Have agent from copying Matts letter! In over my head? HELP SOMEBODY?

Christine, you at least took ACTION by actually doing something with the knowledge you have received, and that is the first step to success, so DON'T stop now, keep going...Your letter is the same that I sent out to some realtors a while ago. I was nervouse as well because I hadn't done my first deal at the time, so I was affraid I would say the wrong things. DON'T let fear stop you, I didn't stop and I closed my first deal a few weeks ago. If you really don't know answers to basic questions, you need to read more on the topic so you don't look like a total beginner. You were right with the "Fake it til you make it" comment because that's what you have to do, but you have to BELIEVE in yourself as well, and not fake that! Tell the realtor that you are currently working on your buyers list and actually DO IT. There are dozens of ways to build a buyers list, and if you browse this site you will find plenty of ways. Just be confidant when talking to the realtor and you will be ok. Explain to her what you want to accomplish and what her's and your roll will be in all this, and if she thinks she can help, you will be good to go, but if she says it won't work in your area or anything like that, move on to the next one, PERIOD! Keep learning as much as you can about this business and keep taking ACTION, and don't ever quit, and you will have no choice but to succeed. Get Dean's "30 Days to Real Estate Cash" book and read it over and over again, and do all the homework assignments in it and you will no doubt close your first deal!!! Good luck

I am in Seneca and I would love to network with you. I sent you a friend request on Facebook. Also I sent you a pm with my telephone number that you can call me tomorrow and we can go over some things to say to the RE.

Regards,

Vincent

Looks like you are new, but you sure are taking steps to your success. I think you will be fine, just meet with your agent and be honest about what you want to do. Will have to be some fake it til you make it, but also know what you are talking about when you do say something. If she is right for you then great; if not just move on. Also keeping your appointment does several things: 1) To show you are responsible and keep your appts ,and 2) you will gain experience and confidence. Best Wishes!

Hi, Vincent!

Charter just left after finally installing internet for me to use my laptop at home now!! Talk about a leap of faith...or a few leaps! I sure hope I/we can make something happen quickly.

Thank you so much for responding. I now have your information. Got to go to courthouse to look up properties as my action steps laid in Dean's book, but will call you before I go or while I am on the way to discuss how we might be able to help each other...(more like you helping me,,,lol).

Thanks again,
Christine

Dear Femailceo,

Your kind words of encouragement are greatly received and appreciated. You are right about keeping my appointment. It didn't feel right as I was typing it because I am a stickler about such things...thus an obvious sign of my distress for someone that knows me. I am a little better now after going back and rereading some of the chapters in the books of Dean's I live by. Also, there is another member in my area that has offered to help me and provided me with his contact information which has done a lot ot alleviate some of the stress. I don't feel so alone now,,and you are partly to thank for that also.

Thanks again and happy investing to you!!

Christine

One of the first few she most likely would ask you are:

How long have you been doing this???

What was the last property you sold and how much???

Once you answer those honestly, most likely the relationship is tarnished.

I would call them before you do anything and tell them the truth to see if its worth their time to continue.

Like i've said numerous times, don't put the cart before the horse; real estate is not like jumping rope and once you lie, especially if you don't now how to lie, you will get caught. And then you've wasted your time.

Do the right thing.

I did not imply nor tell her to lie. I think as I said she should keep her appt and be honest. I think it wouldn't hurt to call like you said, but I don't think she has to; she can just keep that appt and look like the serious investor she wants to be.

Thank you also Christine for your kind words. As you see you will get opposing views, and that is okay; you will sometimes just have to see which advice suits your personality, or weigh what you are told. Elix is speaking from the real estate agents viewpoint and is a much more experience investors than I, so you may want to heed his advice, or just keep the appt and if need be, just move on. Christine I did see that someone lives close to you who is willing to help; that is really great.

My advice was from a point of if it were me, I personally would be more ****ed off if you didn't tell me all this before our appointment as opposed to beforehand and giving me the option of taking the time to meeting with you.

I don't see the benefit in her keeping this appointment.

I have not closed my first deal yet, but i have been in your shoes when it comes to meeting with an agent. So in my opinion, first you have to see if she has wat u want in an agent. Have question to ask her also. Remember that us as investor HIRE Agents/Realtors. And just be honest & let her know you are new but u plan to close on deals once you get going & push to full speed.
Let her know you want to work with pre-foreclosure from FSBO(for sale by owners) so you can do wholesale deals.
You wud have to assign a LLC Company or do double closing if dealing wit a bank i think...

