If you missed it – there was an article in the Washington Post a few days ago about Tom Brady – arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks to play professional football. In this article there is a trailing comment that really jumped out at me – reminding me of the why the basics are so important.
“Maybe the hardest thing about it is that the daily reward is so small — it’s about incremental improvements over time. Brady’s throwing coach Tom House has observed, “What separates these elite athletes, the Hall of Famers, is that they try to get better every day not by 20 percent but just 1 or 2 percent.”
Trying to improve by just 1 or 2 percent.
Every day.
For decades.
How many of you can commit to this level of self-discipline?
I haven’t met that level of discipline – that’s for sure.
But that doesn’t mean any of us should stop trying.
In fact – let’s wrap up the year by focusing on a few habit any of can work on over the coming weeks.
At this time of the year I like to look back at what worked, and didn’t work, and try to use the experience to expand and improve heading into 2022.
Through my own business I can see the habits that have helped over the years, and yes, even a few that I can still improve on.
The topic for WREIA this month is: “Tiny Changes – Remarkable Results”
Bring some questions Monday night.
We have a great group of investors who tune in to watch, interact and help other local DC area investors each month – even though we went virtual over a year ago. Come join us!
My sole focus for the Nov. 2021 WREIA meeting is: Making small changes that will have huge impact on your business.
It’s too beautiful outside. So I made another quick update. One more video about our WREIA meeting tomorrow night – Monday at 7PM has been posted here.
As you know, the market this year all across the country has seen impressive price growth.
One of the greatest attributes of REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT is the multiple methods or strategies that you can employ to make profits.
A few discussed at Washington REIA meetings include;
Buy-Renovate-Sell
Wholesale
Buy Long Term Cash Flow Properties
Buy Performing or non-performing Notes
Invest in Multi-Unit Buildings
Invest in Commercial Property
The list can continue but you get the idea.
In my experience, the most successful investors have been nimble and although can point to ne of two strategies that have built the majority of their wealth, they have implemented multiple strategies based on current market conditions.
Do ever take time to just THINK?
Some people think in the shower, at the gym while running or schedule an hour at work to just sit and think. I do my best thinking while driving.
Driving one day, I suddenly realized that the majority of my deals (Past 20 houses) were generated from one source. They all had one or two common denominators that I could look back on and begin to alter my marketing to take advantage of this trend.
I want to share this with you Monday night.
Secondly, as I thought about my phone ringing the past 18 months, I changed my strategy to profit once I had a solid deal.
I do believe this trend will continue into next year and will be viable to cash large checks on our properties.
I want to share this strategy with you on Monday night.
The copy of the check on this email was realized last week. I am selling another house this week using same strategy and will be closing on a new project this week that I plan on doing the same strategy.
And if you missed it from the last email – details below.
On Monday, we will head back to the basics – and re-focus on the fundamentals of real estate investing.
First – lets talk about the two best ways to find deals.
Because – I keep hearing about people being frustrated about “no deals in our area” – and that’s not the case.
Then – we will go over the two best ways to finance those deals.
Because – believe me – financing is still an issue for some people when it comes to investment real estate.
Lastly – A super simple method to analyze the deal.
Because – how do you know it’s a good deal? And as an extra bonus – would you like to get in on the method I used to generate over 500k in revenue for the company? (Say Yes!)
The topic for WREIA this month is: “Back to the Basics”
Bring some questions Monday night.
We have a great group of investors who tune in to watch, interact and help other local DC area investors each month – even though we went virtual over a year ago.
Come join us!
My sole focus for the October 2021 WREIA meeting is: Helping you get back to the basics – and find good deals.
In the last email I told you about an important detail when you are going through the 1031 process.
You must have someone hold your funds from your last closing.
That person or business is called a Qualified Intermediary. “QI” for short.
I thought it would be a good idea if we had a local professional join us to fill in the details and tell a few stories from the trenches of being a Qualified Intermediary.
Monday night we are going to have Robert Levinson of Black Acre 1031 Exchange Services with us to walk us through some of the myths, the truths and benefits of using a 1031 to defer taxes.
