Archive for April, 2015

Thur, April 16th @ 6PM – Atlanta, GA
New Group Meets TONIGHT for 1st Time!
Atlanta Intown Investors Club
Buy, Sell, Trade, Network, Q&A
This Group is All About Doing Deals!
April 16th, 6PM at Wrecking Bar Brewpub
Bring Your Deals, Biz Cards & Flyers
Atlanta REIA Members & Non-Members Welcome!

Atlanta Intown Investors ClubTONIGHT at 6PM is the soft launch of the new Atlanta Intown Investors Club at the Wrecking Bar BrewPub which was rated at the #1 Best Bar in Atlanta by Atlanta Magazine. The Wrecking Bar has great food (see sample menu) and great beer they brew in house.

This meeting is all about doing deals, having fun and exchanging ideas and knowledge with other like-minded real estate investors, entrepreneurs and professionals. It is like an “open mic night” for people who love doing real estate deals.

There will be haves and wants (buy, sell, trade), shameless commercials from our vendors, and Questions & Answers. This entire meeting is based on audience participation… YOUR PARTICIPATION!

Atlanta REIA Members and Non-Members are welcome. There is no charge for our first meeting. Bring your deals, business cards, flyers and brochures and come join us as we soft launch this new meeting TONIGHT!

RSVP on Meetup.com
Please RSVP on Meetup.com if you have a meetup account.

The Atlanta Intown Investors Club is a new Atlanta REIA Subgroup run by Dustin Griffin and Maggie Groholski that meets for the first time on Thursday, April 16th at 6PM at the Wrecking Bar BrewPub in Atlanta, GA. Our mission and focus is to provide an open forum for real estate investors and industry professionals to network and have direct access to hot real estate deals. The group is all about doing more deals! This forum will be totally member-centric. Its content and value is derived from our members actively participating and networking with each other during the meeting.

Wrecking Bar BrewpubWe will not be pitching products from the front of the room. Instead, this is your meeting to pitch your properties, products and services; voice your real estate wants and needs; and participate in open discussions of real estate questions and issues. We will strive to remain a forum for investors to do deals and learn and seek advice from your peers and trusted industry professionals. The more you attend and participate, the more deals you’ll do and, the smarter we all become.

Wrecking Bar BrewpubMeetings will be held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at from 6PM – 9PM in the Cellar Meeting Room of the Wrecking Bar BrewPub located at 292 Moreland Ave NE in Atlanta, GA. Dinner will be available to order as will a varying array of beers and cocktails. Join us for the meeting as well as dinner to support our local businesses. As always we will socialize after the meeting in the main pub area.

Event Agenda*
6:00 pm: Arrival, Ordering Food and Beverages, Networking
6:30 pm: Introductions
7:00 pm: About the Intown Group, Announcements
7:30 pm: Buy / Sell / Trade / Commercials / Q&A Sessions
9:00 pm: After Meeting Social for Networking

*Please Note: Meeting agenda is subject to change since this is our first meeting.

5 Days & 4 Nights in CancunWIN A 4 NIGHT STAY IN CANCUN: All participants who attend the Intown Meeting will have a chance to win a *Complimentary 5 Day, 4 Night Stay in Cancun! *You must be present at the meeting to win. The Giveaway does not include dining, transportation, airfare, transfers, taxes, upgrades, etc.

Late Nite Networking After Intown Meeting

Late Nite NetworkingAfter the conclusion of our Atlanta Intown Investors Club Meeting, we will be hanging out a the at the Wrecking Bar Brewpub for “Late Nite Networking” to socialize and build stronger relationships. So come and join us for the Atlanta Intown Meeting and be prepared to stay late and network and have fun with like minded real estate investors, marketers and other professionals late into the evening!

See Atlanta REIA Events Calendar for More Events!
Thur, April 16th @ 6PM – Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Intown Investors Club
Buy, Sell, Trade, Network, Q&A
This Group is All About Doing Deals!
April 16th, 6PM at Wrecking Bar Brewpub

Atlanta Intown Investors ClubThe Atlanta Intown Investors Club is a new Atlanta REIA Subgroup run by Dustin Griffin and Maggie Groholski that meets for the first time on Thursday, April 16th at 6PM at the Wrecking Bar BrewPub in Atlanta, GA. Our mission and focus is to provide an open forum for real estate investors and industry professionals to network and have direct access to hot real estate deals. The group is all about doing more deals! This forum will be totally member-centric. Its content and value is derived from our members actively participating and networking with each other during the meeting.

