Atlanta Real Estate Investors Alliance Blog

We’ve built a successful real estate investing business by constantly knocking on seller’s doors and asking Pete Fortunato’s famous question: Why are you selling such a nice house like this?

Remember: The BEST way to find great deals is to meet face to face with sellers and help them solve their real estate problems.

We knock on seller’s doors because it’s – BY FAR – the most effective, affordable and quickest way to get face to face with a seller. Read More→

For real estate investors, the magic happens at the seller’s kitchen table!  Three Big Questions: How do you get to the seller’s kitchen table?  Once there, what do you say?  Finally, how do you “convince” the seller to sell you his/her home?

Austin Boston Berry recently graduated from Georgia Tech.  There were two career paths from which he could choose: Either get a J-O-B with a big company working in a cubical and becoming a wage slave, or go to work for himself without the “security” (or constraints) of working for someone else.  Austin Boston chose the brave – and much harder, hungrier and riskier – path of going to work for himself.  He decided to become a real estate investor – in the worst real estate market this country has ever seen!

Before making his decision, Austin and I spent a good bit of time together.  It was critical that he understand what it takes to be a successful, full-time real estate investor…especially starting out.  Simply put: You gotta meet face-to-face with a minimum of 15 sellers each and every week.  There is no shortcut to this primary directive.  Meet with any less and you will fail.  Period. Read More→

I couldn’t stop myself from watching a real estate investing TV infomercial last night.  You know the one, the guy promises big bags of cash if you’ll just buy his special, super-secret “system.”  In the infomercial, you can’t help but notice that the “millionaire” guru is driving a new Mercedes-Benz.  Sadly, a lot of folks tell themselves, “I gotta get me some of that!” and then pick up their phone and dial the number.

The next morning I got in my vehicle, fired up the engine, and headed out to do property inspections at some rentals.  While driving, I thought again about the guru’s Mercedes.  No successful investor we know drives an expensive luxury car.  Can you imagine pulling into a tenant’s driveway in a $75,000 land yacht?  Talk about going over like the proverbial lead balloon!

After lovingly patting the cracked dashboard of my 1998 Dodge dually, diesel, 4×4, pick-em-up truck that has nearly 300,000 miles on it, I realized that I am my truck…and not some fancy-dancy, new Mercedes! Read More→

Last month, because of a job transfer, one of our long-term tenants moved out.  They’d been in our single-family rental for six years.  The home was returned in great shape, but we decided it was time to paint the property and replace the ten-year-old carpet.  The shave-and-haircut rehab came out great, and the home looked wonderful!

As soon as we put For Rent signs in the yard, the phone began ringing like crazy.  Folks love to rent nice looking, well-maintained homes that are located in solid neighborhoods and rent for below-market rates.

One of the first applications faxed to us was a landlord’s dream!  It was neat and complete.  The applicant had been on their job for seven years, had the security deposit and rental payment in hand, and wanted to move in immediately.  I was so happy…someone get me a bib just in case I start slobbering all over myself!

If you’ve been reading our weekly newspaper column (Bill’s Articles / Kim’s Articles) for any length of time, then you know there’s one more – very important – thing I must do before signing a lease with this “perfect” tenant.  I must first do a surprise inspection – both inside and out – of their current residence.  Remember, wherever they live now looks exactly like how they’ll have your investment property looking one week after they move in.

Thank God I follow this rule! Read More→