You deserve success no matter wat you have to learn or get through...
Best Of Luck & Keep Faith Alive

RE: My comment was not towards you in any way.

My advice was from a point of if it were me, I personally would be more ed off if you didn't tell me all this before our appointment as opposed to beforehand and giving me the option of taking the time to meeting with you.

I don't see the benefit in her keeping this appointment.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Well thats why its not your apptmt. She needs the learning process. Everything helps & i do know that...
Its not a waste of time at all...

Good Luck with what ever direction you decide to take.
Don't let no one hold you back.

Agents/realtors work WITH us as team members. We as investors MUST provide something of VALUE to THEM! Like the ability to actually close a deal! The knowledge needed to not offer on properties that will never sell to an investor and knowing our numbers on property values and rehab/remodel costs before we waste their time. After all, these people work for a living. We are not their "charity cases" or their all empowered BOSS! Business is business and this is the real world.

Christine,

It is always recommended that you have a plan and are able to present yourself as a professional in a meeting like you are setting up. Whether you are new or seasoned. The first thing you need to learn is the PRODUCT you will provide, how you will acquire it and how you will make money. This is business 101!! What do you need a list of cash buyers for if you have NO IDEA how to acquire the product you will provide them with?? Don't ask this agent FOR anything. Let the agent know the truth about where you are and what you want to do. (learn how to bid on the correct type of properties and make the correct offer so that you can make money when you fix/flip it yourself or wholesale it)

Good Luck,
Michael Mangham
Mentoring/Team Building Nationwide
MD Home Acquisitions LLC

We try and try, but some people just continue to want to touch the hot stove.

I'm all for wanting to get out there and such, but too many of these new 'investors' have this misguided ideal that agents are supposed to jump and run for them and owe them when they haven't so much as been inside a home is crazy.

Oh well.

RE:elixbrown
"Extremely Incorrect"

____________________________________________________________________________________

Dean always says WHEN you have the RIGHT Agent/Realtor on your team it can be a huge asset. So in a way we do HIRE them, because if they cant fit our needs as Investors, they are no need to be dealing with & to find that Agent/Realtor that will help us & not hold us back. I think of it as an interview process, i ask questions to qualify them to being on my team.

It may have sounded incorrect, but WE MUST look at it that way!!!!
BECAUSE I DO, Im Looking To Hire/Work With The RIGHT Agent/Realtor!!!

Did you ever go to the appt. Christine? If so, how did it go? If not, how did you get out of it, and what did you do next? This whole thread is time-based, so either update or delete it - whichever makes sense.

Don't mind Elix and Michael - they're simply two ivory towers in a sea of newbies. Elix hates when people think RE agents are slaves or servants, because he's an agent. Think about it! If you told people you were a chef, and they asked you, "How is it working at McDonald's?" you'd be just as offended and mad as he is.

The vets on this site are SICK of watching people jump over steps 1-10, start at step 11, and then freak out when they commit themselves to something they're not prepared for. It's the difference between "shooting yourself in the foot," or in the face. Mess up step 1? - You can limp away from it. The other? Well... you can't. Step 1 is step 1 for a reason. "Fake it till you make it," and "At least ACT like you know!" are different things, even if they don't sound different.

If you read ALL of Dean's books, front to back, in order, at least twice, highlighting everything important, rereading everything you don't understand, you'll see that the path has already been paved, lit, painted, and marked for you. Stumbling around in the dark will anger vets on this site. Pretending to be a pro when you haven't done anything yet will anger agents in real life.

It's alright to be desperate for success, but don't be so desperate that you wander out into traffic. That's dangerous for everyone who gets near you, and could be disasterous for you. Hope everything works out. Best of luck to you...

Thanks to Michael and Elix for sharing, two proven Realestate Investors, Leaders,Mentors and Teachers. We value your expertises greatly and you two are true treasures and we cant thank you enough for your awesome insight and experience, keep it coming my dear friends and fellow investors.Isnt life better for having you at our sides, much appreciated, Jim

for the kind words

I do commend you for taking action.

Build your business on a strong foundation. Be honest, don't try and fake people out (true players will see right through the lines and will know you have no idea what you're talking about). Keep learning, keep reading/re-reading, keep taking action, keep moving forward. Be honest!

