Archive for January, 2014

Mon, Jan 27th @ 6:30 PM – Marietta, GA
Atlanta REIA West Meeting – Jan 27
with Special Mystery Speaker “Mr. E”

Atlanta REIA West MeetingCome join us at the Atlanta REIA Wild Wild West Group on Monday, January 27th at 6:30PM at Cherokee Cattle Company located at 2710 Canton Road in Marietta, just off I-75 where “Mr. E” will be our special guest speaker.

“Mr. E” moved to the Atlanta area just 3 months ago and is already doing 2-3 deals consistently in the Atlanta market right now. He is not a known speaker or superstar. He isn’t in the spotlight. Yet he is quietly cranking out successful deal after deal and making things happen!

Tony Robbins says, “If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you’ll achieve the same results.” This is the guy you want to copy!

We’re pulling back the curtain to have a rare look inside “Mr. E.’s” business and daily life–no fluff, no theory, no pie-in-the-sky promises–just real info form a real-life mover and shaker. He has promised to be candid with us and answer questions like:

Come out and discover what it is you want and need to know to make 2014 your year of prosperity and success! Come early, as seating is limited!

  • What are the biggest keys to his success?
  • What does he know and do differently than most people to produce great results? (isn’t that what we ALL want–results?)
  • What does his daily life and business look like?
  • What kind of deals is he doing to achieve great results?
  • What is his average profit per deal?
  • How does he find and finance his deals?
  • What sets him apart from the crowd?
  • What do you want to ask him?
Late Nite Networking at the Cherokee Cattle Company

Cherokee Cattle CompanyAfter the conclusion of our Wild Wild West Investors Meeting, we will be hanging out in the meeting room at the Cherokee Cattle Company for “Late Nite Networking”. CCC will be offering the best desserts in the area and awesome libations from their full bar for our members and guests. Come eat, drink, network and have fun with like minded real estate investors and other professionals late into the night!

About the Wild West Group

Leslie MathisThe Atlanta REIA West Monthly Meeting is an Atlanta REIA Subchapter led by Leslie Mathis that is held on the 4th Monday of each month at 6:30 PM at the Cherokee Cattle Company located at 2710 Canton Road in Marietta, GA. Atlanta REIA Members can attend for FREE and guests for $5.00. Show up at 6:30 PM to eat and network before the meeting officially starts at 7:00 PM. Buying your own meal is optional but highly recommended and greatly appreciated since the Cherokee Cattle Company allows us to use their meeting room. There will be lots of learning and lots of networking. Bring your deals and your haves, wants and needs to the event.

Wild West Meeting Agenda*
6:30 pm: Check in, Seating, Ordering Food & Networking
7:00 pm: Welcome, Introductions & Announcements
7:15 pm: Haves & Wants
7:30 pm: Main Presentations with Guest Speaker
8:45 pm: Door Prizes, Questions & Answers, and Wrap Up
9:00 pm: Late Nite Networking for Real Estate Investors

*Please Note: Meeting agenda is subject to change.

See Atlanta REIA Events Calendar for More Events!
Sat, Feb 8th, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Atlanta, GA

Wholesaling 101 Workshop
With Russ Hiner on Feb 8, 2014 from 9AM – 5PM at
*Keller Williams, 200 Glenridge Point Pkwy NE,
Suite 100, Sandy Springs, GA

Russ HinerDo you want to play the real estate investing game but don’t know where to start? Do you have little or no cash or credit? Want to avoid risk, repairs, tenants and toilets? Want to buy houses with no money?

Wholesaling is a great strategy for making quick cash, low risk, without the use of your credit, income, or money. Wholesaling real estate is among the most popular investment strategies because anyone can do it — you don’t need a real estate license or a lot of money to start. And once you start, with a little effort, it’s nearly impossible to keep the money from pouring into your bank account.

If you want to learn how to wholesale houses and get paid within 30 days after you put a house under contract, you should consider attending our Wholesaling 101 Workshop with Russ Hiner on Saturday, February 8th from 9AM to 5PM at the Keller Williams Office* located at 200 Glenridge Point Pkwy NE, Suite 100 in Sandy Springs, GA. This class is limited to 30 people has sold out very quickly in the past since we only usually hold it once a year, so be sure to reserve your seat before they are all gone!

At the workshop, Russ will teach you the wholesale strategies you need to succeed and take you step-by-step through the entire process of how to wholesale real estate. All applicable forms and agreements with filled out examples are included.

