Flip This Wholesaler

So, I went to Toastmasters on Monday night.

There were a lot more people in attendance than I was expecting.  I was also not expecting to be one of only three women at the meeting.  Kinda felt a wee bit out of place, to be honest.

I didn’t have to give a speech or anything, I just had to stand up at the end and say a few words about why I was there and what I thought about the meeting.  The first word out of my mouth, of course, was “Um.”  I’m going to have a huge problem with my Ums, I think.   They actually have a guy who shakes a can full of change when people say “Um” during their speeches.  Totally annoying, yet highly effective.

I can go one more time as a guest and just watch, and after that, I apply to become a member and then I have to start speaking.  I’m going to be a nervous wreck about it, but I guess that’s the point, eh?

Moving on to the real estate front….

The guy who was supposed to bring me a contract and deposit on Monday called to let me know that he changed his mind.  Apparently when he went to look at the house the first time, he didn’t realize it was wood frame and not concrete block. I don’t really know how that’s possible, and I was pretty annoyed, but whatever.

Speaking of annoying- have any of you tried posting deals on Craigslist lately?   What a waste of time.  I’ve probably posted 30 ads over the last few weeks, and the only responses I get are from people trying to get me to go to their website and fill out a stupid questionnaire.  I get 2-3 of these every day, and they all say pretty much the same thing.  Here’s one I got this morning that I really enjoyed….

Hello,

I’ve recently learned that you have listed your property for sale. I represent an investment firm that specializes in real estate procurement and sales. Our firm is in the process of reconnoitering your state, and subsequently extending tenders on homes that fit our profit measures.

The corporation is developed up on the basis of a network of direct investors. After a quick and basic look of your house, I would like to suggest our firm in aiding you procure an investor for a rapid sale. Our group of investors buys properties in all regions and of all types, and has the perquisite of conducting a large amount of sales every week.

In order to further survey your property as a realisable purchase, we necessitate that you submit your house information into our system. Our software will analyze your information in more detail and give you instant decision in REAL TIME.

You can proceed with this step below:
http://

Our corporation looks forward to transmitting business with you, and aiding you in projecting your real estate goals.

Regards,

A.M. Consultants.

I was going to just blow this one off, but once I read the part about them making decisions in REAL TIME, I decided to go ahead and transmit business with them.  After all, it’s not every day that a company who has a perquisite of conducting a large amount of sales, decides to reconnoiter my state.

Keep your fingers crossed- this could be BIG!

That’s all for today.

10-4, over and out!

P.S.
My buddy Scott is having a Christmas Giveaway over on his blog- he’s giving away several real estate courses, eBooks (including two copies of Flip This REO!), audios, and all kinds of other goodies!

There’s no catch- you just have to post a comment to his blog to enter! If you’d like to participate and win some free stuff, CLICK HERE! Good luck!

P.P.S.
My mentor, Steve Cook, is also giving away free audio downloads to one of his Flipping Homes boot camps! I have been to several of Steve’s events, and I can tell you that they are top notch- all content, no sales. To get your free boot camp audio CLICK HERE!

P.P.P.S.
My new favorite word: Reconnoiter.

5/18/2008

Well, Friday night I went out with some friends to celebrate the crashing and burning of the Slim Shady deal. We started off at the Hub, then walked down to The Fly, and then back to the Hub where the crowd is a lot less plastic-y, if you know what I mean. Good thing both places are within walking distance of Skypoint, because believe you me, we were in no condition to drive. We did, however, manage to crash the pool at 4am (it closes at midnight, supposedly). Hehe.

Remember that guy I was talking about who supposedly has an investor looking to spend ten zillion dollars on Tampa real estate? Well, I kept harassing him with calls and emails because I had a gut feeling that he might possibly be a worthwhile contact to have. He ended up calling me Friday after seeing one of the properties I’m marketing on Craigslist. He’s still sticking to his story that he has investors (cash investors) from NY that are looking to dump a lot of cashola into this market. Nice. We talked for awhile, and then set up a lunch for this week. I guess I’ll find out soon enough if he’s full of it or not. I sure hope not. $$$$$$$.

