thanks for stopping by. yes, i am gearing up to go out and get my own deals. can't wait. i've been following your journal and you are quite busy. great job!

thanks for the congrats. i hate to leave but i will be back soon. the kids are great and i've really enjoyed them, although it wore me out.

thanks for stopping in. i totally hear what you are saying. i've had trust issues for a long time in this regard, but i guess i might as well get over that. thank you for the kind words.

thanks for stopping in. i totally hear what you are saying. i've had trust issues for a long time in this regard, but i guess i might as well get over that. thank you for the kind words.

it's hard to believe 3 weeks have passed so quickly. i am in Missouri for the night; had a good trip here but i was struggling for about the last 2 hours. even with such a short drive (6 hours), i was sleepy. i did get to drive on the Creek Turnpike for about 15 miles or so. that is my favorite highway for the entire trip and my GPS did not take me that way going to Tulsa. i decided to go that way regardless on the way back, but that is the way my GPS took me. duh! i listened to my L/O CD's on my way here, which helped me a lot. i have to listen to them again when i get home because i need to take notes on some of the information. hard to do when you're driving. i am locked in my room for the night and going to watch NCIS and NCIS:Los Angeles, then bed. i'll probably listen to some webinars and read until then. i got to the room early and i just want to relax and do what i want to do. i'll get on the road tomorrow about 10:30am EST so i miss most of the St. Louis traffic. i have heard many times that St. Louis is a great place to invest, but i think i will pass on it for now. i just want to get home and get back to my real life, whatever that may be. just got word that my yearly realtor dues are due October 15th and that is $540.00. i know that my MLS dues are due the end of October and that is another $143.00. being a realtor is a very expensive proposition. it has its advantages, but you really have to keep in mind the cost too.

I hope your trip home has been a good one! WOW Linda I had no idea that REA's have these kind of expenses. Thanks for shedding light on this. Thank you too for sending the pics - you have a beautiful family

Hope we get to talk soon once you are caught up. I've missed our conversations.

Be well and drive carefully.

Lea

pdqservicesinc wrote:

it's hard to believe 3 weeks have passed so quickly. i am in Missouri for the night; had a good trip here but i was struggling for about the last 2 hours. even with such a short drive (6 hours), i was sleepy. i did get to drive on the Creek Turnpike for about 15 miles or so. that is my favorite highway for the entire trip and my GPS did not take me that way going to Tulsa. i decided to go that way regardless on the way back, but that is the way my GPS took me. duh! i listened to my L/O CD's on my way here, which helped me a lot. i have to listen to them again when i get home because i need to take notes on some of the information. hard to do when you're driving. i am locked in my room for the night and going to watch NCIS and NCIS:Los Angeles, then bed. i'll probably listen to some webinars and read until then. i got to the room early and i just want to relax and do what i want to do. i'll get on the road tomorrow about 10:30am EST so i miss most of the St. Louis traffic. i have heard many times that St. Louis is a great place to invest, but i think i will pass on it for now. i just want to get home and get back to my real life, whatever that may be. just got word that my yearly realtor dues are due October 15th and that is $540.00. i know that my MLS dues are due the end of October and that is another $143.00. being a realtor is a very expensive proposition. it has its advantages, but you really have to keep in mind the cost too.

Amen to that sister! I have been a Realtor for 6 years now, and man do I hate end of the year MLS/CRS/Board/...on and on...dues. The funny thing is that I believe I have learned more from reading DG's books about doing "outside of the box" deals, than all of my RE training. Anyway, if I can ever help at all please don't hesitate to ask. Looking forward to buying my own L/O, or assignment soon.

thanks for stopping in, my sister. the trip home was good and God cleared out traffic for me. i was in one traffic jam due to construction, but it didn't last long. yes, those expenses are very high and most people getting into the business have no idea. glad you enjoyed the pics. if i get a chance, i will try to call you tomorrow. i've been planning on it for a month.

