Thursday, April 21, 2011
Do Bandit Signs Work?
In this day of high tech advertising, real estate investors want to know – do roadside "bandit" signs still work?
The Answer: “Yes, they do!”
Ironic as it may sound, roadside signs are still a quick, easy, inexpensive way to grab the attention of needed prospects. Ugly yellow signs – with red or black lettering – attract the most attention. Coroplast signs, with wire stakes for putting in the ground, work well. Or you can nail them to telephone poles – high enough so no one will grab them down.
I encourage investors to be creative and let their imaginations go to work. “Try placing a few signs near a Home Depot or Lowes,” you know, “where the rehabbers hang out.”
Meanwhile, don’t forget your own properties. Never fail to put up your own signs in your own properties. While these locations might not be the highest traffic area, still and yet you will get calls from interested people within that neighborhood. If people steal them from the yard (which could happen), simply place the sign in the front window.
Ask friends and acquaintances if you could put a sign in their front yard – especially if they live in a high traffic area. Some RE investors have even been known to “rent” a portion of a fence on a commercial property. For a set monthly fee, they are allowed to mount their signs on that fence. A few of these around town, and your phone calls will definitely increase.
If there are strict rules about roadside signs in your city or community, you may have to be even more creative. By putting up signs on Friday evening and taking them down Sunday evening or early Monday morning, most of the “sign officials” can be avoided. This way you can comply with business ethics.
If having Coroplast signs professionally printed is too expensive at this time, buy the sign material and create your own signs with permanent marker. Or you may prefer to always use this “homemade look” that portrays a non-threatening appearance.
Make sure the signs are large enough for a driver to see quickly as they pass by. Keep the message brief and to the point. Also make sure the phone numbers are larger than the rest!
A good mix of online advertising added with such techniques as roadside signs works well.
Whenever business gets slow, the solution is to simply get out and place 25 or 50 signs and wait for the phone calls.
As soon as possible every investor should contract this work out to others in order to save even more time. That means working smarter not harder!
So if business is slow, get out there and get your signs where people can see them.
Antonio Macias
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Real Estate Flipping Systems Vs Sources
There are great systems out there but investors have forgotten that there are great sources too.
I get to network with tons of active investors and I have observed one fatal flaw that is causing so many new investors to fail. There are so many investors that I know personally that are going crazy trying to pick up REO properties to flip to make a profit. They have amazing systems to Real Estate Investing but unfortunately they haven't realized that there are tons of other sources of properties that they are not tapping into.
I know we all have heard the saying "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." So why are so many investors out there looking for properties with tunnel vision and only going after REO deals? I got a message from one investor that said he had been placing 100's of offers to the banks since March 2010 and had yet to get an offer accepted. This means in almost a year he has not succeeded in purchasing a property. This investor wasn't the only one telling me this either.
The flaw is not the system that they have in place, the flaw is that they are only using the system for one source of properties. There are so many different sources of buying investment properties it is unreal. I want those of you who have been struggling to get a property under contract and are dying to do your first flip to start looking for motivated sellers too. There are so many motivated sellers in today's market right now in every ones back yard. There will always be motivated sellers in every market. You can find them on craigslist, www.forsalebyowner.com, www.fsbo.com, and many other sites. You can definitely find them in your local newspaper too.
You can also pick up Probate properties. Probate is the legal process of proving the written will or last testament of a deceased person is genuine and then following the deceased wishes in that document. When assets of the deceased, such as a house, are probated, the locale probate court procedure gives creditors several months to file their unpaid claims against the deceased estate. The unpaid bills will be paid once the property is sold. Probate properties are a little more difficult to find but can be purchased up to 40% below market value. This is were your networking skills come in. Search the Internet and see what you can find concerning how to buy probate properties in your area and contact them for more information.
Sometimes are source can change from property types too. Income producing properties such as duplexes and multi units are in demand in areas around the country. Do some market research in your area and see what you come up with. Two great market analysis sites we use are www.altosresearch.com and www.neighborhoodscout.com. These websites can give you basic information concerning real estate markets nationwide. Your Realtors can also help you find out what other types of properties besides SFR's are in demand in your area too.
Realtors are also great sources of properties. Did you notice the (s) on the word Realtor. I know some investors that only have one realtor sending them deals and placing offers in for them. You need to establish relationships with as many Realtors as you can. You are not a one time buyer so you don't have to feel like you have to only work with one realtor. I know some Realtors make you feel that way but they should not be afraid of competition and should welcome you having other Realtors if they truly care to see you succeed in this business.
