I PAID $24,000 to be a REAL ESTATE INVESTOR !

No not me. A bunch of people I have met from my REIA new orientation (yes I finally joined a REIA after years of struggling in this business). Several of them mentioned that they joined the Rich Dad Robert Kiyosaki Real Estate School and they are learning alot from it.

Currently Rich Dad is undergoing an marketing blitz on sharing to others how to become financially free by offering FREE TRAINING in various cities across the country. I am sure this is a good marketing for upselling to their various higher priced courses. While I am not against selling or marketing as I am an entrepreneur myself, I prefer to give abundant value to those who are my clients. In the case of these real estate institutes, schools, and bootcamps it seems like I am paying $10 for a can of soda that I can get for $.50. While I am sure that people are getting something of these educational organizations I question the pricing of these compared to the various alternatives.

Recently one of my family members friend called me to tell me that he is in the business of real estate. I was surprised and wanted to know more. He explained that he was retired and now entering into 2 new business ventures - real estate and travel. I wanted to know what made him jump into them. He told me after retiring from civil service he was bored and attended a Robert Allen FREE TRAINING on becoming a millionaire. IMMEDIATELY a red flag in my head rose and I asked.... "how much"? He blurted out "$15,000" and he is looking to do deals in order to pay for that education back quickly. I was shocked but not surprised by his comment as I have heard this story many times. In fact I was like that. I watched all these late informericals about how to become rich in my sleep buying property NO MONEY DOWN and attending some of these FREE WORKSHOPS and SEMINARS. Going there and finding people selling their wares. Not all are bad as I have met Vena Jones Cox (www.regoddess.com) who was once the President of the Cincinnati Ohio REIA through a Wright Thurston bootcamp.

I do see some value in some of these bootcamps who also offer mentorship. It is surprising to me how people are willing to pay so much and they can easily get education from more accredited educational sources from REIAs or even universities such as Baruch College CUNY or NYU for much lower costs.

For example, I just joined a REIA in my local area for a whopping price of ...............
$125 / year!
Yes I know that there will be materials sold however for the information and networking offered in a major metropolitan area that is incredible value. You can find partners to do deals with or even a course that is 1/4 of what the gurus are pricing for their wares. This month I have some masterminds appearing in order to see what deals are out there.

Another example, I looked into my alma mater to see what classes they are offering in the real estate industry. Here it goes:

----
Real Estate Finance
Law of Real Estate Transactions and Land Use Regulations
Real Estate Valuation and Market Analysis
Real Estate Capital Markets
Advanced Real Estate Investment Analysis
Economics of Urban Areas
Urban Economic Development
* Each course is 3 credits and each credit is $400 for this MBA degree.
-----

So each course for over 3 hrs a week for a school semester which is about 15 weeks is less than $80 / credit. Now if you join full time it is $4400 for at least 12 credits a semester.

Now you will say, "hey but these don't teach you to flip deals, lease option a house, or even short sale a note!". WAIT! This give you SOLID information and tools on real estate valuation and also understanding how real estate works. In addition, there are more reasonably priced entrepreneurial courses on real estate that don't cost as much. For example:

The Ohio Professional Housing Provider's Program
http://www.cincinnatireia.com/ClubPortal/ClubStatic.cfm?clubID=882&pubmenuoptID=9971

Course of study
The course of study will be divided into 42 clock hours of core courses and 18 hours of elective topics for a total of 60 hours of formal education. The core topics are as follows:

Appraisal - 2 hours
Including formal appraisal methods (cost, income, and replacement methods), PACE instruction, how to compare properties, etc.

Rehab - 4 hours
Classroom - 2 hours (including estimation, which projects will pay for themselves, etc.). Hands-on - 2 hours (including actual hands-on opportunities and demonstrations)

Fair housing law - 3 hours
Federal, state, and local fair housing regulations

Negotiation - 3 hours
Negotiating with sellers, buyers, renters, contractors and vendors, banks, etc.

Finance - 6 hours
Conventional financing, FHA/VA financing, owner financing of all types, comparing financing, offering financing.

Tenant-Landlord law - 2 hours
Landlord's and tenants responsibilities, evictions, etc.

Contract Law - 3 hours
Basic contract law, using contracts and clauses to protect yourself, developing contracts such as leases, options, purchase contracts etc., that are for the real estate investment business.

Local regulations - 2 hours
Zoning and building codes

Federal regulations - 1 hour
Regulations affecting real estate investment OTHER THAN tax laws, fair housing laws, and EPA regulations.

EPA regulations - 1 hour
Regulations affecting real estate investment such as: lead paint regulations, wetlands regulations, underground storage tank regulations, environmental quality zone regulations, etc.

Management - 4 hours
Record keeping; dealing with tenants; maximizing cash flow; and others

Purchasing - 2 hours
Finding deals and calculating profitability

Inspections - 2 hours
Pre and post purchase inspections, and pre and post move-out inspections of properties held

Tax law (income) - 1 hour
Calculating and minimizing taxes, and tax laws as they affect the real estate investor

Tax law (other) - 1 hour
Property taxes, 1031 tax deferred trades, etc.

Insurance-property - 1 hour
Including what type of property insurance is appropriate for investment property; negotiating for the best rates and renter's insurance

Insurance-worker's compensation - 1 hour
When, why, and for whom to carry worker's compensation insurance

Insurance-liability - 1 hour
Including why and how much

Marketing - 2 hours
How to market properties for sale and for rent; how to market buying services

Ethics - 2 hours
Including enacting and actual use of, national, state, local and personal buisiness ethics statements, policies and practices.