Robert has held funds for over $2 Billion in transactions. Each month he does 30-40 transactions for people from around the country, and even a few far off locations around the world.
Needless to say – this process involves the government, taxes, property transfers and a whole lot of details that if done wrong – could cost a FORTUNE.
When it’s done right, it can be one of the fastest ways to leverage up your time and efforts to create true wealth for you and your future interests.
I really hope you join us Monday night.
I’m going through a 1031 right now, and even for me a couple decades into my own career
I’m still learning a few lessons about how the 1031 process can simplify our work and all the advantages we can tap into.
I want to share those lessons with you this Monday night.
The topic for WREIA this month is: “1031 Tax Deferred Exchange – Live Case Study”
Bring some questions Monday night.
We have a great group of investors who tune in to watch, interact and help other local DC area investors each month – even though we went virtual over a year ago.
Come join us!
My sole focus for the September 2021 WREIA meeting is: Helping you understand how to delay that payment to the IRS!
Spend a few moments with us at our next WREIA meeting Monday night– it could save you a fortune down the road.
See you Monday!
Remember to grab a virtual reservation here and we will send you a reminder a few moments before we kick off the September 2021 meeting Monday at 7PM.
Go ahead – grab a ticket. (And yes, there is still no charge to attend.)
We sent out an announcement yesterday about our next WREIA meeting Monday night.
Later, in the afternoon, I got a call on my cell phone.
“Great topic!” was what I heard when I said hello.
“You plan on talking about how people need to start taking more risks to make bigger checks?!!”
I laughed.
“No, Not like that at all.” was my reply.
If you want to get in on the discussion – join us Monday night for WREIA. You might pick up a few tips about growing your business.
You might walk away with an ability to fine tune and focus your energy.
Even better – you might walk away with a few tips on how to focus your time.
In 20 plus years, sure, I’ve made a few mistakes, and gained a lot of insight into what makes the world of real estate so great – not just for today, but tomorrow as well.
I want to share those lessons with you Monday night.
The topic for WREIA this month is: “Ask Yourself: Are you an Investor or an Entrepreneur?”
Bring some questions Monday night.
We have a great group of investors who tune in to watch, interact and help other local DC area investors each month – even though we went virtual over a year ago.
Come join us!
My sole focus for the June 2021 WREIA meeting is: Helping you understand how to Grow!
Spend a few moments with us at our next WREIA meeting Monday night– it could save you a fortune down the road. See you Monday!
Imagine if you could team up with someone who would share the responsibility of checking in on your rental property or renovation project?
How much time do you think you could save if someone else did that for you 2 or 3 times each week?
Now, amplify that simple task by 20 or 30 other daily responsibilities……..
How much time do you think that would save each week?
Is hiring someone the right move? Maybe an office manager or intern?
Or would it make more sense to set up a joint venture agreement with a candidate an make them a vested “partner” in the project?
Where do you draw the line on responsibilities and who is assigned certain tasks?
Do you see how this gets into sticky territory very quickly? When you set up a joint venture – nearly EVERYTHING needs to be spelled out very clearly, or you could wind up in very uncomomfortable situations very quickly.
What would happen if you had multiple projects with multiple locations around town – is it possible to scale joint ventures?
What if projects are small – without much profit potential in the near term, but a larger payoff down the road, months or even years from now? How should you structure those agreements?
In 20 plus years, sure, I’ve made a few mistakes, and gained a lot of insight into what makes a great joint venture. I want to share those lessons with you Monday night.
The topic for WREIA this month is: “Joint Ventures – Tips, Tricks, Do’s and Don’ts”
How about a few real life examples of joint ventures that we use today? Yeah, we can do that Monday night.
Need some help on a project? Of course, let’s find you some help.
My sole focus for the June 2021 WREIA meeting is: Helping you understand how to use Joint Ventures to Grow!
Spend a few moments with us at our next WREIA meeting Monday night– it could save you a fortune down the road.
If you tuned in to our February WREIA meeting, I mentioned trying to bond with your sellers and using common interests to seal the deal. This morning we came to a fair deal on the 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air. I talked about in the meeting Not bad… a house to renovate and a classic car to sell.
