I Feel Like a Complete Loser (Is there Hope for Me)?

Buying & Selling Real Estate
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I Feel Like a Complete Loser (Is there Hope for Me)?

Randal Remon
Channelview, TX · Member since 2018 · 35 posts · 12 votes

Hey everyone,

What a way to start my introduction to this community, but currently I feel terrible. I'm near 30, and feel like I made mistake after mistake in life. I'm working a job I could've had out of High School that makes just enough to pay for the monthly bills, and nothing else. Life just feels so stagnant right now.

The only positives I could mention is I busted my butt doing any kind of side business, selling these years, and my net worth is around 100k (without including material items, cars, etc). Not 100k just sitting in the bank, but before taxes and if I needed to liquidate, I could get to that number instantly. I also have no debt (Rich Dad Poor Dad reader) unless you want to count the $500 balance left on my phone into consideration (another mistake I learned from). 

I just feel stuck and trapped at the moment. I don't know what to do. I've been reading the guide that is included when a user joins on here, and feel like I'm learning alot of new concepts. I also read a excellent book by Ken Mcleroy (can't remember the name, but really opened my eyes about properties, how they work, cashflow, capitalization rates, etc). 

I understand Real estate is not something over night, I want to make the burden easier not only on myself, but for my mother (she works extremely hard). It seems like duplexes and wholesale agreements would be to my liking, I just don't know where or how to begin?

Any help or advice would be appreciated. I'm willing to put the work in, I'm just in a slump/kind of depressed right now.

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Bill F.
Investor · Boston, MA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 3k+ votes
8y

@Randal Remon Welcome to BP and conrats on saving so much before you are 30. Fun fact, if you have $10 and no debt you have a higher net worth than 15% of the US population. That's not to say net worth is the end all and be all of human existence, but its something. 

Take stock of what you do have and go from there. Its obvious you have a high degree of self control, work ethic, and a desire to learn. Listen to the podcasts to see what interests you and meshes well with your skills and personality. Figure out why you want to invest in Real Estate and the method will follow.  I highly recommend Frank Gallinelli's What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know about Cash Flow.

Good Luck and reach out if you need something.

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  • Matt P.
    Investor · Columbus, OH · Member since 2015 · 625 posts · 601 votes
    8y
    Keep your head up Randal. It sounds like you have great work ethic and are a disciplined saver among other talents you have. I would encourage you to reach out to a couple mortgage officers in your area. Get your financials to them and talk to them about what they would want to see from you to get you pre approved, you might be suprised. Then go for a duplex or something similar to house hack. If you do this it will increase your income as well.
    1Reply
  • Randal Remon
    OP
    Channelview, TX · Member since 2018 · 35 posts · 12 votes
    8y
    Thanks Nicole and Matt for the advice. Sorry I have been awol the last few days, have been trying to do whatever it takes to get to 4K. In the last 2-3 days, I have made over $400 so far (net), so 10% of progress so far. Reduced all fast food eating, and just putting gas in my car, and taking care of the bare minimums. Applied to 8 jobs this morning, and have little result so far (lots of rejections from turning in 60+ applications). I really feel sales is a strong point of mine, and when I'm not apply for jobs, working this ft job about to end, or doing extra side work, I'm reading sales books, learning real estate, marketing, and advertising. Maybe if I could work for a r.e. mogul (even for free), I could make an impact on their business, while they teach me. As for real estate, I really took to heart what you said @matt and believe a multi family/house hacking should be a goal I should go for. Not only would it help with income, but I would have a place I know for sure to lay my head. Not sure what are some good sites to check out, but places I have come across are in a hurry to sell houses for a lot (just talked to someone with a duplex that needs almost a complete rehab on commercial land and wanted 489k). Still feels like a tunnel though, but that's my progress so far.
    0Reply
  • Randal Remon
    OP
    Channelview, TX · Member since 2018 · 35 posts · 12 votes
    8y
    Update: $500/$4000 goal reached. I know, not a lot, but to make that in a few days feels great. I keep getting job rejection after job rejection, and I've been spending hours applying, improving my resume, calling, reaching out, taking Microsoft office preliminary test for jobs, etc, and it seems like progress is almost nonexistent. It feels like it's think or swim, and avoid corporate America. Given my current intrinsic value, I don't believe corporate America would consider me a ideal candidate for their jobs. Excuse my language, but if I have to pick up dog $hit, I will do whatever it takes to succeed.
    1Reply
  • Randal Remon
    OP
    Channelview, TX · Member since 2018 · 35 posts · 12 votes
    8y

    Just an update, still working hard towards the goals. So far I'm at a little over $800 so far, still working steadily and pushing myself day by day.