Register Now!

Read More→

Mon, Feb 3rd at 5:00 PM @ Crowne Plaza Ravinia, Atlanta
The Atlanta REIA Main Meeting
“How to be a Mobile Real Estate Rockstar Investor!”
with Don DeRosa on February 3rd

Atlanta REIA Members Can Attend at No Charge.
Guests Can RSVP Online Now for $20 or Pay $25 at the Door.

Don DeRosaJoin us at Atlanta REIA on Monday, February 3rd with mobile real estate expert Don DeRosa who will teach you how to MAKE MONEY ON THE GO using your iPad, Windows or Android Tablet. or smart phone!

Come out of the Dark Ages and into the light of SUCCESS! BE A MOBILE REAL ESTATE ROCKSTAR INVESTOR!

Do you have a an iPad, Windows Tablet, or Android that you’re using for Candy Crush or Words with Friends, maybe email, a research tool and game station for your kids?

This 90 minute event will change your mind about how you manage your real estate investing business.We all have busy, busy lives, other jobs, kids, pets and much more; don’t forget we all want leisure time too. You can save 45 minutes of every hour you spend running your Real Estate investment business by doing it electronically on your iPad, Windows or Android Tablet. or smart phone.

Be the most effective, competitive, profitable investor you can be! In 90 minutes, Don will show you how to…

  • Carry your business with you so you never miss an opportunity!
  • Route calls right from your device to your answering service, Title Company and others.
  • Lose all those paper receipts! Use electronic receipts for your taxes, for your contractor, track your expenses!
  • Send the sale contract to the lawyer for title search while you’re still at the seller’s home.
  • Keep all your data in one place, each deal will have its own file with pictures of the property, offers you’ve made, comments, contact information for the deal and much more.
  • Give the seller your e-card right on the spot!
  • So many tips and tricks you’ll wonder why you have not been doing this all along!

So come join Don and the rest of us at the Atlanta REIA Meeting on Monday, Feb 3rd at 5PM at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia Hotel located at 4355 Ashford Dunwoody Road in Atlanta, GA and learn how to use mobile technology for fun and profit!

This Month’s Mini-Sessions & Speakers

Dustin GriffinWhat’s Happening at Atlanta REIA. This is a mini-session hosted by Dustin Griffin to update our members and guests on many of the exciting new things that are going on at Atlanta REIA in the upcoming weeks and months such as upcoming workshops, webcasts, special events, members benefits and more!

Deborah HarrisAtlanta Market Update. If you missed Deborah Harris’s detailed analysis and update the Atlanta real estate market at the meeting-before-the-meeting with Gordon Catts, join her at this mini-session where she will give you a quick recap and overview of latest changes going on in the metro area.

Russ HinerWholesaling 101. This educational mini-session is designed to give new real estate investors an exciting glimse into the highly profitable world of quick turning real estate. Local real estate expert, Russ Hiner, will be giving you an overview of how to get involved in wholesaling real estate for fun and profit.

Joe ThompsonHave’s & Wants Speed Marketing. This is a 30 minute marketing session hosted by Joe Thompson that is held to help facilitate deals by giving our members the opportunity to quickly market things they HAVE and no longer want and to find things they WANT but don’t yet have. Be sure to get to bring your flyers and get to the meeting early so you can get on Joe’s list if you want to participate.

Mon, Feb 3rd at 3:00 PM @ La Madeleine Perimeter
Meeting Before the Meeting
Atlanta Real Estate Market Update
with Deborah Harris & Gordon Catts

Deborah HarrisPlease join us for the “Meeting-Before-The-Meeting” on Monday, Feb 3rd at 3:00 PM at La Madeleine located at 1165 Perimeter Center West (map) in Atlanta, where your host, Gordon Catts, will be joined by long time real estate agent, Deborah Harris, for an Atlanta Real Estate Market Update on the latest changes going on in the metro area. Join us and bring your own questions, concerns, insights and comments. There is NO CHARGE to attend this meeting. Thanks La Madeleine!

Mon, Feb 3rd at 9:30 PM @ Tilted Kilt Perimeter
Late Nite Networking at Tilted Kilt

Tilted KiltAfter the conclusion of the Main Meeting, we will be reconvening at the Tilted Kilt Perimeter located at 1155-B Mount Vernon Highway in Atlanta for the “Meeting-After-The-Meeting”. The Tilted Kilt will be offering half price appetizers as well as food and drink specials for our members and guests. Come eat, drink, network and have fun with us as hang out late into the night! Thanks Tilted Kilt Perimeter!