This is a relationship business. Real estate is simply the vehicles/tools we use.

BE the person with whom you wish to have on your team and do business with. Like attracts like.

God bless,
Jen

I appreciate all of the comments, words of encouragement, and suggestions posted in response to my self-made dilemma...(I'm really good at those!LOL), but your response gave me the security I needed to confirm even moreso that this is real and it's not some fantasy land game with fantasy land characters who learn some magic formula to make them overnight millionaires one only seems to see in these larger-than-life success stories plastered all over the internet REI sites!
I needed to hear what I needed to hear because I knew the minute I hung the phone up from our initial conversation I had done too much too soon. I fully expected the process to be some long drawn out one based on all the horror stories in finding a decent agent to work with found in the pages of the books I read. I never expected to get a response from the ideal agent within hours of sending the email, or I would have definitely waited until I knew enough to be confident in the meeting. I have a business degree, I've owned a business, and I have worked closely with lawyers for a number of years in my mother's court reporting firm. I like to believe that I maintain a high standard of ethics in myself and those I deal with personally and professionally. Unfortunately, I sometimes come into contact with those who don't meet don't meet my standards, but I shutter to think of me as ever being one of them. I know that if I feel a need to poll others as to whether something I have done is questionable ethically then, THAT IS MY ANSWER! I was feeling like a fraud for even considering trying to be the REI mogul portrayed in that letter.

Sooooo...this was my plan...and this is what happened:
I planned on cramming as much of that knowledge portrayed in that letter into my brain in the short time I had to do so because I owed it to myself and to her to show up since I made the request to begin with. I wasn't going to make it a waste of my time nor hers because despite my lack of knowledge in all of the logistics, I knew I was intelligent enough, motivated enough, and determined enough to go in there with every intention of becoming that successful investor buying 100 houses in 18 months BECAUSE of her: the right real estate agent knowledgeable enough in her field and clearly stating her willingness to learn in mine that it was to be a joint effort and not that I alone could do! I did let her know I was new and she assured me that she wasn't and she was willing to try what I was putting out there. I was the one lacking that confidence. Anyway, I planned on calling my brother to invest (which I didn't want to do until I had deals I could use to back me up since my parents ultimately lost their asses in RE several years ago) so that I had at least one buyer with some specific properties and deals to search for, etc. See, the fraud I found I was feeling was in my confidently aligning myself with the investor in that letter, not in my ability to do the same things if I followed what was suggested.

Long story short...still don't have any buyers, but had researched strategies, deal structures; which one to use when and why, and for whom, etc until I found a couple I felt good about, knowledgeable about and wanted to work towards getting with her assistance. I planned to tell her that the buyers I was counting on fell through but I would have cash buyers soon and that she could choose to wait until I did, or we could work on deals while I located buyers.

But none of that ever even had a chance to happen because as I was still getting ready I received a phone call from Spartanburg Regional Hospital informing me that my 18-yr old daughter was in the ER after wrecking on her motor scooter and was in X-ray as we spoke believed to have broken her right femur (again--she did when she was 9 also). Needless to say I called and cancelled the appt with the agent rushed to S'Burg Reg. to be with my daughter over the following 4 days through surgery to put pins in her leg, etc! Thus the reason you will find in my profile on facebook my favorite quote of all time since I was a teenager is :
"I HAVE SPENT MOST OF MY LIFE WORRYING ABOUT THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPEN!" --- TOM SAWYER

Just another example of God doing for us what we can't do for ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I would much rather have gone to the appointment, but if it had to happen it couldn't have happened at a better time! She is almost taking credit for "saving me." My kids have never really seen me sweat, so she was almost amused at the whole ordeal once I told her and swore her to secrecy!

I plan to call her to reschedule by Friday and informing her of my lack of cash buyers currently along with some of my newfound deal structures and give her the option to meet with me, or not.

Again, sorry for such a long post, but I felt compelled to explain myself further so that i genuinely appreciate none strong, secure, and confident leaders I need to be following and I need following me!

Thank you....so much for your input...update...