Electives - 18 hours
The remaining 18 hours may include education in any or all of the above topics, as selected by the OPHP candidate.

This is a program that is released in Ohio as a response to the various investors who have taken advantage of homeowners in distress. This course is designed not only to instruct people on the HOW TO STEPS of becoming an real estate entrepreneur but it also gives you legal, taxes, and other supporting information on how to comply with the law. Yes it is in Ohio however consider how many people are flying to LV, Cali, or even NYC to take a real estate guru's course that costs 5x as much and more?


Lastly we have knowledge that you learn through books, CDs, and life experience. There are many books out there so I use AMAZON (www.amazon.com) to shift through them. Home study courses I search through websites like http://realestatecoursereviews.com which does a peer to peer review on various courses that I can purchase from the vendor / guru or on ebay (www.ebay.com). The life experience comes from possibly becoming a realtor, appraiser, loan officer, contractor, etc... as it affords real life practice and experience into a transaction to know how real estate transactions are performed in real life.

If you found this of value, please post your comment and experience. Thanks!

Learning to Rehab ... THE RIGHT WAY !

This past weekend went to the REHABBING RIGHT bootcamp offered in Cincinnati Ohio by Vena Jones Cox (www.regoddess.com) and Jerry Fink (http://cj-phoenix.com/) who at this time of writing is the President of the Cincinnati REIA. It was a 2 day bootcamp however it was tough to cover in depth and do justice the whole field of rehab.

Day 1 - drove around to look at 3 properties and also the Home Depot to see how to look for various items

Day 2 - went through various topics including - how to find a deal, what is a deal and the various MAO (maximum allowable offers) on each exit strategy, how to make an offer and fund the deal, making up a statement of work, finding a contractor, managing a contractor, paperwork required to make sure you limit liability, preparing the property for sale or rental, finding renters or buyers, etc..., making it a business, diagnosing the health of the business, how to use his purchasing software to buy items from Home Depot and other vendors

Overall Jerry did a good job and getting the material going through and offering best tips. I have various projects going on that I want to use this system. For the price given it is a nice package.

Congrats to Runner Up JAMES SUN on his place in Apprentice 6

James Sun is the runner up to Stefani Schaeffer from season 6 the Apprentice. It was amazing throughout the whole finale that James was the heads on favorite due to his strong performance as Project Manager of Arrow Corporation throughout the 14 week reality tv interview process. The winner gets to be an apprentice of real estate mogul Donald Trump with a paid salary of $250K. Throughout the whole interview process, James was top notch in his sales ability, leadership, energy, and focus. You can view the whole interview process at:

http://apprentice.tv.yahoo.com/trump/06/

What was baffling was the finale in which Stefani Schaeffer, a 32 yr old defense attorney, won the Apprentice even though she never was the project manager. Trump fires James with the enigmatic words:

"I didn't like some of the dialogue……you know what I mean."

It was baffling to me as a viewer as it seemed that James was fit in the mold of previous apprentice winners - entrepreneurial, high energy, intelligent, aggressive, risk taker, etc.. among other things.

With that Stephani Schaeffer became the winner for this season's Apprentice. She is deserving however throughout the whole interview process she didn't risk or even put herself on the hot seat like the others in the Project Manager position. However she did contribute greatly to the success of her teams.

To James - BRAVO for representing the asian american community and much continued success at your business and personal endeavors!

Additional Links:

James Sun Blog on Zoodango:
http://zoodango.com/f2f/article/z3c4c5a84s92dh/my_apprentice_finale_thoughts

Stephani Schaeffer's interview on RealityTVWorld.com:
http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/stefanie-schaeffer-shocked-win-the-apprentice-los-angeles-5059.php

There are 3 Types of People in the World - Which one are YOU?

This is sent to me by a friend who is readying, firing, and aiming :) This was made for someone who is into bodybuilding.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

1) The ones who say they're going to accomplish something yet they never even attempt it.

They talk the talk and never walk the walk. They spend their lives making excuses for their problems and never actually getting off of their asses to do something about it.

They will waste their years wishing but never having. They will resent and criticize those who succeed because they know that they will never succeed themselves.

They lack willpower and discipline. They are doomed to a life of mediocrity but will never accept responsibility for this.

2) The ones who say they're going to accomplish something, attempt it, and quit soon thereafter.

They talk the talk, begin to walk the walk, but fall down in exhaustion, never reaching their goals or enjoying the fruits of their labour on any kind of long term basis.

They lack patience. They lack perseverance. They too will never stand among the elite and will struggle time and time again but continually fall short.

They deserve some credit for their attempts at success, but simply do not possess the tools needed to follow through.

3) The ones who say they're going to accomplish something, form a blueprint for how they will get there, and then, quite simply, they get there.

They make firm decisions that contain no hints of "maybe" or "try". They understand that there are 2 possible outcomes in any decision: success or failure. They crave success, and they will do anything they have to do to achieve it.

When they make a decision to accomplish something, they already know that they will succeed. They don't question their ability to achieve a goal, they only question the time that it will take to get there.

They understand that within their minds lies all of the tools necessary to accomplish anything in the external world. They have faith in their talents and beliefs and truly feel that they can accomplish anything they want.

