Friends | Flip This Wholesaler

So, I finally got back in town late last night after a fantastic trip to IL.

I spent the first 3 nights hanging out with my Mom, and then headed to the city on Friday to meet with my mastermind group, the Flip VIPs.

For those who are newcomers to my blog, the Flip VIPs is a mentoring/mastermind group headed by Steve Cook (of Flippinghomes.com). I was invited to be a part of the group in January of 2008, along with 10 other investors from different parts of the country.

Along with having group calls once a month, and a one on one call with Steve once a month, we also have 3 retreats throughout the year where we get together to brainstorm about our businesses, set goals for ourselves for the next 4 months, and just have a good ol’ time..

I snapped some pictures at the retreat for your viewing enjoyment…

Lunch at Giordano's. Best pizza EVER.

Jodi Quinn

Steve Cavanaugh and Mike Ferris

Christina Ferris and Nate Andree

Shaun McCloskey and Steve Cook

Ginormous Pizza, Brian Meidam, Jerry Dalglish

Dinner at Gibson's Steakhouse (YUM)

Christina and Mike Ferris

Nate and Jen

Jodi and Me

Good thing calories don't count on vacation!

Jerry and Me

Shaun McCloskey, Brian Meidam, Bob Norton, Steve Cavanaugh

Me and the boys

Steve, Jodi, Jerry

Steve, Me, Jerry

Biggest piece of chocolate cake I've ever seen.

The Lady Flip VIPs. We rock.

Jerry and Bob clowning around

Cheeeeeese

Hehe

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In case you couldn’t tell, we had a great time.

We also got some business done, and put the finishing touches on a project that we are all collaborating on. I’m not allowed to give any details just yet, but we’ve got something extremely cool in the works that I’m really excited about.

So, anywho, that’s what I’ve been up to. Had a great time in Illinois. Between my Mom’s cooking and the dinners out in the city, I gained about 5 pounds, but it was definitely well worth it.

Adios Amigos!

P.S.
I’ll be posting another “Reader Mail” video in the next day or two, so keep your eyes peeled.

P.P.S.
I posted another article on the Bigger Pockets Blog last Thursdsay, check it out if you haven’t already.

P.P.P.S.
For those who have emailed me asking for recommendations on which wholesale course to buy, my choice is Steve Cook’s Wholesaling for Quick Cash. If you haven’t picked it up yet, you can go here to get it.

3/24/2009

I don’t think I’ve gone a week without posting, ever. Sorry about that.

I had a great time at the Wealth Explosion in Baltimore. Got a chance to finally meet some of the members of the Flippinghomes.com community and put some faces to names. I ended up having to leave early on Friday, so I missed most of the second day of class.

I took some pictures while I was there..

Wednesday night after having dinner with Steve at Friday’s, a bunch of us met up in the hotel lounge for a few cocktails. Followed by a few cocktails (and cigars) on the patio…

From L to R: Daniel, Matt, and fellow Flip Vip, Brian.

I was staying at the hotel across the street, and these guys were nice enough to walk/run me back over at the end of the night. As we were hauling ass across the road, Matt tripped on the median and did a face plant in the middle of the street. It was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen (don’t worry, he didn’t hurt himself), and I was laughing so hard that I peed my pants right there in the middle of the highway. For real. It was that funny.

(That’s Brian’s cigar smoke, btw. Kinda spooky looking).

The following day, class started bright and early. We broke for lunch and headed over to Fuddruckers…

Then back to class until 5-ish. Coincidentally, happy hour was in full swing, so some of us headed over to the hotel lounge to get some food/drink…..

Glenn from Minnesota, and Scot (the firefighting rehabber) from Vegas

In case you can’t tell from the picture- Glenn is a hardcore party animal.
Proof: Strawberry daiquiri #2…..

Daniel from Atlanta. He’s working on his 3rd REO wholesale deal. Go Daniel!!

