Linda's (from Indiana) Journal

Sounds like it may be starting to roll!

We all make those silly mistakes like you did with the guy. We learn. Then next time we do better.

Did the woman interested in L/O call from your CL ad?

I tried to post new seller ad last night and AGAIN it said it posted but is not to be found. I was researching on there hough and I think it may not be that they are refusing the ads but there is some type of glitch they are having. There were a number of posts on the "Help" area having similar problems. Maybe it is just hit or miss. I'll keep trying.

Karen

i'm so ready for the weekend, although it will be a busy one. just scheduled a brain storming session for Sunday afternoon and that will get my juices boiling. it was snowing again today, but my car does really well in this stuff. i got 2 emails off my ads from yesterday, both T/B's, then i got alerts from CL saying they were pulling both my ads. there was nothing wrong with them and 2 investors have suggested it may be a competitor flagging my ads or that i was posting them again too soon. so i will only post a couple times a week and see if that makes a difference. one email asked if i work in OH and the city asked about isn't far from here. i found out that basically i need to go to the OH Secretary of State website and register as a foreign for-profit entity and then i can do business in OH. 2 investors have also told me that OH state law is pretty much like IN so it should be fairly easy to do a deal there. i asked the person when they wanted to move. we'll see what happens. i was talking to Lea this morning and had to cut her short because Jared called on Skype. i couldn't see him but he could see me, lucky boy. he seems happy and said he went on 2 missions this week. i asked how they went and he said "well, i'm talkin' to yuh". i told him that isn't what you say to your mother. we didn't get to talk long because he was trying to call all the family; just good to hear his voice. the delay in talking is a little tricky; he said the internet feeds through Europe or something, so it's weird trying to talk and then waiting for a response. i had my meeting with my investor friend and that went well. i was very honest and upfront with him, which is usual for me, and he took it like a man. he wants me to be a part of his team whether it's as a property manager or as something else. he is basically offering his whole property management platform to me, along with his training, and letting me have my own business within his business. i told him that i really have to work on my business and that if i work for him, his business has to come first. i had changed my mind about property management because of the time involved and so little pay. his properties are L/O's that i would manage and i could add my portfolio to the mix. anyway, we had a good talk and we are still going to work toward working together in some capacity, property manager or something else. i do want to have my broker's license first and he is in agreement with that totally. he said he trusts me and i know that is a huge factor for him. made me feel good about always doing my best to be honest, whether everyone appreciates it or not. on my way home i stopped in to see Chuck and then drove around the corner to my broker's office. funny, i haven't missed it a bit. i wanted to pick up some information on home warranties since i will be encouraging my sellers to get one. Veracity credit called me today and we talked for quite a while. they are much cheaper than the other company, but i'm not as confident about how organized they are for what i'm trying to accomplish. if i have someone who can't afford the other company, then i can put them with Veracity. i'm mainly concerned about how i can get the T/B set up with them and me being able to keep an eye on their progress. i think what they have to offer is good. my investor friend also gave me the information on a guy in Muncie, IN who does a year long program with T/B's and it is very inexpensive but he is very good. so far i have contacted 20 sellers this week and i want to get 5 more in before Sunday. i will keep up with CL seller ads (contacting them) and then i'm also sending out a few letters to expired listings. i need to get more envelopes and stamps and i am handwriting those, so they take a lot more time. i also have other websites where i can find more leads and i want to start "driving for dollars" too. Chuck and i used to go out on Sunday afternoons and look at houses and i asked him this morning if we could do that again. he said find us some houses to look at. for rehabs, they are mostly where we don't want to be. i do have some neighborhoods i want to drive through looking for FSBO's and vacant properties. i also need to make it a habit to go to open houses on Sundays. working on that one because i love to stay home on Sunday. i should be in church, but i haven't found one yet and i have a few issues there i won't go into here. one thing about CL, i don't need them to run ads. there are other websites. i can just contact the sellers and when i have a property to list for sale, then that should be ok. but there are other websites out there too and other things i can do. i've also been listening to some testimonials from another guru. i'm not planning on buying his program or coaching, but the testimonials encourage creative thinking and how they worked some deals, so very worth listening to. i also have a lead on some more information, so i have to follow that. in case you don't realize it, i am an information junkie. i attract it like a magnet! everyone have a great weekend! p.s. one thing my friend told me today is that he collects the money from the T/B for the full amount of the credit repair and pays it himself. i was leaning toward doing that and now i will for sure.