They make no excuses. They understand that they are in complete and total control of their destiny, and that every man and woman is responsible for their own lives.

They are ready and willing to battle through setbacks, physical and mental pain, discomfort and exhaustion. They know that anything worth having does not come easy, and that no man or woman ever achieved anything great without a struggle.

They are willing to struggle to be great.

They never fail in the long run. They only experience momentary setbacks and bumps in the road. When a setback or bump in the road presents itself, they form a plan for how they will get past it.

They don't stop, stare and question whether to quit or keep going. Quitting is not an option in their minds, and they thrive on the battle and understand that setbacks and mistakes serve no other purpose than to make their inevitable victory that much sweeter.

They see the big picture.

And when the smoke clears and dust settles, they stand among the elite. They soak up the satisfaction of their victories and look back on their accomplishments with a feeling of pride and fulfillment. They gain the respect and envy of others and know that they deserve it.

Which category do you fall under?

True success is only reserved for category 3.

It is an ongoing battle that does not lend itself to those who seek instant gratification. It will not be had by those who are unwilling to dedicate themselves to a goal and work hard to achieve it.

If you have any doubts about your ability to succeed, eliminate them.

Dissolve your questioning, your fears and your wondering.

Make firm decisions for what you want to achieve, create a map for how to get there, and then... quite simply, get there.

Only when your decisions contain questions of "when can I reach this goal" rather than "will I reach this goal" will you ever truly succeed both in bodybuilding and in life.

I can't make the decision for you, I can only teach you how to get there. Your choice comes from within, and not a single person in this world can make those choices but you.

Written by Sean Nalewanyj

Facing Foreclosure: Casey Serin's Story on Making Mistakes in the REI Game

Here is a story I caught on wikipedia.org:

http://iamfacingforeclosure.com

Casey Serin: I'm a 24 yr old "would-be real estate mogul" from Sacramento CA. After going to a few seminars I bought 8 houses in 8 months in 4 states with no money down looking to fix 'n flip. I made some mistakes and am now millions in debt, trying to avoid foreclosure, sell quickly, repay everyone, and share my lessons to help others in trouble.

World's Greatest Real Estate Investor - Tom Barrack !

Why the World's Best Real Estate Investor is Cashing Out?

Good article
http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/21/news/newsmakers/barrack/index.htm

Happy New Year 2007! - Starting a new leaf

Yes it is now February and many things have been happening from the New Year to now. For the most part I have made quite a few new initiatives like most people which include:

* new body - losing 20 lbs this year
* new mind - working on being a better entrepreneur
* new spirit - having a happier attitude and focusing more on the good in life

among other things...

One of the main things that seems evident however something I am learning is letting go of old habits in order to make way for the new. It seems so easy to fall back on old comfortable habits and forging way into new ones does takes time and energy and focus.

I have a list of over 40 goals that I want to achieve and realize before I pass away. Alot of these are not outrageous however instead in order to create them it does take risk, smarts, and work. Ah the dreaded "W-O-R-K" word! It is something that I am also learning that it is not bad however it is the vehicle to success in life. Doesn't it seem natural to want to do nothing and get something in life? I know for myself I am spoiled by my family who seem to do things the "hard" way and share in the spoils of it while I work at things and don't like to "work hard". I realize that while work seems mundane it is only a perception. These days I am looking to change my ideas of work in order to achieve some of the things that I am envisioning for myself such as the new BODY, new MIND, and new SPIRIT.

So this is what I am doing this year:
* reading and repeating my personal affirmations to ready my spirit
* centering myself with support aides such as visual collages
* work a plan to go from 10 minutes daily to studying more on any topics I have
* make minor changes and repeating them for at least 30 days to create new positive habits

By the end of the year, I have more successes to share in my life!

Success Key # 1: Persistence

In your business, there are going to be times that you simply don't feel like getting up and doing
real estate... PERIOD.

Then, there are going to be other times that you have a heart to heart conversation with the person
staring back at you in the mirror. It might go something like this:

"What are you doing? Did you REALLY think you could do this? Maybe you should cut your losses
and try something else..."

This conversation could go on for minutes, hours or even days at a time. And trust me, these
conversations WILL HAPPEN from time to time if you're in the business long enough (in any
business for that matter).

I remember back about 4 years ago... I was sitting on my couch perched under my front window. I had
just discovered that I'd had 5 break ins in 3 days on 2 out my 3 properties. Yep... that's right.

I felt like laughing and crying all at the same time. I looked out the window, up and down the
street and thought to myself, "What the heck have you gotten yourself into?" I just wanted a way out.
I wanted to quit and go get a job waiting tables.

But, what made the difference? How did I get past that point and ultimately skyrocket from it?

It was 3 fold: Decision, Persistence, and Planning.

I'll talk to you a little more about decision and planning in the next couple days (it'll all make
sense in a couple of days, trust me :-))

But for now... let's talk about how we can persist when things get tough. Here are 5 Tips to get you
started:

TIP #1
First, you need to close all doors behind you. There is no longer any back door; any "way out".
Commit to this business and commit to giving it everything that you have. You see, if you give it
every effort - every REAL effort.

So many times, we stick our big toe in the water and decide it's not for us or it doesn't work.
Jump in as if you're out in the middle of the ocean and you need to get yourself back to the
shore... no life rope... no floatation device...

