BiggerPockets

I've never heard of him mostly because I don't pay attention to the "guru's" almost no matter what they have to say. I think whatever he has to say you can certainly save your money and learn it on this site.

Between the articles, blogs and this forum I honestly don't think there are any "secrets" that are not being discussed openly on BP. I know there are some gurus worth listening too but when it comes to putting down your hard earned money on another course "packed with info" you would be better suited to put that money into buying a list and doing a direct mail campaign or putting out bandit signs or both.

In my opinion, most of those guru's are a waste of time. Here on BP we have the privilege of talking with REAL investors on a daily basis. Truth is, there is NOTHING secretive about this business and no course or "system" will ever replace hard work and dedication. If your sending out 500-1000 letters or postcards a month and making offers on REO's week after week you WILL find a deal sooner or later.

I've not yet read Steph's REO book but I plan on it. Another good thing is that she is a member of BP and you can email her with questions...I can't say the same thing for almost any of the "guru's".

Sorry for venting, I can get pretty fired up when someone is peddling fluff and "secrets" and basically taking peoples hard earned $ while giving out info you can get for free.

Jeff

Thanks Bob, glad to help. My main focus is Wholesaling. I threw up the red flag because I don't want to see you or anyone else make the mistake of buying tons of different courses and over analyzing Wholesaling. This is a numbers game and and like I said before, if your sending out 500-1000 post cards or letters a month and making tons of offers, you WILL find a deal. I don't know Marko Rubel and I'm not questioning whether he's legit or not...I am questioning the need for another course, which I think is a waste of your hard earned money. I know there are several good courses out there but when it comes to Wholesaling I think there are plenty of people on BP that can help you get started in the right direction. Your money will go much farther on a direct mailing campaign then it will if you buy another course on wholesaling.

As far as the desperation, I think we've all been there. I've learned from past mistakes that your much better suited to take a step back and assess the situation with a clear head rather then charge full speed ahead. Not that your not planning but it's hard to think straight when your unable to focus and stick to a plan. Often times a new course will do more harm then good because it takes another point of view which in the end just causes your head to spin.

I'd be happy to help you focus and get a plan together and I'm sure others will pitch in their ideas as well. How much money can you afford to spend a month on advertising? Do you have some cash set aside for (earnest money) to make offers on REO's? Do you have a buyers list put together?

Jeff

Jeff,
I appreicate your response. Yes that's the course I was referring to. I really don't have much money left over every month mostly due to $17,000 in credit card debt due to my misadventures in Internet Home Business scams. Actually I'm "tapping into my retirement account to get some extra money for the upcoming holidays. So I looking for some inexpensive ways to get my RE Investing going. I do have a small buyers list from my local RE Investors club. What steps do you suggest I take at this point?
Thanks,
Bob Burns

Jeff,

Thanks for your input. Can you be give more specifics on a direct mail campaign? Do I get absentee owners lists, preforeclosure lists, etc? I would appreciate as much information as you can provide on constructing an effective direct mail campaign.
Thanks again for your interest in helping me. I MUST get on the right track and get some results, time is of the essence.

Bob Burns

Absentee owners are a good list for a number of reasons, one being that in most cases they are not attached to a house that they raised their kids in. Sentimental value can be a major stumbling block. Personally, I like Absentee owners living out of state. The answer to that question depends on what your buyers are after.

Here is a great article about marketing to absentee owners:

http://www.biggerpockets.com/articles/589-7-criteria-to-make-massive-profits-from-absentee-owners-

I have heard great arguments when it comes to letters vs post cards and I honestly don't think one is better then the other...post cards are cheaper in bulk but the message is the most important part of either.

Since your working a J-O-B at the moment, you can pay a high school or college kid $1.00 per bandit sign to put out for you.

As far as craigslist add's...look online at different cities and see what other investors are doing. Pick a couple that jump out at you, add your contact info and give them a try. You can modify it yourself if you have photoshop or just email it to a local print shop to make changes for you. It's free so make changes and see what works for you. I like to link the craigslist add to a picture located on photobucket (which is free).

Check out this thread on how to do that:

http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/87/topics/33390-non-tech-way-to-use-craigslist-images

Before doing any of the above, take the time to make sure that you've carefully thought out your message. I know you want to get things going but a couple days or even a week or more to carefully put together your message won't kill you.

Jeff