WOW !!! You are racking it up ! You've got the tracks hot . Good for you ! Go girl go !
You may want to watch how you do your business across the state lines . Some wording may put you in a situation where you end up with an EIN there and or having to get a resident agent . (Emphasis on may) Okay ! A number of states made me get a resident agent for my S Corp and 3 pushed the EIN plus .

thanks for stopping in. can you explain a little more in depth what you mean about the EIN and resident agent things? i am a little slow right now. i have an S-Corp in OK that i will use for deals there, but i'm the agent and they've never said anything about it thus far. it could change, but we will see. thanks for the heads-up.

okay, i am going to try to stay calm and make sense here. i just got off the phone after a 24-minute conversation with the Seller husband of the house i've been talking about. they have it listed with an agent for $3000 less than they owe and he told me they cannot afford to sell it. he's supposed to call the agent and cancel the contract because he can't go to closing with the money they would be short for the mortgage company and the realtor commission plus closing fees. i was very careful what i said letting him know i'm a realtor and that i can't offend the other realtor, and i'm not asking for a listing agreement. he said the only work the house needs is paint because when the tenants moved out they messed it up. i'm not sure the house is worth what they owe, although the realtor told them it's worth the asking price on the house. i have to add my fee and the credit repair fees onto the price. he said they only want to get out of the house what they owe and that's all they care about. i told him i'll get to work as soon as i have their paperwork and know that they are not working with the realtor anymore. he is going to try to set up a showing with the neighbor for Sunday and i asked if i could have a key, which he said yes to. the realtor part of me wants to see the house and wants to show the house. i really want to help them out because of all the traveling back and forth they have to do, and they need the debt relief or they will just let it go back to the bank. right now they are current on the payments. good thing i'm not excited at all. NOT!!! anyway, it's not anything until i get the paperwork, but it's progress and it's farther than i've ever gotten before! yay! i was getting more nervous the longer we talked and my stomach was full of wild butterflies. you would think i was a teenager or something instead of a grandmother! we'll see if i get that paperwork and get to see the house........i know that they just want out from under the property and i'm here to help with that.

My fingers are crossed and I am on my knees praying for the ppwk to move forward with this deal. It is your time and that time is NOW!!! You have been going hard and heavy and it sounds like your system is in placea and ready to go. I am excited for you......and I really needed to read this today.

Jr and I are driving to a college town to see a property Sunday, I for some reason (we talked about this before) really have a love for this type of area we have alot of them here and they are really building the colleges up and the town along with them.....I think it is a great opportunity now that is my landlord mind but I really want to change that into L/O not sure how but I will keep you posted.

ANYWAY cheers to you....Sister you are rocking and don't you give up. Best of luck keep us posted.

hey, so good to hear from you again. thanks for the encouragement and prayers. if you have a love for something, there is a reason. go for it. glad you are driving to see a property. student housing is very lucrative, but be sure you have their parents co-sign and become responsible for whatever their kids do, the payments, etc. sometimes parents will want to buy the house their kids live in and then sell it when the kids graduate. i had some friends in OK that had 2 sons going to the same college fairly close together so they bought the house, their kids lived in it until they both graduated, then they sold it. there might be a way for you to get involved with that. if you only RENT to students, just be sure to "cover your assets" so if they wreck the place, you go straight to their parents. if they have crazy parties and the police are called, you go straight to the parents, etc. have a very tight contract.

just a quick note. i got my last 5 Sellers contacted and we will see what happens. i didn't have much time for REI today, but i was determined to get those last 5 contacts made. i'm ready for deals!

Go Linda! 1st week into 2011 and look at you

Lea

I am SO excited about your new potential deal! I cannot wait to hear the results!

So you said the seller wants to set up a showing with a neighbor. Is this neighbor interested in being the T/B?

