Atlanta Real Estate Investors Alliance Blog
What Are The Risks Of Giving… A Lot?
Posted on September 25, 2012 by“He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given.” (Pr 19:17 NLT)
Every investment has a Risk/Return factor associated with it. When a business man or business woman is asked to put their finances and/or time into a venture it is wise for them to consider the projected return. The return is compared to the possible loss that is associated with an investment. Conventional wisdom says; “the greater the projected return, the greater the risk one might have to take.” Whether or not greater risk can be justified by larger projected profit depends on the risk tolerance of the business person.
Have you ever considered that pro bono work, charitable contributions, benevolent gifts to the less fortunate, or supporting the poor and unfortunate members of our society as making a loan to God? Just how risky is that investment? Have you considered that such compassionate practices work for the betterment of the bottom line of one’s business? Read More→
The Wholesaler
Posted on September 25, 2012 byNow it’s time to discuss a subject that I have intimate knowledge about, the wholesaler. It seems that no matter which direction you look you will always find a “wholesaler.” From my experience many people are too quick in being self proclaimed wholesalers. Anyone that is truly a wholesaler and a successful wholesaler can tell you that although it is very profitable it is not something one can be learn over night. Good wholesalers are usually a jack of all trades in the investment world. They are knowledgeable about construction, creative financing, determining values and rents, some are investors themselves, and the list goes on and on. When you are dealing with a wholesaler the only thing they are concerned about is the bottom line.
Now that you know what and who you are dealing with you can be better prepared. Many wholesalers will claim to be the owner and in some way they are because, if they have the property under contract as they should, they do have equitable interest in the property. Once you have discovered that the seller is a wholesaler there are two things you want to know as a buyer. First, you would want to know how long they have been trying to sell the property. This will let you know how motivated the wholesaler really is. Obviously, the longer the wholesaler has had it the more motivated he/she is to sell it. Secondly, you would like to know what their spread is between their asking price and what they contracted the property for. You want to know this for one reason and one reason only and it is not to beat down their fee just to beat it down. You want to know this in case your calculated purchase price is a bit lower than what the wholesaler is offering the property for. For example, let’s say you did your due diligence and calculated that you need the property for $50K and the asking price is $60K there is a $10K difference. However, the wholesaler only has a $5K spread so he/she truly can not accommodate your offer. On the other hand, if the wholesaler’s spread was $20K he/she may accommodate if you present a reasonable argument why your offer is $10K less and you are the only serious buyer. Read More→
Real Estate + The Internet = The Perfect Marriage, Part 4 – Traffic
Posted on September 25, 2012 byOk, you’ve built your site. You have it all set up, targeting your proper audience. You have a freebie give-away, such as a report, video, or guaranteed offer on their house, and all they need to do to get it is give you their name, email, and phone number.
So you’re ready for the next step…
Now you just need some people to see it. This is called ‘Traffic.’ It’s the lifeblood of your website. It’s the first step in your marketing funnel – Generate Prospects. Without eyeballs on your site, you’re done. Might as well not even have a site to begin with!
But you do have a site, so let’s get you some targeted traffic, shall we?
“If You Build It, They Will Come,” says the mysterious voice from the movie “Field of Dreams.” Well, that quote was made well BEFORE the internet was really made available to anyone. If your site isn’t set up properly, no one is gonna come, believe me.
So how do you get the traffic? Well, that’s the fun part, isn’t it?! And I’m going to get you started. So, here we go… Read More→
Build a Large Wholesale Buyers Database with Text Message Marketing!
Posted on September 25, 2012 byDid you know you can quickly build a wholesale buyers list by having your prospects “text” to automatically join your list? Building a text message marketing list will not only prove to be easier than building an email list, but you will also have a higher chance of getting your message opened and read by your prospects. After all, about 95% of all text messages are opened and read within minutes of being sent.