Wrecking Bar BrewpubWe will not be pitching products from the front of the room. Instead, this is your meeting to pitch your properties, products and services; voice your real estate wants and needs; and participate in open discussions of real estate questions and issues. We will strive to remain a forum for investors to do deals and learn and seek advice from your peers and trusted industry professionals. The more you attend and participate, the more deals you’ll do and, the smarter we all become.

Wrecking Bar BrewpubMeetings will be held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at from 6PM – 9PM in the Cellar Meeting Room of the Wrecking Bar BrewPub located at 292 Moreland Ave NE in Atlanta, GA. Dinner will be available to order as will a varying array of beers and cocktails. Join us for the meeting as well as dinner to support our local businesses. As always we will socialize after the meeting in the main pub area.

5 Days & 4 Nights in CancunWIN A 4 NIGHT STAY IN CANCUN: All participants who attend the Intown Meeting will have a chance to win a *Complimentary 5 Day, 4 Night Stay in Cancun! *You must be present at the meeting to win. The Giveaway does not include dining, transportation, airfare, transfers, taxes, upgrades, etc.

Late Nite Networking After Intown Meeting

Late Nite NetworkingAfter the conclusion of our Atlanta Intown Investors Club Meeting, we will be hanging out a the at the Wrecking Bar Brewpub for “Late Nite Networking” to socialize and build stronger relationships. So come and join us for the Atlanta Intown Meeting and be prepared to stay late and network and have fun with like minded real estate investors, marketers and other professionals late into the evening!

See Atlanta REIA Events Calendar for More Events!
Wed, April 15th @ 6:30PM – Buford, GA
Atlanta REIA North Meeting
Researching Properties & Marketing to Off Market Sellers
with Chuck Phillips
April 15th, 6:30PM
1960 Skylar Hill Dr, Suite D, Buford, GA

RSVP Now!

Chuck PhillipsWe are excited to announce that Chuck Phillips with CRS Data will be the guest speaker at this month’s Atlanta REIA North Meeting. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 15th at 6:30PM located at 1960 Skylar Hill Dr, Suite D, Buford, GA. Chuck will be showing us how to use CRS Data’s proprietary software to find and organize all the important property information you need so you can make informed decisions in all your real estate investing transactions.

CRS Data is a leading consolidator of information gleaned from public records provides data to MLS Services, Realtors, Appraisers, Banks/Lenders, Government Agencies, as well as investors.

Chuck has worked with Courthouse Retrieval System (CRS) for over 11 years. He has worked with all types of individuals from Investors, Realtors, Mortgage Companies, Banks, Surveyors, and Developers on how to utilize public record information. He is licensed to teach “Using Public Records to Enhance Your Business” by the Tennessee Realtors Association in TN. Public records can be used to answer the following questions:

  • Where do you find off market properties?
  • How do you get in touch with people who don’t know they want to sell?
  • How do you become the only buyer?
  • How do you get contact information on a vacant property?
  • Where do you get the information to become the neighborhood expert?
  • Where do you get a mailing list of absentee owners?
  • How do you get a list of owners of multiple properties?
  • And much much more.

Public records are free to look at from state or county sites using the program provided by that organization. Most of the time all you can obtain is the Owners Name, Address, Tax Information, Parcel Number, Year/Effective Year Built, Lat/Long Information if the county has GIS maps, etc. The program from CRS, with the various Search Filters, allows you to sift through this data to arrive at the results you would like. If you are looking for out of state owners with a certain type of improvement, square footage, year built in a certain zip/street, this program can filter out that information. If you need a home with an existing mortgage, this information can be found.

All of this is public information, but the Engine CRS has with the various filters makes it very easy to find and export to Excel for marketing purposes. If you find a home and need to know the comps around the home, this can easily be found based on date, distance, and time of sale. This is another feature any investor needs depending on the type of exit strategy they have for the property.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to save yourself TONS of time researching properties! RSVP Now to secure your seat. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting!

RSVP Now!

Late Nite Networking After North Meeting

Late Nite NetworkingAfter the conclusion of the Atlanta REIA North Meeting (after 9:30 PM), we will be reconvening at the Tannery Row Ale House located at 554 W Main St in historic downtown Buford, GA for the “Meeting after the Meeting”. We may arrive late if the Atlanta REIA North Meeting runs late. So please come eat, drink, network and have fun with us as hang out late into the night!

See Atlanta REIA Events Calendar for More Events!

