Re: Rivers Of Money
Here we are – smack in the middle of summer 2018.
People all over our area have been enjoying their summer vacations or just celebrating with a few days off with friends.
Seems like a lot of the fun is taking place in, on or near the water.
Have you ever had some friends in from out of town and took them down to the Tidal Basin and enjoyed the paddle boats around the Jefferson Memorial?
Some people have joined their friends on a day-trip down a river. Maybe the Potomac or out in Annapolis for the day. Skiing, tubing, jet-ski’s – or just “going fast” on the water – it’s all fun and enjoyable.
At some point, a few of us have even ventured out to the Whitewater rafting trips in the Shenandoah mountains or beyond.
Each of those trips is similar to renovating different properties.
The small projects are easy going – a bit like the paddles boats or a dinner cruise in Alexandria. The renovation money spent is “smaller” and the projects are rather simple. There aren’t too many ways to make mistakes. In order to hurt yourself, you literally need to jump overboard.
Join some friends on a boat in a crowded marina and it’s a whole different adventure.
The boat won’t start – always a good way to start the day. But when it does there are so many other people zipping around it’s nerve-wracking just trying to get out to a safe spot to doing some skiing or tubing with the kids.
That’s a bit like doing a big renovation on a house in a neighborhood with a bunch of other properties for sale. Lot’s of moving parts, and you have to keep an eye on the market – your competition. Who is adjusting prices and why? Is the new foreclosure or bank property going to ruin your chance for good comps?
Or how about that Whitewater Rafting trip? Holy cow – exciting with the risk of injury or even death! The reality is, those rafting trips are most like the big renovations these days.
Failed inspections pop up like hidden rocks ready to throw everyone off the raft and totally derail your project timeline.
Opening the attic doors of newly purchased auction properties can be like approaching level 3 rapids. You never know if you’re going to find rodents, mold, holes in the roof or some other exciting way to add unexpected costs to your project.
These projects are all taking place on rivers of money that can really make people nervous because of the amounts of capital required or the speed at which it is being deployed.
Even when the water is shallow and barely moving – you need to keep an eye out for trouble. Nature has a way of ruining your best plans with burst frozen pipes on vacant property, or downed tree limbs from a passing storm.
We will have a couple stories about recent water damage at our July WREIA meeting next Monday. It’s a great chance to learn from other peoples mistakes.
I’ve asked our WREIA guests this month to share some of their best tips when it comes to Money, Renovation and Wholesaling real estate.
Our WREIA panel nights are some of the favorites of the year for our WREIA members. It gives us all a chance to reach back into our community and find out what other local investors are doing to have success.
If you understand how to Wholesale real estate, you have a good grasp of how to find properties – at a discount.
If you understand how to renovate the properties – within a set budget – you can profitably sell or rent them for a profit.
If you understand how the MONEY flows through your projects, you might uncover a few spots where you can make or keep MORE of your profits.
If MORE MONEY sounds good to you, come join us at the last WREIA meeting of the summer next Monday. Remember, we take a break in August every year to enjoy time with family and friends. Maybe this year you can do some Whitewater rafting?
Monday, July 16th at Washington REIA.
Will I see you there?
Bring your questions for the Q&A section.
Save a few dollars and reserve your seat early. Then join us at WREIA – Monday, July 16th. It will be a great meeting to get you motivated and get some momentum for the rest of 2018.
Join us as we enjoy “Three Pros Talk Money, Renovation, and Wholesale.”
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