Sooooo...this was my plan...and this is what happened:
I planned on cramming as much of that knowledge portrayed in that letter into my brain in the short time I had to do so because I owed it to myself and to her to show up since I made the request to begin with. I wasn't going to make it a waste of my time nor hers because despite my lack of knowledge in all of the logistics, I knew I was intelligent enough, motivated enough, and determined enough to go in there with every intention of becoming that successful investor buying 100 houses in 18 months BECAUSE of her: the right real estate agent knowledgeable enough in her field and clearly stating her willingness to learn in mine that it was to be a joint effort and not that I alone could do! I did let her know I was new and she assured me that she wasn't and she was willing to try what I was putting out there. I was the one lacking that confidence. Anyway, I planned on calling my brother to invest (which I didn't want to do until I had deals I could use to back me up since my parents ultimately lost their asses in RE several years ago) so that I had at least one buyer with some specific properties and deals to search for, etc. See, the fraud I found I was feeling was in my confidently aligning myself with the investor in that letter, not in my ability to do the same things if I followed what was suggested.

Long story short...still don't have any buyers, but had researched strategies, deal structures; which one to use when and why, and for whom, etc until I found a couple I felt good about, knowledgeable about and wanted to work towards getting with her assistance. I planned to tell her that the buyers I was counting on fell through but I would have cash buyers soon and that she could choose to wait until I did, or we could work on deals while I located buyers.

But none of that ever even had a chance to happen because as I was still getting ready I received a phone call from Spartanburg Regional Hospital informing me that my 18-yr old daughter was in the ER after wrecking on her motor scooter and was in X-ray as we spoke believed to have broken her right femur (again--she did when she was 9 also). Needless to say I called and cancelled the appt with the agent rushed to S'Burg Reg. to be with my daughter over the following 4 days through surgery to put pins in her leg, etc! Thus the reason you will find in my profile on facebook my favorite quote of all time since I was a teenager is :
"I HAVE SPENT MOST OF MY LIFE WORRYING ABOUT THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPEN!" --- TOM SAWYER

Just another example of God doing for us what we can't do for ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I would much rather have gone to the appointment, but if it had to happen it couldn't have happened at a better time! She is almost taking credit for "saving me." My kids have never really seen me sweat, so she was almost amused at the whole ordeal once I told her and swore her to secrecy!

I plan to call her to reschedule by Friday and informing her of my lack of cash buyers currently along with some of my newfound deal structures and give her the option to meet with me, or not.

Hi,
Just wanted to jump in and cheer with you on your post! What a great mentor I bet Elix is, too!!

You know,it's the integrity of this business that we, as investors/buyers, need do our part to insure stays above reproach. That is what seems to be at the heart of all the naysayers' nonsensical negativity. It is our duty to our industry, ourselves, and homeowners everywhere to speak up whenever that integrity is blatantly, seemingly, or otherwise being compromised. I don't know all the "professional courtesies" and "unwritten rules" in this industry yet, but should anyone ever hear of or see me not honoring them, or at anytime feel my words or actions in any way seem to compromise the integrity of ANY industry (but especially ours)please don't hesitate to bring it to my immediate attention. I assure you that I never want to bring anything but pride and proof of success to the Real Estate industry, period!

Hi,
While most of what Elix posted, I ultimately agreed with, the one I found to be way off the mark was the one you defended so well and I appreciate that for all us newbies out there. I don't recommend following my path to finding an agent, but I agree with you that at some point experience has got to take us to the success we seek. We can't sit on the sidelines reading blogs, books, and posts expecting to ever do a deal or meet an agent, or seller, or buyer, ad nauseum.

I will share with you what I have shared with the rest of the posters on my thread as to the plan vs. actual event:

Sooooo...this was my plan...and this is what happened:
I planned on cramming as much of that knowledge portrayed in that letter into my brain in the short time I had to do so because I owed it to myself and to her to show up since I made the request to begin with. I wasn't going to make it a waste of my time nor hers because despite my lack of knowledge in all of the logistics, I knew I was intelligent enough, motivated enough, and determined enough to go in there with every intention of becoming that successful investor buying 100 houses in 18 months BECAUSE of her: the right real estate agent knowledgeable enough in her field and clearly stating her willingness to learn in mine that it was to be a joint effort and not that I alone could do! I did let her know I was new and she assured me that she wasn't and she was willing to try what I was putting out there. I was the one lacking that confidence. Anyway, I planned on calling my brother to invest (which I didn't want to do until I had deals I could use to back me up since my parents ultimately lost their asses in RE several years ago) so that I had at least one buyer with some specific properties and deals to search for, etc. See, the fraud I found I was feeling was in my confidently aligning myself with the investor in that letter, not in my ability to do the same things if I followed what was suggested.