There are other sources of properties out there but we will save them for another blog. Let's get out there and put our systems to work by implementing other sources of deals into our arsenal.
antonio macias
real estate investor
on facebook
Antonio Macias
On Twitter
@FlippinAntonio
Websites
Seller http://www.offerin12hours.com/
Buyer www.RentToOwnBuyer.com
Investor www.RealEstateInvestorDeals.com
I get to network with tons of active investors and I have observed one fatal flaw that is causing so many new investors to fail. There are so many investors that I know personally that are going crazy trying to pick up REO properties to flip to make a profit. They have amazing systems to Real Estate Investing but unfortunately they haven't realized that there are tons of other sources of properties that they are not tapping into.
I know we all have heard the saying "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." So why are so many investors out there looking for properties with tunnel vision and only going after REO deals? I got a message from one investor that said he had been placing 100's of offers to the banks since March 2010 and had yet to get an offer accepted. This means in almost a year he has not succeeded in purchasing a property. This investor wasn't the only one telling me this either.
The flaw is not the system that they have in place, the flaw is that they are only using the system for one source of properties. There are so many different sources of buying investment properties it is unreal. I want those of you who have been struggling to get a property under contract and are dying to do your first flip to start looking for motivated sellers too. There are so many motivated sellers in today's market right now in every ones back yard. There will always be motivated sellers in every market. You can find them on craigslist, www.forsalebyowner.com, www.fsbo.com, and many other sites. You can definitely find them in your local newspaper too.
You can also pick up Probate properties. Probate is the legal process of proving the written will or last testament of a deceased person is genuine and then following the deceased wishes in that document. When assets of the deceased, such as a house, are probated, the locale probate court procedure gives creditors several months to file their unpaid claims against the deceased estate. The unpaid bills will be paid once the property is sold. Probate properties are a little more difficult to find but can be purchased up to 40% below market value. This is were your networking skills come in. Search the Internet and see what you can find concerning how to buy probate properties in your area and contact them for more information.
Sometimes are source can change from property types too. Income producing properties such as duplexes and multi units are in demand in areas around the country. Do some market research in your area and see what you come up with. Two great market analysis sites we use are www.altosresearch.com and www.neighborhoodscout.com. These websites can give you basic information concerning real estate markets nationwide. Your Realtors can also help you find out what other types of properties besides SFR's are in demand in your area too.
Realtors are also great sources of properties. Did you notice the (s) on the word Realtor. I know some investors that only have one realtor sending them deals and placing offers in for them. You need to establish relationships with as many Realtors as you can. You are not a one time buyer so you don't have to feel like you have to only work with one realtor. I know some Realtors make you feel that way but they should not be afraid of competition and should welcome you having other Realtors if they truly care to see you succeed in this business.
There are other sources of properties out there but we will save them for another blog. Let's get out there and put our systems to work by implementing other sources of deals into our arsenal.
antonio macias
real estate investor
on facebook
Antonio Macias
On Twitter
@FlippinAntonio
Websites
Seller http://www.offerin12hours.com/
Buyer www.RentToOwnBuyer.com
Investor www.RealEstateInvestorDeals.com
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Building Your Real Estate Investing Team
It's 3:14am as I write this so please forgive the typos and grammatical errors.
I have been working like crazy developing our real estate investing team and the systems we are putting in place to be able to invest anywhere at any time.
If you haven't realized it by now you will eventually figure out that to be successful in this business it takes a strong team. What I mean by Team is a group of individuals who work together to win. At times your team is just merely composed of strategic alliances to reach a common goal.
There are some core team members that you need to develope that will help you build your business faster. Here is a list of your main team players.
1. Mentor
2. Realtor
3. Mortgage Broker
4. Wholesalers
5. Buyers
6. Sellers
7. Internet Marketing Specialist
8. Social Media Expert
If you don't have atleast one of each in your business currently then you need to work on doing so. Sometimes you might be playing two positions on your team. In highschool football I played free safety and wide receiver. You might be the Realtor and consider yourself the Social Media Expert. (Just because you spend 4 hrs a day on facebook and twitter it doesn't make you a Social Media Expert. :)
The main thing is that you realize that having a person out of each section on your team will significantly improve your odds of succeeding as investor.
Don't be a statistic be a Success!!
to Blessed to be stressed,
Antonio Macias
Real Estate Investor
Our websites:
buyer http://www.lowdown.renttoownbuyer.com/
seller http://www.your.offerin12hours.com/
investors http://www.wholesale.realestateinvestordeals.com/
I have been working like crazy developing our real estate investing team and the systems we are putting in place to be able to invest anywhere at any time.