    0Reply
  • Devin P.
    Lewes, DE · Member since 2017 · 50 posts · 17 votes
    8y

    Don't forget to breathe and take breaks. The ultimate goal is to have freedom to do what makes you happy. If you live in a bad part of town, take a drive down a nice part of town. If you live in a busy city, take a walk in the country. Stress leads to rushing. Rushing, leads to bad investments.

    0Reply
  • Randal Remon
    OP
    Channelview, TX · Member since 2018 · 35 posts · 12 votes
    8y
    Originally posted by @Devin P.:

    Don't forget to breathe and take breaks. The ultimate goal is to have freedom to do what makes you happy. If you live in a bad part of town, take a drive down a nice part of town. If you live in a busy city, take a walk in the country. Stress leads to rushing. Rushing, leads to bad investments.

     True @devin. I've been busting my butt just about everyday and I was eating poorly. This weekend was about the the only two days I sort of halfway rested since its Memorial Day. 

    I'm still working on the goal and preparing for the next day too. 

    0Reply
  • Randal Remon
    OP
    Channelview, TX · Member since 2018 · 35 posts · 12 votes
    8y
    Update: I can't speak for everyone, but have you ever had a moment in your life where you are like "what the hell are you doing"?!?? My last few days with my job are this week, and it seems like my boss decided to exercise their power a little bit. Even though I know I won't have a job or any income, I come to work diligent, and work to the best of my abilities, and act as if nothing has changed. I found myself not only to a 5 am alarm clock and traffic which is the norm, but this afternoon my boss thought it was a great ideal to keep me in the sun outside to work with no tent, and to work an extra 75 mins for my shift (I'll get home right in rush hour traffic). For anyone near the Houston area right now, it's like an oven outside. Enduring this heat and my body sweating, it hit me "what the hell am I doing with my life"?!?? I'm grateful to have some type of job or income coming in, but this is a form of hell with paycheck (I'm already roasting lol). Seriously, sometimes you have to just move on. My choices landed me in this position, and I've decided I am going to make much better choices. Sorry for the rant, just speaking to anyone out there in a similar predicament.
    0Reply
  • Jim K.
    Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
    8y

    @Randal Remon

    OK, that's it. You may hate me for doing this, but it has to be tried at least. You're making yourself much more miserable than you should be.

    There are at least half-a-billion men around the world who would trade places with you at this moment. You think God has it out for you? Take a trip to a child cancer center. Do you think you're more deserving of a better life than they are?

    You were born screaming in pain, covered in blood and urine and feces. This is the human condiiton. It doesn't get better. It is the myths of a deeply misguided society that spends its time keeping up with the Kardashians and spends billions of dollars a year on online gambling that tells us there is such a thing as life happiness and contentment, and my personal favorite, becoming "a success."

    You've been anonymously rejected by job lead after job lead. This has apparently hurt your ego. You are not good enough for corporate America, in your own words. Really? Just who are they to judge you? What dragons have they slayed, what demons have they conquered? My money is that at least one of those letters was mailed by someone who has bought a scratch-off lottery ticket in the last year or, like 60% of Americans, is carrying debt on a usurious credit card from month to month. That should be an altogether comforting thought regarding their perspicacity in rejecting you.

    Working in the sun with no tent...do you still have both your hands, or are you picking through mud beds with only one to find blood diamonds while the overseer looks on with his machete ready?

    You're not better than that guy. You don't deserve a better life than he does. And yet it's been given to you.

    Did you read "Robinson Crusoe" when you were a child or young adult? There's a line from that book that's stuck with me all these years:

    "It put me upon reflecting how little repining there would be among mankind at any condition of life if people would rather compare their condition with those that were worse, in order to be thankful, than be always comparing them with those which are better, to assist their murmurings and complainings."

    1Reply
  • Randal Remon
    OP
    Channelview, TX · Member since 2018 · 35 posts · 12 votes
    8y

    Thanks for the reply @jim K. Didn't mean to go into a rant as if I'm ungrateful, its just sometimes in life, it can feel like you are stuck in a rut. 