If you know anyone interested in making an offer on the car, be sure to reach out to me.
I have compiled a number of questions we talked about at our monthly meeting. Be sure to see the replay of the meeting below.
Do you have good books on marketing? Marketing is the activity and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers and clients
Read Read, Read. Everything and anything on marketing. I would read articles, blogs, videos, books of people in your industry. Try to weed thru the hyperbole and pick-up solid action steps you can employ.
Reciprocation: The internal pull to repay what another person has provided us.
Commitment & Consistency: Once we make a choice or take a stand, we work to behave consistently with that commitment in order to justify our decisions.
Social Proof: When we are unsure, we look to similar others to provide us with the correct actions to take. And the more people undertaking that action, the more we consider that action correct.
Liking: The propensity to agree with people we like and the propensity for others to agree with us (if we like them).
Authority: We are more likely to say “yes” to others who are authorities, who carry greater knowledge, experience, or expertise.
Scarcity: We want more of what is less available or dwindling in availability. In marketing, understanding human behavior and psychology are critical.
Book- 2 This is Marketing by Seth Godin Marketing is figuring out exactly who your product is for and what need it fulfills and then crafting your messaging specifically for them. He also wrote a very good book called Permission Marketing.
Online Magazines: I am a subscriber to a number of publications but I like both of the following for good articles on general business and real estate. Business Insider Market Watch
Bigger Pockets – This a good source for articles written by current and active investors.
Go outside of industry and see what other entrepreneurs are doing to generate business.
How do I find lists of people in forbearance? I have not found a list source yet of people in forbearance. I would check in with list sources to see if they can come up with one.
Price of a chimney /flue inspection A chimney inspection should run you about $275. A company I use is called ACD Chimney Service 202-321-5075
I recently had a cracked sewer pipe at a rental house. Ho much does this cost and is there a way to protect us from this expense? Cost of replacement of broken sewer pipe. This can run from 2500.00 to $15,000 Insurance on broken or cracked pipes. $12.00 per month
What is the best way to market for deals for non-tech savvy people? Networking and database marketing. Hiring people to perform tasks you are not comfortable doing.
Should I buy a property with a tenant already in place? Purchasing a property with a tenant in place can be good and bad. You do not want o inherit problem tenants that can crush your deal. If you price the risk into the offer price can be an opportunity to create value. If tenant is vetted and has a good track record of paying rent on time can be a technique to save you time and money on locating a good tenant. Be careful and take your time to verify
Is now a good time to buy a property or should I wait for market to fall? My belief is to get educated on value real estate and always be in the market to buy well located property at value-add prices that you feel will grow in value over time. If market adjust downward, be ready to deploy capital to pick up solid real estate still employing t=your knowledge of value. Understand the word and definition of FORCED APPRECIATION
How do I find a good tenant? (Have been hearing stories about non-paying tenants) Use tenant software to generate credit report, application and criminal background. Take your time to verify income and take a close look at employment and state of economy. Can they replace income if they are fired or let go of their current position.
What avenues would you recommend for approaching landlords primarily in PG and Mont county for making offers on these assets that are near there balloons?
I would use multiple strategies to engage with owner. Letter Phone Call E- Mail Text Possible visit to business or property Give them options You might want to team up with local commercial lender and offer a refinance of mortgage and then also explore possibility of selling. Offer them information of rents, state of market etc. Use Permission marketing – Create a compelling report and offer to them. Try to trade something of value for right to speak with them.
How would you structure the LOI? Super informal or more legalistic? Depends on where you are in process. I think a more informal approach as you begin conversation and then move to a more formal as you seal deal. Some of this depends on the owner and his/her personality.
What is a good weasel clause? My favorite one is tried and true. Contract is contingent on a structural inspection, paid by purchaser within five business days. If inspection is not satisfactory to purchaser at their sole discretion, contract is null/void. You can also use HOA documents as a legal way to void contract.
Will Mom and Pop landlords survive in area? How many are deciding to sell their properties? Great question but hard to answer. Survival depends on ability to get to other side of this mess. If landlord has sufficient savings and can get tenant back on track or evict, they can survive. If dependent on rent to make payments and other expenses, they could be in trouble. Hard to track their decisions but my guess is that a percentage will try to sell to protect equity and credit.
