All Forum Posts by: Dave Vogt

@George Wolf Still trying to figure that out! No one has ever differentiated that for me. One (in my opinion) is a great marketing tool for NAR that they pulled out of thin air and tried to make us all look like we know what we are doing...the other is how almost everyone talks about us and how we are really viewed. It's a negative reputation industry, much like the automotive business when I was a auto repair shop owner. You're mistrusted before you even open your mouth. Real estate agents are right up there with car salesman and it's our job to prove otherwise, but I like to think some of us manage pretty well to differentiate ourselves from the crowd.

If you figure it out please let me know LOL!

@Aaron Fox I could probably get in trouble for what I just said...it's a fine line, but one I'm rather expressive about due to years of frustration of dealing with other so called Realtors. Figured it be easier if I just did it myself. Worth the money and time to get my license and now I get the perks of access and some extra money for helping other do what I like to do...buy property ;-)

@Aaron Fox I mean that the rules we have as Realtors make it more difficult to navigate. We have to be careful what we say, how we speak of others, can't abuse our access to privilege information, etc. I'm not as free to speak openly and from the heart like I used to with potential leads. I have to think before I speak to avoid breaking any rules and protecting my license. 

@Account Closed I know a few Realtors with high net worth and great passive income, but they are all like me doing both. It just makes sense. The bonus for me is I get to help others with my experience which is tough to find in a Realtor. They don't teach you this stuff in school LOL!

Land registry searches are only $8 the last time I did one close to 3 years ago and yes to online presents. We have 4 sites that to be honest, aren't really SEO'd as well as they could be, but they still work. 

To be completely honest we are crushing it on social media like Facebook using paid ads for our real estate business and if I was chasing after flips still or rentals for that matter I would be utilizing Facebook to the max. Motivated sellers galore on there.

This may sound bad, but there are lots of people on Facebook living pay check to pay check who could lose their house to the bank at any time. If you're the guy telling them how you can help them and get to be top of mind...you just might get that phone call first. Link an ad to your site that will do all your selling for you with video and lots of information to inform them of how the process works. 

Good old letters in the mailbox work like gangbusters too. You just need to be out there as much as possible and go get the properties you want. 

I've been on both sides of the coin as an investor (mainly house flipper) and having owned a few rentals. My partner was licensed as a Realtor 3 years ago to help our investment/rental business and now after 3 years she is doing very well as a Realtor. 

We didn't plan it that way, but I'm a kick butt marketer too that used my skills to place her atop a huge pile of mediocre agents by differentiating through the use of her unique experience. Now I'm an agent too...

We were doing 4 flips a year and doing all the work. Now our plan is to carry on with both, but as many people stated, not doing the work puts us in a more passive situation to free us up to make more money in total. 

The only downfall of having your license is the rules and regulations that do, to a certain extent, tie your hands. I can't be as bold as I was without my license and I have to conduct myself very carefully for fear of breaking confidentiality, etc. 

It's been an incredible one-two punch for us and the sky is the limit in my opinion...like Gary V, my favourite marketer/social media guru would say. It's all about the hustle. You have to put in the work, learn the necessary skills, then put in more work by doing it smarter every time and crushing it!

Great thread...thanks everyone for the good read. 

Cheers

After 12 years of chasing down motivated sellers, the best way that I've found is to have an online presents. I have 4 sites up and get a few calls a month. Sometimes I may go a few months without a call, but then I'll get 2 or 3 all at once. 

It's difficult in Ontario to get good lists due to the added privacy laws here in Canada...not a bad thing if you ask me. 

My favourite thing to do is driving for dollars as we like to call it. Look for vacant homes, talk to the neighbours. It's actually fun. I used to do searches at the registration office, now I'm a realtor, so I just look up the address and try to locate the owner. It's not alway simple that's for sure. 

Hope that helps,

Dave

I seriously looked at Cornwall for long term holds. Prices are great and close drive to 3 large cities with a good entry level job market with tons of talk of growth. 

Hey there Thomas,

Welcome to Bigger Pockets. Happy to see a fellow Ontarian in here. I've been flipping for 12 years now and boy do those picks bring back memories. Look forward to seeing you on here and happy to help out anytime. 

Have a great day...

I've been investing in NIagara now for 12 years and always happy to share my experiences. Lots of properties in our area with decent cap rates. There are a lot of good pockets of rentals. I find a lot of the good buildings get sold through investor relationships.

So very true Roy... Well said as always ;-)!

Sooner or later something will have to give. The educated consumers will hopefully be what sparks a long hard look as to where the industry as a profession will lead. 

Thanks for always being one to educate and provide value on bigger pockets :) 

Samuel,

I call them the unethicals...Ryan Fletcher's Defeat the Mega Agent book. It's a good read for any realtor. I think the real estate industry needs a big change. New schooling, new outlook, new everything. 

Guys like Brandon should never feel this way when working with a professional...NEVER!

I get it though...I ran my own auto shop for 16 years before I became a full time house flipper. You want to talk about unethical  practices. Now that is a crazy industry and I've seen the same BS in the trades for houses too.

Buyer beware! It sucks, but the better you educate yourself, the better off you'll be. It's fun when you catch one of these idiots at there own game and make them feel like the scumbags they are. Now that I'm licensed I plan to rattle some feathers in our market with some less than ethical real estate agents. I'm going to call them on their bull crap and give them one chance to get it right...if they don't I will be reporting them and making sure they get what they deserve. 

Even the system in place keeping agents in check is miserable. It's sad really. 

So to all you investors working with agents, contractors, and so called professionals...be very, very, careful! (said in a carrot crunching Bugs Bunny voice of course)