Real Deal REInvestor Network

This isn't a blog with a special 'how to', or a quick technique to make a million.  I just wanted to write and say how thankful I am for my life, family and everything I have learned by being part of this community.  There are so many social networks out there, and places to 'learn real estate investing'.  And after years of investing, reading courses, networking, etc.  I really believe more than ever in the whole concept of Acres of Diamonds.  (If you haven't read that book, go download it for free in the download section.  Right now!)  The idea of tapping and tapping because you are sure that with the next tap you will find that vein of gold in the rock, or that quartz-encased prize of a diamond, is so true.  It's the vision that keeps you working at the rock, enduring the heat, the sweat and discomfort.  And what's even better, is that the vision is Real.  
 There are many times in my investing career that I have wanted to give up.  Many deals don't work out, and many people and 'mentors' aren't what I thought they would be.  Sometimes just the pressures of life felt like too much (and they will feel like that again, probably tomorrow!).  But the great thing about continuing to tap, tap, tap is that I look back at how far I have come and I recognize how much larger the diamond is that I have been going after- and it is amazing.  And it has now become more fun.  Most days I truly enjoy the adventure of it, learning and growing and doing things that even some of my closest friends would not believe...but the vision is deeply planted in my heart and spurs me on.  (And my friends will get to enjoy the fruits of it, even if they weren't always helping me 'tap'. ) So I am very grateful to this community, to Rick Melero and Danny Welsh specifically, and to the people here who have been so inspirational and have dug beside and with me.  I am thankful to be pursuing visions that not long ago I could not have imagined, and so glad that I did not ever give up.  And congratulations to all of you here for pursuing your dreams also...may you find your vein of gold or buried diamond, and I am here to support you, too.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

A young man learns what’s most important in life from the guy next door. It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him. Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days. “Jack, did you hear me?” “Oh, sorry, Mom.. Yes, I heard you. It’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said. “Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it,” Mom told him. “I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said. “You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said “He’s the one who taught me carpentry,” he said. “I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important….Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral,” Jack said. As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away. The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture….Jack stopped suddenly. “What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked. “The box is gone,” he said “What box?” Mom asked. “There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was “the thing I value most,’” Jack said. It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it. “Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said. “I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom.” It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. “Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days,” the note read. Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. “Mr. Harold Belser” it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside. “Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved: “Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser.” “The thing he valued most was…my time” Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” Janet, his assistant asked. “I need some time to spend with my son,” he said. “Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!” “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away,” Think about this. You may not realize it, but it’s 100% true. 1. Someone in this world loves you so much they would die for you. 2. At least a dozen people in this world love you in some way. 3. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don’t like you. 4. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep. 5. You mean the world to someone. 6. If not for you, someone may not be living. 7. You are special and unique. 8. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won’t get it, but if you trust God to do what’s best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better. 9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it. 10. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world. 11. Someone that you don’t even know exists loves you. 12. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks. 13. Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you’ll both be happy. 14. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great. Send this letter to all the people you care about, if you do so, you will certainly brighten someone’s day and might change their perspective on life…for the better. To everyone I sent this to “Thanks for your time”. Your friend, Danny Welsh Managing Member, Real Deal Community

To those who continue to struggle or just cant seem to break thru the variety of obstacles encountered daily, it is time to quit sabotaging yourself.  That's right, self sabotage is the primary reason many fail to achieve even the slightest success.  Take a look in the mirror, if you do not like what you see,  it is "high" time you realize that you are the only one who has the power to change it.  The following provided by the founders of Real Deal (cherished mentors & friends) has served me well.  Perhaps it can put some pep in your step :

GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY

Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.  
Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power to create conditions in your life .

What you speak about, you can bring about.  If you keep saying you can't stand your job, you might just lose your job.

If you keep saying you can't stand your body, Your body can become sick!

If you keep saying you can't stand your car, Your car could be stolen or just stop operating.

If  you keep saying you're always broke, guess what" You'll always be BROKE.

If you keep saying you can't trust a man or woman, You willalways find someone in your life to hurt and betray you.

If you keep saying can't find a job,  you will remain  unemployed   

If you keep saying you can't find someone to love you or believe in you, Your very thoghts will attract more experiences to confirm your beliefs.

Turn your thoughts and conversations around to be more positive and Power packed with faith, hope, love and action.

