Atlanta Real Estate Investors Alliance Blog
The Objective is a Written Offer
Posted on October 22, 2013 byA common mistake made by real estate investors is to forget why they knock on the seller’s door. By “forget,” I don’t mean the seller answers the door and the investor stands there with a stupid, lost look on his face. I mean the investor doesn’t understand the basic objective of why he’s there.
Do you know the ultimate objective of meeting with sellers? I mean, why are you there? What’s the purpose? Is it to be given a tour of the seller’s house?
Recently, I was working with a couple of investors. By “working,” I mean I was watching and critiquing – the investors had the lead and were responsible for what happened in the house. We went in the first seller’s house and got the grand tour. In the end, the investors told the seller they’d get back with him, then left. Same thing happened in the second seller’s house.
One of the hardest things about teaching is for the teacher to keep his mouth shut. Oh, do I ever have a problem with this! Not immediately correcting someone when they’re doing something wrong practically makes my eyes bleed.
Before going in the third seller’s house, I asked the investors, “When y’all are all done talking to the seller and are ready to leave, will you please ask if I have anything else to add?” Read More→
Nothing But Low-Ball Offers – Wanna Bet?
Posted on October 18, 2013 byOne thing that REALLY sticks in my craw is the number of folks who claim that all I do is make low-ball offers when making offers to buy houses. Kim and I have heard this nonsense for more than 18 years.
Want the truth? Can you handle the truth? Almost every offer I make includes a full-price offer! Don’t believe me? I’m in the middle of a 30-day knocking-on-sellers’-doors challenge. So far we’ve talked to 25 sellers at the door; 22 have invited us in and we’ve made 18 written offers. You can see us in action – along with a number of full-priced written offers that we’ve made – by going to North Georgia REIA’s Facebook page.
Last week, I met with a realtor and a seller at the seller’s house. Before I got there, the realtor told the seller that this would be a total waste of her time. She said, “Bill’s nothing more than a scum-sucking bottom feeder. All he does is make insulting, way-below-market offers.” But here’s the thing: I had never met this realtor, nor made a single offer to one of her sellers – EVER! Read More→
What’s Happening at Atlanta REIA for the Week of October 21, 2013
Posted on October 17, 2013 byWhat Happens When You Lock
4 Attorneys in a Room Full of Eager
New Real Estate Investors?
Get Your REI Legal Questions Answered by an
All Star Attorney Panel on Mon, Oct 21st
Atlanta REIA Members are always FREE!
While this may sound like the opening line of a funny joke, it is no joke at all! On Monday, October 21st at 6:30 PM at the Beginning Investors Group (BIG), we’re having an All Star Attorney Panel Discussion with four prominent local real estate attorneys… Fred Kross, Craig Halperin, John Maurer and Jon David Huffman.
BIG meets at the Hudson Grill located at 6317 Roswell Rd NE in Sandy Springs, GA. This is a special BIG Meeting you don’t want to miss since it is a rare opportunity for you to discuss your real estate investing business with not one, but four real estate attorneys!
With all the attorney jokes aside, as investors, having good attorneys on our team is very important to our business. They assist us with legal entity setup; reviewing contracts; closing our real estate deals; dealing with liens; assisting our sellers with bankruptcy; short sales and foreclosures; representing us in lawsuits and so much more. This month at BIG, you are going to meet four local real estate attorneys who are all Atlanta REIA Members and who specialize in serving the needs of new and seasoned investors. They will be joining us to share their thoughts with you and answer all your burning legal questions. Join us at BIG and you will learn…
- When and why you need a good attorney on your side
- What advice our attorneys would give to beginning investors
- How to avoid many of the common mistakes investors make
- What type of legal entities and asset protection you should use
- How to work with sellers in bankruptcy or foreclosure
- How to avoid frivolous lawsuits
- What to expect at closing
- And answers to all your burning questions and much more!
After the Panel Discussion, attendees can stick around and participate in our new creative deal structuring exercises. This is an opportunity to practice on how to structure deals. Bring some of the deals you are working on, or use some of our scenarios.
