All posts by John Peterson

Focus Your Energy On A Plan To Get Where You Want To Go

When we go on a trip it’s nice to have an itinerary, or a plan on when, where, what, and who we are going to see.

Most importantly, we need to know HOW to get there. 

Over the last few days I have tried to show you a few things that will make the January 2020 WREIA meeting provide benefits for your business. 

You should be able to walk Monday night with action steps you can take home and implement immediately. 

Step One on this prep was to decide what type of investor you are, or want to become in the next 3-12 months. 

You can still catch some of those details here at this link. 

Second, using a short, (well it was 7 minutes long), video I tried to describe what the day in the life of a wholesaler might be like.  

Now, I realize not everyone likes to watch Youtube on their phone, or maybe didn’t have time while you were checking email in line at the store, so below is a short description of what that day might be like as well. 

Wholesaling does not need to be complicated. We can break it down into four
easy steps.

  1. Identify Property
  2. Control property with contract
  3. Identify buyers
  4. Close and Collect CASH

Now, I realize I have skipped a few steps here but we need to begin with
something.

If you are new to real estate and laying out an action plan as a wholesaler, it might look something like this:

  • You will need to learn how to market and identify property
  • You will need to understand contracts and how to control real estate
  • You will need to create a buyer lists so you can market your deals for highest
  • profit
  • You will need to build your team so you can close deal efficiently

The good news is that all of this can be learned and implemented.

As you become a full time investor, you will eventually spend a portion of your day or week doing the following:

Planning and Reading One Hour
Generally, most people this is done first in morning.

Market Research One to Two Hours
Get to know your geographical region. You should know style of housing, rents,
prices, neighborhoods, services, schools etc.

Marketing Two Hours
You will need to decide how you are going to reach your potential customers.
Direct mail, Phone Calls, Knocking on Doors, Social Media, Networking Events

Evaluation One to two hours
You will need time to research potential deals and analyze values, renovation ect.

Networking Two Hours
You can use coffee appointments, lunch, breakfast meetings to network and build
your database

Buyer Lists/Team Building One Hour
Your buyer lists can be generated by your networking for the type of investor
based on your properties. ( Rehabber, Landlord, Builder)
Also, need to begin to find title attorney, accountant, contractors ect

Appointments and Closing Deals
As your marketing generates leads setting appointments and securing contracts is
your main focus.

I hope you are doing your prep and getting ready for our first Washington REIA meeting of the year.

Planning to be successful this year will depend on your focus and your ability to stay motivated to execute your plan.

Going from one idea to the next will keep you busy but most likely not very profitable.

Choose one technique and become really proficient at generating leads.

If you are involved in real estate now, 2020 is the time to think out of the box and add strategies to your current model.  By doing so, you will increase revenue.

Lastly – it’s Saturday morning, and we are supposed to get some “weather” here in DC over the next few hours.  Maybe you plan on binge-watching a new series on Netflix or Disney+. 

I went out this morning to check on a few properties and made a short invitation to WREIA video and give you a few more details on the meeting.  

You can check it out here. 

Maybe – just maybe – instead of binge-watching a show, you can take a few minutes and focus on YOU and expanding your business and your profits in 2020.

Make a plan and execute on it. That’s what Monday night is going to be all about.

Just do it! Come out and join us at our first 2020 WREIA meeting!

You are going to love this next meeting!  Especially if you want to grow in 2020.

I guarantee it. 


John Peterson
P.S.  If you need to reserve a seat or update your WREIA membership you can find tickets at this link.

A Day In The Life – A Short Educational Movie About Real Estate Investing

I hope you are doing your prep and getting ready for our first Washington REIA meeting of the year.

Planning to be successful this year will depend on your focus and your ability to stay motivated to execute your plan.

Going from one idea to the next will keep you busy but most likely not very profitable. Choose a technique and become really proficient at generating leads.

Once you have accomplished this step – everything will follow.

If you are experienced and want to grow this year, adding something new can lead to more profits.

For example, if you are profitable renovator, increase your marketing budget and have a goal to generate an additional 100k by wholesaling the additional leads.

I am going on a limb and believe your homework has been COMPLETED.

Now that you have a direction – we can move to next step.

A short educational movie about life as a real estate investor.

Ok. Calling this a “Movie” may be just a bit much …. but I hope you enjoy the information!

If you need to grab a seat for the January WREIA meeting – head on over to this link where you can grab a seat for one night, or upgrade to a WREIA Member and enjoy all the perks that WREIA membership gives you.

How To Prep For The Jan. 2020 WREIA Meeting

Here are some of the thoughts I had while driving around thinking about how you can prepare for the January WREIA meeting.  

You need to be ready for this next WREIA meeting.  
Monday night is all about generating leads.

I want everyone to get value out of our WREIA meeting Monday evening. 

As I was driving around today I thought of something you can do to prep for Monday night.  

While you are driving around, or riding on the Metro, or waiting in line somewhere, here is something to think about…….

Ready?