“How does one decide when it is time to sell a Real Estate Asset?” I do not mean within the context of other pressures (such as Covid now or similar) when there potentially is pressure for cash & liquidity. I mean in isolation, specific to a single property – what’s the shelf life? I am looking to learn the kind of analysis you and peers in our group apply to a building to figure out “It is time to take the gain on value cause it won’t get any better or cause the income stream has hit a plateau or cause __ .” I am not versed or wise on this topic, and would appreciate hearing experiences and/or evaluation techniques. Watch replay of video to hear my answer to this question.
Is there a formula you rely upon to determine the frequency of raising rents?
Most landlords have an increase in rents in their original lease. After lease expires, you can raise rents or it a good solid paying tenant, you can hold steady. Rent increase can be a function of current market, ability of tenant to pay, your goals of holding property, etc, Most commercial lease have a built-in rent accelerator that is tied to CPI. I usually use 3.5 per year but that can change too. I have found that the most important aspect of owning property is to keep it occupied and rent flowing in verse having turnover be rampant.
What would be a realistic monthly off-market property marketing campaign budget that would include mailers, ringless voice mail, text messaging, cold calling. What would be the best mix of these marketing avenues?
Watch replay of meeting to hear my answer.
To Possibilities in 2021!! John
Target-Mentoring Sessions Available:
I am offering targeted-mentoring sessions on many subjects in Real Estate
Investment:
Just Text “Target” to 301-943-5535 and we can set up time to talk
Marketing for Deals
Buying your First Rental Property
Using your Self- Directed IRA to Retire Early
How to Raise Capital with a Private Bank
Buying Performing and Non-Performing Debt
Executing a Renovation Project
If you need help in a specific area, reach out and we can talk to see if we can get you started in reaching your goals today.
Data Driven Deals this month at our WREIA January meeting.
John Peterson invites you to WREIA this Jan. 25th as we talk about Data Driven Deals. We encourage you to attend virtual WREIA again this month online.
Sign up for this months WREIA meeting here, and we will send you a link a few minutes before the meeting begins. You can join us live and interact with questions and comments as we go along.
The New Year is upon us and I am hopeful you have BIG big goals for 2021. Last year was tough for obvious reasons and we still have major obstacles to overcome but hope is eternal and the NEW YEAR is a great place to start.
First Question….DO YOU NEED DEALS? I know how you feel. I spend the majority of my time marketing for properties that fit our investment criteria. I have found the best way to get results is to determine your strategy to generate profits decide on your ideal customer, collect data and market, market, market your services to them.
Next Question…DO YOU OWN A PHONE? According to PEW research, 96% of Americans own a cell phone and 81% own a smart phone. An increase of 50% in last 7 years.
Think about that for a minute. Most of us are walking around with a powerful computer on our hip and our data is being collected and used by companies to market us products and services.
This is not an email about privacy or big tech but the simple fact that data is becoming a powerful tool in the marketplace.
Data is being collected every day and we need to understand how to use data in our business of real estate investing.
Using date can help us identify and evaluate properties, identify tenants, rental rates, price growth, and neighborhood statistics.
Do not try to fight it – use it!
Data and application of data to market our services is the key to a successful 2021. Join me for in depth conversation on the tools we can use to beat our competition.
My sole focus at the January 2021 WASHINGTON REIA meeting is: How to use DATA to generate deals in the New Year.
We need to target our ideal customer and begin to market to them as they get ready to sell their property.
Here is to the Possibilities in 2021!!
John
P.S. Target-Mentoring Sessions Available: I am offering targeted-mentoring sessions on many subjects in Real Estate Investment:
Just Text “Mentoring” to 301-943-5535 and we can set up time to talk about any of the following:
Marketing for Deals
Buying your First Rental Property
Using your Self- Directed IRA to Retire Early
How to Raise Capital with a Private Bank
Buying Performing and Non-Performing Debt
Executing a Renovation Project
If you need help in a specific area, reach out and we can talk to see if we can get you started in reaching your goals today.
