Just thoughts

Making it happen

It’s been a while since I blogged and I want to apologize to those of you who actually have supported me for not updating more frequently.
I lot has happned this past month. On a personal note, my father fell and broke his kneecap. His surgury went well and he’s healing great. I’ve been helping him and my mother just making sure I am available for them if they need anything.
I am still working fulltime and as those of you who do, dealing with those challenges while trying to making things happen in my real estate business.
In the past, I have made excuses for not being persistant with my real estate business and even quit a few times over the past few years.

I can tell you with certainty, I will never wear this T-Shirt ever again

I’ve reached my goal of sending out at least 1000 direct marketing pieces for the month. Here is the breakdown of marketing and the deals:

Thursday 7/22 400 Postcards to estate homeowners/USLeadlist
Thursday 8/5 – 400 Postcards to Absentee Owners
Monday 8/9 – 200 Postcards to Absentee Owners 200 Yellow Letters to estate homeowners/Usleadlist
Thursday 8/27 – 400 Postcards to Absentee Owners

Number of Marketing pieces mailed 1600 (1400 postcards, 200 yellow letters)
Also, since the beginning of August, I have offers on 30 REO with 3 counter offers, none under contract yet.

Results of Direct Marketing
Number of calls received by sellers who actually left messages – 14
Not the response rate I’d hoped for but with marketing, its about tweaking, comparing and tracking so I’ll be adjusting the messages I send on my postcards.
Of the 14 sellers who left messages, 3 were truly motivated. Most wanted market value.
On the very positive; I was able to get contracts and close on 2 of the 3 calls. The one potentially motivated seller missed an appointment we had and has not returned my calls but you can bet I’ll be persistent in following up.

Breakdown of the deals I was able to get under contract and close
Deal #1 – This seller was a true absentee owner who lived in NY.
Property is 3br 1.5 ba
Reason for selling: Here’s the kicker, the seller is an Air Force Retiree like myself he said one of the things that resonated with him was the fact that in my postcard, I identified myself and a retiree.
His true motivation was the fact that after he moved from Virginia to NY, he kept the house and let his son and his son’s wife live in the property. The son got a divorce and moved out and the property had been vacant for 4 months before Mr. Seller received my postcard.
House was in decent neighborhood. He made arrangements for me to view the property and inside.
Here are the numbers
ARV: $140,000
estimated repairs: $15,000 (replace carpet, update cabinets in kitchen, update bathroom, paint interior and exterior, fix some siding, update closet doors)

Comp’s

$165,000
$220,00
$168,300
$62,100

Got under contract for $65,000 Assigned for: $70,000 Received $5k Assignment fee

Deal #2
Reason for selling: Seller contacted me from my estate owner/USleadlist marketing. 3br 2ba. She was calling on behalf of her elderly mother who was living in the property alone. Her father had recently died and the family wanted their mother to move out of the property and in with them. They were very motivated and I got contract signed with them over kitchen table.
Here are the numbers
ARV: $165,000
estimated repairs: Big rehab. $29k, foundation work, bathrooms, kitchen, floor damage, interior painting, exterior painting, wood rot, roof.
Comp’s

$115,000
$122,000
$120,000
$195,100

Got under contract for $55,000 Assigned for: $65,000 Received $10k Assignment fee
I have a healthy buyers list and two GOOD buyers who told by find the real deals and they will buy. Both of these deals were assigned and closed on pretty quickly.

Those of you who are my friends on Facebook know I’m a fan of quotes; especially quotes on positive thinking and persistence. It’s great to get some deals closed and see some minor success but I am determined to continue and as the saying goes, take massive action and reach my goal of working for myself fulltime.
Those of you who’ve been there understand what it takes. To those of you struggling and frustrated and considering quitting, don’t!…..keep going and make it happen!

Have a wonderful weekend!
Bill $Dollar Bill$ Lassiter

Feeling Discouraged?