Here we go – 

I am going to spend the majority of the Monday giving you my favorite sources of leads but more importantly how to create a system and process to reach the audience of leads and begin to make deals.

We all should know by know that making deals means making money. What a great way to begin the year!!

So here is where the prep work begins:
Before attending the meeting Monday night, I want you to spend a few minutes
and ask yourself a few questions.

Understanding where and how to market for leads is vital in our process to become successful investors.

But before we can get you there, we have to know what type of investor you
want to be.

I am going to focus on three investor types in this e-mail and will give you a few more at the meeting

1.  Do you want to wholesale real estate?
Wholesale is defined as placing a piece of property under contract and then
assigning the contract to another party for a profit. You will not take title to
property and will create income by your wholesale fees. 
This is a very common strategy for new investors and investors that want to spend time and energy marketing and locating deals to wholesale. 

Capital Consideration
Since you are closing on property you will not need to raise capital for your investments. You might need monies for marketing to generate deals but the outlay will be less that purchasing the property.

Renovation Requirements.
You will not need to lead a renovation team but it does make sense to have some knowledge of renovation costs so you can educate your potential buyers and
properly present the deal. I have seen many wholesalers ignorant to the costs.  This ignorance causes the numbers presented to make zero sense to experienced
renovators. 
If you plan on wholesaling – take some time to get educated on renovation expenses.

2. Do you want to renovate property?
A common approach to investing is to locate property that needs work. You will
purchase the property, renovate and sell the property for profit.

By learning renovation, you will be exposed to maximum profits. The average
profit on a renovation in the Washington DC metro area is $40,000 to $60,000.
The profit can be more if you plan on renovating more expensive properties or doing more extensive work. You can see how you can make a very nice living renovating
property. You will learn how to manage multiple properties at one time. Our
company has had upwards of 20 projects gong at one time.

3. Do you want to own cash flow property?

Owning property long term is a time-tested investment method to become wealthy. Many very rich individuals own real estate as part of their portfolio. Locate solid residential, commercial or industrial property and hold for cash flow and long- term appreciation. I strongly believe we all should own some real estate long term.

What type of investor are you?
Take a few minutes this week and be prepared to answer that question at our meeting. I will provide you a road map of lead sources to help you accomplish your goals.

I prefer you pick one and then you can certainly add as you move your business forward. 

If you are involved in real estate now, 2020 is the time to think out of the box and add strategies to your current model.  By doing so, you will increase revenue.

Just do it! Come out and join us at our first 2020 WREIA meeting!

You are going to love this next meeting!  Especially if you want to grow in 2020.

I guarantee it. 

John Peterson
P.S.  If you need to reserve a seat or update your WREIA membership you can find tickets at this link.

WREIA Member Profile: Carlos Evans

Name: Carlos Evans

Background: Spent 12 years in Information Technology
industry prior to real estate.

Type of Real Estate Investor: Realtor/Investor locates
off market properties ideal for renovation projects

Hobbies: Avid runner running from 5K to Half
Marathons completed over 21 races in last two years,
enjoy traveling and drawing.

Favorite Vacation Spot – Barcelona, Spain

Words of Advice for New Investors: Surround yourself
with like-minded people, join a real estate investment
club and get a mentor.

Your Perfect Lead: A referral from past client, or my
center of influence.

Ten years from now I will be …..

  • Living in a warmer location such as; Florida
  • Active Real Estate investor (Passive income)
  • Private lender for real estate investors

Profit From The Realtor Investor Relationship

The Realtor Investor Relationship

We should settle a few things first before we dive into this topic this month:

“Most investors think that agents only want the easiest commissions.”

False.

“Most agents think that investors are going to run them ragged doing market research, find them the perfect property and then do the deals directly on their own.”

False AGAIN.

Maybe that’s what people think when they focus on working with the new investor, or the new agent.

The worst combination, and when people get the most frustrated, happens when you have a new agent working with a new investor, and neither person has any experience working with investment property.

What a disaster!

That is when they both get the most frustrated and for most people, they just throw in the towel.

The reason why?

EXPERIENCE.

Experience matters.

I have been in this real estate business for 20+ years.

I can’t say that I’ve seen it all, because something new happens all the time and our business is constantly changing.

But, here is the bottom line – My business would have never taken off if I was shy about working with agents or other investors.

In my early years, I was laser focused on who I wanted to work with and do deals with. I actively searched out people who had experience and tried to learn from them.

Today, I have a “real estate license”. I am also an “investor”. Neither of those titles has stopped me from working with other agents or other investors. In fact, I think having both “titles” has strengthened my business.

I’m going to open my “playbook” a bit at our next WREIA meeting and explain more.

You can borrow what works for you and exclude the rest.

You might notice this is a theme at all of our monthly meetings at WREIA – your Network is your Net Worth.

What we mean by that is this:
If you grow who and what you know in this business you will reap the rewards as you apply that knowledge, network and execute on your plan.

Here is your invitation – Come out and join us at our final 2019 WREIA meeting!

John Peterson

P.S. If you need to reserve a seat or update your WREIA membership you can find tickets at this link.