Atlanta REIA members can attend the Beginning Investors Group for FREE. Non Members can RSVP Online for $15.00 or pay $20 at the door. If you join Atlanta REIA before the meeting, you can attend at no charge and get BIG Discounts on Atlanta REIA Training Workshops.
Hosted by Tom Boyer
The Note Buyers Group an Atlanta REIA educational and networking subgroup led by Tom Boyer that is designed to teach real estate investors how to buy and sell the mortgage notes that secure a property rather than buying the property itself. The group’s goal is to transact deals within the group and increase our professionalism through education in a changing credit market. The agenda for this month’s meeting is (1) Haves/Wants, (2) Notes for Sale – Bring yours for analysis, (3) Smaller investment amount opportunities and (4) Strategies using seller financing to buy/sell properties, and (5) Legislation update as appropriate.
The Note Buyers Group meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM at Olive Garden located at 2467 Cobb Parkway SE in Smyrna about 1/2 mile from I-285. If you are a new investor, this is a great opportunity to pick up pointers on what to do and what not to do when investing in notes. Atlanta REIA Members can attend at no charge.
At this week’s Cash Cows Commercial Real Estate Group, Joe Thompson and Steve Brown will summarize some of topics we addressed during the year such as Goals, Marketing, Flyers, Options, and Private Money Lending. Bill Ham will be sharing his techniques for closing more deals without using banks or any of our own money! Bill has created a 400 unit portfolio right here in Georgia without ever setting foot in a bank. If you want to close more single family deals or transition your business into multifamily investing, you won’t want to miss this next meeting!
The Cash Cows Commercial Real Estate Group is an educational, networking and call to action subgroup, led by Steve Brown for new, intermediate and advanced investors with a serious interest in purchasing commercial real estate. The Cash Cows group meets on the 4th Thursday of each month at 11:30 AM, before the Haves & Wants Meeting, at 5 Seasons Brewing located at 5600 Roswell Rd in Sandy Springs, GA at the Prado. If you yearn to learn, come learn to earn!
Hosted by Joe Thompson
Haves and Wants is a weekly investor’s networking, brainstorming and deal making jam session hosted by Joe Thompson and held every Thursday at 5 Seasons Brewing at the Prado from 1:30 PM till approximately 3:00 PM. This group has been meeting for over 6 years and is all about networking, sharing information, doing deals and making money right now. Be sure to bring lots of your business cards and flyers and be prepared to promote your business and/or your haves, wants and deals with our group. If you are a real estate player or want to be, this is one meeting you don’t want to miss!
5 Seasons Brewing is located at 5600 Roswell Rd (map) inside the Perimeter at the “Prado” in Sandy Springs. The all natural, organic food at the 5 Seasons is excellent and the hand-crafted beer is even better! Come out and eat, drink, network and share your deals with us! There is no charge to attend this meeting for Atlanta REIA Members or guests. Please come early and stay late. We would love to have you!
Wholesaling in the New Economy
Presented by New York Times best-Selling Author, International Speaker, Personal Development Life Coach, and Real Estate Entrepreneur Wahid Shakur aka Mr. Tycoon!
Whether you are new or just getting back in the game, Mr. Tycoon has news you need NOW in order to be a successful wholesaler in today’s market. Join us at the Atlanta REIA West Meeting on Monday, October 28th at 6:30PM at the Cherokee Cattle Company for a special bonus: “In Order to Get Your Money Right, You Must Get Your MIND Right!”
When: Monday, October 28, 6:30-9:00 pm
Late Night Networking: From 9:00 to 10:00PM
Where: Cherokee Cattle Company, 2710 Canton Rd, Marietta, GA
More Info: Call 678-895-1460
There will be door prizes, fun, great networking! As always, the meeting is free for Atlanta REIA Members and just $5 (CASH ONLY at the door) for non-members. EVERYONE can bring a guest for free this month, so pair on up and ride on in Monday for a great night out. Don’t miss this very special Guest Speaker! See you there!
Yard Sales – A Great Place to Find Yards!