If you haven't realized it by now you will eventually figure out that to be successful in this business it takes a strong team. What I mean by Team is a group of individuals who work together to win. At times your team is just merely composed of strategic alliances to reach a common goal.
There are some core team members that you need to develope that will help you build your business faster. Here is a list of your main team players.
1. Mentor
2. Realtor
3. Mortgage Broker
4. Wholesalers
5. Buyers
6. Sellers
7. Internet Marketing Specialist
8. Social Media Expert
If you don't have atleast one of each in your business currently then you need to work on doing so. Sometimes you might be playing two positions on your team. In highschool football I played free safety and wide receiver. You might be the Realtor and consider yourself the Social Media Expert. (Just because you spend 4 hrs a day on facebook and twitter it doesn't make you a Social Media Expert. :)
The main thing is that you realize that having a person out of each section on your team will significantly improve your odds of succeeding as investor.
Don't be a statistic be a Success!!
to Blessed to be stressed,
Antonio Macias
Real Estate Investor
Our websites:
buyer http://www.lowdown.renttoownbuyer.com/
seller http://www.your.offerin12hours.com/
investors http://www.wholesale.realestateinvestordeals.com/
Friday, February 18, 2011
Working Millionaire Hours
It's 1:44am here at my house and I am up working Millionaire Hours. I honestly feel pretty good. I am currently working on building my business on line, meaning the Internet. The Internet is such an amazing resource. I just wanted to say thank you to Armando Montelongo for teaching us what it means to work Millionaire Hours.
He not only tells us that at times we will be working hard and long hours, but he actually leads by example. When I begin to get a little tired on the nights I am working up late. I simply think about how many hours Armando and his team work over the course of the weekend at one of his Armando Montelongo VIP Bus Tours.
Armando is a unique individual who definitely is passionate about what he does. I think of him when I feel discouraged. I remember his story about where he came from and how he busted his butt at the beginning to get where he is today. I have been working hard on developing our systems for our company so we can work smarter not harder. It truly is all about systems.
I just want to encourage all of you to keep moving forward. This business is not for everyone only for a select few. Decide that you are one of those select few. Decide that you are one of the elite. People dream of being a successful real estate investor. You have the opportunity to become one. Don't let it slip away.
sincerely,
antonio macias
Real Estate Investor
www.armandobustour.com
It's All About Networking and Taking Action
Hey guys I decided not to be all technical with my blogs and try to write all proper. This is the reason why I haven't written one in so long. I have now decided to write my blogs just like I am talking to my friends and family.
Most of you that read this blog are friends of mine that I met thru different Real Estate Investment events. If we met at one of Armando Montelongo's VIP Bus Tours than we are like family then. Remember the song and dance, "We are family, all my brother sisters and me, yay...yay!!" I actually have lots of fun when we do that. :)
Guys what I learned at this last Bus Tour was that some of us need to be more transparent and open with eachother. Sometimes this business can become highly competitive and this holds us back from networking with others. This is a PEOPLE BUSINESS and more important a RELATIONSHIP BUSINESS. We all need to get out there and talk more and find ways to help eachother. The way we help eachother is by sharing our stories about our experiences.
Our experiences being what obstacles we are running into, what are our needs (private money, deals, and etc.) This weekend at the Armando Montelongo VIP Bus Tour we began opening up with other investors more with what was going on in our business and what we needed help with. The investors that we were talking to shared their experiences and areas of struggle. In the end we had tools and strategies that ended up solving these issues for eachother. All just from taking the time to network and be transparent with eachother.
I know we all want to be the next Self Made Multi-Millionaire investor and we go about trying to be the LoneWolf of investing. The reality is there is no such thing as a Self Made Millionaire. You become successful in this business by helping others. Just like Zig Zigler says
 |
| The Gold Bus from the Armando Montelongo VIP Bus Tour Feb. 2011 |
Hey guys I decided not to be all technical with my blogs and try to write all proper. This is the reason why I haven't written one in so long. I have now decided to write my blogs just like I am talking to my friends and family.
Most of you that read this blog are friends of mine that I met thru different Real Estate Investment events. If we met at one of Armando Montelongo's VIP Bus Tours than we are like family then. Remember the song and dance, "We are family, all my brother sisters and me, yay...yay!!" I actually have lots of fun when we do that. :)
Guys what I learned at this last Bus Tour was that some of us need to be more transparent and open with eachother. Sometimes this business can become highly competitive and this holds us back from networking with others. This is a PEOPLE BUSINESS and more important a RELATIONSHIP BUSINESS. We all need to get out there and talk more and find ways to help eachother. The way we help eachother is by sharing our stories about our experiences.