Real Estate Is Still The Best Investment – Here’s Why. (Link)

Headlines like this often catch my eye.

For obvious reasons.

Don’t we all want to be reassured that we are making the right investment decisions?

Of course.

And when they start the article with mentions of Andrew Carnegie – I’m hooked.

“Billionaire Andrew Carnegie famously said that 90% of millionaires got their wealth by investing in real estate. We wanted to know: Is this still true? Is investing in real estate still a good idea?

According to these nine Advisors in The Oracles, who made millions by investing in real estate, the answer is a resounding yes.”

It’s also great to learn from these nine people that have had major success in their careers, especially because they are in the same field or line of work as us.

The background of people in this CNBC article quoted above is varied – but they all come to same conclusion. Real estate is a great income generating business to be involved in and spend your time pursuing.

If you agree – come join us at WREIA tonight in Bethesda.

Enjoy the networking, the food, and learn from local investors who have had success over the last decade, and more.

Tonight we are going to share some stories about Renovation. For starters, you will learn how to make (or save) up to 30k extra on your next project.

We open the doors for every monthly WREIA meeting at 6:30 for networking.

I hope I see you tonight!

John

P.S. If you need to reserve a seat or update your WREIA membership you can find tickets at this link.

Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” – Sir Isaac Newton

This business has been incredibly good to me.

I have spent over half of my career using WREIA to help other people get started or go further, and others go faster than they thought it would take to become “financially free”.

The trip Brenda and I took just a few weeks ago reminded me that in any line of work, you can go further by learning from and sharing your knowledge with others. It’s some type of cosmic law – that you go further by helping other get where they want to go as well.

A few days ago we posted the second video from that trip to Greece.

Because of that trip, I told you we made a few simple changes to our next WREIA meeting – which is tomorrow night.

I reached out to our community of investors and we are going to have other local investors share some of their success and challenging stories about home renovation.

Ancient Greece grew to be a powerhouse because they became the hub, or center of modern information, technology and ideas. They grew because they invited everyone to their cities, to share and borrow ideas from each other – and take the best of what they learned to globally move everyone forward.

My hope is that we continue to do the same with WREIA. Let’s take and borrow the best ideas, technology and information from each other and use those ideas to better our local investing communities.

Years ago we very deliberately stopped promoting the out of town guest speaker of the month. Instead we started focusing on local professionals who have had success or learned lessons that they they are willing to share with the rest of us.

Tomorrow at our October meeting, things are no different. As part of our October meeting we will have a few successful investors from our local area who have agreed to share stories about their recent success or “learning experiences”.

450 years ago Sir Isaac Newton spent his days networking and reaching back into history for the best of what had been learned up to his time. Some of that knowledge and scientific thinking would reach all the way back to ancient Greece.

Tomorrow at WREIA we will all “network our knowledge forward” and simply prepare for a successful 2020 and beyond.

I hope I see you tomorrow at the October WREIA meeting!

John

P.S. If you need to reserve a seat or update your WREIA membership you can find tickets at this link.

WREIA Meeting – Monday, Oct. 2 1st

In the last post we made a quick video where I go into a few details about the next community WREIA meeting.

That first video was a quick stop along the side of the road.

This one is even shorter and in front of the construction going on at the Parthenon, built in 447 BC!

It’s round 2 for my attempt at a video – and maybe you can tell from the background chatter, I wasn’t the only one touring the “ruins” of ancient Greece.

You can reserve your seat for the Oct. WREIA meeting at this link.

We will be going over some recent things I’ve learned in this business, as well hearing from a few investor friends who have had recent “learning experiences”.

When I was first getting started, I found it very beneficial to learn from other peoples success. What I quickly realized in those early years, is that you can learn just as much from their mistakes as well.

We are going to open up a bit about some recent errors, and hopefully that openness will help you avoid making the same mistakes.

Even more so though, we hope you enjoy the recent success stories on how and where properties were found, renovated and sold, netting some very nice profits!

See you soon!

John Peterson

WREIA Members Only Event This Saturday

This Saturday Morning Oct. 19th – Members Only WREIA Event in the suburbs of DC that is primed for huge growth.

Local governments will be pouring over ONE BILLION dollars into this area over
the next 9 years.

Event location and parking details will be sent to
WREIA MEMBERS prior to meeting.

When:
Saturday October 19, 2019 – 9:30 to 11:30AM

What:

Do you think a few rental properties might do well in an area that is primed to receive ONE BILLION dollars in capital improvements over the next decade?

SAY YES…….

Also, learn about Eminent Domain and how a 1033 tax deferred exchange differs from a 1031 tax deferred exchange.

Come on out and join us for in depth discussion on this corridor and how we can profit from this influx of capital.

The lively discussion will be led by real estate agents, investors, landlords, flippers, renovators and lenders.

Where are the opportunities? Join me to find out!!

If you need to update your WREIA membership you can purchase or renew your six month or annual membership at this link. You will get tickets to this months WREIA meeting at the same time!

Hope I see you at some point this weekend or at the WREIA meeting on Monday!

John.