Your only option is to learn to swim - and do it fast. Now, I'm not suggestion quit your job if you
are using it to pay your bills, but I a suggesting that you STOP looking for the new magic pill.

That is committment and it's going all in. It is no longer a matter of "if I can do real estate".
It becomes a matter of "when" and "how". (The good news is this... with a short time of hard work,
you'll be free to go and explore new opportunities with the confidence that you CAN do it)

A good friend of mine, Armand Morin, says that "success leaves traces". I believe failure does too!
So why not become successful rather than fail!

TIP#2
Next, you need to plaster your "WHY" all over the place. I know you've heard it 1000 times before,
but have you done it? Can you see, touch, taste, hear and smell the reasons that you are doing
this? If not, when the going gets tough, you'll quit going!

Start living the life you want to have on a small scale. If your dream is more time with your kids,
build in an extra hour each week NOW and start experiencing it. It will keep you going. If your
why is to travel, start taking one day trips once a month. They don't have to cost a lot, but
they let you experience what it's like to start living the way you want to.

TIP #3
Stop what you are doing and WRITE OUT YOUR GOALS. Do this before January 1st. Do it now! You need
to know where you're going if you're going to get there. Now, don't sit here at your computer and
jot them down in notepad.

Get a real notebook out. Grab your favorite pen and go to a quiet area and WRITE. Something happens
when you take the time to write out your goals. Then, make a dozen copies of your goals and keep
them with you. Maybe even make your goals your screensaver on your computer. Never let them leave
your side and read them every day.

TIP #4
Set your "real estate" hours. It doesn't matter what you have on your plate (job, family, other
businesses,etc.). You need to block time out for your real estate business. It may be 10-12 every
day or it may be 6pm-8pm every night. But it is important you do it consistently.

Use this time to write your marketing letters, to call potential sellers, to follow up on deals, to
do what it takes to get the leads coming in. This eliminates excuses. You have it set on your
schedule. You don't think about it. Nothing gets in the way to allow you to make your excuses. And
let's face it, 99% of the reason you're not where you want to be is an excuse. Sure, it may be
disguised as a valid reason, but rest assured there are only a few things that are REAL reasons you're
not as successful as you could be.

Think about it...

Money?
You haven't taken the time to learn how to do the business WITHOUT your own money. I didn't have two
nickels to rub together when I got started

Time?
Make it. If you can tell me that you don't have 2 hours/day (12 hours/week that you can dig up), you
don't want to. If you're letting your kids be your excuse for not having time, you're looking at it
the wrong way! Teach your kids the entreprenuerial mindset. Involve them and build it together.

See... it's all how you look at it and if you really want it bad enough.

The list can go on and on, but 99% of the time, there is a solution. For that 1% of the time that
there is not, I understand. And you need to take the time to deal with those life challenges. And
in my opinion, even those life challenges can be excuses sometimes.

TIP#5
Build your support team. I am NOT suggesting to call all your friends and family here. These may NOT be
the right people. In fact, when I was starting, I  had a partner and we had our best friend over the
house. She literally looked us square in the eye and asked, "Do you REALLY think anyone's going to take
YOU TWO seriously?"

The sad thing is that she thought she was HELPING us and keeping us from getting crushed.

So, sometimes, you need to step outside of your sphere and find new people that share the same ideas,
values and enthusiasm that you have.

I look back to my everyday circle of influence when I started and compare it to my circle of influence
now and it's not made up of one single person that was there back then. This is possibly the hardest
part of the business! Letting go of the old to make room for the new.

The good news is that the people I made room for are like an extended family that spans all over the
United States and beyond. I couldn't hand pick better people. These are people that I met by
going to seminars, workshops, and events and networking with people all over. From these groups,
we've build mastermind teams that get together once a week.

This keeps you going... it keeps you upbeat and motivated to press on. It keeps you focused. Here's
what you do:

- What have you done in the last 7 days for your business?
- What is holding you back or what do you need help on to take the next steps?
- What are you going to do between now and the next time you get together?

This works the very best if you have a coach facilitating the process with your mastermind team,
but can be done with just a group of people as well.

It holds you accountable to someone other than yourself and forces you to stick with it.

So, take today and focus yourself. Write down your goals, make a committment to your business in the
new year, and start looking for a coach and a mastermind team to get you to the next level.

I've had many mentors in my businesses and have paid 10s of 1000s of dollars (no exaggeration) to
build relationships. In fact, several years ago, I spent $16,000 without even knowing what all was
involved, but I knew I wanted the relationship and the team that was being developed. I committed to
that aspect of my business and have seen my return 10 fold and it's still growing.

In fact, some of the people I met as a result of that investment are now partners of mine in
6-figure companies with huge potential.

Tomorrow, I want to discuss "planning" with you.We're at the end of a year, just days away from the
new year and if you've not gotten your plan set up, what are you waiting for?

So again, take today and get the big rocks planned so that tomorrow we can start planning!

Yours in Success,
Heather Seitz
www.InterviewsWithTheExperts.com
www.FixingAndFlipping.com
www.MotivatedSellerMarketing.com
www.RehabProfitSystem.com
www.Yamon.net
www.NextLevelPromoters.com
www.BigSeminar.net

Heather Seitz is a licensed Realtor® in the state of Florida. Heather
specializes in working with investors, golf communities and old Spanish
homes.

Reproduced with permission.