Don't be afraid to believe that you can have What you want and deserve.

Watch your Thoughts, they become words.
Watch your Words, they become actions.
Watch your Actions, they become habits.
Watch your Habits, they become character.
Watch your Character, for it becomes your DESTINY.

GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY!

author unknown 
       

A recent post on a social media site (actually it was a group comprised of alumni from my alma mater, so much for college) queried the group:  Has the recession changed your spending habits?  A majority of the respondents replied: We refuse to spend unless absolutely necessary until things turn around    I felt compelled to reply with the following:

 

Nothing wrong with spending money, it's how you spend it & what you're spending it on. The idea is to make your money work harder for you than you did to earn it.  As a nation it is our own fiscal irresponsibility that has proven to be our worst enemy not that guy hiding in a cave in the Middle East.  

 

Fact: 1 out of every 20 people become wealthy, which means 95% of the public will wind up needing Govt. assistance & other sources (family, friends, church groups) to keep them alive.  Debt has removed us from Reality.  Borrowing $ w/out the understanding of the long term effects is the ultimate trap & we do it voluntarily. We seemingly can rationalize every purchase, when in fact it is truly the gateway to poverty. 

 

Fact: Poor Habits w/Money: we've used cash unconsciously....spending decisions in the moment robbed us from our future...we have spent credit like it is cash & didn't feel it (until recently of course). Our homes were used as ATM's instead of wealth creators. Simply stated it is our own relationship w/money that has led to crisis stage for many citizens.  Think about it: Where did you learn about handling your finances?  Surely, not from our school system. Perhaps around the home front watching & listening to mom & dad as they tried to ensure we had everything they didn’t, & mortgaged their futures to do so.  We were wired early on for a time that truly doesn’t exist anymore (i.e. working for a company for 40 years for that gold watch & pension). We have had an unhealthy emotional relationship with money. 

 

So when it comes to spending, perhaps take note of what the wealthy do. They use assets to create wealth, which they can convert to cash; & convert cash to assets.  Assets create value which pays you even while you sleep.  There has been no better time in our lives to create wealth.  This is not the time to act like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter.  Example: More than half of  the U.S. filthy rich (as well as many of you on this site) have increased their net worth substantially during this recession.  As our 401k's have turned into 101K's most are still resigned to let it sit & have no clue how to regain their losses or to utilize it wisely to increase their holdings. Truly unfortunate.  The majority of defaulted properties in the U.S. are now being purchased by international buyers, w/ Canada, UK, & Mexico @ the forefront. While the American public holds on to what we have left, the world is buying us up for pennies on the dollar. New world order indeed!

 

This was not written to be a "Doom & Gloom" portrayal, rather a "Wake up & Smell the Coffee" slap upside the head. Get away from the newspapers, televisions & any other media outlets.  Find the truth inside yourself, stop waiting for things to get better. Make a plan to develop new skills, create/find a mastermind group that shares your dreams & passions & are truly taking action .  Make a plan to find mentors who can assist you to move forward. Make a plan to create value & acquire wealth.  Take Action & remember:  Money Follows Actions; Value follows Action; & Wealth follows Action           

 

I submit to you the following:  You NEED to treat the current economic climate as you would a terminal disease.  Extreme, I don’t think so.  If you were told you had a terminal disease what would you do?  Unless you are ready to surrender & die, you would seek every possible solution, right?  You would spend your last dollars in order to find a cure & learn everything you could about the disease to find a solution to it.  Wouldn’t you?    This is exactly how individuals & businesses need to respond.  The economy is sick & it is no longer important how it got that way or who is to blame.  The only thing of importance is: What are you going to do to find a cure?

 

There are only three possible actions to take & only one is correct. 1) Ignore (isn’t that what got you here?)  2) Retreat: i.e. cut back, contract, & get smaller or ultimately cease to exist or 3) Attack i.e. do everything possible to expand, live & thrive. 

 

Individuals, businesses & entire governments have already been thru the Ignore stage. Can you say Foreclosure crisis anyone?  While it may seem counter intuitive to expand & attack at this time, it is truly the only solution that will ensure you are a winner on the other side of this economic scene.