thanks for stopping by. what state are you in? we pay MLS dues every quarter, which i guess is helpful. i agree with you about Dean's books. i've invested so much in education and his books are excellent for a great price. i hope to hear about that L/O or assignment very soon. are you keeping a journal on here? if so, please send me the link. thanks.

i made it home before 5pm yesterday. i stopped by Chuck's office (it's barely out of my way) and surprised him. it's been almost a month since we've seen each other. poor guy, i finally convinced him to go to the doctor and he has a bad sinus infection. he's on antibiotic and should get better shortly. i had a doctor appointment first thing this morning that went really well and it looks like i am doing well and i know i feel better. usually after a trip like this i would be exhausted and in bad shape, but i feel good (despite lack of sleep) and am working on unpacking. fun. i have group doctor appointments and there is a lady that i usually have my appointment with. i talked to her a little today about me being an investor and realtor. since i talk so quietly too , i'm sure other people overheard me. i was listening to a couple CD's in the car yesterday about subject to's and it was very interesting. an attorney said not to use a land trust because it gives very little privacy and if you are not truly using it for estate planning, then the Garn-St. Germaine act does not cover you. it is actually fraud because you are trying to hide information from the mortgage company. he tells his students to actually mail a letter return receipt requested to the lender and tell them exactly what you are doing. they will either never reply and cash your check or reply and cash your check. only once in his years of being an attorney have they ever called the loan due. if they have been cashing your checks for several months/years and then try to call the loan due, they really don't have a leg to stand on. during this economic crisis, why would they? i prefer full disclosure and being upfront and honest, so i like what he had to say. using a land trust just adds more paperwork and doesn't really do what all the gurus have been saying it does. also, the due-on-sale clause is not a law, so you are not breaking the law by doing subject to's. i'm not really interested in sub to's, but it's good information to know. i will still be concentrating on L/O's.

CONGRATULATIONS !!!!! on your first realtor deal !!! exciting.....just got caught up on your journal and also congrats on the new addition to the family!! i hear you on the kids part,my wife has a daycare business and she has 9 kids !!!! wow when i get home at night it is like a football tackle when i get through the door.[only because i give them all M&M'S ] lol
with your positive mental mindset and constant studying you will make your rei deals happen in no time !!! i listen to tapes EVERY day on the way to work and home and have done so for a few yrs and i now know my mind has been programmed for success !!!! it becomes a habit to think of how to profit from deals.With deans books and this site and great people we can become successful FASTER !!
as a realtor you also have the added experience day in and day out of your realtor duties.i commend you on all your determination to learn more and succeed !!
jay

thanks for stopping in. i know how busy you are; i keep up with your journal. thanks for the congrats on the realtor deal. it's been a long drawn out process, but very interesting and educational. thanks also for the congrats on my granddaughter. i hated to leave, but had to get back to real life. that daycare business is a huge undertaking; i truly stand in awe of your wife. i am listening to CD's in my car and getting that mindset stronger every day. it's amazing how you can listen to things over and over and still get something new out of it.

man, i have been busy since i got home. last night i went to my sister's house to visit my Aunt, who is here from CA. she has been in the banking industry for about 50 years (she is in her early 70's and still working). i told her that Chuck and i were talking about going to the smaller banks around here and offering to "help with their REO situation". she said it was a great idea. the bank she used to work for was privately owned and they were rehabbing the REO's and renting them out to bring in money. so....i'm having some thoughts on that and hope to get those things hammered out before long. i had talked to my oldest daughter and her husband on Monday and Brian said the REO's are a huge deal at his small bank. tons of them. so.....again, i think we're on the right track. i looked over the HUD 1 (settlement statement) for Monday and it looks good. emailed my broker and asked for the earnest money check to take to closing. it's supposed to be ready by 4pm today. i will pick it up on the way to pick up Chuck for supper at Outback tonight. we're meeting my sister and her family, Aunt and her granddaughter. Jared is supposed to be coming here tonight for the weekend. we don't count on anything with him because he can be called to an "incident" at any time. when he's here, then we'll count on it. he could even be on his way here and called back. my daughter that had the baby just sent me an Amazon gift card for helping them out and i'm going to order 2 books Tammy (Zion Properties) recommends for building business credit. it's time to get going with that. over the weekend i will need to make a plan for getting that first REI deal going. if Jared is here, that might have to wait until Monday, but i need to get down to business. i am finally unpacked, except for the load of CD's i took with me. i have to put them all back in the courses i took them out of. i hope everyone has a great weekend!

