All Forum Posts by: Iman Yusef-Yahya

I agree with both Mike and Ben - analysis paralysis gets us no where. Deciding on what area of real estate you are most interested in is key. Once you've decided that, then you have to start marketing to sellers, e.g, letters, postcards, craigslist, etc.

The only way people are going to know you exist is to tell them, i.e. marketing.

As the Nike slogan goes, "Just do it!"

Welcome.

What area of investing are you interested in?

What market are you in Florida?

Recommendation #1 - Bob Diamond's Bankruptcy course. If your looking for a hot lead source, and little to no competition, this course is solid. You'll be amazed at how quickly these sellers respond to your marketing.

Recommendation #2: Heather Seitz's Probate Course. The marketing letters alone are priceless to get the phone ringing with sellers who NEED to sell, in addition to there being little, to no competition. She's one of a few who are of high integrity and ethics. The course is easy on the pockets as well.

Recommendation #3 - Dustin Mathews' Business Credit Infusion. You learn a great deal about how to establish business credit, how to leverage business credit to grow your real estate investing business all without having to go into a bank, having a business plan or showing your financials.

A good place to start, given your limited resources, may be to join your local REIA (real estate investor's assoc.) Many, if not all, have sub-groups which are more focused on a particular area of real estate investing. You have the benefit of learning about real estate w/o having to invest a great deal of money, aside from the yearly/quarterly membership fee( a nominal fee), and you get to network with other investors face-to-face and ask questions.

You can do a google search online for Milwaukee's REIA to find where one, or several are located. Most will allow you to attend your first meeting free of charge.

If you're interested, I can recommend someone who actually made the decisions on whether a short sale got accepted or not. He no longer works at the bank...he makes a living doing short sales. You can PM me for more information.

If it really is a good deal, you should have no problem finding an equity partner.

For starters, are you a member of a local real estate investing assoc.? That's one place to start.

Real estate auctions are another place to find partners. People there have cash to invest in real estate. These are people you only have to convince about you and your deal, not the merits of real estate.

Networking in the local real estate forum here on Bigger Pockets is another place you may want to become familiar with.

What aspect of commercial real estate are you interested in Troy? And welcome to Bigger Pockets.

Who are you targeting? That might answer where the best place is to put your stickers. For example, if your renting out properties, a good place may be to place them on college campuses.

Some other places may be on bulletin boards at laundromats, supermarkets, etc.

Hi Jon. I own the 'Apartment Riches' home study course, and I attended his bootcamp out in L.A in 2007. Bootcamp was great, but there was a bit of upselling with the other speakers he invited. All in all, it was great content...especially the deal analysis aspect.

Have you tried the Chamber of Commerce for both of these markets? You should be able to get some statistical data at the respective websites.