So you want make money in Real Estate huh?

By no means am I a "guru" or an "expert" in the world of real estate investing. I certainly do not have all of the charisma that our two hosts on the podcasts possess, but I will give this the "old college try,"

I stumbled into wholesaling like most anyone who has no money and no sense of direction except wanting to really get started. My wife and I took a huge chance financially by taking money we could have been plugging away at student loans and debt. Thankfully, we have been starting to see a light at the end of the dark tunnel of just getting by and barely breaking even. For me, specifically, I watched a man who was not from this country flip houses and rent some of them out with very little of his own money. This completely baffled me as I realized this guy worked really hard when he actually worked, but was not putting in the hours that I thought should be worked. Then, it dawned on me-this guy designed his work around his lifestyle. He liked to spend time with his family and friends; I think he really only worked when he had to. This was not the best example but it showed me something critical to life in general. I too can do this, and I might even want to work harder than he does in the hope that I would be more successful.

January of last year my wife and I took the leap and just created our company. We really just dug in our heels and started to expose ourselves to as much real estate related activities that we could find. We found one of the guru's on their circuit selling $15,000 courses saying: "Wouldn't you like an unfair advantage, then, what is stopping you from doing the right thing?" For us, the right thing was to just soak up as much information as possible. We managed to grab one of their package deals another investor was selling on eBay for $500. Yep, we probably lost that money, but it was a push in the right direction. We had contracts, scope of work manifesto outlines, and more spreadsheets than we could even try to comprehend at the time. Here is where this takes a wonderful turn!

WE FOUND BIGGERPOCKETS! Yay! I have to say the information we have found here for free is absolutely priceless. Sure, I pay to have a Pro account but I really do not even use the Pro features. I look at it like paying BP back for all of the good information we get on a daily basis. Sort of like supporting the Girl Scouts by buying some cookies that you really do not like (except the chocolate mint ones-yum!). I am so proud to say that I found a mentor who was willing to show me what he was doing and that I could do the same for myself. So, I had to get my license. I am not about to debate that topic. I could argue either way too! I had to make this a conscious decision, and I still feel like having my license was one of the best things I could have ever done. Besides access to the MLS, having my license really just gave me the confidence to talk with motivated sellers a little easier. Plus, not to mention the thought that without the license or knowledge I could potentially give a seller some wrong advice and be held liable. So, no thank you to those who disagree-I will keep my license.

To make money, I have two income types: Brokering deals for clients, and finding motivated sellers. I am so thankful God has given this opportunity to me to be able to do what I love and actually make money at it. So, I said at the beginning that my wife and I had no money when we got started. I played on the one thing I did have-motivation! I have the determination to weather the storms of life and even when I am not seeming to get many deals (lately) I realize these are the times when things really get good. For me, it is always the "calm before the storm" or the exhale before you breathe again. Every single time I have been told "no" a hundred times by sellers I start to think this is not for me. When I push through the "noise" as Grant Cardone so accurately puts it, only then do I realize my full potential. I get so frustrated when I get to look at a house where the numbers looked good on paper only to see the repairs will cost more than the house. I realize something my mentor has told me from day one: "It is just a number's game". Basically, he means that you get enough "no's" or you drive to enough bad houses you will finally get to that one that will actually be a deal. I can see this is where some fail or take big financial hits-when you are "forcing" a deal.

Up to this point, our pay structure is this:

I find the deal, my mentor/friend takes title to the house and finds a buyer and we split things 50/50. This is a great deal for me, and I know that we are finally to the point that after the next one or two deals-I will actually be able to put them under contract myself and close on them if I have to. Oh, I left that part out too! My mentor actually closes on most of our deals together. Sure, it takes a little longer and maybe we lose a little money but our (his) buyers love to buy our deals because they know the numbers are right on, and they know that the title has insurance-so it is free and clear. Having the confidence to take free and clear property to a potential buyer knowing there is so much meat left on the bone is almost as exciting as actually cashing the check from the proceeds (almost).

I want to really encourage anyone who might read this and know,I suffer from a debilitating back condition that no longer allows me to physically do the work I used to do. I had no choice in my life but to find something that I could handle-yet still make decent money. We take what life gives us and make our dreams come true anyways because we refuse to lose. We refuse to quit! We refuse to live the lives that we thought were normal, but could not come up with a better way. I read stuff from Ben Leybovich (sorry on the spelling Ben) and think here is a guy we can all learn from. Think of how YOU would handle the news that a doctor says you will never do______________ again! I was devastated at first, but then I rose up with a full heart, and found a new reason for being. I found God had me right where He wanted me, and this life is what WE make of it. No one will hand us a million dollars, or no one will make things happen for us-WE have to do what is necessary. We have to try!