Credit Repair ?

Here is information on credit repair:

FTC (US Government)
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/repair.htm

What it Takes to be GREAT !

Interesting read for you:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/30/8391794/index.htm

Here are some quotes to note:

"So greatness isn't handed to anyone; it requires a lot of hard work."

"Instead, it's all about how you do what you're already doing - you create the practice in your work, which requires a few critical changes. The first is going at any task with a new goal: Instead of merely trying to get it done, you aim to get better at it."

"Again, research shows that this difference in mental approach is vital. For example, when amateur singers take a singing lesson, they experience it as fun, a release of tension. But for professional singers, it's the opposite: They increase their concentration and focus on improving their performance during the lesson. Same activity, different mindset."

"Through the whole process, one of your goals is to build what the researchers call "mental models of your business" - pictures of how the elements fit together and influence one another. The more you work on it, the larger your mental models will become and the better your performance will grow."

"Do it regularly, not sporadically."

"... the striking, liberating news is that greatness isn't reserved for a preordained few. It is available to you and to everyone."

Stop Internet Child Pornography - Light a Candle

This was sent to me. You can join in the petition to stop internet child pornography.

Go to:
http://www.lightamillioncandles.com/

Pics from 9-11-2006 World Trade Center Ceremony

Here are some pics of the ceremony down at the NYC World Trade Center site on September 11, 2006.

Click here to view my pics

You can view more grassroots photos about September 11, 2001 by going to:

Here is New York: A Democracy of Photos


Here is an interview with our ex Mayor - Rudy Giuliani remembering on the 5th Year Anniversary of 9-11

Click here to see the interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News

***

Hey thanks Dave. Five years later and the emotion is still there. I
remember standing in front of the towers in awe the first time I was
ever in NYC. Awesome pics -- captured the spirit that was there.

David S. - Buffalo, NY

Thanks David!

Nancy - Long Island, NY

Dave -- Thanks for sharing your photos with members of the Power Team. In 2001, I was working for Good Morning America and had the opportunity to do a number of stories relating to the tragedy -- the work of the volunteers at Ground Zero, the families of police officers and firefighters who lost their lives, memorial ceremonies for the airline flight crews, and so on -- such a sad time, but also somehow inspiring to see so many people (formerly strangers) pulling together and helping one another through this unimaginable situation.

Tom M - Ridgefield, CT

Nice pictures. You got some cool ones of the Tribute of Light. Thanks for
sharing!
Erin s - Brooklyn, NY

Thanks for the pics...they were moving.
Your day at Ground Zero must have filled with emotions, sights and sounds.
Howard C - Queens, NY

20/20 Stupid in America

20/20 Stupid in America


They say Education is Power but is America getting more Powerful?

Ben Chavis, principal of an alternative school in Oakland, CA
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/08/23/BAGPH8CQRC1.DTL

Check your Bank Account - YOU have been SWINDLED!

These days working in the real estate field has shown me alot of things from the good to the bad. Some of the things in creative real estate that I have seen enters the gray area to even the illegal. I have a few leads in which the homeowner has been "refi'ed" from lower rate to a higher rate in order to get their equity and the "professional" took their equity! I have even seen several properties appraised over 25% of their fair market value at EXCELLENT condition and the property needs about 100K in work!

In my case, I have been defrauded by various "friends" and also "contractors" who can get me a great price. Even then I have talked to various people who said they can do something and afterwords when I confronted them about their credentials they say, "you either take it or leave it". I left it.

Just this morning my friend from the west coast is leaving the country after an incident in which his group lost the capital of the investment group. They lost the money to a "dealmaker" who was giving them a great discount on some assets.

There is much to be said about trusting people. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, treating them with respect, and creating value for others. What is least talked about is how to insure your interests in things.

I spoke to an investor in California. I asked her does she invest her money with other investment groups. With a quick answer she said - NO! She shared with me a story of how a guy was taking money from a fund of investors. She instead will do her own deals and make them work.

Like Warren Buffet mentions, do not diversify but instead take on the responsibility of investing on what you know and watch the basket of eggs like a hawk! Yet even the best hawks got swindled.

Suffice to say I can go on and on on some of the various scams I have personally seen and heard in my circles but here are some best practices when investing:

1. KNOW WHO YOU ARE INVESTING WITH. How long have they been doing this? What is an example of their project? Do you feel comfortable with them? Are they putting money up in the first few projects to show how confident they are in the deals? Any references?

2. CHECK THE REFERENCES. After I lost money last year to people who promised certain things and didn't perform. I started checking the licenses and information about the companies that are investors. I check the personal references as well as professional ones. I even check the city and state if possible. Kiyosaki mentions that each dollar is an employee so is each investment manager. I take time to interview them. Remember to take time to hire and quick to fire!

3. KNOW WHAT YOU ARE INVESTING IN. Of course if you don't know, ask for information. With the bigger companies it is called a prospectus. With smaller companies ask for brocehures or talk to the principal of the company to understand what they are doing.

4. INVEST ACCORDING TO YOUR PLAN (Note: If you don't have a plan - MAKE ONE!). When I invested with a "friend", I understood what they were doing and trusted that they knew also. I put in only several thousand dollars to see if they would be able to produce. They were not. My plan was not to invest over a flat amount. I stayed with it and took a small loss. I am able to handle it and move on. Others were not as fortunate and are proceeding with ligitation.