    I did not complain one time to my job, just was expressing my thoughts when you're the only one sweating in 100 degrees direct in the sun  working hard, while your boss is passing water bottles out to others working in the shade. I kid you not, right after working out for hours, I was able to come back in and a accident occurred where a crew basically spilled horse manure waste all over me. Was I able to clean up? Nope, my boss said they needed me to do another task, so I was hearing others say for the rest of the day "whats that smell, it smells like _____". Plus worked overtime with the same pay for 8 hours. 

    It just has been feeling taxing everyday.

    0Reply
  • Randal Remon
    OP
    Channelview, TX · Member since 2018 · 35 posts · 12 votes
    8y
    Update. Managed to attack a little over $1100/$4000 so far. Still no luck in the job search, but have been networking, and chatting with some BP members. Really appreciate those who have reached out, means a lot!
    0Reply
  • Account Closed
    Rental Property Investor · Torrance, CA · Member since 2016 · 724 posts · 1k+ votes
    8y
    Randal Remon Stop trying to find a job that you are “passionate” about. You will never find a job you like. But, DO NOT quit working a job because you feel you’re destined to be an entrepreneur. You have to have money to invest into your business. You have to be strategic, not emotional. Not working a job will only keep you from ever fulfilling that dream. Your job is just a tool....that’s it. I work 60 hours every week at my job and I’m not passionate about it whatsoever. But I’ve never felt better in my whole life. Why? Because I’m saving money and getting closer to my goals. That’s all that matters. Stop putting a value on your comfort. I hit set backs all the time. I crashed my car last August $3,000 BAM. One month later my fiancé got rear ended and the insurance company totaled out her car. Had to buy another car. We don’t make much money, but we work our butts off to make extra. Right now we’ve got $20,000 in the bank. This is just normal life, it’s not some kind of tragedy when these things happen. These things you are going through are not unique at all. Everyone is reading your posts thinking to themselves “that’s it? I went through more than that.” There’s people on this forum that literally slept in their car to make it happen. You said you have a 2 year degree. Why don’t you finish the degree and get a job that pays? Not a job you’d like, a job that pays $$$. I think you are looking at the timeline and are hoping that you can do this quickly....you can’t. If you work super hard you can do this in ten years to achieve financial freedom. That’s how long this takes. Are you prepared to work 60 hours a week for ten year? Seriously man that’s what this is going to take.
    1Reply
  • Alec McGinn
    Rochester, MN · Member since 2018 · 79 posts · 36 votes
    8y
    Randal Remon read think and grow rich by Napoleon Hill and you will learn the mindset needed to be successful and the mindsets that will destroy success. Currently, you are destroying any momentum with your whoah is me attitude. You need to 100% believe you are gonna be a success in whatever you want to obtain and cut out the limiting beliefs or you will end up nowhere. If you have all this computer knowledge why don’t you offer to work for free for a company? Find a mentor? Network? Build a website? Do anything besides feel bad for yourself
    1Reply
  • Gareth Fisher
    Manheim, PA · Member since 2016 · 131 posts · 138 votes
    8y
    If your basing your happiness on the type of job you have or your networth. I would start there neither of those things will bring you happiness. Your purpose is much larger then that.
    1Reply
  • Randal Remon
    OP
    Channelview, TX · Member since 2018 · 35 posts · 12 votes
    7y
    Just wanted to send another update since I’ve sort of went awol. Hope everyone has had a great Thanksgiving by the way! I was in a tight situation during the summer trying to reach 4K, but really worked my butt off and actually made over 6K. During that time part of my reason going off the map was meeting two people (one that wanted my cell phone plan and one that wanted my phone). The result of these ordeals resulted in a $1250 profit (had to be without a phone for a little while, but was no longer under contract and I was able to upgrade to a better unlocked phone). As for saving, my net worth rose another 10k since the last post, but I feel there is much room for improvement. The other situation that kept me off the radar for a while was being involved in a serious car accident. Car was totaled, and it’s been very stressful not being able to work, being in pain, and dealing with this, but I have a question for anyone who can answer: The party at fault insurance is going to pay me for my vehicle. Would it be wise to put a percentage down on a same priced vehicle and finance, or save my credit inquiry for possibly a deal in real estate? My score I saw went down about a month or two ago (not sure why, but now it’s back to 779). Just didn’t want to take inquiries with a car loan, then another ding with home loan (unless I wait another 6 months I’m assuming)? Thanks for anyone that can clarify on things and hope everyone is doing great!
    0Reply
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