Our experiences being what obstacles we are running into, what are our needs (private money, deals, and etc.) This weekend at the Armando Montelongo VIP Bus Tour we began opening up with other investors more with what was going on in our business and what we needed help with. The investors that we were talking to shared their experiences and areas of struggle. In the end we had tools and strategies that ended up solving these issues for eachother. All just from taking the time to network and be transparent with eachother.
I know we all want to be the next Self Made Multi-Millionaire investor and we go about trying to be the LoneWolf of investing. The reality is there is no such thing as a Self Made Millionaire. You become successful in this business by helping others. Just like Zig Zigler says
"You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want."
You see its not about what you know...It's about who knows you and how you can help them. The only way to accomplish this is by getting out there and networking.
Let me share a little story about how I networked and took action. I read the book "The Insider Secrets Of The World's Most Successful Real Estate Investors." by Mark Evans DM. Mark Evans is known for Virtual Real Estate Investing. Basically he invest from his computer and has other virtual assistants doing a lot of the day to day activities.
I read the book and enjoyed it so much that I felt the need to let Mark Evans know. I sent him a friend request via facebook and sent him a message too. It took about a week then he accepted my request and told me to keep him posted on my success as an investor. I recieve daily emails from Mark that he sends out to his email database. He had mentioned in his email that he was in Malibu California so I sent him an email about meeting up and discussing a business opportunity I had. To my surprise he responded and long story short I rented a car and drove almost 2hrs to Malibu to meet Mark.
I had tons of reasons not to meet him and ask him for a rain check but Armando's words kept ringing in my mind "When do Millionaires TAKE ACTION.....NOW!!!" So I did what I had to do to make it happen.
At the meeting Mark Evans DM and I hit it off great. He had so much great advice to offer me concerning how to take my business to the next level and offered me an opportunity to do business with him.
So I want to encourage all of you to get out there and Network and this includes Taking Action. Now Take Action and fill out our survey we have developed so we can see how we can help you become more successful in your business.
Click on the link:
<a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QN6SN8N">Click here to take survey</a>
If you are considering selling your property you can go to our website:
http://www.your.offerin12hours.com/
We will evaluate your information and see if we are able to give you an offer that will work for you.
God Bless,
Antonio Macias
Real Estate Investor
PS. Don't forget to follow our blog so you can stay up to date on what we share with our friends and readers.
http://www.armandolive.com/
http://www.armandobustour.com/
<
I read the book and enjoyed it so much that I felt the need to let Mark Evans know. I sent him a friend request via facebook and sent him a message too. It took about a week then he accepted my request and told me to keep him posted on my success as an investor. I recieve daily emails from Mark that he sends out to his email database. He had mentioned in his email that he was in Malibu California so I sent him an email about meeting up and discussing a business opportunity I had. To my surprise he responded and long story short I rented a car and drove almost 2hrs to Malibu to meet Mark.
I had tons of reasons not to meet him and ask him for a rain check but Armando's words kept ringing in my mind "When do Millionaires TAKE ACTION.....NOW!!!" So I did what I had to do to make it happen.
At the meeting Mark Evans DM and I hit it off great. He had so much great advice to offer me concerning how to take my business to the next level and offered me an opportunity to do business with him.
So I want to encourage all of you to get out there and Network and this includes Taking Action. Now Take Action and fill out our survey we have developed so we can see how we can help you become more successful in your business.
Click on the link:
<a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QN6SN8N">Click here to take survey</a>
If you are considering selling your property you can go to our website:
http://www.your.offerin12hours.com/
We will evaluate your information and see if we are able to give you an offer that will work for you.
God Bless,
Antonio Macias
Real Estate Investor
PS. Don't forget to follow our blog so you can stay up to date on what we share with our friends and readers.
http://www.armandolive.com/
http://www.armandobustour.com/
Friday, December 10, 2010
TAKING "IMMEDIATE ACTION"
Armando has three keys to success that he teaches his students, "1. Massive Passion 2. Immediate Action and 3. Continuous Education." What I have come to find is the most difficult of the three is taking Immediate Action. We all seem to be passionate about becoming successful investors and we continue to educate ourselves. We tend to lack when it comes to Taking Action.
I have found myself falling back into my old routines and there will be a few days that I'm not searching for properties or making calls. I have made a declaration now that I will not let a day go by without working on my real estate business . When I worked on my business daily I seen some major strides happen. We are working on some big projects now and have made some amazing business partners.