Me and fellow Flip Vip, Steve Cavanaugh

That’s Bill from FL in the pink shirt. We shared the shuttle ride from hell from the airport to the Ramada. David is next to Bill, and I believe that’s Dave next to David.

Fellow Flip Vips Christina and Mike Ferris

Mike, Russ, and Steve

Chad (from Appleton, WI), Christina, and Brian

Say Cheese!

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So now I’m back to work. Still making offers (made 10 yesterday), although it’s been awhile since I’ve gotten one accepted.

I’m curious to see what’s going to happen with the new plan for the govt. to buy up all the toxic assets from the banks. I sure hope they know what they’re doing. A trillion dollars is a whole lot o’ money….

Gotta run.

Later alligators!

3/14/2008

Well, yesterday I closed the deal that was supposed to close on Tuesday. So that’s good news… I almost didn’t make it to the closing because I had a late night out on Thursday. It started out as a networking cocktail hour, and then turned into John’s Birthday Celebration. We had a good time..

Me and B-day boy

Carlos, John, and Pete. Wheelin’ and dealin’.

I was planning on looking at a bunch of houses and making a bunch of offers yesterday, but after the closing, Jim and I decided to stay home and do a little of this…

and some of this..

I guess you could call it a lazy weekend.

I’ll catch up tomorrow..

Tonight I’m watching Burn After Reading and Talladega Nights (thanks for the suggestion Shae).

Have a great weekend!

2/28/09

Well, I finally got back in town last night around midnight. I had intentions of making another blog entry or two while I was away, but I couldn’t tear myself away from the pool/beach/Clarita’s long enough..

I had a FANTASTIC time, and took lots and lots o’ pictures of my last few days.

Wednesday, we all went out and did a little (a lot, actually) bar hopping….

Steve and Danna having some pre-night-out cocktails on Wednesday..

First stop- Ganesha…

Next stop- The Backyard, where we spent the majority of the night hanging out in the sand..

Cab ride to the Loft…

The next day we went to Clarita’s for lunch on the beach….

Clarita the dog stopped by to say hi…..

Clarita has a very tough life…

Next up- pool time!

Danna and I had a handstand contest. I lost..

After the pool Sherry and Danna went surfing..

I stayed on land and took some more pictures…

I saw 4 scarlet macaws flying around the treetops. I managed to snap a picture of one of them..

(Click to get a better view)

Danna and Steve were heading to Nicaragua the next day, and Eve and I were both heading back to the States, so we decided to have a farewell BBQ Thursday night… Eve was staying at the resort right behind Sherry’s house, so she walked over later in the day…..

We all headed to the grocery store to pick up the BBQ essentials…

Eve and Danna manned the grill…

Mi Amigas..

One last sunset..

We ended up hanging out by the pool until after 3am. I fell asleep
in the hammock, dreaming about my next visit.

THE END.

P.S.
I’m leaving out the part about the 1.5 hour cab ride to the airport (I shared a cab with Eve) where I seriously thought I was going to die because the cab driver (and everyone else on the road) drove like a FREAKING MANIAC. Also, that I had to stop off on the side of the road twice to get sick. Oh, and then I left my freaking Blackberry in the back of the cab and didn’t realize it until the driver was long, long gone. Son of a..

2/25/2009

I’ve got some time before my surf lesson, so I thought I’d post a few pics of what I’ve been up to the last few days…

Monday night Sherry’s neighbor Danna and I rode our bikes into town and did a little bar hopping. Danna and her boyfriend Steve own the condo next to Sherry’s. They’re from Canada and will be here for another month. Awesome people…

I fell off my bike 3 times on the way home. Fortunately I didn’t break any bones..

Yesterday I walked over to Clarita’s which is about a 2 minute walk on the beach from where I’m staying..

I met a delightful lady named Eve at the bar. Eve is originally from Australia, but has lived in New York for the last 15 years. Her husband passed away 3 months ago and she came back here to put his ashes in the ocean…