All Forum Posts by: Zane M.

I haven't been to 3Nations.  Been to everything around Downtown Dallas (even the new location of 4 Corners).  We should get together and discuss.  I'm always looking to make more friends.

Congrats on the Duplex.  That's what I'd love to get started in but I don't feel comfortable quite yet in that.  Maybe after a few deals I'll take the plunge, but that's the direction I've chosen to go too.

This will be the first time for me so I hope to meet everyone, but I can't promise I won't forget your name.  Now remembering your face, usually not a problem.

Sounds good.  I've never been to an event like this.  The closest thing has been a meetup group that does Craft Beer gatherings around the metroplex.  Getting in front of strangers will be completely new to me.

I'm a little slow at getting around to posting an introduction post.  I've already got a "how I got here" kind of post on my blog.  I'm an IT Systems Administrator at a point where I have to specialize to go any further.  I live in Carrollton, TX (suburb of Dallas) and commute to Down Town every day.  I want to stop that commute.

Anyway, my experience in Real Estate investing is only a little.  I've had a rental property that was my original house.  It's being sold.  I had purchased a 2nd house while the first was being rented and that one has been sold.  So I'm not new to the process of flipping, just new to doing intentionally for profit.  I've got a business partner who is a retired general contractor looking for something to pass the time.  Together I'm confident we can estimate repairs and perform them easily.  If we can't do it ourselves, he can manage a subcontractor to perform the work while I look on in awe and learn from a master.  All in all, a pretty good starting point.

I'm getting old (40, I know, that's not "old"...) but I've learned in that time that you can't be 100% sure about anything.  I've looked, researched, and done my homework so to speak so I'm now looking at the next steps.  Once my current contract signed and dried, I'll be looking for a property to start rehabbing with the proceeds of that sale.

So that's where I am.  My first goal is to learn enough from my partner and form enough friendships to have a group of trusted subcontractors that I just point them at a job and it gets done.  I'm also flipping houses to start off with so I can start the (new and improved...) BARRRR process.  It probably won't take long to get to that point but that's the direction.  The next big step goal is earning enough income passively to equal my job.  Build up a safety net then go full time real estate investing.

Feel free to connect with me, follow me, ETC.  If you're in the Dallas Metroplex, I hope to meet up with you some day.

I'm planning on catching the Denton County event in Flower Mound since I do live, technically, in Denton County.

Good luck in your business and I hope to form friendships with as many of you as I can.

--Zane

I think something that has been hinted at and hidden a little in all these responses needs to be plainly, bluntly and clearly stated.  It's something I have to constantly remind myself.

There are 100000+ ways to do it.  Don't look at them all.  Don't try to be the guy that figures out the best way to do "it", what ever "it" is the first time.  It ain't gonna happen.  Look at the options and pick 1 you think you like.  List the reasons you like it, and IGNORE the rest.

Then do it.  Put all the time you can into that 1 method for your next purchase.  Focus on the steps, if there are options, chose the option that makes sense and forget the others.  Ask for help if you don't understand.

Once you get to the end of the process, if it's right and everything you did to get there is the best you could do, figure out with the choices you made, do it.  Make the buy, step into the unknown.

Chances are you'll either win or only lose a small amount of money.  You know why?

Because you focused on the best you could with the resources you had around BP, with a real estate agent you found and trust.

Once you're done.  Let it settle in, look back at what you did.  Don't berate yourself when you find a mistake.  You will.  Just chalk it up to another thing to look for next time.  And if you don't like the way it turned out, figure out the next method you want to try.

But 5 words change everything when they sink in:  You Will Get Through This.

Put as much effort as you can in making the best decision you can, and you'll find a way through it if it isn't perfect.  It never will be so have confidence in yourself that you will figure out how to over come any issues you somehow didn't anticipate.  And then anticipate them next time.