Posted on October 17, 2013 byIf 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→
Silence is a Form of Acceptance
Posted on October 16, 2013 byYesterday, I attended the Board of Assessor’s monthly meeting at the county courthouse. Including me, the total number of private citizens in the room was…one! This isn’t unusual. I attend several of these meetings each year – usually around property tax time – and I’ve never seen anyone else there except for the folks on the board.
For the record, board members are appointed by county government officials. The members work hard and have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. Their job is to review property tax appeals, sales ratios and changes to the tax digest. Before a decision is rendered, there’s a lot of open, back-and-forth discussion.
At the meeting, I learned that around 2,000 property owners filed property tax appeals – this is about the same number as last year. I was dumbstruck that so few had filed an appeal. Because Steve Taylor, the County Commissioner – who has one T-O-U-G-H job – recently announced plans for a 25% property tax increase, I figured there would be a flood of property tax appeals. Read More→
Meeting Replay: Atlanta REIA Meeting on October 7, 2013 with Larry Harbolt
Posted on October 16, 2013 bywith Special Guest, Larry Harbolt
Have you ever wondered why those successful investors are continually finding and doing profitable deal after deal? Did you ever ask yourself what they look for and what they think about before they ever make an offer on any property? Have you ever thought about what makes a good deal and what is missing from the deals that you don’t want? If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, this is exactly what our guest speaker, long time real estate investor and trainer, Larry Harbolt, taught at our Atlanta REIA Monthly Meeting on October 7, 2013.
If you are an Atlanta REIA Member, you can Login to AtlantaREIA.com and listen to the meeting replay below… Read More→
How Kim Spent Her Summer Vacation
Posted on October 15, 2013 by“Bill, you have a pretty big spot on your lung. We’re not sure what it is,” said the doctor. If he wanted to get my attention, he succeeded!
I’ve never smoked, I compete in five triathlons and do several 100-mile bike races each year, plus I go to the gym twice a week – yet there I was, wondering whether I had lung cancer.
The good news is that it wasn’t lung cancer! It turns out that the spot on my lung is a result of me having had tuberculosis when I was growing up in Thailand. No matter, the thought of dying caused me to look at many parts of my life – including our rental properties.
For most couples who own single-family rentals, one spouse is primarily responsible for taking care of the properties and tenants. In our family, it’s me.
My health scare raised some all-important questions: What would happen to our rental properties if I suddenly died? Would Kim know what to do? Could she maintain our capital assets or would she be forced to liquidate all of our investment properties?
I decided we needed to find out the answer to these questions. Read More→
All Star Real Estate Attorney Panel at the Beginning Investors Group on Oct 21, 2013
Posted on October 15, 2013 byWhat Happens When You Lock
4 Attorneys in a Room Full of Eager
New Real Estate Investors?
with an All Star Attorney Panel on Mon, Oct 21st
Atlanta REIA Members are always FREE!
While this may sound like the opening line of a funny joke, it is no joke at all! On Monday, October 21st at 6:30 PM at the Beginning Investors Group (BIG), we’re having an All Star Attorney Panel Discussion with four prominent local real estate attorneys… Fred Kross, Craig Halperin, John Maurer and Jon David Huffman.
BIG meets at the Hudson Grill located at 6317 Roswell Rd NE in Sandy Springs, GA. This is a special BIG Meeting you don’t want to miss since it is a rare opportunity for you to discuss your real estate investing business with not one, but four real estate attorneys!
With all the attorney jokes aside, as investors, having good attorneys on our team is very important to our business. They assist us with legal entity setup; reviewing contracts; closing our real estate deals; dealing with liens; assisting our sellers with bankruptcy; short sales and foreclosures; representing us in lawsuits and so much more. This month at BIG, you are going to meet four local real estate attorneys who are all Atlanta REIA Members and who specialize in serving the needs of new and seasoned investors. They will be joining us to share their thoughts with you and answer all your burning legal questions. Join us at BIG and you will learn…
- When and why you need a good attorney on your side
- What advice our attorneys would give to beginning investors
- How to avoid many of the common mistakes investors make
- What type of legal entities and asset protection you should use
- How to work with sellers in bankruptcy or foreclosure
- How to avoid frivolous lawsuits
- What to expect at closing
- And answers to all your burning questions and much more!