Maggie Groholski

Posted on April 10, 2015 by

Maggie GroholskiMaggie Groholski has an incredible “get up and go get it” spirit towards her goals.  Luckily for her, that goal is Real Estate.  Maggie grew up in Miami Florida where she first realized her interest in Real Estate and purchased, renovated and rented her first foreclosure property.  Her hands on approach and continued desire for knowledge in the industry led her to acquire her license and gear her focus toward the foreclosure and short sale market.  She has earned certifications as REO Specialist, Short Sale Specialist and Loss Mitigation Specialist.

Her endless desire for knowledge of her community and interest in the people within it have driven her to help whenever possible through volunteer work with various local organizations including Zoo Atlanta and Habitat for Humanity as a member of their Committee with the Atlanta Board of Realtors.

Maggie loves to travel and has had the opportunity for trips through Europe, Eastern Africa, Australia and New Zealand as well as through the United States and Canada.  Although she counts all aspects of Real Estate among her most enjoyed hobbies, she also loves food, cars and motorcycles.     

Maggie is also the leader of the new Atlanta REIA Intown Investors Group. Read More→

Sat, April 11th at 9AM @ Keller Williams, Sandy Springs, GA
The ACT / REACT Workshop
A Full Day Workshop with Jon Iannotti
Sat, April 11th, 9AM-5PM
Keller Williams
200 Glenridge Point Pkwy, Ste 100
Sandy Springs, GA

Jon IannottiJoin us and Jon Iannotti on Saturday, April 11th at 9:00 AM at Keller Williams located at 200 Glenridge Point Pkwy, Ste 100 in Sandy Springs to learn how CATS can teach you to structure profitable transactions with every lead that comes across your desk, especially the ones that most other investors would immediately toss aside. During this full day workshop, Jon Iannotti will expand on the concepts he was only briefly able to talk about Monday night.

Jon will teach you specifically how to…

  • Work with sellers to give them what they want and still profit
  • Structure win-win situations with over-leveraged properties
  • Turn a dead lead into a profitable deal
  • Make a minimum of $5,000 on each deal
  • Work with sellers who want all cash and full retail
  • Set your business on “Auto Pilot”
  • And much, much more…
Click Here to Get REACT Property Data Sheet
Download Jon’s REACT Property Data Sheet, fill it out and bring as many completed lead sheets to class as you can and Jon will analyze your deals and call sellers in class and help put together a deal for YOU!
Register Now!

PLEASE NOTE: The 2 for 1 Early Registration Special is for Atlanta REIA Members and is limited to spouses, adult children and corporate partners. Early registration expires on Wednesday, April 8th at midnight. Non-Members who join Atlanta REIA between April 1st – 6th, 2015 can attend the workshop for FREE. Also, Atlanta REIA Members who renew their membership for an additional year between April April 1st – 6th, 2015 can attend the workshop for FREE as well. When joining Atlanta REIA or renewing your membership, please indicate that you want to attend the workshop at no charge. You can join Atlanta REIA at http://membership.atlantareia.com.

Whether your seller says “Yes” to terms or “No” to terms, you will be able to structure the deal to where you will be able to make money and your seller will be happy too. Jon and Stephanie Iannotti have taken the real estate market by storm. Through the ever-changing ups and downs, they have modified their techniques to meet the needs of the market and have continued to thrive and prosper. Jon and Stephanie have a passion for teaching and helping others get out of the rat race and achieve their personal and business goals. By implementing their CATS (Complete Agreeable Terms System), you will be able to achieve your goals much, much quicker.

Don’t miss the opportunity to learn how to convert just about any lead into a profitable real estate transaction that you can continue to do over and over and over again!

Don’t Forget to Download
Jon’s REACT Property Data Sheet

See Atlanta REIA Events Calendar for More Events!
Thu, April 9th @ 11:30AM – Sandy Springs, GA
Small Business Group (SBG)
Creative Financing
with Joe Thompson
April 9th, 11:30AM, 5 Seasons Brewing,
Sandy Springs, GA

Joe ThompsonCome be part of the Small Business Group on Thursday, April 9th at 11:30AM at the 5 Seasons Brewing at the Prado located at 5600 Roswell Rd #21 in Sandy Springs where Joe Thompson will be sharing his valuable insights on Creative Financing and other alternatives for funding your real estate deals.

Haves and Wants Meeting After SBG

Late Nite NetworkingAfter the conclusion of our Small Business Group Meeting, plan to stick around for Joe Thompson’s Haves and Wants Meeting. The Haves and Wants Meeting, led by Joe Thompson, is a weekly real estate investor brainstorming and deal making jam session. They meet EVERY Thursday (except major holidays) from 1:30PM till approximately 3:30PM.