*Meeting Agenda
3:00 pm: Meeting Before the Meeting at La Madeleine
5:00 pm: Vendor Trade Show & Networking
6:00 pm: Announcements & Mini-Sessions
6:30 pm: Haves & Wants Speed Marketing Session
7:00 pm: Networking Break
7:20 pm: Vendor Door Prizes & Giveaways
7:30 pm: How to be a Mobile Real Estate Rockstar with Don DeRosa
9:30 pm: Late Nite Networking at the Tilted Kilt Perimeter!

*Please Note: Meeting agenda is subject to change.

Participating Vendors & Sponsors

Each and every month, for the duration of our meeting, we have a Vendor Trade Show in which you can come out and meet many of our participating business members who help sponsor our meeting. Thanks again sponsors! Vendors can RSVP here.

Networth Realty of Atlanta, LLCNetworth Realty of Atlanta, LLC – A licensed, full-service residential wholesale brokerage that specializes in finding quality wholesale properties and making them available to you. Read More>>

The Small Business AdvisorThe Small Business Advisor – A full service small business consulting firm specializing in QuickBooks with a wide variety of specialized services, trainings and products for small businesses. Read More>>

Advanta IRA AdministrationAdvanta IRA Administration – With the help of your local Advanta IRA staff, use your IRA to invest in assets you know, understand and control, such as real estate, notes & mortgages, private placements, and much more! Read More>>

Lima One Capital, LLCLima One Capital, LLC – A fully capitalized, direct lender for residential real estate investors and homebuilders. We are fully capitalized and our team prides itself on closing loans quickly for our clients. Read More>>

Goldmine Properties, Inc.Goldmine Properties, Inc. – As Atlanta’s first full service real estate wholesaler, we offer wholesale property at 65% loan to value, with financing available. Purchase price and repairs are 65% of certified after repaired appraisal. Read More>>

Halperin Lyman, LLCHalperin Lyman, LLC – A transactional real property law firm devoted to providing the full spectrum of non-litigation related real estate legal and consulting services to its clientele. Read More>>

Solutions Realty NetworkSolutions Realty Network – Providing expert property management and investment services since 2003. You invest and we take care of the rest! We’re the solution to all your real estate needs. Read More>>

FirstCall ClaimsFirstCall Claims – Our public adjusters are experts in preparing, documenting, and negotiating claims. With more than 20 years of experience and millions of dollars for our clients, FirstCall has a solid record of improving settlement outcomes. Read More>>

Craftbuilt, Inc.Craftbuilt, Inc. – We are a Metro Atlanta design-build construction firm specializing in whole-structure renovations, restorations, and new construction. No matter what the situation, we are up to the challenge! Read More>>

Pete's Friendly Home InspectionsPete’s Friendly Home Inspections, LLC. – Pete’s provides home inspections, radon monitoring, gas/water/septic tests, checks pools/sprinklers and any other type of inspection needed to get you that next home! Read More>>

American IRAAmerican IRA – The American IRA mission is to provide the highest level of customer service in the self-directed retirement industry.
Read More>>

Atlanta Private LendingAtlanta Private Lending – Atlanta’s premier private real estate lending company. We provide private, hard money loans to professional real estate investors for renovation and investment purposes. Read More>>

Atlanta Capital FundingAtlanta Capital Funding – A privately funded hard money residential and commercial lender specializing in unconventional financing where speed and attention to special circumstances are critical. Read More>>

CRS DataCRS Data – We offer comps from the MLS & FSBO’s, custom searches, property tax records, interactive maps, sales & mortgage info, real estate valuations, mailing lists & more. Read More>>

Atlanta Carpet ServicesAtlanta Carpet Services, Inc. – Providing carpet, wood, vinyl, and tile, ACS is dedicated to every aspect of your floor covering needs from initial consultation to the sale and follow-up services. Read More>>

Fuller Center for Housing of Greater AtlantaFuller Center for Housing of Greater Atlanta – A faith-driven, Christ-centered, non-profit organization dedicated to providing adequate shelter for people in need in the Greater Atlanta area. Read More>>

  • Air Conditioning Experts
  • Steelworks Designs, LLC
  • ApexTkHomes, LLC
  • Professional Carpentry
  • KVL Enterprises

Also, special thanks to all of our volunteers that help make our meetings and networking events possible!

