Login | Join Our FREE VIP Investor Group

REALTY411Guide.com

Serving the Real Estate Industry Since 2007

Realty411 Team

Don’t Stop Marketing when Times are Tough (and the Going Gets Rough)

By

By Sharon Vornholt

If there is one piece of advice I could give every struggling investor who is trying to stay afloat in today’s challenging market, it would be “don’t stop marketing”.

I know that’s what most people do. But it’s during these times you need to actually step up your marketing. You can’t stay in the game, if you don’t play.

Let’s put it another way.

When you can’t seem to get a deal no matter what, most investors stop marketing to conserve cash. But I can tell you that your business will die a quick and painful death if you do this. You may have to change the way you’re marketing, but whatever you do, don’t stop marketing when times are tough.

So What Can You do If Your Business is starved for Cash?

There are a lot of things you can do but here are some suggestions:

  • Networking is free (or almost free). Get out every day and talk to people. Be sure you have business cards. You can get affordable business cards at Vista Print.
  • What can you cut out to have money for marketing over the next couple of months for direct mail and other things that have a cost associated with them? Do as much marketing as you possibly can.
  • Can you partner with someone? Offer to go look at houses and make offers for someone that has cash for marketing, but maybe has small children and little time.
  • What about spending the day in eviction court? You’re sure to find some tired landlords there.
  • Get a list and call prospects. You’re already paying for your phone, so why not put it to good use?
  • Go driving for dollars. Do some door-knocking to find out who lives in that vacant house.

There are a lot of marketing strategies that cost nothing more than your time.

I can tell you this for sure; it’s these times when “average” investors close up shop. Just keep plugging away. Don’t stop marketing and you will come out way ahead of your competitors over time.

Spend Your Cash Wisely when Money is Tight

This is a time when you need to be smart with your money and your resources.

Here are some more tips for you:

  • Make sure your lists are laser focused. Don’t get too broad. You want to make each mail piece count since they are costing you money.
  • Don’t forget about follow up. Go back through all your leads in the past 12 months. Look at all those who said no. Maybe they are ready to say yes now at the end of the year.
  • Get to work on that stack of direct mail. Do you know someone that has TLO or another similar service that might split the cost for one month to check all of those returned mail pieces?
  • Are there additional real estate niches where you look for opportunities? Think tired landlords, pre-foreclosures, houses with code citations, etc.
  • Remember time and circumstances change all things. This is certainly true of motivated sellers. Just because a seller told you no before, they might just have meant “not now”.

Don’t Stop Marketing During the Holidays

This is probably the biggest mistake investors make. They stop marketing during the holidays. You can take advantage of that, but doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing. This is a good time to look for opportunities where other investors dropped the ball.

Final Thoughts

It’s great to do a marketing brain dump every now and then. Maybe there is something you used to do that you stopped doing. Do whatever it takes to stay in the game.

Get creative and see what you can come up with.

Sharon Vornholt

Sharon Vornholt is the owner of Innovative Property Solutions, LLC in Louisville, KY.

Sharon owned and operated a successful home inspection company for 17 years. She began investing in real estate in 1998 and became a full time real estate investor in January of 2008.

Sharon specializes in wholesaling, and is also an experienced landlord and rehabber.

In addition, Sharon is an internet marketer and also writes articles for several national real estate sites. Sharon is the author of a popular real estate blog called the “Louisville Gals Real Estate Blog”. For your FREE REPORT “Probates and Absentee Owners: Your Fast Track to Real Estate Riches”, stop by her blog at: http://LouisvilleGalsRealEstateBlog.com.

The Millionaires Investment Group

By

Michael Poggi, President of The Millionaires Investment Group, llc. Professional investor, National Speaker, Educator, Consultant and Motivator shares his vast knowledge of how YOU can benefit personally and professionally by learning about the hottest opportunities in investment Real Estate AND turn key business franchise opportunities inside WALMART, all tax free!!!

WHO IS THE MILLIONAIRES GROUP ?

20 year old investment network started by Michael Poggi – Focused primarily on finding investment strategies in many sectors including Real estate, turnkey franchises, private lending and much more. The group is composed of accredited investors, Private institutional funds, IRA investors. There are over 1800 Active Investors Nationwide and 10,000 Members. They teach secrets about investing tax free using IRA’S and 401k plans. Investors like you partner with the group and with other members if needed in new construction, the hottest turn-key proven franchises, and vacant lots in resort communities using cash, IRA’S and 401 K plans.

Things to know:

There’s a secret that the richest Americans use to create and keep their wealth. They use tax-deferred or tax-free dealings in real estate and other exceptional investments. If you own an IRA, or if you are thinking of opening an IRA, you have the same opportunity to unlock that secret and build wealth for yourself.