About the Small Business Group (SBG)

Small Business Group (SBG)The Atlanta REIA Small Business Group (SBG) is an educational and networking group for real estate entrepreneurs and small business owners, led by Karen Bershad, that meets on the 2nd Thursday of the month, once per quarter, at 11:30AM at the 5 Seasons Brewing located at 5600 Roswell Rd in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

See Atlanta REIA Events Calendar for More Events!
Mon, April 13th @ 6:30PM – Hudson Grille, Sandy Springs, GA
All Inclusive Marketing (AIM) Group
How to Automate Your Marketing by Using Virtual Assistants
with Russ Hiner
April 13th, 6:30PM, Hudson Grille, Sandy Springs, GA

RSVP Now!

Russ HinerOur next All Inclusive Marketing (AIM) Group Meeting is Monday, April 13th at 6:30PM at the Hudson Grille located at 6317 Roswell Rd in Sandy Springs. There is no charge for this meeting for Atlanta REIA Members. Guests and Non-Members can pay $20.00 at the door or RSVP Online for $15.00.

AIM is excited about April’s monthly meeting. A good friend, a great marketer, and a successful, active investor, Russ Hiner will be our special guest speaker.

I respect Russ a lot for his knowledge, creativity and ability to make a deal out of almost nothing. He has owned real estate in 9 different states and has coached/mentored investors across the United States.

Russ has gone to the school of hard knocks many times. The tuition alone has made him value wisdom and others’ experience. He has experienced doing deals that were very profitable and exciting. These deals allowed him to achieve the goals and dreams he had set out for himself. Russ has learned that this stuff works…and a lot of what doesn’t work.

Russ is an active real estate investor, wholesaler, coach and mentor. He will share with us how to use Virtual Assistants (VAs) that you pay less than $3.00 an hour to get your marketing done for you. He will also share:

  • How to get paid more and do less!
  • How to find properties you can wholesale!
  • Where to find them from!
  • What part of business you should be doing!
  • Who to hire so they can get the work you do not want to do done for you!
  • Who to delegate almost everything to!
  • Delegate your marketing and make lead generation a breeze!
  • And much, much more!

We all have a limited amount of time to live our life. Why not maximize the event? Why not spend your time with people who will put large deposits into your bank account and delegate the details to others?

When you attend this exciting and dynamic presentation by Russ Hiner, you will receive a system to hire a virtual assistant to make your life easier and simpler. By you delegating your short comings to another individual, they will do it better and faster. They will love you because you are allowing them to have their dream of a fun job and learn how to do real estate.

If you are over worked and under paid, then come and learn how to get paid more and do less. Learn how you can start achieving your goals of spending time with your family, doing the fun stuff, and getting the hard stuff done through others that you will pay $3.00 or less per hour. Russ will even give you a hand out of potential VAs for you to hire!

When you have made the decision to get out of your JOB or supplement your income, then this is the place to get solid, real life systems. You don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to hear Russ speak on Monday night at AIM!

RSVP Now!

Rock's BookEARLY BIRD BONUS: I love to reward be around action takers. In my opinion, you are an action taker just by attending this event. I also love people who take action early! As a special bonus this month for all “early birds,” I am offering the following:

  1. A digital copy of my book, “The Dynamic 6,”
  2. A digital copy of my book, “Go Mobile Now Or Die!”
  3. 30 point marketing audit of your business, $250 value to everyone

This is a must attend event! We will meet at our usual location at the Hudson Grille at 6:30PM and be there until 9:00PM and then hang out and have our Late Nite Networking. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting! Read More→

Download The Profit Newsletter for April 2015 (PDF)
The April 2015 Edition of
The Profit is Available for Download!

The Profit Newsletter - April 2015The April 2015 Edition of The Profit Newsletter is available for download just in time for our Atlanta REIA Main Meeting on April 6th. There are 48 pages of valuable information this month for your real estate investing success. Download it and check it out! The Profit is Atlanta REIA’s digital, interactive newsletter for serious real estate investors delivered as an Adobe PDF file to read on your PC, Mac, Smart Phone, iPad or other mobile ready devices. Many of the articles and ads in The Profit contain many hyperlinks you can click to get more information online! The high res version of The Profit is “print ready” for those who want to print the newsletter on their home or business printer. Be sure to Subscribe to The Profit by Email or Subscribe to The Profit by Text so you don’t miss a single issue.

Download The Profit Now!
High Quality PDF / Low Res PDF / The Profit Archives

Read More→

Jon and Stephanie IannottiMy wife Stephanie and I have been doing Creative Real Estate Deals for over 30 years. In fact we have done close to 2,000 of them with none of our own money or credit.