See Atlanta REIA Events Calendar for More Events!
Download The Profit Newsletter for February 2014 (PDF)
The February 2014 Edition of
The Profit is Available for Download!

The Profit - February 2014 - High Quality PDFThe February 2014 Edition of The Profit Newsletter is available for download just in time for our Atlanta REIA Main Meeting on February 3rd. You can download The Profit Newsletter as a High Quality PD or Low Res PDF for slower devices. The Profit is the official newsletter of the Atlanta Real Estate Investors Alliance and is a digital, interactive newsletter for new and seasoned real estate investors delivered as an Adobe PDF file to read on your PC, Mac, Smart Phone, iPad or other mobile ready devices with a PDF reader. Many of the articles and ads in The Profit contain many hyperlinks you can click or tap to visit websites, watch videos, listen to audios, download content, send emails, comment on articles, share socially and much more! The high res version of The Profit is “print ready” for those who want to print the newsletter on their home or business printer. Also, be sure to Subscribe to The Profit Here so you don’t miss a single monthly issue.

Download The Profit Now!
See The Profit Archives for our past editions.

Read More→

Every once in a while, I like to take a close look at my business to make sure I’m still reaching my full income and personal potential. Hopefully, you do the same from time to time, because it takes diligence to maintain success for the long haul.

Students of mine know that if something isn’t working well, it means one of three things: their business is underfunded, underexposed, or undermanaged. This basic principle hasn’t changed since I started investing in real estate in 1997.

But how you meet that third requirement – adequate management – has changed a lot, because one of the keys to good management is the productive use of available technology. And boy, has technology changed since 1997!

Do you remember when a car phone was cutting edge, but it was a huge, expensive, ugly block of a thing with a foot-long antenna. There was no texting, and that phone sure didn’t take pictures, or save documents, or keep track of my appointments, or give me directions, or, well, do anything except make a phone call. And even though I was pretty tech-savvy, I was still very dependent on low-tech solutions like filing cabinets and calculators and old-fashioned film cameras. Read More→

Where is Your Market Place?

Posted on January 24, 2014 by

Ugly HouseIn last month’s article we discussed Step #2 of “Determining Your Marketing Plan in 7 Easy Steps” which was to Determine Your Market”. In Step 2 we covered “Who and What is Your Market”. Using Wholesaling as our investment strategy, we determined that our ideal property prospect was a distressed, vacant, ugly house with no mortgage or a low loan balance. Our ideal seller was a motivated seller who needs to sell and often needs to sell quickly. We also determined that our ideal buyers for these distressed properties were other real estate investors such as rehabbers, landlords, wholesalers and hedge funds who can pay all cash and can close quickly.

This month we’re going to pick up where we left off in Step #2 and determine “Where is Your Marketplace?If we continue using Wholesaling as our investment strategy, you now need to determine:

  • Where will you find motivated sellers with distressed properties for sale?
  • Will you target your entire metro area to find these properties or only certain counties, townships, zip codes or neighborhoods?
  • Will your buyers want to purchase homes in the areas where you have inventory?
  • Are there certain areas you should avoid?

By answering questions such as these, you will quickly start to determine the marketplace where you will buy and sell your inventory of distressed homes. To help you answer these questions, click below to download and complete the… Read More→

What is Your 2014 Headline?

Posted on January 24, 2014 by

It’s the beginning of the year. We all have resolutions, but they often fail. Why? Because we don’t ask the right questions before we dedicate ourselves to the success we want. Consider these questions:

  • What do you need to keep you inspired?
  • What is blocking you from success in real estate?
  • Is it accountability?
  • Is your personal life interfering with your professional life?
  • Are you too negative?

At the beginning of 2014, I focused on goal setting. This year, I want to offer you simple techniques for creating and getting support with your investments.

Let’s begin with raising capital. Keep in mind that even great deals need ACTION ITEMS! Read More→

Presenting Offers – Part 1

Posted on January 24, 2014 by

In our last article, we talked about Constructing Offers, so now we have to decide how to present them. The first step is to decide what your offer’s going to be. If you’ll remember, you can either lease option the property from the seller, you can buy it with owner financing, you can take it subject-to the underlying debt or sometimes you can pay all cash when you’re dealing with FSBOs.

You make this call by looking at the math on the property information worksheets as we discussed last month and deciding what your exit strategy is going to be. Are you going to stay in the deal or get out of the deal by flipping it on an ACTS?