my son made it up last night. it's so good to see him; it's been several months. he was so tired after being up since 4am and he got here around 8pm. today he's with my sister and her family and my aunt and second cousin. they went to visit my mom's grave. she is buried in a military cemetery about an hour away (my dad was in the Air Force) and Jared hadn't seen her before she passed away and couldn't come to the funeral because of bomb squad school. i thought it was really nice for him to go and all 3 of my kids love my sister and are very close to her. i had to get my hair done (about time) and Chuck had some things to work on at his Dad's. we're planning on making Jared a steak dinner tonight and watching the Notre Dame game. working on my list for next week to get moving toward a deal. it has to happen. lots to think about and work toward. hope you are having a great Saturday!

I know you and Chuck will have a fun time with Jared. Have a wonderful and successful week this week!

Nice diamond

Lea

yes, we had a nice time with Jared and he headed back today about 2pm. i hated to see him go. he had some great stories to tell and stuff to show us. we sent him back with all kinds of food and we know he and his roommates will eat it right up. i love my diamond too! thank you.

we had a nice visit with Jared this weekend and he and i are planning to ride together to OK in October. he'll just be back from some more training and will be doing a lot of driving. we plan to head back to AR on our way to see my Dad before getting into OK. he and i spent some time in the bookstore yesterday and while he looked for a certain type of book i was in the RE section, as usual. i did tell him to study anything on the Mossad because they are the best in the world. he bought 3 big books on really interesting stuff, including the Mossad. while i was getting my hair done Saturday, my stylist said she has another client who is a military mom. she apparently doesn't get along with her son and it's not a good situation. i'm so glad that i am close with all 3 of my kids. we're all honest with each other, but also very protective of each other. i may wish my son was in a less dangerous position, but this is what he feels is his calling, he's darn good at it and it's not my choice what he does with his life. i may state my opinion, but it's his life and he has to live with it. it's like when i moved to IN from OK. my kids said they would rather i didn't move away, but they understood and supported my decision. OK, enough soap box for now, but i appreciate that i have that with my kids. i found a book i bought a few years ago on L/O's so i am going to start reading that. i will be a hunting widow for the next 3 months, which means i'll have lots of weekend time to do what i want. mmmm, wonder what i can come up with??? oh, how about REI??? sounds good to me!

It seems you have many things going on most of the time. I have a hard time keeping up with all the CD's and books from DG too. I have complete most of the success academy, but there are more lessons to do. I admire you for all you are doing and yet have time for your REI business.

thanks for stopping by. i would say that all the DGers i know are very busy all the time. i still have a few lessons to complete with the Academy myself. glad you are feeling better.

well, i have my closing in just a couple hours. i had several things to check on and take care of before that, but i feel "good to go" now. it should be very interesting. i've had another busy day and i hope i don't fall asleep during the closing; i'm really tired right now. i managed to get through a month's worth of mail and balance my checkbooks. i found out that i cannot use my LLC with my brokerage and that is from corporate, not my broker. so, i will have them write me a personal check, which should be by Friday, then i will deposit it into my business account and go from there. i just want to make sure i'm showing that i am doing my best to make a living in my LLC and not just have it to take tax deductions. this should still make a paper trail and since it feeds through my personal taxes, it should be fine. i'm rather excited to have my first check. that should make me feel legitimate.