People also find it is easier to simply text to a number to join your list rather than having to go online, fill out a form, check their email for a verification message and then double opt-in. It is also easier for you to market that “text to number” since it is short and easy to remember and you can place that number virtually anywhere you like!
Building a Targeted Buyer List
You can build your text message buyers list through the use of Facebook, Twitter and variety of other online and offline sources. This will give you a focused list of targeted consumers that are interested in what you have to offer!
Text them a “property of the week” or whenever you have a new property to sell or fill. Preaching to the choir is not a bad thing when it comes to text message marketing your properties, since in this case, the choir consists of those who would most likely buy or rent your properties. Read More→
What’s Happening at Atlanta REIA – Week of September 24, 2012
Posted on September 24, 2012 by
We have another exciting week of meetings and webcasts for real estate investors this week at Atlanta REIA. Monday is Atlanta REIA West with special guest Rock Shukoor on “45 Ways to Find Under Valued Properties” with Late Nite Networking afterwards. Tuesday and Thursday at 7 PM we are having a live webcast replay with Alan Cowgill on “Raising Private Money”. Tuesday is also the Note Buyers Group with Tom Boyer. Wednesday is the Beginning Investors Group with Alan McDonald. Thursday is the Cash Cow Commercial Group with Steve Brown and his special guest speakers and the Haves & Wants Meeting with Joe Thompson. Read More→
Atlanta REIA Main Meeting on October 1st with Alan Cowgill on Private Lending
Posted on September 24, 2012 byPLEASE NOTE: The Atlanta REIA Main Monthly Meeting has moved to the Crowne Plaza Ravinia Hotel located at 4355 Ashford Dunwoody Road in Atlanta, GA.
with Alan Cowgill at the
Crowne Plaza Ravinia on October 1st
Atlanta REIA Members Can Attend at No Charge.
Guests Can RSVP Online Now for $10 or Pay $20 at the Door.
We are excited to announce Private Lending Expert, Alan Cowgill, will be our guest speaker at Atlanta REIA on October 1st. Alan is an author, a national speaker, and a private lending consultant specializes in raising private money to fund all of his real estate investing deals and he is coming to Atlanta to teach you to do the same.
At this meeting, Alan will show you how you can get the money you need to buy single-family houses, commercial buildings, apartment complexes, or luxury homes, regardless of your credit or financial situation. Alan will show you these crucial 5 steps to success, so that you can find all the private money you need. He will teach you how to:
- Build Credibility
- Generate Leads
- Secure Private Lenders
- Buy/ Sell Property
- Get Paid!
Alan is going to show you how to pre-screen your prospects and the “Magic” words to get them to commit. He will talk to you about scripts you should use when talking to people you know, and their voicemails. He will also show you how and why to avoid the four common types of financing to fund your deals. He will also show you how to borrow private money without having to make monthly payments. Alan will teach you all this and more so you can buy and sell all the investment properties you want to without having to worry about where you will get the money.
PLEASE NOTE: Guests can Join Atlanta REIA as a Silver Member for a full year for only $100, now through October 1st and attend our Atlanta REIA Meeting on Monday at no charge and as well as Alan Cowgill’s Raising Private Money Workshop on October 6th.
“What’s Happening at Atlanta REIA” is a mini-session hosted by Atlanta REIA Executive Director, 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!
“There’s an App for That” is a fun new mini-session dedicated to updating you on some of the latest and greatest applications or “apps” for your iPad, iphone or Droid smartphones and tablets for both business and personal use. We want to help you become a high-tech, mobile real estate entrepreneur and this month, Don DeRosa is going to help you do just that!
“Have’s & Wants Speed Marketing” is 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 the meeting early and get on the speed marketing list if you want to participate.
with Michael Keefe on Purchasing Tax Deeds
Michael Keefe will be our speaker for this month’s Active Investor Group on Monday, October 1st at 3:00 PM at Total Wine & More located at 124 Perimeter Center W (see map), where he will be sharing information on the very lucrative investment strategy of purchasing tax deeds. He will discuss how to find, evaluate, and purchase tax deeds and explain how to avoid the common pitfalls in the bidding process . Tax sales are a special real estate investing niche utilized by advanced investors. We are lucky to have Michael share his vast experience in this little understood arena. Come learn to purchase a deed for pennies on the dollar. Learn to purchase vacant lots at fire sales. Learn to get excellent returns on your investment with no tenants and no toilets.