Karen

it's about time i got serious and did something....so i did!!!

the neighbor has a key to the house. i did not hear from them this weekend so i didn't get to see it.

that is about my least favorite word, next to no. i have not heard from the sellers and have not received any documents. so, i didn't get to take a look inside the house either. working on patience. ick! we did drive out to Churubusco and looked at the outside of an REO. the bank wants $24,900 for it and it might sell for $50,000-60,000. the town is nice and the schools are good. Chuck loves to talk about rehabbing; now if i can just get him to do it. sounds like someone else i used to know. we ran out of time so we didn't get to look at any other houses. between having to feed me and get some groceries, we didn't have time for anything else today. Chuck is at his buddy's trying to help with their sewer, septic, something. basically no potty in an old farmhouse until they get whatever fixed. i have been listening to a lot of testimonials on L/O's and grabbing onto anything about them. i believe in saturating myself with everything possible and it gets me moving toward what i have to do to make things happen. my sister is ready to quit her job. the Operations VP is horrible to everyone and uses the "f" word in every other phrase. it is very bad at her company and everyone is afraid of this guy. i find it odd my sister is intimidated by anyone because she is really tough. if he pulls anymore of these charades at work, she is going to take action. i just wish i could convince her to get into REI with me. once i have a few deals under my belt, maybe that will get her attention. no one should have to deal with harassment and treatment like that. i don't. at my age i always say "i'm too old and been through too much to put up with it". it's a shame to be afraid of losing your job and having to deal with such nonsense. i hope everyone has had a great prosperous weekend.

Hey Linda thought I would check in...I really hate to hear about what your sister is going through...I don't have a fear of losing my job but, I do understand what she is going through just having to put up with others stuff period. For me it is so difficult when I know I can do REI and it will work for me.....I am so ready for my options to increase.

I hope you hear back from those sellars so you deal can go forward....

Good luck and have a super great weekend!!!

I really appreciate you and what your bring to the table.

Let me know if you hear of any webinars on L/Os. I would love to listen in.

Wendy had a good one last week on estimating repairs. It was two parts. You may have been there. I read that you were on one of some kind. I thought it was very good because that is an area where I am weak (one of many). But getting stronger EVERY day!

Yippee!

Karen

thanks for stopping in. it was so nice to talk to you last night. one of these days we are going to meet in person. you know personally what a great thing L/O's are and that will help you in your endeavors.

i will try to remember. i still have to listen to Wendy's 2-parter because i don't do well being on them late at night. i get too tired and impatient. i also like to be able to stop the webinar and i take a lot of notes. if you're doing L/O's, you shouldn't have to worry too much about repairs. you can just do pretty houses if you want to.

despite still not sleeping well, i drank my Emergen-C and got down to business. i called again about insurance and might be able to get a little better coverage at a much lower price. that would be so great! i talked to the Team Leader at Keller/Williams and unless they get an office here, it really is not feasible to have them hold my license. it would be costly for me and them. the Team Leader said he has put in motion trying to get an office opened here and will keep me in the loop because i offered to help in any way i could. since he wasn't very good at calling me back, i won't hold my breath. he is a very nice guy and was very honest with me, which i do appreciate. i posted 2 ads on CL and one wasn't posted again. i will just keep on trying. i made up a flyer for sellers and one for buyers to hang at the grocery store tomorrow. i remembered to pull off one tab on each, like Chris Brindamour reminded me. i have not heard anything back from those sellers, so i will send an email tomorrow to touch base (follow up) with them. i contacted 3 sellers on CL today, 2 through email and one through text. i got a call back from the woman i texted and it was interesting. they have 5 rentals and want to sell this particular one in 3 years. i told her we can make the lease for 3 years and she was fine with me emailing her the information. i would be surprised if i hear back from her, but you just never know. i have 2 letters to write to expired listings and i will get those done shortly. because i handwrite them they take some time to get ready. i just got off the phone with a girl from the Indiana Association of Realtors about a broker's class. they are going to tentatively schedule one for the end of February up here in Fort Wayne and if they get enough interest, then they will have the class. i can do it online, but i'm not real crazy about that idea. the class is much less than what i paid just to get my license a year ago with a really bad teacher. i also talked to the Fort Wayne board to see what the costs would be once i become a broker. there's a one-time fee of $475.00, which is not bad, so it will be around $1000 or so to be on my own and do my own thing. well worth it, so i better get some deals done! i emailed one of my mortgage brokers (the one who bought the HUD house through me) and asked for help making flyers once i have a house under contract. she sent me a template and some information and told me to call/email if i need more help. i set up my sister on emails from the MLS on houses they might be interested in. Erika and i had a nice conversation last night and did some brain storming. i am kind of thinking about putting a mastermind group together for REI. we could do conference calls and set up times where we can brain storm and help each other with challenges, etc. just something to think about. i have a doctor appointment tomorrow so i will be gone a good portion of the day. but, i still want to get my 5 seller contacts done, no matter what. we'll see how i do. the doctor's office just called right now and asked if i could change to 2:30pm. i do group office visits; it saves me money and we all share our challenges and triumphs with our gluten-free eating and thyroid issues. the doctor's concierge is a wonderful young woman (she's the one who called) and said she had hoped i could change to the later appointment because i keep everyone laughing and help them to open up a lot more. a very nice compliment, but mornings work much better for me. not only that, but we are supposed to have 2-4" of snow by tomorrow evening, so i prefer to go early and get back home. i'm kind of in the mood to be snowed in for a day or two, but maybe i'm just dreaming!

