Re: Readers Digest / Gratefulness

We have all been there. At the doctors’ office, sitting there in the waiting room.

Waiting.

Waiting for test results.

Maybe waiting for a test to be run.

Maybe a full-blown “procedure”.

Whatever it is, you’re waiting, and waiting……

Then, lucky you, they call your name and escort you to another room where – surprise – you wait some more.

Good thing for me they have magazines to read. Some offices are still nice enough to provide magazines for all of us who don’t care to spend even more time perusing Facebook or Instagram.

So there I was, when I look over at a well worn Readers Digest from Oct. 2016.

There it was – the headline “Are You A Mosquito Magnet?”

I had to laugh. My college friend Pete ALWAYS had a way with mosquitoes. We could all be hanging out enjoying ourselves and Pete would be smacking himself up and down like a lunatic.

What I discovered in this article, page 67, was that beer alters peoples body chemistry so much, the new scent is an attractant to some types of mosquitoes.

Lucky for Pete, I can clue him in on that little knowledge tidbit next time I see him.

Still waiting, I turned to the next article.

It was a 5-page article about Gratitude.

Gratitude has an effect – a healthy effect – on both the person who issues the thankfulness and the person who receives it. Big things in the givers life will improve, like blood pressure, better sleep, less depression and even less pain for people who have been injured.

Better yet – gratitude has a trickle-down effect. People who are thanked, tend to “pass it on” by being just a little nicer to the next person.

There was a lot of “science stuff” in the article but I enjoyed the real people stories the most.

One person profiled in this article (who wasn’t very pleased with himself and was disappointed in the direction his life was going) decided to write a thank you note every day – for a year.

It didn’t take long before as he says “The first effects are that you realize that you have a much better life than you thought.”

Now, I am the first to admit that I’m very grateful for my life. I like what I do and I enjoy the people I do business with – and surround myself with – on a daily basis.

A big part of my gratefulness is our WREIA membership. One of the things I like to do for our Members is organizing our quarterly “Members Only” meetings. It’s one of the ways I get to get a little closer to our members and spend a little more time in a smaller, more intimate setting. About the only thing better is talking over a “live” deal.

At these meetings, we get some great questions, sharing, and some time to network in a fairly casual way. It’s how I really enjoy spending time with people.

So let me remind you – I AM really grateful for you and all of our WREIA members and guests that join us every month.

Enough of the sappy stuff…. now back to business.

If you want details on our next WREIA Members Only Quarterly Event, it’s posted below.

Come on out and join us. I’ll be happy and grateful to see you this Saturday morning.

WREIA Members Only Event – April 28th

Starts at 8:30 AM

We posted information and registration for our WREIA Members Only Quarterly Networking Event in DC here.

A few details:
Where: Renovation Underway @ | 1620 E Street NE | Washington, DC 20002
When: Saturday, April 28, 2018 from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM (EDT)

All active WREIA members are welcome to attend. You can also grab a new six month or annual membership at this link.

2018 is off to a busy start in our area!

I will be sharing my experiences developing this building and how you can take advantage of this changing landscape and the lessons I learned.

Join us on April 28th to see where some of the action is taking place in DC area.

I hope to see you Saturday morning. It’s a great opportunity to network, learn, and share some of your own knowledge as we walk a street in DC and point out the signs and opportunities you can watch for yourself.

John Peterson
Founder, Washington Real Estate Investors Association

After our monthly WREIA meeting a few days ago we had 5 or so follow-up requests for more details on an investor package.

I put together a short video on these packages and how you can use them in your own business when you are trying to raise some private money for your deals.

Lastly – our WREIA “members only” quarterly meeting is April 28th.

We will be walking a street in DC where we have a current renovation underway.

The topic is going to be “Gentrification”.

You can find more details and grab a six month or annual WREIA membership (if you aren’t already a member) at this link.

All active WREIA members will be granted access to this special networking and learning event.

Join us April 28th in DC!

We’ve seen a slowdown at the top end of the housing market, says economist from CNBC.

Zillow CEO on flipping: We’re ready to be an investor in our own marketplace from CNBC.

Lots of “investors” in the DC area are spending money on flipping properties. At the end of the day – they aren’t making a profit.

Let’s stop the madness!

As we wrapped up our spring break “bucket list” trip to Italy, we had a few moments before we boarded the plane.

I went over a very short list of expenses you need to keep in mind when you buy, renovate and sell a property.

One of the big hidden costs (many people forget these when they are getting started) are the transaction fees and taxes on these properties.

Join us at WREIA this coming Monday as we talk about financing properties in our area.

Washington REIA Network April Meeting

April 16th,

You can reserve your seat at this link.

Don’t worry, John will be back in time to host our April meeting.

Now onto a thought for today –

We talked about Disney and Jeff Bezos in our last posts. That’s great. But our topic this month really comes down to this – the source of funding for your deals matters.

Whether you are going to wholesale the property you get under contract or do the deal yourself, EVERYONE involved in the deal wants to be sure it’s going to close.

From what I see going on these days, very few people are using their own cash to fund their deals. By that, I mean that they are writing checks from equity lines, or commercial lines of credit.

“But isn’t that their own cash?” you might ask.

Sort of.

You see, those people now have a LIMIT to their funding.

At some point they will run out of funds. It’s sad when those people shut down their business until they can “catch up” to do more deals.

Most of us understand that when you get really hungry and get everything up and running smoothly, the deals are either few and far between, or they are coming fast and furious.

There never seems to be anything in between.

For some people those times of feast or famine may be separated by a few weeks, and for others it may take months to find the next deal.

When I don’t hear from some people for a while because they are “too busy”, I always ask why they are so quiet. Most of the time they are limited in some way.

Sometimes it’s capital. Financial capital.