After 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!
*Please Note: Meeting agenda is subject to change.
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!
Goldmine Properties, Inc. – As Atlanta’s first full service real estate wholesaler, Goldmine Properties offers wholesale property at 65% loan to value, with financing available. Purchase price and repairs are 65% of certified after repaired appraisal. Read More→
American IRA – The American IRA mission is to provide the highest level of customer service in the self-directed retirement industry. Read More→
Networth 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→
Halperin 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→
The 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→
Atlanta 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→
Lima 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→
Angel Oak Funding – A direct hard money lender headquartered in Atlanta. We provide renovation/construction loans for investors and or builders to purchase and renovate residential properties. Read More>>
Advanta 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!
Paces Funding – A direct hard money lender based in Atlanta. We specialize in quickly closing investor rehab loans. Low hassles lead to quicker profits. Read More→
Atlanta 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 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→
Craftbuilt, Inc.
Scott Bowen’s Specialized Services
C. Brown Property Management
Also, special thanks to all of our volunteers that help make our meetings and networking events possible!
Rock’s Rockin’ the House at Wild Wild West on Monday Sept. 25
Posted on September 24, 2012 byHey fellow real estate investors, let me ask you a question. Do you have all the motivated sellers you can handle contacting you to sell you their house? Are you so bogged down in leads that you don’t know what to do with them all? My guess is your answer is a resounding “no”. This is one of the biggest mistakes I see both new and seasoned investors make. They wonder why they aren’t doing deals, while somehow missing the very important fact that they aren’t focused on marketing that will get their phone to ring consistently with motivated sellers who need to sell their house NOW. Miss this key element and you won’t be in business very long before you are frustrated and wondering if the real estate business is really for you. Get this down and practice it consistently in your business and your world will be changed for the better!
This month at Wild Wild West Subgroup local investor and real estate expert Rock Shukoor will be sharing with us tips, strategies, and techniques he uses to get motivated sellers contacting him constantly. It stands to reason the more leads you can generate, the more money you will make, right? Very few real estate investors have the successful track record that Rock does. He knows how to consistently implement marketing that drives leads to him, rather than him chasing after unmotivated sellers and dead end leads that suck your time and energy dry. Rock has been investing in residential real estate for more than 10 years. Along the way he’s acquired a wealth of knowledge about marketing that you can benefit from! If you think you have to have a large marketing budget to pull off having a steady stream (river!) of motivated sellers contacting you, think again. You don’t! Rock’s marketing methods are of little to no cost to implement, I promise you.
Rock will be sharing well over 35 of these successful, low to no-cost methods with us on Monday at Wild Wild West. A small sampling of these include:
- Internet marketing
- Email marketing
- Social media marketing
- Mobile media marketing
- Bandit signs
- Various forms of traditional marketing
- And much, much more!
Private Lending Workshop with Alan Cowgill on October 6, 2012
Posted on September 17, 2012 byCould You Use An Unlimited Supply Of Money To Fund All the Real Estate Deals You Can Find?
Now is your chance to learn how to raise all the private money you need to fund all your residential and commercial real estate deals. On Saturday, October 6th, Atlanta REIA is having a Private Lending Workshop with Private Lending Expert, Alan Cowgill, at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia Hotel located at 4355 Ashford Dunwoody Road in Atlanta, GA. Alan is a real estate investor, author, a national speaker, and a private lending consultant who will show you how you can get the money you need to buy single-family houses, commercial buildings, apartment complexes, or luxury homes, regardless of your credit or financial situation.