we are supposed to get 2-4" of snow by this evening. you would think it would make some sellers more desperate to work with me. i went to the doctor this morning and i'm so glad i went early. i came very close to hitting someone on my way home, but thankfully i did not. my car does very well in this stuff, but just a fluke thing and i was braking hard and veering off to the side of the road. i did manage to stop in time and stay on the road, so i am very thankful. the doc is pretty pleased with my progress, but my thyroid numbers were a little skewed, so i have to have more blood work in 4 weeks just to keep an eye on it. i think it might be stress-related. on my way home i hung flyers at the grocery store. i was supposed to do it on my way to the doctor's, but i drove right past and didn't notice until i was way down the road. duh! right after i got home Jared called on Skype. the internet on my end was messed up this time, but we did get to visit a little. it's really hard to get used to the delay. he has been really busy going on missions and loving it. he did say he was sure he would re-enlist when the time came. i think the time is now so he must be waiting on something in particular. i didn't figure he wouldn't re-enlist, but you never know. i contacted 5 more sellers today through email and text message. i got another response from a seller early today and i think he's an investor. i told him i was an investor looking for sellers who would do L/O's. i haven't heard back. i emailed my first sellers (i can be very possessive) to touch base with them and ask if they wanted to move forward. no telling what their realtor may have told them when they tried to cancel the listing. anyway, if they aren't interested, NEXT! Lea called and we had a nice little visit about REI. now i have to work on changing my website around completely. i have never gotten an email back from someone who is supposed to be helping me through emails, so i am not very pleased with that, not at the price i paid for it! so, i'll try to figure it out myself and see what i can do. i am really tired this afternoon. i try to cram so much in each day and i think i will have to slow the adrenaline thing down. i asked Jared if he is sleeping (he has issues with flashbacks, etc.) and he said after the adrenaline rush and all that is associated with what he is doing, he is sleeping decent. i need to get my adrenaline under control.

i got a very quick response back from "my" first sellers to the email i sent earlier. she told me they cancelled with the realtor and have to fax him some paperwork. they intend to have my paperwork back to me this week and intend to move forward with me getting them a T/B. since the husband works in Cincinnati and it's a 2-hour drive each way, he didn't go to work today. it is still snowing here and he might not have been able to make it back home if he had gone to work. Chuck went to OH earlier today and it was bad out, so anyway we are playing a waiting game right now. she was very sweet and they seem excited to work with me, even the husband. now, i don't have any signed contracts yet so i'm containing my excitement. i probably should warn everyone that when i do get that first signed contract, whether it's with them or someone else, i will be going nuts!! that may be putting it mildly too. right now, until he can go to work, i will have to wait for the paperwork. one thing i remember reading a long time ago that i will share here: a lot of people hate the term "contract". for some reason it is scary to them, so talk about the "paperwork" instead. i guess that is supposed to put them at ease.

Linda, that is fantastic news. I have my fingers crossed!

Cathyb

I cant wait to hear!