One of my buyers who is ready for another property called me last week to ask about an REO that just came back on the market. He told me what he would pay for it (not sure why he didn’t just make the offer himself, but who am I to argue?), and asked me to try and get it at that price. I put the offer in (leaving enough room for a tidy little profit for myself), and got a counter back from the bank Friday afternoon. They came down 15k off of list price, which still isn’t good enough, but we’re getting close. We’ll see what happens.

I also picked up another cash buyer from the signs I put out a few weeks ago. This guy’s been investing for a long time, but hasn’t bought anything in several years . He says he’s in buying mode again, and asked me to send him whatever I get. Nice. I tell you, as much as I hate putting those stupid signs out, I always seem to pick up a buyer or two. So, I will keep putting them out.

And that’s all she wrote.

10-4, over and out…

4/6/2008

Nothing much exciting going on. I’ve been doing a lot of marketing for buyers, and making a lot of offers the last few days. Got a few counters back today, but nothing to write home about. I found a new cash buyer from one of my Craigslist ads. That’s the thing about Craigslist (or any other type of marketing for that matter), you can go days without any serious hits, and then, along comes a cash buyer. Same thing with the signs- I only got 3 calls from the signs I put out over the weekend, but I will continue to put them out, because I know they work. You just have to be consistent, and persistent, and you will get calls. Last time I put them out, I found the buyer who bought my last deal, and who wants to buy 10 more this year. Not sure how much money that will translate into for me, but I can tell you it will pay for the cost of the signs, gas, and my time- many times over. Speaking of that buyer- he sent me an email last night telling me he is ready for another house already. Nice. Hopefully he won’t cheat on me with another wholesaler. Hehe. My other consistent cash buyer should be ready for another pretty soon, too. He’s in the middle of a refi as we speak, and will be ready to go once it’s closed. Gotta love those landlord buyers….

Since my back is trashed and I haven’t been able to run for the last month, and I’m starting to get a double chin, I decided to take up swimming laps. LOVE it! I get down to the pool (which is heated-woohoo!) while the sun is rising, and I have the entire deck to myself. It’s very peaceful. I’m hooked.

Over and out…

5/4/2008

I put out a bunch of signs on Friday advertising the deals my wholesaler buddy just got under contract. Strangely, I only recieved 1 call from all of them, which is really odd- my phone usually rings off the hook when I put signs out. I was thinking maybe I put the wrong number on them, but I did get that 1 call, so I guess that’s not the case.

I also put some ads on Craigslist, and only got 1 response. I’m pretty sure the girl who responded (via email), just got done reading whatever course it is that tells people to go on Craigslist and send an email to every single ad that says “Investor Special” or “Handyman Special.” They always say the same bs. Something like this…… “I am a CASH buyer, and would like to buy your property with CASH” (the word cash is always capitalized, because, you know, capitalized cash is WAY better than regular-old-lower-case-cash). Anyway, along with being a CASH buyer, these people I guess are too lazy to click on the freaking ad and READ it, because, even though I put the address in the ad, the person always asks me for the property address, which is really, really, irritating. And then, they always ask for multiple, high quality digital photos of the property (even though there are already pics in the ad), because, God forbid if you had to get off your lazy ass and go look at the thing yourself. Anyway, I usually play along, and sometimes even accept their half price offer, and then when I ask them to fax me proof of their CASH along with a non-refundable 5k deposit, they seem to drop off the face of the Earth. At least if you’re going to bullshit, be a prepared bullshitter, you know?

My dog Jim taught himself a new trick over the weekend. He calls it “Jump out of the car window while Mom is in the grocery store and almost get run over by an SUV.” Scared the living shit out of me. Little bastard.