Your next step, when you can get a YES on the property information sheets, is either: I will sell for what I owe, I will lease purchase, or I will con­sider monthly payments. Then it’s time for you to pick up the phone and call the seller to verify the facts you have are correct and to have a preliminary negotiation of what the seller has in mind. This is where scripts are very important, and you must get to the bottom line as to the seller’s true intent before you can make an appoint­ment. Many people who are new in the business go ahead and make the appointment without being clear about whether the seller’s really motivated or not. And, even if they were sometimes, it’s not clear what we’re going to do when we get there even if the seller is motivated. So, before I go any further, let me back track just a hair. Read More→

I recently had a telephone conversation with one of my students who asked me what I thought was going to be the next best strategy to use to do more deals in 2014. My student is thinking the market is making a real come back. He is very excited because he is seeing house prices starting to go up, house sales are increasing every month and he had just been told by a traveling Guru that the market has huge profit potential and the market is headed back to 2006 price levels just like it was before the crash.

I can truly appreciate his bright eyes and positive enthusiasm. This student is someone who spends time and money constantly in seminar land listening about the latest niche that will be the next million dollar method for investors to create wealth. I must admit that some of the most recent strategies being pitched could, if done using thorough research and use the correct paperwork could be profitable. My problem with all of these new strategies…. Most of these new strategies aren’t really new. Many have been around for years. The problem, many new investors quickly bore with each strategy as they hear about the next great money making idea that is making investors wealthy. Most of these new strategies will require large sums of money to learn and implement. As market conditions continually change another will soon appear and the investor is again quickly off in a different direction without perfecting the last. Read More→

Learning About Real Estate Investing

Posted on January 24, 2014 by

If you’re a Baby Boomer or a Gen Xer, then you’re thinking more and more about retirement – mainly, how are you gonna afford it?  After all, we all know that Social Security is not much of a retirement plan.

This need-to-know desire is driving lots of folks to learn about real estate investing.  After all, more folks have achieved financial freedom from real estate than from all other types of investments – combined!

The question we’re continually asked is, “What’s the best way to learn how to successfully invest in real estate?”  Here’s a hint: All those TV infomercials are nothing but hot air.  Those “gurus” who come to town offering a “free” seminar are just snakes in the grass…but then, you already know this.

After 19 years of investing in real estate, we’ve learned that the two best ways to learn are 1) Meet with sellers and ask Pete Fortunato’s famous question: “Why are you selling such a nice house like this?”  2) Hang out with been-there-and-done-that investors.

Sure, neither of these ways is sexy, but they are incredibly effective.  Gotta add one other thing: You’ve got to do both a lot…once or twice just won’t cut it. Read More→

In Part One of this Article, we discussed what most people do with leads, a typical wholesale deal, and a few reasons why you might NOT buy a house. And just when things were getting good & was about to reveal how to STILL make money even when you DON’T do the deal, I had to leave you hanging and make you wait until this part of the article came out to reveal the secret. Sorry about that.  :)

But here’s where it gets interesting.  So keep reading, won’t you?

Typically, if you can’t get a deal negotiated with a seller (usually because they don’t want to accept your low, wholesale price offer), you’d be stuck. You’d either throw the lead in the trash, or you’d ask them if it would be ok to call them back in a few weeks to see how things are going, then remind them of your offer to buy at your low price.  Yeah, sometimes you’d get those offers accepted.  Sometimes.

So what do you do if you still want to profit on this deal that you’ve already spent some time on?

Here’s your answer.  Are you ready?  Good… Read More→

Marketing to Senior Homeowners

Posted on January 24, 2014 by

One of my favorite techniques for locating motivated sellers in my real estate investing business is to create direct mail campaigns targeting Senior Home Owners in my area. These homeowners are a good source of leads for my business for a variety of reasons.

After having bought and sold hundreds of properties throughout my real estate investing career, I have discovered that senior home owners may be interested in selling a property for many reasons. Most of the time these homes are in nice neighborhoods where people want to live.

One reason a senior home owner might want to sell would be that a spouse has passed away and the remaining home owner doesn’t want to continue living in the property alone. Or perhaps the senior home owner wants to move in with a relative or relocate to another state and sell their home. The homeowner may want to move into a smaller home or an assisted living facility. The home they have for sale may also have been a vacation property they owned or perhaps a retirement home they purchased and now they either don’t want to or are unable to live in it any longer. We have purchased homes that have been inherited by a senior home owner that they simply don’t want or need. Read More→