First off, thanks for taking a few minutes to read this blog post.  This is a blog that I had setup several months ago to help me sell you crap about real estate investing.  I guess that jumps right into “Yesterday” so lets get started…

For the past four years I have been an internet marketer who has dabbled in real estate investing.  I enjoyed having email lists and sending out something and watching the money come in.  The problem was that I was servicing an industry that I had very little personal experience in.  Sure I had bought and sold a few properties, but I hardly consider myself a real estate investment expert.

But that was alright, I did not position myself as the guru, rather the promoter of the guru.  And I will be the first to tell you that it was a good run!  It is really sad that I know a lot of “guru’s” out there who have not done a real estate deal in years!  Those guys were never people that I promoted but they do exist.

One of the benefits from being a promoter is that I was sent course after course of educational materials to screen before promoting.  So I probably have the education that actually surpasses many guru’s…but they have me beat in real world experiences hands down.

A quick recap of the last few months looks like a business sliding into the deep depths of despair…but I look at it like a blessing.  My online marketing has dried up and I am no longer adding new subscribers to my database.  Thus, my subscribers have stopped buying and the revenues have slowly dried up.  I will continue to promote but not as hard core as I did before, my focus is FIRST on becoming a full time real estate investor.  SECOND, serving anyone and everyone who will read my blog by sharing my journey from real estate novice to full time investor.  And THIRD, being involved in a few promotions from time to time but not until I have had a chance to fully screen and approve of the material being offered.

Now today…where am I today?

Today I am actually writing this while I am waiting on my Realtor to call me back and go walk through 5 homes.  My guess is that three of them have potential and I am going to figure the cost of repairs, take into account my desired profit margins and come up with an offer.  I think I am going to prioritize the offers and just go down the line.  I made an offer the week before my wedding and it was an adrenaline rush.

The home had been reduced over the weekend and my Realtor called up the listing agent.  He was able to get some intel and we realized that I could offer significantly below asking price and get my offer accepted.  Well, we did that except so did about 4 other investors and we start playing the highest and best war.  That is when the seller comes back and asks for everyone to submit their highest and best offer.  I raised my offer to my predetermined price and not a dollar more.  We were outbid!

But there is a very important lesson in what I just shared.  Investing is about the numbers, you cannot let your emotions dictate your actions.  If I did that, I would probably have a property to flip, but I would also be working with slim margins, which is not where I want to be on my first deal as I am getting back in the saddle!

And tomorrow…by that I mean the future.  I am going to continue to look at properties and run the numbers.  Make offers and I am going to get a property here very soon.  The more offers I make, the better my chances of getting one accepted.

I have a guru friend who says real estate is not about location, location, location…it is about making offers, making offers, making offers.  That could not be anymore true.  In order to make offers you have to have first studied the market.  That means you know the best areas to invest, what properties in that area sell for when in good condition, you know everything there is to know about the area.  I have spent several weeks driving around my target area before making my first offer!

My investment philosophy is not about buy one property, fix it up, resell, repeat.  My strategy is to buy one, continue looking for others, fix it up, start looking really hard for others, and then resell.  I want to have at least one more property being worked on before the first property sells.

And then I want to snowball the business.  Sure I could survive doing one deal at a time…but why do one deal when you can do multiple?  The funding…that is a topic for later discussion.

I gotta run because my Realtor is buzzing and it is time to hit the pavement and check out some potential investment properties!

Remember…Educate, Act, Prosper!

Ross Treakle