 

Remember this: you can’t win a race by not running, you can’t hit the ball without swinging, you can’t win in life by quitting & you will NEVER find a cure by ignoring or retreating. What are you waiting for?  Now is the time to approach your personal & business challenges the same as you would a terminal disease; attack with all your resources & every tool @ your disposal.         

 

 

In association w/The HIS Real Estate Network & Real Deal Community  the Investors Alliance Asset Management Group presents innovative real-estate based investment solutions that intelligently and ethically leverage the current liquidity crisis to empower the investor and enable high annualized returns with ultra low risk exposure.

This was shared with me by Real Deal community member Alex Zokan, Commercial Real Estate Investor. A young man asked Socrates the secret to success. Socrates told the young man to meet him near the river the next morning. They met. Socrates asked the young man to walk with him toward the river. When the water got up to their neck, Socrates took the young man by surprise and ducked him into the water. The boy struggled to get out but Socrates was strong and kept him there until the boy started turning blue. Socrates pulled his head out of the water and the first thing the young man did was to gasp and take a deep breath of air. Socrates asked, 'What did you want the most when you were there?" The boy replied, "Air." Socrates said, "That is the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted the air, then you will get it." There is no other secret. A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishment. Just like a small fire cannot give much heat, a weak desire cannot produce great results...

There have been many times when I wanted to quit in life, but I just kept going -- in the final stretch to get my college degree and on my first completed wholesale deal are 2 big ones.  

Everybody seems to aspire to the big $100K per year payday.  Look at all the different "make money now" schemes and they all talk of the big "six figure income".  So what are you willing to do to hit the big time?

The traditional method to make a six-figure income requires:

1. Live in a 12 x 15 dorm room with a couple of other people for 4 years.
2. Work for at least 4 years while you pay for the experience.  This work will require late nights and weekends.
3. Live like a pauper and go into debt for 4 years while you learn.
4. Once that experience is over, you start in a job that requires at least 40 hours a week.  On average the six-figure earner works over 60 hours per week.  Do this for at least 10 years and maybe you'll hit that glorious target.

Of course unless you go back to get a master's degree you probably don't have a chance.  Even then, only 5% of wager earners have an anual income in excess of $100,000.  Keep in mind that doctors, lawyers and wall street traders are a part of that 5%.  Do you think you have a shot at it?

There are other methods to attaining the six-figure income.  Almost all of them revolve around owning and running a successful business.  Real estate investing is one such method.  You owe it to yourself to put in the time to learn and develop your business so you can hit the goal.  BUT PLEASE don't fool yourself and think you can get there in 5 hours a week and it will all come together in a few months.  If it were that easy, wouldn't everyone be doing it?  There has never in our lifetime been so many opportunities to make money in real estate.  Now is the time to go to work.

Dana J. Lange
Millionaire in Training

So I'm jogging this morning and the unthinkable happens.  RAIN.  Yup.  there goes Dave soaked to the core , splashing thru puddles and trying to keep that rock star do up.   Hey, got a rep to protect.

For a moment, I was bummed.  Memorial day SHOULD be sunny.  Then I started to think, when was the last time I actually played in the rain?  Man, been a while.   I was also thankful that , since it had been forecasted to rain, I had grabbed a zip lock baggie to shove my iPod into in the event that it did rain.

As I ran, I reflected on a few things.
  1) Although we would all prefer a nice sunny day, rain IS needed to better enjoy those sunny days.  No rain means burnt grass.  You ever try to lay on burn grass.   About as pleasant as conversing with Paris Hilton.

2) We sometimes may find that rain storms into our lives by way of crisis, trials, "failures", etc.   But just like the rain feeds the lawn, trees and flowers to yield a really beautiful day when the sun does shine, so do these periods of storms in our lives.  You can either let it nourish you and make you stronger , or let it drown you.  Choice IS yours.

3) You CAN prepare to some extent for the rain.  Hey, ziploc saved my iPod.  Grab a ziploc and protect YOUR MIND.  Rain, bad times, crisis...it's all gonna happen.  Nothing we can do.  It's life.  But YOU CAN control how YOUR attitude.   That is the one thing that NOTHING and NO ONE can take from you.  Except YOU.

Ok, well, just some thoughts.  I'm soaked...gotta shower and dry up.   Just wanted to share with all you some quick thoughts before I forgot.


Now go Rock on

Dave
the Chicago REO Rockstar