my HUD deal is closed. we waited 55 minutes to get to the closing table and the closing itself only took 15 minutes. i barely had to do anything; my buyer signed some papers and we were done. i did sign some stuff, but mostly i just sat there and watched the process. this morning i delivered checks to my broker's office and i hope to have my commission check by next week. i'm not sure how quickly the process goes. my client told me her husband got his real estate license after working on it for a long time (something i didn't know about) and he wants to rehab full-time. i told her "good for him and i admire you all being willing to take risks". i just noticed a beautiful 2-story home behind us that is up for rent. i remember seeing the moving truck before i went to Tulsa and it's not for sale or L/O, but just for rent. i need to get all my contracts and scripts together so i can call and see if they would do a L/O on it. if they agreed, then i would have to check the HOA to make sure it's allowable. it's just a simple sign in the yard like a FSBO sign, but for rent instead. i'm kind of excited. we'll see what happens. i need to give myself a couple days to get things together (i'm still playing catch up with everything) and i have a training at the broker's office tomorrow. i really don't want to go, but i probably will. i checked into all these realtor dues i'm facing this month. as a realtor, i HAVE to be a member and there is no choice in the matter. the price is really high for the benefits you get out of it, but maybe as i continue to be a realtor, i'll see more value in it. the only thing i can decline is the RPAC contribution for $25.00. it is political stuff and right now i'm not into any of that. just my opinion, but many times the realtors cause us investors a lot of problems and i'm not gonna support something i'm not sure about. Chuck and i met for lunch today and he was telling me that he wished he would have gone ahead and started his own business 20 years ago like he wanted to. i told him he can still do it and we can work on it together while he still has his J-O-B. he still doesn't get it. oh, well, not much i can do. maybe going out and doing a couple deals myself will show him the truth and make me a lot more confident about it. i am really tired today. i've been sleeping pretty well the last few days, but i am not caught up yet. way too much to do. i got to listen to Laura last night on the student call and that was very encouraging. she talked about how she had no self-confidence and how she has changed in the last 2 years. it was really good to hear her and she did a fine job of speaking. my daughter and son-in-law gave me an Amazon.com gift card for helping them out. i ordered one fiction book, a book on building business credit recommended by Tammy (Zion Properties) and The Law of Success by Napoleon Hill. this edition is from the watered-down 1928 version and i will be ordering the 1925 version after i get my commission check, but i wanted both versions. i think it will be interesting to compare the 2 and see what i can glean from both versions. one of the things i've been learning from my Positive Mental Attitude book and some other things i've been reading is "do it now". i've been doing pretty well with that since i read it. i also got a power question in my email that i really need to use every day: "what one thing can i do today, that i don't want to do, but i know
if i do it i will move toward my goal of ___REI________ ?" i sat down and made my order for those books and i emailed for some help with L/O's. it wasn't that i didn't necessarily want to do them; it's more about taking the time to sit down and do it. and i did! how about you?

I'm glad to hear the closing went well for you. Hope you get the check soon Good luck with the 2 story. I didn't know until you mentioned in your journal about the REA costs. There must be a benefit somehow to spending those dollars or nobody would do it, right? I'm sure you'll learn what that benefit is! I think you'll get Chuck to understand, you've accomplished a lot on this front already. That's very cool that you got to listen to Laura. Isn't Napoleon Hill the one who said to do what you don't like first when you have many tasks at hand (I'm sure he said it better than this.) It's so true because once the/those are done we feel so much better and things run smoother.

Lea

Wow - took two cups of coffee to catch up your journal this morning haha Glad all is going well - you are really moving and shaking things both peronally and in RE. Thats what it takes - learning how to juggle it all and still take action steps onward and upward! Congrats on your closing- very exciting, and thanks for always taking the time to post and keep us updated!

thanks for stopping in. i'm not sure if Napolean Hill said that or not, but i know someone out there said it. it's something i need to make a habit of and i'm working on that, as well as the "do it now". i am improving on that one daily. how are things going for you???