5. MEASURE THE RISK AND REWARD (KNOW YOUR #'s). In the above scenario, I calculated 100% return on investment as the reward and a risk of 0% if it failed. I was able to handle the #s as concided with my philosophy of investing and also my risk tolerance. Playing the cashflow board game has been invaluable in simplying the #s and also the strategies.

6. WHAT IS YOUR EXIT STRATEGY? Every investment has an exit strategy. If you don't have one then you will find it a mess. Find out when you can take out money and when you can't. Put a time cost on it and then move on. This is another major reason why newbies investors fail. They don't know their exit.

7. SCREW THEM OVER. One of my friends came up to me and asked me for my opinion. He was telling me he was doing a new construction from his single home to two homes in Staten Island. After some discussion, he found out that the contractor forged his signature and took a draw from the bank without him noticing. Immediately I said, "how much?" He told me, "oh about $150K, what do you think I should do?". I said, "GO AFTER HIM RIGHT NOW! Don't waste your time. Anyone stealing from me is a crook. GO!". My friend said he wanted to wait for the contractor to finish some stuff that is left before reporting him. Basically give him some chances.
I looked at him and was baffled and shared my experience. It is not only a trust issue but business wise every time I wait I am losing money. In addition, if someone steals once they will steal again.
Now I believe in trust, love, patience, etc... I truly have generous spirit and faith in people. Yet, working in the real estate field there are quite a few they don't play that way. They are instead selfish and consider only their desires without regards to others. I know in life we do break the rules in order to fulfill a deeper need like breaking the speed limit on the highway to drive a spouse to the hospital for labor, etc... Yet in these cases, there are people who only care about themselves. In this way I say, "SCREW THEM". Is it an eye for an eye? Yeap but sometimes God uses people to effect a lesson. God works in mysterious ways. Sometimes God uses us.

Ok these should be some guidelines. If you have any feel free to post and let me know.

Enjoy your day!

Learning How to Market and Sell

After months of inconsistent results one of the areas of weaknesses is the leads that are coming in and also conversion. I haven't been updating as much due to learning how to market and sell. Something so simple yet so powerful that it is not stressed as much in the various real estate guru programs but it is nevertheless critical.

It seems so simple yet books and courses can be written about how important these skills are. Without them the business doesn't even start and is dead. I am currently using the SalesDogs (www.salesdogs.com ) training materials by Blair Singer to start off improving my communication skills. I am also reading the book The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino to create a better positive self image to sell better.

Lastly I have been fortunate enough to enroll 5 other cashflow members in joining with me on how to sell. We have committed to meeting 4 sequential weekdays to practice on this. It is exciting!

My Top 10 Things that a Newbie Should Do to get Started in the Real Estate Business

Buyer Beware: There are more than 10 top things.

However, here is MY Top 10 list of things a newbie should do to get started in this business:

1) Read EVERYTHING available to you that is free at the library about Creative Real Estate investing, even if the book is old.

2) Read AS MUCH AS YOU CAN while drinking coffee at Barnes & Noble. Buy what interests you and you can afford.

3) Find and join a local (or as local as you can get) Real Estate Investment Club. Look at http://www.nationalreia.com/ to help find one.

4) Call every one of the "We Buy Houses" ads in you local newspapers and talk to the investor. Offer to buy him/her lunch for 30-60 minutes of their time while you pick their brain and explain your current situation.

5) Do an in depth analysis of your current and short term (1 year) financial situation. You need to know a) how much cash you have available immediately to help you find and close deals. This is money that you DO NOT NEED to help pay your bills or feed your face. What is your borrowing capacity, ie Credit score, non-liquid assets that have equity to use as collateral, etc.

6) Using what you have learned above, cultivate relationships with one or two mortgage brokers, bankers, real estate agents.

7) Start a basic business plan targeting only one or two areas of investing, it rehabs, wholesales, flips, subject to's, whatever floats your boat. You'll know what these mean after you do steps 1-4.

My advice to newbies that don't have great credit and large cash reserves: start by flipping (wholesaling). This is where you get a property under contract and "flip" or assign it to another investor.
Advantages: Fast payday, little risk, gets you in the game while you learn more.

Get Bill Bronchick's course "Flipping". It has everything you need to get started. How to do the business, some marketing ideas, all the contracts and forms you'll need. Other than Flipping, make sure you spend significant time on your exit strategies - this is where you realize the profit. Have this in place. Are you going to be a long term hold landlord, or a 3 months rehab and sell flipper, or a wholesaler that never takes title, or.... You get the picture. While you make your profit when you buy, you don't realize it until you sell.

8) Develope a marketing plan. Of all 10 items I list, this is one of the most important. You can spend all kinds of time learning about creative real estate and
how to structure deals, but if you can't find a deal, you are just swimming in acedemia. It must be a 2-sided plan. First part on how to FIND deals, Part Two on Exit Strategy Marketing.

I suggest Ben Innes-Ker's course, "Motivated Seller Magnet". It is inexpensive, and contains truly valuable materials so you don't have to start from scratch, especially if you don't have a marketing degree.

9) Start calling and visiting prospective sellers. Don't worry about making mistakes. Learn from them. If you think you've got a hot one, call on one or more
of your new friends from Step 6.

10) Do your first Deal! Now your hooked like a meth addict. Welcome to the Club.

