All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

Hi BP!

Looking for some advice on the steps to take to properly build a website for my new RE business. I have visited sites such as: Squarespace, Wordpress, Wix, and Weebly, but have yet to decide on one. This is not a strongpoint of mine so I would like to know some things that should/shouldn't be included on the website. I'd also like opinions on color schemes as well. I have read various articles on the topic, but would like some feedback from the BP community. 

Also, I plan on designing the website myself (have looked into professional designers and they are a bit out of budget range for me at the moment). I'd like to design my first one anyway just to get the feel of what I want and how I'd like it layed out. 

Thanks in advance, 

Amber 

@Ryan LaBerge Congrats, and welcome to BP! 

I am working on a similar project, however we have yet to acquire a domain name (still in the designing phase of the website). I do have a few suggestions for you. 

1. Start attending real estate investing clubs in your area and start networking with other investors. Tell them what you're doing and what you are looking for, word of mouth travels fast! 

2. If you don't have them already, get some business cards and start handing them out everywhere you go. Even leave one with your tip at restaurants, you never know who will end up seeing it. 

3. Personally, I listen to several of the BP podcasts and try to pick up new strategies anytime I can. They offer a wealth of information and are great to listen to when you're driving. As I said, I'm also in the beginning stages of building my business so I know where you're coming from. Seeing as how your partner is currently employed with a broker, I'd be careful how you advertise her name (just for legality purposes). I don't have enough knowledge of that particular area and wouldn't want to steer you in any wrong directions. 

Hope it helps, good luck! 

@Levi Painter I would suggest listening to some of the BiggerPockets podcasts on student housing. They are always extremely helpful and might give you some good insight as to how to market more effectively. This isn't an area I'm too familiar with, however it's something that I want to get into eventually as my portflio expands. Best of luck! 

@Kalyn Robertson I would check out the Rich Dad books. Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a good begining point for them. They're great for getting you inspired and putting you in the right mindset. I personally am a big fan of the Rich Dad's Guide to Investing. The book is a huge but it's full of great material, I would highly recommend it. I also just recently finished, Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill. It's good for overcoming your fears and anxiety (for me it's talking to people I'm not that familiar with). 

I am constantly listening to podcasts, audiobooks, and reading anything I can get my hands on. I listen to the BiggerPockets podcasts in my car when I'm driving, and I try to find different mentors to follow and learn from what they have done. Figure out what some of your strengths and weaknesses are and go from there. Hope it helps, happy reading! 

@Jean Bolger Great explanation, thank you. That's more along the lines of what I was thinking had to happen. Thank you! 

Thank you everyone for the informative response, the meeting went well this morning and I was able to get a lot of questions answered. 

@Aaron Linde I appreciate your input, I myself am a naturally shy and conserved person so this whole process has been a struggle for me. However, after reading over everyone's heldpul advice I felt much more confident going into the meeting (which almost never happens with me!!). I like how you mentioned doing the three part interview, I think that's a great way to do it.  I'm experimenting with different ways of structuring an interview like this for the next time. Thanks again! 

@Brett Tousley Your response regarding the interview being a two way street was great!! I had not even thought about him asking me questions, all my time had been spent coming up with questions for him. As it turns out, it ended up coming in handy this morning being on top of my game, so I thank you for that :) 

@Patrick Britton Many of your questions helped me out as well. In fact at the end of our meeting, we were searching the MLS and he would say "not that street" or "Nope!, Keep going". I couldn't help but think about your response as I sat there trying not to jump out of my seat with exitment :) Thanks again!

A special thanks to @Mindy Jensen and @Michael Noto as well for your helpful replies.

Thank you BP community, you did great!! :)

@David Kolesnikow I agree with @Jean Bolger, starting as a real estate agent could give you the hands on experience that you are looking for. However, keep in mind that there are numerous fees that you will most likely (depending on what company you decide to work for) have to pay out of pocket (board fees, open house signs, business cards, Franchise fees, ect.) Again, these fees vary from state to state, and from company to company. I myself wanted to go this route when I first started out, and I still plan on taking the exam to become licensed, however, I feel as though I can get better hands on experience by building my team (RE agents, bankers, mortgage brokers, accountants, lawyers, ect.) and physically visiting properties and crunching numbers. I work on my own schedule and don't have mandatory meetings or floor time that I must comply with. Any meetings that I have, are for growing my business. Everyone's goals are different, just ask yourself "Does this work for me", if you can answer yes to that question, go for it! :)

@Jean Bolger I'd like to ask you something regarding your response to David. You had said, "You could always consider getting a license and starting up as an agent yourself". Are you saying that if you get licensed as a real estate agent (or salesperson), you can work as an agent for yourself (your own company) instead of working for someone else (under another broker) after taking the exam and passing? I'm just looking for some clarification because as far as I knew, the only way to work for yourself is as a broker (which would need X amount of time working as a salesperson before passing the broker exam).

Thanks, 

Amber

@Russell Brazil Great point. I should reword this to something such as "Can you tell me a little bit about your experience in conducting creative financing deals" since my main concern is whether or not they know what a hard money lender and seller financing are. I like how you're able to tell which lenders will help make the process go more smoothly, that's a great quality to look for. I appreciate your feedback! 

@Aaron Linde I couldn't agree more. I spent some time tweaking my questions and now I have a better idea of what I want to ask when I meet with the agent, however now I have found myself trying to find a format to type it up in so that I can take a clipboard with me and have it serve as a guide. I'm thinking that I want it to be about one page (similar to a property info sheet) with check boxes next to certain questions. My goal is to make something quick and efficient so that I can refer back to it at a later date. Have you had any experience with anything like this? 

Thank you both, 

Amber

@Aaron Linde I appreciate your input. You make a great point about having to pull information from them. I can see how this would be a deal breaker, seeing as how the overall goal is to have someone on you team that will be doing his/her very best in actively finding deals for you. 

Are you worried about their connections with bankers, mortgage brokers, ect? Do you have specific qualifications in that category? 

Thanks, 

Amber

Good morning fellow BP members, 

I will be meeting with an investor friendly RE agent on Thursday morning and I would like to have some questions ready to go to maximize my time with the agent. I have a general idea what to ask but I'd like some feedback from the more experienced investors regarding specific questions that should be asked during the interview. What are some things that you find important when selecting an agent to work with? How do you interview them for your team? What strategies do you use when picking an agent? 

Looking forward to seeing all your responses! 

Amber