Jim Watkins, Author at | BiggerPockets Blog

Sep 27, 2008Mar 16, 2021 Jim Watkins

A Bad Bank: I Laughed All The Way Home

This article is a stretch when it comes to being about real estate but, what happened to me yesterday at the bank was so dumb that it all makes sense.…

Real Estate Marketing 5 min read

Jul 12, 2008Mar 16, 2021 Jim Watkins

Online Chat Room Helps Save Foreclosure Homeowner

Okay I admit it… I used to be an active “chatter” in a local chat room on Yahoo. It was a room where many people from the Dallas area met…

Mortgages & Creative Financing 5 min read

Jun 28, 2008Mar 16, 2021 Jim Watkins

Foreclosure Eviction: Tricked as Tenant “Fleas”

In 2005, I bought a house at the Dallas County auction for a California investor friend who asked me to bid in his place. With the help of a Mentoring…

Real Estate Investing Basics 3 min read

Jun 12, 2008Mar 16, 2021 Jim Watkins

Bullets in the Stucco: An Investor’s Tale

In August of 2003, I was painting the exterior of a house in north Minneapolis. That area in general is considered to be the most dangerous part of Minnesota and…

Real Estate News 2 min read

Apr 13, 2008Mar 16, 2021 Jim Watkins

Three Factors that Limit Real Estate Appreciation

Last week, someone posted a question about whether or not geography was a factor to Texas not appreciating like the rest of the country in recent years. It got me…

Landlording & Rental Properties 4 min read

Mar 06, 2008Mar 16, 2021 Jim Watkins

Landlords: What to do When Your Rental Property is Used as a Meth Lab

In the winter of 2003, I was out driving by properties that I was managing in Minnesota, checking to make sure the tenants were maintaining the exteriors. One of the…

Mortgages & Creative Financing 2 min read

Feb 28, 2008Mar 16, 2021 Jim Watkins

U.S. Senate Plans to Consider "Foreclosure Rescue Scam" Legislation. Its Time to Speak Up, Investors!

Time to Speak UP! The following information is about what the U.S. Senate is up to. If any of this becomes law, it will have a direct and severe impact…

Real Estate Marketing 2 min read

Feb 25, 2008Mar 16, 2021 Jim Watkins

Real Estate Mail Marketing: Pull the Right Strings

In 2004, I held a mini-workshop on the topic of effective mail marketing. At the time, I had already been using my own system for several years but I needed…

Flipping Houses 2 min read

Feb 15, 2008Mar 16, 2021 Jim Watkins

A Mothers Nature: A Force to Reckon With When It Comes to Mold and the Home

A few years ago, I bought a house that had been infested with black mold but it had been cleaned up by a professional remediation company months before I had…

Mortgages & Creative Financing 3 min read

Feb 01, 2008Mar 16, 2021 Jim Watkins

Homeowner Bankruptcy: When Lenders Hope for it

[tag]Bankruptcy[/tag], or the “B” word, is one of the few words that [tag]lenders[/tag] fear. It usually means that it will take several months before they will begin to see any…

Real Estate News 2 min read

Jan 17, 2008Mar 16, 2021 Jim Watkins

The Grass is Green Right Here!

I have been contributing to the [tag]BiggerPockets[/tag] Blog for nearly five months now. I have to admit that it has been a challenge to come up with a new article…

Real Estate Investing Basics 3 min read

Jan 10, 2008Mar 16, 2021 Jim Watkins

“Dumb Luck”

I sat at a poker table and saw a Straight Flush be beaten by a Royal Flush. One of my friends told me of a convenience store clerk that refused…

Mortgages & Creative Financing 6 min read

Jan 04, 2008Mar 16, 2021 Jim Watkins

Victim of Foreclosure: Who is to Blame?

Those who knew me before I got into real estate, often comment that I am now, much more skeptical of what people say. Some have said that I am downright…