Dutch
Oklahoma

Helping Homeowners in Central Oklahoma
STOP FORECLOSURE / SAVE YOUR HOME / SAVE YOUR CREDIT
http://www.OKHomesavers.com
We Pay CASH for Referrals!!

Do You Have Billion Dollar Business Idea?

Hi All,

I was going through the various websites and I caught this one:

http://billiondollarbusiness.blogspot.com

This is authored by Donald Mitchell of the 2000% Solution and other published materials. The website details the Mastermind which is international and building a billion dollar business idea. I wrote to him briefly and he seems to be an open person who has some interesting ideas. I am looking to see what his expertise is on building a world class billion dollar business. Despite all the get quick rich schemes I find that building a billion dollar business does require good business entrepreneurial accumen. If anyone has any comments please let me know. It is a good read to expand one's horizons.

I got this from my daily readings on business and I thought it was very true. Working as an entrepreneur or any type of worthy productive activity - Leadership is required. I feel that many times my perception of leadership to get everyone involved is more important than leading people in a good direction. I find when I am not clear about my vision / intentions then the result becomes muddled and inconsistent. Leadership requires having a clear vision and it makes things better. At this time I have been working with a staff in the Cashflow group in NYC. It has been at times pulling teeth as many don't seem to want to be a leader. They want to follow. This also happens in my business. If I do move and grow then the business doesn't move and grow.
It is so true to get people motivated and willing to work. It comes from within first.

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"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."

- Dwight D. Eisenhower

Two Myths About Leadership

By Michael Masterson

Did you know that the average age of the people who write for Forbes, Fortune, Business Week, and The Wall Street Journal is something like 29 years old?

Don't get me wrong. I read these publications. And I understand the necessity of hiring young, inexperienced writers. But because I have been on the inside of the business-publishing world, I'm skeptical about what I read in the business press ... and especially so about advice that is given.

Such is the case with the advice I read about leadership. For the most part, the ideas seem wrong to me. They don't correspond to anything I've experienced myself, and they don't equate with practices I've seen as a consultant to business owners.

It's not a conspiracy. It's the process that's the problem. I know how secondhand information works. It gets misunderstood, oversimplified, and distorted. And if that's not bad enough, it also gets cleaned up, edited, prettified. Not, in the latter case, by the writers, but by the experts who are being interviewed. (When asked about the secret to his success, what business leader wouldn't want to give motivating credit to his troops?)

Good business writers know how to recognize an interesting idea and present it in a clear, convincing manner. That is good - so long as the idea itself is good. But if the idea is wrong ... then the good writing only serves to waste your time (or do you harm).

There are a lot of myths about leadership floating around out there. And if you take those myths as truth, you can seriously damage your business. Let's take a closer look at two of them, find out why they're wrong ... and what techniques the REAL leaders use.

MYTH #1: "Soft" Leadership Skills Work

I once read an article in which a spokesman for Office Team, a business consulting firm, said "If companies want to be successful in the future, they'll have to adopt soft leadership skills." By this, he meant that you should be listening to your employees, sharing feelings with them, and keeping an open mind "to all kinds of ideas - even bad ones."

If you don't learn these soft skills, the consultancy says, you will be in trouble. Because these softer skills will soon "completely replace the older, harder skills of planning, persuasion, and discipline." Office Team says: "The future office environment won't allow for command-and-control focused management style. Employees want to contribute to decisions and offer creative solutions."

This sort of thinking completely contradicts my own experience. From what I've seen, most employees want leadership. And leadership to them means that someone else solves the problems and tells them what to do about them.

As a leader in your business, you are earning big bucks to do the hard thinking, to make the tough decisions, and to get the job done - even if that means pushing the weight uphill. Yes, you should be open to new ideas. Yes, you should talk to the rank-and-file workers. Yes, you should pay attention to your employees. But the big decisions about where to go and what to make and how to solve the company's problems are ultimately yours.

This requires vision, knowledge, skill, and (most certainly) good ideas. But even more important is an understanding of how to get people to embrace your ideas and work to achieve them ... even in the face of criticism and adversity.

So how do you do it? By making the work worthwhile.
For a perfect example, look to some of the great religious leaders of history. From Jesus Christ to Gandhi, these leaders were able to persuade large groups of people to do all kinds of great and difficult work, merely by creating the idea that the work itself was good. (Yes, there may have been some bribing going on there - the promise of heaven, and all that. But I can't imagine that so many people would have made so many sacrifices without believing that the work itself was worthwhile.)

MYTH #2 "Allowing participation is more important than sharing your vision."

This myth is another gem gleaned from an article in a prestigious business publication. The premise seems to be that, when it comes to setting goals, leaders should focus on fostering and improving employee participation rather than on creating a plan for better business.

That is just silly. Utterly silly. But it was a serious recommendation offered up in sober language by some earnest young writer quoting from some ex-tough-guy businessperson who wanted to sugarcoat his career.

Back here in the real world ... a leader can delegate a great deal of responsibility if he surrounds himself with good people. But the one thing he can never delegate is the job of establishing goals and creating a vision. Unless, that is, he wants to cease being a leader.

Dreaming about what your business can accomplish, thinking about how far it can go and how great it can be, is the most important job you can do. If you are a leader, now or in the future, you must spend much of your spare time doing that.

Yes, you can ask questions. Yes, you can seek advice. But when it comes down to deciding where you want your business to go and what you want it to achieve, you've got to do it yourself. Then ... you've got to share your vision.