Other times though – it’s HUMAN capital.

Neither of these problems – lack of money or lack of people – should ever limit you from growing your business.

When the deals are coming in – don’t stop! Keep going and keep growing.

Most of the leaders in the real estate investing world here in the DC area have grown because they didn’t limit themselves when it was time to grow. They found partners or added people to their payroll.

This month at our WREIA meeting we are going to talk about finding capital from different sources and structuring deals so they make sense for everyone involved.

My hope is that at this April meeting we help open the eyes of a few people and help them see a path to expanding their business.

We don’t have anything to sell at WREIA.

Relax. There is nothing like a “6 week path to financial freedom” course that will be sold at the end of the evening. You don’t have to try to escape past the money desk at the back of the room.

In fact, many people stick around and network long after the meeting is done.

If you haven’t attended our WREIA meeting – our members agree that this lack of high pressure selling is refreshing. WREIA has become a safe place to come and network with other area investors and share tips on what’s working and where the trouble spots are in our local area.

At our WREIA meetings you can relax because no one is trying to get their hand in your wallet and get you all worked up and excited about buying a course.

Sit back, enjoy the evening and ask questions when you have them. New or experienced in this business – there will be a few sections for everyone.

Are you the type of person who is at least a little curious what is possible in this business? Don’t you want to know HOW people are getting deals done every day – right here in DC?

I hope to see you on Monday evening. Come on out and surround yourself with people who have a passion for real estate here in the DC area.

And bring your wholesale deals too. One of the wholesale deals announced at a recent WREIA meeting went on to sell for 18k OVER what the wholesaler was asking at our meeting.

Join me on April 16th as we talk about the entire process that goes on behind the scenes when financing properties. It’s a fun topic that I am going to break down into easy steps. By better understanding these steps you will have an edge over your competition and might be a little happier with your 2018 results.

April 16th is a great opportunity for you to ask a few questions like:

• How do I know I have the best finance partner for my project?
• When is the right time to use hard money or private money?
• What the heck is hard money or private money?
• What is a reasonable rate for my flip projects and my rentals?
• My credit history looks like a garbage pail of drama. What are my options?
• Is it possible to finance deals with little money out of my pocket?
• What mistakes do you see people making with their financing?
• What can a Realtor do to help investors close more deals?

Save a few dollars and reserve your seat early. Then, come join us at WREIA – Monday, April 16th. It will be a great meeting to start the spring season, get you motivated, and get some momentum for the rest of 2018.

Join us as we talk about Financing Real Estate in the DC area.

Meet real people doing real deals in real estate – right here in the DC/Baltimore area.

Reserve your seat at this link.

John Peterson
Founder, Washington Real Estate Investors Association

Re: Financing Investment Real Estate

“Around here, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” -Walt Disney

Mr. Disney had it right. You can learn a little by looking back at what was already done, but if you stop looking forward – disasters can happen.

But I also agree that along with awareness needs to be curiosity.

If I wasn’t curious I would never have answered an ad that started me down this path in real estate.

To this day, I love to explore new things. The video I posted about our April WREIA meeting was from a mountainside in the Alps.

The Italian Alps!

In Europe!

Where I was skiing – and checking off a bucket list item. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a loooong time.

The opportunity came along and we jumped at the chance.

Of course – opportunities come along when you are looking for them.

A lot like real estate – right?

If you’re out there looking for deals – you will find them. Sometimes they aren’t always in the first spot you are looking – but you will find them.

If you are just getting frustrated you might need to do something just a little different, instead of throwing in the towel and walking away.

That said – some people have trouble believing they can even get started because they don’t have the money. Let me tell you – you don’t need a huge pile of cash to get started as a real estate investor. I can introduce you to plenty of people who started with $100 – sometimes less!

Financing a property can be a huge stumbling block for many people. It shouldn’t be.

Instead of wholesaling or bird-dogging your next property – why not try to do the project yourself?

Better questions lead to better answers.

Better answers lead to better lives.

“They” say never to talk about politics, religion or money.

Let’s break the rules next Monday and embrace the proper use of money, investing in real estate, and how to have a better life in the process.

Let me help you check off a bucket list item of your own. That dream vacation, supersized gift for a relative or maybe your dream weekend with long distance friends – all of them are within reach.

Aren’t you the type of person who is at least a little curious what is possible in this business? Don’t you want to know HOW people are getting deals done every day – right here in DC?

I hope to see you on Monday evening. Come on out and surround yourself with people who have a passion for real estate here in the DC area.

And bring your wholesale deals too. One of the wholesale deals announced at a recent WREIA meeting went on to sell for 18k OVER what the wholesaler was asking at our meeting.

Join me on April 16th as we talk about the entire process that goes on behind the scenes when financing properties. It’s a fun topic that I am going to break down into easy steps. By better understanding these steps you will have an edge over your competition and might be a little happier with your 2018 results.

April 16th is a great opportunity for you to ask a few questions like:

• How do I know I have the best finance partner for my project?
• When is the right time to use hard money or private money?
• What the heck is hard money or private money?
• What is a reasonable rate for my flip projects and my rentals?
• My credit history looks like a garbage pail of drama. What are my options?
• Is it possible to finance deals with little money out of my pocket?
• What mistakes do you see people making with their financing?
• What can a Realtor do to help investors close more deals?

Save a few dollars and reserve your seat early. Then, come join us at WREIA – Monday, April 16th. It will be a great meeting to start the spring season, get you motivated, and get some momentum for the rest of 2018.

Join us as we talk about Financing Real Estate in the DC area.

Meet real people doing real deals in real estate – right here in the DC/Baltimore area.

Reserve your seat at this link.

John Peterson
Founder, Washington Real Estate Investors Association

Here’s how artificial intelligence is replacing real estate agents from CNBC.