I wanted to share an article I came across a couple of years ago on a real estate website named DealMakers Cafe.
When I read this article, it absolutely resounded with me. I mean, I could back then, and still today relate with what’s being said and I think many of you can possibly too.
Bill “Dollar Bill” Lassiter
——————————————————————————————————————-

Written by The Motivated One
Wednesday, 17 March 2004 00:00 – Last Updated Wednesday, 11 March 2009 19:38

Below is a comment that was posted on a message board in the past.

“Hey, I am not quitting, but it is getting a little discouraging…”

You’re discouraged because your ads are not pulling in deals and you need to get things going NOW because you’re not working, I understand, completely. There is a sense of urgency here and things usually just don’t work that way, meaning when you really need to get something NOW, it never comes. Let me explain. Let me share with you a TMO True Story:

Years ago, I used to sell Kirby vacuums door-to-door and lasted for over a year. Many months I would work 7 days a week, over 100 hours a week and as you could imagine, it was a tough sell. There were some weeks where I would sell 3-4 and at times up to 5. There were other weeks where I wouldn’t sell at all, and I even went a month without getting 1 sale.

Now, I remember the last week in particular where I was very low on cash and was week 4 without a sale. I was so low on cash that I had no money to eat, and being on the road ALL day, you eat out everyday. I was so discouraged and hungry for that matter. The more time went on, the more I wanted that sale… The more I needed that sale. Demo after demo I would not get a sale and I couldn’t figure out why. I was doing everything right, but couldn’t sell water to someone stranded in the desert.

I was about ready to give up. I even took a day off to go job hunting. When I came back to work the next day, there was a new sales trainer there, training the “newbies”. He asked me to speak about my experiences because I was there so long. Usually people last a week and at the most 3 months. I told him that I’d be a bad example because I lost it and I can’t sell anymore and was thinking about quitting.

He brought me into a room and sat me down and explained to me that the reason why I wasn’t selling was because of my attitude. He was right- my attitude was terrible. I was not only not selling a thing, but my girlfriend broke up with me, I was about to lose my car and was broke. He asked, “How was your attitude when you were selling and winning prizes and trips?” I said, Great! Back then I had a ton of money, my relationships with friends, family, and my girlfriend were great, and I was on top of the world.

He said, “The people who bought from you saw that. They saw that you were happy and successful at this business. People want to do business with people that are happy doing what they love to do- it makes the buying experience enjoyable and the pain from spending $1600.00 on a vacuum cleaner is gone. They will always remember the salesman they bought it from and not how much they paid. Right now, the fact that you’re unhappy and miserable is impossible to hide from customers. They can see right through it.” He basically said if I don’t start thinking “Positive” and forget about the fact that I need to sell to eat then I would fail. Well, things changed. I changed. I started selling again.

He told me to be like a Rhino, grow some thick skin, and not let things get to me. This is why I now collect rhino’s and have them everywhere as a constant reminder that I am strong and must keep going- no matter what!

You need to concentrate on what you’re going after and what the best route to use to get there. You already know that this business takes time and you are starting to over-analyze things. NO NO NO!

If you over-analyze things, you start to doubt yourself, your abilities and this business. It’s all about mindset, my friend. If you had a ton of cash in your bank account right now, and you were in the same situation now- no Motivated Sellers calling you, what would your attitude be like? You may say, “So what! I know it takes time and I know that if I just keep my nose down and work this business, things will start happening!”

You are being tested on your abilities right now to see if you have what it takes to become successful. Successful not only in this business, but in any business. If you can’t handle the pressure and stress here, you can’t handle it anywhere. We are all “tested” as we go along in this business. I’ve seen A TON of people at one point or another say that they are getting frustrated about something. Some of these people will find a way to work around it and become successful, and others will fail. I’ve heard that 90-something % of the people who get into this business fail. I truly believe it is because they failed “The Test” and they need to work on improving their skills. Success is saved for those who deserve it.