It is not easy to inspire work. Those who can have one thing in common: They have a keen ability to create and communicate a compelling vision. This is essential for effective leadership. Most real authorities on leadership recognize this. You can be fairly limited in other intellectual qualities but strong in audacity and the ability to communicate a picture - and still be a successful leader. (Ronald Reagan proved that, didn't he?)

The same can be said for leaders of social causes. When ordinary citizens work tirelessly to respond to a crisis or natural disaster, they do so not for any of the normal reasons that employees work. They do it because they feel that they are compelled by a vision. They feel engaged in a worthwhile process.

Think about religion today. All those apostles you see at airports. Why do they work like that? Why do they submit themselves to that kind of indignity? It's not for the money; they get none. And it's not for public approval; they get the opposite. They shave their heads, put on robes, and spend countless hours begging ... because they believe that what they are doing is good. It's as simple - and as powerful - as that.

To be a great leader, you have to:
• Spend time thinking about how you can make things better.
• Make people believe in the goodness of your ideas.

If you can do both of these things, your employees will gladly work for you. They will beg for you. They will fight for you. And in extreme cases (not that this is something you'd hope for), they may even die for you.

To become a leader is to become powerful and important. To become a leader is to put yourself in a position of authority and influence. To become a leader is a responsibility and a privilege. It can change your life faster and further than just about anything else you can learn to do. And the way to do that is to create a compelling, worthwhile vision and inspire your employees to follow through with the work itself.

Real Time Real Estate Valuations from Zillow.com

People have been sharing with me about the newly launched website www.zillow.com which is supposed to provide real time valuations on real estate nationwide. I have done some with my current residence which is fairly accurate and some with the real estate projects I have been doing. The market area in Philadelphia is flaky as it is a highly appreciating market and tough to get a good comp as they are going block per block

Otherwise this is another tool to use in doing your due diligence for the valuation of how much your property is worth fully renovated.

For more info:
Zillow unveils real-time home values service
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/258748_zillow08.html

Zillow Goes Live -- Too Soon?

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/hotproperty/archives/2006/02/zillow_goes_liv.html

Want to Accelerate Your Learning Financial Literacy? Play Cashflow!

I have been playing the game Cashflow by Robert Kiyosaki - NYT Best Seller author of the book "Rich Dad Poor Dad". There are so many insights in that book and the succeeding books that it peers into building financial literacy and the game of money being played from the smallest person to the largest corporations and countries. I have been playing for several years now and I host a club in one of the metro NYC areas.

What I have learned is:
* How to recongnize a good or bad deal.
* What is an asset and what is a liability.
* How to read a basic financial statement.
* How abundant the opportunities are out there to create wealth.
* How to communicate with others to joint venture or negotiate favorable terms.
* When to leverage and when not to leverage.
* What are some of the challenges I have to attain wealth.

There are many more insights that I have learned and implement in real life as I take some of the principles and apply to real life and back to the game. I have played well over a hundred games and I learn about myself and others through it. I have also played with people who are advanced in real life and proceed to continue to learn through it.

In addition, I have hosted the game many times as I am self fulfilled when sharing my knowledge to others. I have many times found people say how interesting or something they didn't realize or how much they learned when playing when I am hosting / teaching. Right now I don't have as much time to do it and also I am aiming to build a stronger foundation and core to the group so I collaborated with another member to systematize the hosting. It should be very interesting work.

If you haven't yet I suggest you purchase the game and begin to learn about yourself and how to build wealth.

Updates:

Friday January 20, 2006 Cashflow Session
Something to share about yesterday's meeting.

The last few months we have received a sporadic few people who are inconsistent in coming to play the cashflow games. I believe it is due to the energy that the group has dwindled to. Inconsistent focus and commitment to one's inner truth.

The core members have been discussing changing the group dynamics with the possibilty of closing the group to other newcomers and making it into a MASTERMIND or investment club to enable the core members to focus on improving each other. In addtion, we have various other cashflow groups that just play the game just to play it without regards to implementing the philosophy in real life and other larger groups that are doing it in real life.

So yesterday we didn't see a large turn out of people so we were going to move forward and discuss about how to actualize our dreams in real life with tangible action steps.

In less than a few minutes, 3 newcomers joined us. 2 of which said they were creating an investment club and saw we were playing the game (they played frequently on the egame and several times on the board game). 1 came once and that was a few months ago.

Fast forward after 2.5 hrs and the reactions are: "wow", "I never saw that before", "I have to come back", "This is great", "There is so much information that I am overwhelmed in a good way", etc....

The newcomers were glad that there were people who were generous to be open and give back to others.

A few things at random that floated in my mind:
* It is good to give back to the community. I always felt that it is possibly ego driven but I enjoy sharing what I know.
* The hosting system that we created needs more tweaking but we will have a hosting system tweaked out in the next few weeks.
* Keeping the group open gives new blood and to feel that wonder of seeing the game new is fun.
* We are growing our brothers and sisters in life. I totally respect others who are serious about their lives and want to live to the fullest.
* Not all are ready to embark on the journey as many have said they will come but they don't come.
* Be inspired by ourselves first. This will enroll and inspire others.

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Articles

Chicago Tribune 1/17/2006 (you may need to register for free on this site)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0601170164jan17,1,2379933.story?page=1&ctrack=1&cset=true