After the Panel Discussion, attendees can stick around and participate in our new creative deal structuring exercises. This is an opportunity to practice on how to structure deals. Bring some of the deals you are working on, or use some of our scenarios.
Atlanta REIA members can attend the Beginning Investors Group for FREE. Non Members can RSVP Online for $15.00 or pay $20 at the door. If you join Atlanta REIA before the meeting, you can attend at no charge and get BIG Discounts on Atlanta REIA Training Workshops.
What’s Happening at Atlanta REIA for the Week of October 14, 2013
Posted on October 14, 2013 by
On Tuesday, October 15th at Noon, the Onsite Renovation Group will be returning to 651 Holderness St SW, Atlanta, GA 30310. You may remember that we visited this gut-out project back in July in what used to be the “red line zone” but has been experiencing incredible rejuvenation thanks to investor activity. The project is an early-make bungalow with visions of grandeur and profit. We’re returning to this job now that sheetrock is getting done and the trim and tile are starting to show the finished product. Come see what a job looks like before the finishing touches are put on!
The Onsite Renovation Group, led by Aaron McGinnis of Craftbuilt Properties, is an new educational and networking group that focuses on the acquisition, renovation and retail resale (fix and flip) of single family residential homes inside the I-285 perimeter and the in-town neighborhoods. The purpose of this group is to allow both new and experienced rehabbers and investors to meet, network and share knowledge and experience with “hands on” access to real property. The Onsite Renovation Group meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at NOON at an active renovation site, build site or rental property which will vary from month to month. There is currently no charge to attend these meeting.
Atlanta REIA North is a of the Atlanta Real Estate Investors Alliance that meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at 1960 Skylar Hill Dr, Suite D, Buford, Georgia in North Gwinnett County just a few miles from the Mall of Georgia. There is no charge to attend this meeting for Atlanta REIA members and the cost is $5.00 at the door for non-members.
After the conclusion of the Atlanta REIA North Meeting (after 9:30 PM), we will be reconvening at the Mall of Georgia located at 3250 Woodward Crossing Blvd in Buford, GA for the “Meeting after the Meeting”. We may arrive late if the Atlanta REIA Meeting runs late. So please come eat, drink, network and have fun with us as hang out late into the night!
Hosted by Joe Thompson
Haves and Wants is a weekly investor’s networking, brainstorming and deal making jam session hosted by Joe Thompson and held every Thursday at 5 Seasons Brewing at the Prado from 1:30 PM till approximately 3:00 PM. This group has been meeting for over 6 years and is all about networking, sharing information, doing deals and making money right now. Be sure to bring lots of your business cards and flyers and be prepared to promote your business and/or your haves, wants and deals with our group. If you are a real estate player or want to be, this is one meeting you don’t want to miss!
5 Seasons Brewing is located at 5600 Roswell Rd (map) inside the Perimeter at the “Prado” in Sandy Springs. The all natural, organic food at the 5 Seasons is excellent and the hand-crafted beer is even better! Come out and eat, drink, network and share your deals with us! There is no charge to attend this meeting for Atlanta REIA Members or guests. Please come early and stay late. We would love to have you!
What Happens When You Lock
4 Attorneys in a Room Full of Eager
New Real Estate Investors?
with an All Star Attorney Panel on Mon, Oct 21st
Atlanta REIA Members are always FREE!
While this may sound like the opening line of a funny joke, it is no joke at all! On Monday, October 21st at 6:30 PM at the Beginning Investors Group (BIG), we’re having an All Star Attorney Panel Discussion with four prominent local real estate attorneys… Fred Kross, Craig Halperin, John Maurer and Jon David Huffman.
BIG meets at the Hudson Grill located at 6317 Roswell Rd NE in Sandy Springs, GA. This is a special BIG Meeting you don’t want to miss since it is a rare opportunity for you to discuss your real estate investing business with not one, but four real estate attorneys!
