Flip This Wholesaler

Happy Hump Day guys and gals!

I just got back from a 3.8 mile run and feel like a million bucks.  Maybe even two million.

One of my goals for the year is to run 3.5 miles at least 5 days every week.  So far I’m kicking butt, although it was a little challenging getting back on track after the holidays.  It takes some time to get the momentum going and to get over the hump, but once I get passed that, it’s smooooooth sailing.

It’s the same way with real estate- it takes a ton of effort to get some momentum going and to get “in the zone” as I like to call it, but once you get over the hump everything just kind of falls into place.  I was reminded of this last summer when I took some time off to redo my blog and write my eBook.  I remember talking to Steve Cook (my mentor, for those who don’t know) about it, and I remember him warning me that if I took a month or so off from doing deals that it might be more difficult than I thought to get up and running again.  I didn’t necessarily believe him and thought I could just jump back in no problem.  He was right of course, and it ended up taking me a few months to really get back in the swing of things.

Moral of Story: Steve Cook is always right.

Also: Momentum is a very powerful force.  It takes mucho effort to build, but once it’s behind you- look out! The old “pushing a boulder up a hill” analogy sums it up perfectly…

In other news, I’m pleased to announce that I’m well on my way to becoming a famous chef! The spicy shrimp dish that I talked about in my last post actually turned out edible. Tasty, even. I mixed it up with some dirty (hehe) rice, and ended up with something jambalaya-ish. It was delish.

This may not seem like a big deal to most of you, but I’m tickled pink about it. I didn’t even own a spatula until a few weeks ago, if that tells you anything about my prowess in the kitchen. I also did not know how to crush garlic, chop parsley, or separate butter.  Seriously.

I know all of you came to my real estate blog today just dying to know what I had for dinner on Sunday, so I took some pictures for you. Because I aim to please…

As you can see, Home Girl don’t play when it comes to the
crushed red. Also, do you like my new bamboo cooking utensil?

Notice the ginormous pieces of garlic in there.  The recipe said to leave
them behind in the pan, which is just crazy talk.  I love me some garlic!

Dirty rice cooking.  Hehe.

Voila- Chef Steph has spoken!

I suppose I should have taken a final picture with the food all nice and plated and my glass of chardonnay in the background, eh?  I guess I got distracted by my growling stomach and forgot.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now, folks- all this food talk is making me hungry.  Gotta go get some dinner!

Later Alligators.

P.S.
If you’re on my email list and you’ve been getting duplicate emails- sorry about that.  I’m trying to fix it.  Stupid technology.

P.P.S.
I’ve got some new Reader Mail videos coming your way shortly. Keep your eyes peeled…

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.

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

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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.

3/30/09

Man, it’s tough going out there right now.

Every single offer I put in either goes to highest and best, or, there is already an accepted offer on the property.

I’m now giving both sides of the commission to the listing agent, so we’ll see what sort of effect that has, if any.

Right now I’ve got 5 of my buyers calling me every other day asking if I have any deals. It’s pretty frustrating having buyers lined up and not having any deals to sell to them.

I talked to Steve last week about this shift in my market, and he told me to just keep making offers. So that’s what I’m doing. Making lots and lots o’ offers.

On a lighter note, one of the deals I was working with Lee closed on Friday. So, that’s good news. Except now I have nothing under contract, and it’s been awhile since I’ve not had any deals in the pipeline. Me no likey not having deals in the hopper.

OK, gotta run- my pizza is burning…

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!

***********************************************************************************

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!