Karen

thank you for stopping by and for having your fingers crossed. i need all the support i can get! i see that you are doing some fantastic things. way to go!

thanks for stopping in. i can't wait to hear either! just working on that patience thing. my favorite. NOT!

well, i overslept again. i've been so tired and draggy since yesterday, but i keep going. i wasn't able to do that before so i am very thankful i can do it now. i would really like to lie down and take a big nap! i contacted 5 more sellers today. one texted me right back and said they were sorry but the property is not for rent. i also got a call from a very nice businessman that replied to an email i sent. he can afford to wait on his house to sell, despite retiring and relocating elsewhere. he's in no hurry. he also can afford to buy the buyer's house and will sell it and then they can get a loan on his house. he's done that before, so he really doesn't need my services at this time. but....we had a very nice conversation and i mentioned him sending my way anyone he knows of that could use my help. i have felt more confident talking to sellers but i still prefer not to cold call. if they don't respond to my texts and emails, then they aren't interested. sending an email or text takes very little of my time and i'm still getting responses, even if i don't get a yes every time. i bought some course information from another guru and i had read that he is very bad about refunds. i ordered it anyway because i thought it was something more i could add to my arsenal, but it was on sub to's and they are pretty much illegal in IN because of the SAFE Act. there was no way for me to know it was on sub to's until after i bought it. i just emailed him to ask for a refund and his wife replied right after she processed the refund. that is a huge relief and i'll check on Monday to make sure it goes through. i hated to do it, but i couldn't use the information and there was no sense in wasting the money. there are plenty of other things i can use it on. i'm working on the website thing right now. i all ready have a website and i've had it for 3-4 years, but i'm never happy with it. i pay $25/month in hosting fees and i'm just not tech savvy enough to handle it, i guess. anyway, through someone else i have a free website and his VA will set it all up for me. i think i will go that route. it's much cheaper and i need to see about cancelling the hosting on that or what i need to do with that website. i hate to lose it or let it go stagnant because i paid some bucks for it and surely there is something i can do with it. i've thought about turning it into a coaching website, which is possible, i think. we'll have to see what i can work out and decide.

I just love reading your journal. I am glad the doc appt went good. I am really concern about your health. I have been working to get some weight off my energy level has been really low here lately. So I have been doing some changing with my diet.

I am also excited for the changes your biz is taking seems like things are moving in the direction you are aiming.

Glad you are hearing from Jared.

So I got up to page 13....wow! During the last few months of my pregnancy and the first few months of Zachary's life, and actually until recently,I really fell off of here, so it is taking me awhile to catch up!!!

Something I noticed ---"back in the day" when you started this journal, which I still can't believe is less than one year ago in March of 2010, I was in one of the journal pages where you said "I'm wondering how people get all these medals next to their name?" Made me laugh because LOOK AT YOU NOW....3202 points, all the medals and a deal diamond. (I still haven't gotten to where you closed your first deal...I will have to continue reading later and catch up!)

You have been on fire! I look forward to reading the rest of your journal and catching up

Congrats on all your success this year! I'm really enjoying your journal.
Louisa

thanks for coming by. things are getting better. i had 2 days where i was totally exhausted, but today i'm doing better. i've been putting in extra time working on my business and getting things going. i probably overdid it a little.

i'm glad we get to hear from Jared too. he's off Skype again today so i figure i know what he's doing.

so glad to "see" you! i like to post a lot. can you tell? they gave me credit for a deal i did as a realtor. i helped new investors get their first HUD property and did a lot of consulting. now i'm out for my first deal as an investor! thanks for all the good words.

i had a hard time getting up this morning when Chuck's alarm woke me up, but i've been moving right along. had to work on some insurance stuff first thing, but got that out of the way (happily). i contacted 5 more sellers and i got one response back. it was a no but they were so nice about it. i talked to Karen last night on the phone and i told her that even though i'm getting no's, the sellers have been so nice about it that i'm ok with it. and, every no gets me that much closer to a yes. i think i might want to work more on expired listings, but they are time-consuming. on the FSBO sights i contacted several who said they were willing to negotiate, but they must not be that willing. i'm reading an ebook on sandwich L/O's and trying to keep up with other information. it gets really hard sometimes. got a nice website set up and once i get it finished, i will post the link here. i'm trying to decide if i should pay $23 more to have it customized a little more or if i can do it myself. depends on how easy it is. i need a manual i can follow and then i'm ok if i have step-by-step instructions. i also worked on a NCND contract for my sellers and tomorrow i need to work on one for my buyers. i'm just trying to cover all my bases, but sometimes i wonder if i'm getting too carried away.