We have mentored hundreds of students across the country and Canada. We love to teach what we do to others and our reward is watching them succeed.

Well, back in 2007 the market started turning down and we all know about the Greatest Recession of all times that followed. We quickly found that a lot of the techniques we were using suddenly were not working anymore. So we created a technique that we actually had used since we started investing and named it ACT, or Agreeable Contract Terms.

With ACT, we were able to get sellers to give us terms or pricing that was agreeable to us right up front. This worked for about 2 ½ years. Then in 2012, the market started changing again. It became more of a retail market. Have you talked to a seller lately? I bet they want ‘CASH, Full Retail, or More than Retail’ for their home, right? Well, we are seeing this across the country. Read More→

From Paper to (Almost) Paperless

Posted on April 3, 2015 by

“Americans spend 3 billion hours per year filling out tax forms and keeping tax records.” ~ Jim Ramstad

There are two things I’ll never do again: first, teach one of my own kids how to drive; and second, help my Aunt May file her tax returns. I’m pretty sure you know Aunt May, or someone just like her. She’s a really sweet lady whose house looks spotlessly organized until you open a drawer or a closet. When she hints that she needs help with her taxes, you volunteer. I mean, she needs you, and she’s so nice! How hard could it be?

Anyway, that’s what I thought. But a day before taxes were due, Aunt May came over with six boxes full of paper. Six boxes! Each contained every manner of paper from receipts to bank statements to movie tickets to Christmas cards. Everything under the sun – except the things I needed. It took sixteen hours, eight aspirins, and three pots of coffee to figure out that she was getting a refund of $1.47. Nope. I adore my Aunt May, but I’m not going through that again.

I’ve never been quite as disorganized as Aunt May, but I’ve certainly had my moments. I discovered pretty quickly that I had better organize my business so I could find what I needed, when I needed it. When you’re trying to convince a potential seller that you run an organized, professional operation, it’s best if you can find the contract they signed. Read More→

A Tax Sale Deal Review

Posted on April 3, 2015 by

Tom DiAgostinoAt Fortris we have several levels of Mentoring and in the past one of these levels was the Generals Club. That club has now been retired. But several years ago we opened it up to 8 investors. The concept was total immersion into the tax sale business and working through an entire deal utilizing the General’s capital while teaching them the entire process of construction management, sales, the associated legalities, and the basics on how to become a very successful real estate investor. At the end of the project we gave the General back all their investment, as well as their mentoring fee plus half the profit on the project they had been tasked with. Currently we still maintain partnership investments with five of the original eight members.

Ann S., one of our Generals, invests in the city of Baltimore which is a very tough market. Baltimore doesn’t allow any scraping of tax sale data from their site, so we needed to pull all the enhanced lists manually. The bidding process is different than any other I’ve ever seen. First the interest rate is bid down which means that you can offer to take a lower rate of interest payment to win the lien. It is also a sealed bid including a premium offer you are willing to pay, over and above the interest, added in. The county processes all the submissions and the best combination of bid and premium gets the lien. If the property does not redeem, the bid will be packaged according to the best offer combination. For example, if the lien is $5000 and the interest rate is 24%, the bidder may structure their offer to take 7% interest on the $5,000 certificate and then pay a premium of an additional $6,000 above the lien cost if the lien does not redeem. A fairly complicated structure. All the premium bids are sealed and no re-bids are possible. You only get one crack at getting it so you have to use your opportunity to make your best offer possible. Read More→

As an active investor, I get a ton of deals regularly from other wholesalers especially with springtime rolling in. They come in all sorts of shapes, forms, fonts, graphics and so forth. While they all have a variety of information, it is rare that ads come with enough information to make a decision on whether it is worth spending time on them. So as a Buyer as well as a wholesaler, I thought I would share some do’s and don’ts to apply when you put ads out to your Buyers to set yourself up for success.

DO’S

DO put the address – I am amazed at why anyone would think I would look at a deal without an address but it happens.

DO think like a homeowner wanting a perfect house to describe repairs – This is what your Buyer is going to be aiming for. As an example, you may be ‘ok’ with the minor carpet stain however that won’t cut it when your Buyer’s Buyer will want new carpet. Description trumps number estimates since each Buyer has their own contractor with their own pricing.

DO give comparable sales that make sense – radically mixing styles of homes, comps that are too far away for the geographic area, large square footage differences, ignoring unique features such as lakefront, acreage and many more considerations can radically affect what are the best comps. Read More→