All Forum Posts by: Judy Best

I felt like this book wasn't written well, but it's stuffed with good info about creating deals with zero down. We learned and applied a lot of his technigues to more deals, so recommend it. Structuring Zero Down Deals: Real Estate Investing with No Down Payment or Bank Qualifying, by Joe Crump. 

Hi, Steve: 

Welcome to Bigger Pockets and the world of investing. We're your neighbors in central Arkansas. There's lots of different approaches to real estate investing, and not all require you to be out networking. That said, I strongly recommend the book The Charisma Myth. It gives some suggestions to becoming more comfortable with others. In my younger years, I dreaded networking, but I'm finally able to effective connect with other. 

We're mostly flipping, while building a rental portfolio. What's your interests? 

Thanks, 

Judy

Hi, Tanielle: Great to see you here on Bigger Pockets, too. Your offer is just your offer. It's there choice to accept or not accept. We have one guy who offers a ridiculously low offer every time we put a house on the market under $120,000. We laugh, and either counter or decline. That's how sellers should react. Let's connect soon. What area are you looking for land in central Arkansas? 

Justin Ibbotson, 1st Selection Home Inspection

@Rebecca Ramos, I hired a social media coach this year just for that purpose as well. It's working! 

Thanks, Rebecca, I'm working to be very visible. 

My picture is on my Realtor card, but not on my yard signs. It is not on our REI cards. Yesterday at the grocery store, a woman stopped me, saying, You're Judy Best? I see you all over Facebook, and I picked up your card at the diner. Can I call you on Monday? ... and proceeded to introduce me to her husband. That's the reason my card is on my Realtor card.

In this blog post, 5 Tips to Create Your Dream Life, my number 1 tip is simply to steer clear of doubters. When it's family, this means not sharing your dreams with them. Guard your dreams, share them only with supportive folks. And, House Hacking is part of Tip #4, because sacrificing comfort is something we've all done as we set out to achieve our goals. Just don't give up, and you win! And, once you've started to see some success in REI, your family will believe. We had the same problem, now they all want to learn what we're doing.

Stage it! Staged homes sell faster, because the buyers fall in love with the decorated home. And, they sell at a higher price. Secondly, get professional photos, perhaps a video, to market it after you've staged it. Don't lower your price more until you try this. \

The best way to learn how to calculate rehab costs is to tour homes, noting the repairs you know it needs, plus those it may need. Bring another experienced flipper or a contractor with you to do the same. Then compare yours with theirs, until yours matches theirs. This is a way we train others. A great spreadsheet to plug your numbers into is also a must! 

One 1,000 square foot home may only need paint and floors, while the next may need a roof, foundation repair, HVAC and more. The costs will be totally different, and that's why calculating based on square foot could bankrupt you. Good luck.