With all the attorney jokes aside, as investors, having good attorneys on our team is very important to our business. They assist us with legal entity setup; reviewing contracts; closing our real estate deals; dealing with liens; assisting our sellers with bankruptcy; short sales and foreclosures; representing us in lawsuits and so much more. This month at BIG, you are going to meet four local real estate attorneys who are all Atlanta REIA Members and who specialize in serving the needs of new and seasoned investors. They will be joining us to share their thoughts with you and answer all your burning legal questions. Join us at BIG and you will learn…
- When and why you need a good attorney on your side
- What advice our attorneys would give to beginning investors
- How to avoid many of the common mistakes investors make
- What type of legal entities and asset protection you should use
- How to work with sellers in bankruptcy or foreclosure
- How to avoid frivolous lawsuits
- What to expect at closing
- And answers to all your burning questions and much more!
After the Panel Discussion, attendees can stick around and participate in our new creative deal structuring exercises. This is an opportunity to practice on how to structure deals. Bring some of the deals you are working on, or use some of our scenarios.
Atlanta REIA members can attend the Beginning Investors Group for FREE. Non Members can RSVP Online for $15.00 or pay $20 at the door. If you join Atlanta REIA before the meeting, you can attend at no charge and get BIG Discounts on Atlanta REIA Training Workshops.
Make Big Profits with Abandoned Houses
Posted on October 8, 2013 byAll over the Atlanta Metro Area, people have walked away from their real estate for one reason or another. Divorces, major illnesses, a death in the family, financial trouble, job relocation, etc. are a just few of the reasons people abandon their homes. Many of these owners are still paying the mortgage every month because they want to preserve their credit. Many of these folks might like to rent or sell the property, but they often think that no one will want it in its poor condition and they don’t have the money to make the necessary repairs. They just keep making the mortgage payments and/or the taxes.
On November 4th at the Atlanta REIA Main Meeting, Reggie Brooks will teach you how to to find these abandoned and distressed properties, find the owners, and structure a transaction that is mutually beneficial to both you and the seller. You will learn how to automate the process of finding the properties, the owners and create a profitable business where you get the abandoned properties chasing you, rather than the other way around. Reggie’s “Abandoned Property” presentation includes case studies of people who have used his Abandoned Property System to create huge profits buying and selling these unwanted homes.
Join us and you will learn…
- How to make big profits using a unique niche in the marketplace – Abandoned Properties
- How to invest with no cash and no credit
- Insider secrets that the professional investors use to turn $15,000 profits into $50,000 profits and more
- Hot new tips and insights that the professionals use to find profitable deals, especially in today’s market
- Hidden cash producing secrets that even seasoned investors don’t even know
- How to uncover hidden value in properties that most seasoned investors overlook
- How to profit from properties that most investors consider worthless
- How to write your contracts to maximize your profits
- How to use creative financing to fund your deals
- And much, much more!
Come join Reggie and the rest of us at the Atlanta REIA Meeting on Monday, November 4th at 5PM at the Holiday Inn Atlanta – Perimter/Dunwoody located at 4386 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road in Atlanta, GA to profit from abandoned properties.
Atlanta REIA Meets at the Holiday Inn Atlanta Perimeter/Dunwoody on November 4th
Posted on October 8, 2013 by
PLEASE NOTE: On November 4th, the Atlanta REIA Main Monthly Meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Atlanta – Perimter/Dunwoody located at 4386 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road in Atlanta, GA. This is for the November 4th meeting only. Our December 2nd Meeting we will be back at the Crowne Plaza Ravina Hotel as usual. Sorry for the inconvenience.Reggie Brooks
Posted on October 8, 2013 byReggie Brooks has achieved what many people consider to be impossible. He went from making $36,000 per year at the local telephone company, to making over $40,000 per month in his real estate business. Starting out with very little money, Reggie began his investment career in 1986. After taking several real estate investment courses he began investing in rental properties in Los Angeles. By educating himself about hidden opportunities in real estate and making well placed investments, he has become a multi-millionaire.
