If your goal is to become a real estate investor, but you are a little fearful of knocking on a seller’s door, then spend a Saturday cruising yard sales.  Sometimes, a homeowner hosting a yard sale just might need to sell their yard.  And you might find it easier to talk to a homeowner in this casual setting, rather than sitting at a seller’s kitchen table.  So become a yard sale aficionado – be polite, be yourself and strike up a conversation! 

On a typical Saturday, I leave Bill at home in the office and my sweet friend, Dorsie Boddiford and I cruise yard sales looking for just that…..yards.   We crane our necks and dang near cause wrecks when we see a ‘yard sale’ sign.  Yep – we are those people!  We always wonder: is the yard for sale?  And like most yard sale junkies, we’re thrilled when we find a special trinket or two – but our ultimate goal is the yard. 

After waving our apologies and blowing kisses to all the drivers we cut off, we haphazardly park our car and approach the house with our wallets and business cards in hand.  Handy Tip:  The homeowner is always busy, so to help ensure that our business card doesn’t end up in the trash, we attach it to a business card magnet. Read More→

I was born a blonde, but as I got older my hair turned auburn(ish).  When I was diagnosed with cancer, my sister colored my hair red to give me a much-needed lift, both mentally and physically.  But now that I’m pushing 55, my hair is turning grey and I find that it’s harder to keep it colored red. 

Ah, everything in life changes, doesn’t it?  If we are fearful of change, and reject it, then we miss out on so many great opportunities.

Change is happening to our real estate business, as well.  Years ago, Bill and I worked hard to buy properties before they hit the ‘steps’ at the foreclosure auction.  We dealt face-to-face with homeowners in distress, and really worked our ‘deal-structuring’ muscles to find ways to purchase homes prior to the auction. Read More→

First, let me preface this article by saying that massage therapists are amazingly talented and giving people.  They spend hours leaning over a table, using their hands and their knowledge of muscles to help rejuvenate tired bodies.

With that said, a few weeks ago, Bill and I were cruising down I-85 heading to Florida when a commercial for a Massage Therapy School came on the radio.  The announcer touted the benefits of a career in massage therapy, and when the commercial ended, Bill turned to me and said, “You know, a therapist’s income stops every time a body gets off their table.”

Well that led to a discussion.  If a therapist has a client on their table they are making money to help pay the bills, but what are they doing to create wealth?  What about their retirement?  What happens in their ‘golden’ years?  Are they still leaning over a table when they reach their 50’s? Read More→

When we’re selling or renting a house, the neighbors can help make it a pleasant experience or a real nightmare.  Bill and I always try to talk with the neighbors and listen to their needs and concerns.  We want the neighbors to like our house and appreciate the improvements we make.  We also want the neighborhood’s values to benefit from our sales price.

We recently bought a house in a very nice neighborhood where the values had taken a terrible turn downward.  We did a beautiful rehab to the house and property, spending about $24,000 on improvements.  The neighbors were patient with the noise and tolerant of our trucks constantly blocking the road. Read More→

Over the Christmas Holidays my sweet friend, Cindy, called and expressed her desire to succeed in real estate investing.  She also conveyed her frustration over how slow her progress has been.  Her goal is one that most people can understand – build wealth so she and her family can live life comfortably and at its fullest.  But understandably, and like most people, she wants it yesterday. Read More→

When you are married and work together like Bill and I do, sometimes it’s easy to take one another for granted.

Several months ago, in an attempt to help Bill catch up on work, I took over the clean-out and marketing of one of our vacant homes. I don’t have the landlording experience that Bill has, so I assumed the task would be a breeze.

I took Bill’s 6-page To-Do List and went to work.  I cleaned the house from top to bottom, raked and bagged the leaves, and gave everything a good sprucing up.  Then I staged it with everything from tables and chairs to towels and toilet paper.  I made sure there were flyers in the box and applications in the house.  I updated the ads every few days and made sure the directional signs were pointing toward the house.  I kept referring back to Bill’s To-Do List to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything.  Thank goodness for that list! Read More→

For the last four years, I have sat at my desk every day coordinating Short Sale transactions for realtors.  With no risk involved, Retail Short Sales have been great for the pocketbook, but terrible for the “investor” side of me.  It has caused me to lose my investor calluses and be fearful of the homeowner behind the door.

Bill said that it’s OK to be scared, but I should be more afraid of failure.  “If you want to be an investor, then you need to get your calluses back,” he advised.   Read More→