I admitted where I lacked in Taking Action, now it is time for you to evaluate yourself and admit where you have failed in this area. We should always self evaluate ourselves to make sure we are on track with our goals and that we are making progress. Are you one of those investors that when someone sends you a deal you take forever to evaluate it? You see the email and the property looks great but you wait till later to review. By the time you get to it the property is no longer available.
I honestly believe that some new investors wait to review a property in hopes that it does become unavailable. I have sent out some great deals to some private investors and they take forever to review and when they do review it they over analyze it. They are not Taking Action! As an investor you should be able to recognize a great deal when you see it and you should take Immediate Action as Armando Montelongo teaches. You can't ever succeed if you continue to let deals pass you by. Let's Take Action everyday towards our success. Now is the best time to be investing in real estate. If you don't Take Action you will be left behind with tons of regret. To your success!!
real estate investor,
Antonio Macias
www.armandolive.com
www.armandobustour.com
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
TIME- THE MOST PRECIOUS COMMODITY
I'm finishing up my packing right now for my first cruise ever. I'm going on the JILLIAN MICHAELS ULTIMATE WELLNESS CRUISE. My wife and daughter are big Jillian Michaels fans and do some of her workouts. I'm a P90X graduate myself.
I wanted to make sure I posted something before I was out of the country for a few days. I needed a topic to discuss and I thought of the topic TIME. I have heard so many times that the most common thing that anyone says on their death bed is that they wish they had more time. Most of the time their biggest regret is not spending enough time with their family. You see time is the most precious commodity because we can't buy more time. Every one has exactly 24hrs in any given day. It doesn't matter if you are a billionaire you still have 24hrs in a day.
I decided to be a Real Estate Investor not only for the benefits of money but mainly for the benefits of having more time with my family. You see while you still work your 9 to 5 you do not have time freedom. I was a slave to my occupation. I was a Gang Investigator for the Texas Department Of Criminal Justice and I was on call in case of any prison uprising in the entire state of Texas. I loved the excitement of my job but I hated when I missed out on family events because of it.
I am blessed with a beautiful loving family. I knew the only way to have time freedom, was to be my own boss and set my own hours. I am able to take this cruise with my family because my boss (my wife) said I could. No, honestly because we chose to. My wife had to request off from work but I didn't. It was seldom for me to be able to take vacation without at least 3 months prior notice at my prior job. Now that I am the boss I just walk to a mirror and tell my boss I am taking off.
My point is, that I encourage all of you who are pursuing your dreams of being a full time investor to keep moving forward. Don't let obstacles and negativity stop you from one day firing your boss. Work diligently and never give up. It is all worth it when you have gained freedom of time. Time is precious and we never know how long we will be around. Don't waste another minute watching T.V. or sleeping in late when you could be working on finding properties or negotiating a deal. You owe it to yourself to set yourself free!!
antonio macias
real estate investor
http://www.jillianmichaels.com/cruise.aspx
I wanted to make sure I posted something before I was out of the country for a few days. I needed a topic to discuss and I thought of the topic TIME. I have heard so many times that the most common thing that anyone says on their death bed is that they wish they had more time. Most of the time their biggest regret is not spending enough time with their family. You see time is the most precious commodity because we can't buy more time. Every one has exactly 24hrs in any given day. It doesn't matter if you are a billionaire you still have 24hrs in a day.
I decided to be a Real Estate Investor not only for the benefits of money but mainly for the benefits of having more time with my family. You see while you still work your 9 to 5 you do not have time freedom. I was a slave to my occupation. I was a Gang Investigator for the Texas Department Of Criminal Justice and I was on call in case of any prison uprising in the entire state of Texas. I loved the excitement of my job but I hated when I missed out on family events because of it.
I am blessed with a beautiful loving family. I knew the only way to have time freedom, was to be my own boss and set my own hours. I am able to take this cruise with my family because my boss (my wife) said I could. No, honestly because we chose to. My wife had to request off from work but I didn't. It was seldom for me to be able to take vacation without at least 3 months prior notice at my prior job. Now that I am the boss I just walk to a mirror and tell my boss I am taking off.
My point is, that I encourage all of you who are pursuing your dreams of being a full time investor to keep moving forward. Don't let obstacles and negativity stop you from one day firing your boss. Work diligently and never give up. It is all worth it when you have gained freedom of time. Time is precious and we never know how long we will be around. Don't waste another minute watching T.V. or sleeping in late when you could be working on finding properties or negotiating a deal. You owe it to yourself to set yourself free!!
antonio macias
real estate investor
http://www.jillianmichaels.com/cruise.aspx
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