You need to work on your mindset my friend. Just keep the ads going and get your attitude back up. Get FIRED UP and MOTIVATED! When you do, you become bulletproof to most of the distractions and most of the “discouraging moments” that you are feeling now.

I’ve missed a few deals and STILL have not bought a house yet! HA HA I can laugh! I really can! This is why: I am doing all of the marketing I can right now and devoting EVERYTHING I have into this business. I know that I will be successful. I know that I will be successful with the same confidence, as I know my own name. Even if I miss a hundred more deals, OH WELL! Yes, things are happening all around me that could distract me from my goals- some small things, and even some things that have changed my life forever. I know that if it happened to some people, they would just stop dead in their tracks- I’ve seen it and been here before. I’m just like everyone else… Things happen in life that just plain stink and we always ask, “Why ME?” I used to be that way, too.

I worked and continue to work on my attitude towards life and this business. I know that this is the single most important skill to develop of you will fail in this business. It’s SO easy to put a couple ads out there, make a few calls, get a motivated seller and come here and post all the info. YOU are walked through EVERY step through the Cafe; how easy is that!? BUT, if your don’t have the right attitude and are unable to keep yourself motivated, you’ll fizzle out during one of the tests.

It’s a numbers game. The numbers just take longer for some people. Once you pass these tests, you will be rewarded a degree of success then, more tests. Again, get by those and you will be rewarded. Some of the most successful people in the WORLD failed the most times! DID YOU KNOW THAT? Could you take failing 100′s of times before it works? Thomas Edison could and went on to become a VERY successful entrepreneur and inventor.

It’s ALL ABOUT ATTITUDE. All of these books, courses, and REI meetings don’t matter unless you have the mindset needed to succeed. Forget about having to learn all about Real Estate Investing. Why care about the details when you don’t even care about improving and strengthening your attitude?

Have you talked to successful Real Estate Investors throughout the US? I have. How many do you think were saying “woe is me”, or I’m discouraged”, or “I can’t!? None of them. In fact Successful Real Estate Investors are the Most Motivated, Driven, Focused and happy people I’ve ever talked to!

That should tell you something! They didn’t become focused, motivated or happy AFTER they become successful. They did it before they become successful and passed the tests. It’s your attitude that will make you or break you. It’s your choice: Find out how to pick yourself back up or just lay there and not become successful. Today is the day to decide. Success is saved for those who deserve it. Don’t you think that you deserve it as well? Or course you do. Now get out there and make things happen!
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 11 March 2009 19:38 )

All Rights Reserved © Copyright 2009 by DealmakersCafe.com

Flip This Success Story

My good friend and fellow wholesaler Steph Davis just posted a new Success Story on her blog at FlipthisWholesaler.Net.
Steph is interviewing another good friend and fellow real estate investor Mrs. Shae Bynes, who runs an awesome blog over at Good Faith Investing.Com. She and her husband Phil are great folks and doing some awesome things as real estate investors and Entrepreneurs.
Click Here to listen as Steph interviews Shae about a deal she closed on recently as a result of her ongoing direct mail campaign. This was a great interview as Shae shared some great information and Steph was able to ask some very good questions.
Enjoy!
Bill

Happy 4th of July!

Hello my friends here in the US I wish you all a very Happy 4th of July.
To my friends overseas, I welcome you to celebrate our Independcnce with us.

I’d like to wish each and every one of you a very happy 4th of July.
I hope you enjoy this long weekend, take the time to relax, eat great good, watch the fireworks and please be safe.
I will be getting together with family and friends for lots of BarbQue and good food and also watching fireworks this evening. I’ll be relaxing to the Max tomorrow before heading back to my JOB on Tuesday. I will be working on some new posts on marketing I’m doing so stay tuned.
This year is half over already which is hard to believe. I encourage you all to continue to move forward and pursue those goals with passion.
May you all achieve financial Independence as well.

To your Ultimate Success,
Bill “Dollar Bill” Lassiter

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