The first 25 people to register for the workshop above will receive a copy Alan’s book entitled “How To Get All The Money You Need To Buy Property” valued at $16.95. Read More→
Seph, Meet Your Parents – Back Then
Posted on September 17, 2012 byJoseph David English, welcome to the world! By the time you’re able to read and fully understand this letter, your parents, Joe and Ashley, will be wealthy real estate investors who, it will appear to you, have nothing better to do than travel the world having fun while constantly interfering in your life.
I’m writing this to you, Seph, because it’s important you know that your parents weren’t born with silver spoons in their mouths. Their success wasn’t due to luck or a winning lottery ticket. Your mom and dad’s success was a worked-at, strived-for thing. In the early years of their marriage they sacrificed greatly. They lived like no one else so that one day, they – and you – could live like no one else!
You were born on Friday, August 24, 2012 at 11:57 p.m., at the Gordon County Hospital. There to welcome you was a waiting room full of joyous family and friends, many of whom were real estate investors. You may think that there’s no such thing as a born real estate investor, but trust me on this, Seph – you are one! Read More→
Oh, How I Love Trusts!
Posted on September 17, 2012 byBusiness owners, here’s something to consider: Let’s say you’re a real estate investor and you’ve spent the past fifteen years working and sacrificing to build a portfolio of twenty single-family rental homes. Your portfolio has a lot of equity and great cash flow. You’ve finally reached the point where you can relax, travel and enjoy life – Oh, and yes, you DID build it yourself!
Then you get The Call. It’s from one of those one-call-that’s-all, flea-bag attorneys who tells you that he’s representing one of your tenants who was seriously injured after falling down some steps at one of your rentals. Of course, he fails to mention that your tenant was inebriated at the time he fell – the attorney doesn’t want things like facts and the truth to get in the way of his big, easy payday!
The attorney threatens to sue you for ten million dollars, or explains that you can simply write a fifteen thousand dollar check and avoid the lawsuit. Oh sure – in many circles this “offer” would be considered extortion, but because it’s an attorney making the call, it’s instead called “settlement negotiations.” Read More→
Landlords’ #1 Legal Mistake
Posted on September 17, 2012 byLast week, Houston Long, a fellow real estate investor and longtime friend (though he doesn’t like admitting to the “longtime friend” part), had to take a tenant to Magistrate Court to seek an eviction. The tenant had quit paying rent. This left Houston with no option but to try and get the tenant out and his rental property back.
Taking a tenant to court should be a no-other-choice decision. For Houston, who’s been managing tenants and rental properties for more than eight years, this is the first time he’s had to take a tenant to court. Previously, he had been able to resolve all landlord-tenant issues at the tenant’s kitchen table without getting a Magistrate Judge involved.
Houston didn’t ask me to attend his dispossessory hearing, but with it being his first time in court and because I was secretly hoping his case would turn into an exciting landlord-tenant train wreck, I couldn’t keep myself away. Read More→
What We See When Working Foreclosures
Posted on September 17, 2012 byWe bought two properties at the August foreclosure auction in Bartow County. After the auction, a new real estate investor asked us a question we hear often: What do you see when you’re out working foreclosures? Today’s column answers this question.
A couple of days ago, I headed out to look at some properties scheduled to be sold at the September foreclosure auction. Joining me were my buddies Houston Long and John Clark. Houston is an experienced investor who has one of the best creative deal-structuring minds around. John is new to real estate investing and is a quick learner.
Our goal was to see 27 properties that day. (There are a total of 115 properties advertised to be sold at September’s foreclosure auction in Bartow County.) To make finding the properties easier, Houston maps them on his iPad, then breaks Bartow into quadrants and sectors. Working with him reminds me of a Tom Clancy novel and having “John Clark” in the car definitely adds to this feeling.
Of the foreclosure properties we saw, a little over a third were abandoned. A good number of these had been empty for six months or longer. Sadly, this ratio is pretty typical. Read More→