Long story short...still don't have any buyers, but had researched strategies, deal structures; which one to use when and why, and for whom, etc until I found a couple I felt good about, knowledgeable about and wanted to work towards getting with her assistance. I planned to tell her that the buyers I was counting on fell through but I would have cash buyers soon and that she could choose to wait until I did, or we could work on deals while I located buyers.

But none of that ever even had a chance to happen because as I was still getting ready I received a phone call from Spartanburg Regional Hospital informing me that my 18-yr old daughter was in the ER after wrecking on her motor scooter and was in X-ray as we spoke believed to have broken her right femur (again--she did when she was 9 also). Needless to say I called and cancelled the appt with the agent rushed to S'Burg Reg. to be with my daughter over the following 4 days through surgery to put pins in her leg, etc! Thus the reason you will find in my profile on facebook my favorite quote of all time since I was a teenager is :
"I HAVE SPENT MOST OF MY LIFE WORRYING ABOUT THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPEN!" --- TOM SAWYER

Just another example of God doing for us what we can't do for ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I would much rather have gone to the appointment, but if it had to happen it couldn't have happened at a better time! She is almost taking credit for "saving me." My kids have never really seen me sweat, so she was almost amused at the whole ordeal once I told her and swore her to secrecy!

I plan to call her to reschedule by Friday and informing her of my lack of cash buyers currently along with some of my newfound deal structures and give her the option to meet with me, or not.

Dear JB,

Wow! Powerful, insightful, informative, and inspiring all at the same time! Thanks so much! I will follow your suggestions.

I will share with you a copy of the text I posted to respond to those who responded to me in my thread about what I planned to do and what actually happened:

Sooooo...this was my plan...and this is what happened:
I planned on cramming as much of that knowledge portrayed in that letter into my brain in the short time I had to do so because I owed it to myself and to her to show up since I made the request to begin with. I wasn't going to make it a waste of my time nor hers because despite my lack of knowledge in all of the logistics, I knew I was intelligent enough, motivated enough, and determined enough to go in there with every intention of becoming that successful investor buying 100 houses in 18 months BECAUSE of her: the right real estate agent knowledgeable enough in her field and clearly stating her willingness to learn in mine that it was to be a joint effort and not that I alone could do! I did let her know I was new and she assured me that she wasn't and she was willing to try what I was putting out there. I was the one lacking that confidence. Anyway, I planned on calling my brother to invest (which I didn't want to do until I had deals I could use to back me up since my parents ultimately lost their asses in RE several years ago) so that I had at least one buyer with some specific properties and deals to search for, etc. See, the fraud I found I was feeling was in my confidently aligning myself with the investor in that letter, not in my ability to do the same things if I followed what was suggested.

Long story short...still don't have any buyers, but had researched strategies, deal structures; which one to use when and why, and for whom, etc until I found a couple I felt good about, knowledgeable about and wanted to work towards getting with her assistance. I planned to tell her that the buyers I was counting on fell through but I would have cash buyers soon and that she could choose to wait until I did, or we could work on deals while I located buyers.

But none of that ever even had a chance to happen because as I was still getting ready I received a phone call from Spartanburg Regional Hospital informing me that my 18-yr old daughter was in the ER after wrecking on her motor scooter and was in X-ray as we spoke believed to have broken her right femur (again--she did when she was 9 also). Needless to say I called and cancelled the appt with the agent rushed to S'Burg Reg. to be with my daughter over the following 4 days through surgery to put pins in her leg, etc! Thus the reason you will find in my profile on facebook my favorite quote of all time since I was a teenager is :
"I HAVE SPENT MOST OF MY LIFE WORRYING ABOUT THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPEN!" --- TOM SAWYER

Just another example of God doing for us what we can't do for ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I would much rather have gone to the appointment, but if it had to happen it couldn't have happened at a better time! She is almost taking credit for "saving me." My kids have never really seen me sweat, so she was almost amused at the whole ordeal once I told her and swore her to secrecy!

I plan to call her to reschedule by Friday and informing her of my lack of cash buyers currently along with some of my newfound deal structures and give her the option to meet with me, or not.