Smart investors are earning 15 to 20%, or more, inside their Self-Directed IRAs. The money in their IRAs compound tax-deferred or even tax-free for as long as the IRA is in existence.

Most people realize that they need to save for retirement, but have a tendency to place this on the bottom of their “to do” list. It’s hard to think about the future when the daily issues of life are enough to fill our time. The sooner you start planning, the better off you will be. What do you have to look forward to?

The senior population is dramatically increasing, especially as the baby-boomers enter retirement age. These seniors are living a healthier lifestyle with better medical care, leading to a longer life. A longer life span means more money is needed to provide a comfortable lifestyle in those later years. Where will this money come from?

Social Security benefits will barely account for enough to provide for even basic necessities. If you have other income, up to 85% of those benefits can be taxed by the federal government. If you begin taking the benefits before age 66, your benefits will be lowered permanently. With the increasing number of retirees pulling money out of the Social Security system, there are concerns that the system will run out of money for future generations. Can you depend on Social Security for all of your expenses?

What is a Self-Directed IRA?

A Self-Directed Individual Retirement Account is an IRA that requires the account owner to make investment decisions and investments on behalf of the retirement plan. IRS regulations require that either a qualified trustee or custodian hold the IRA assets on behalf of the IRA owner. Generally the trustee/custodian will maintain the assets and all transaction and other records pertaining to them, file required IRS reports, issue client statements, assist in helping clients understand the rules and regulations pertaining to certain prohibited transactions, and perform other administrative duties on behalf of the Self-directed IRA owner for the life of the IRA account. Self-directed IRA accounts are typically not limited to a select group of asset types (e.g., stocks, bonds, and mutual funds), and most truly self-directed IRA custodians will permit their clients to engage in investments in most, if not all, of the IRS permitted investment types. Some of the additional investment options permitted under the regulations include, but are not limited to, real estate, franchises, partnerships, private equity, etc. Self-directed IRAs, by allowing a wide range of investment choices, improve the account owner’s opportunities to diversify their IRA portfolio(s).

Why should I have a Self-Directed IRA?

The government is running out of money and encourages people to provide for their own retirement by offering HUGE tax advantages to anyone investing through an IRA. With a self-directed IRA, you can invest in real estate, something most people can’t do with a traditional IRA.

A self-directed IRA allows you to invest your funds yourself into investments like solid long term real estate, which means you can earn a lot more for your retirement than you would with a traditional IRA.

Four Basic Facts about Self-Directed IRA Real Estate Investments.

  1. Limited custodial participation and reduced custodial fees. Means you have more control and can earn more money.

  1. The difference between traditional IRAs and self-directed IRAs is the breadth of options for investing. Traditional IRAs only permit investment options in approved stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and CDs which are usually not the best choices.

  1. A self-directed IRA allows you to have complete control over your funds, with most people opting to be custodians of their accounts.

  1. Self-directed IRA real estate investments can be very profitable if handled and managed correctly, which is why many people decide to pursue these alternatives to constrained, traditional IRA investing. Before setting up a self-directed IRA, you should contact us for help with the right type of IRA and the right investment strategies.

Self Directed IRA real estate investments make good sense. Not everyone has them, because not everyone is aware it is possible to have them. If your financial advisors only advise you to put your IRA money into stocks and bonds, you may not know anything about Self Directed IRA for real estate and businesses.

You may be someone who doesn’t have the time to spend educating yourself on other areas that the IRS allows you to invest your tax-free or tax-deferred retirement funds. In this article, you can learn a few things about investing your IRA money in real estate and businesses.

There are eight things you need to know when considering investing in real estate with a self directed IRA. They are listed below:

1. Your IRA cannot purchase property that is already owned by you or a disqualified person. A disqualified person is your spouse, parents, grandparents or great grandparents, children and their spouses, grand children and great grand children and their spouses. There are a few others, which you can find in IRS Code Section 4975.

2. You (or any disqualified person from the list above) cannot receive indirect benefits from property owned by your IRA, such as taking a vacation in resort property or renting office space in commercial property that your self-directed IRA owns.

3. Your IRA needs to be titled in the name of the IRA, NOT in your personal name.

4. The real estate in an IRA doesn’t have to be 100% funded from your IRA. You can partner with a friend or family member. For example, let’s say you found some property for your self-directed IRA real estate account, and you need $100,000 in order to purchase it. However, your IRA account only has $25,000. In this case, your friend could provide the other $75,000. Your friend would own 75% of the property and your IRA would own 25%.

5. If your self-directed IRA uses financing to purchase real estate, the loan must be a non-recourse loan, and your IRA must pay unrelated business income tax or UBIT.

6. All expenses, such as maintenance, improvements, property taxes, and any other expenditure to own and/or maintain the property must be paid from the self-directed IRA. No personal funds may be used for any expenses.

7. All income from the IRA must also go back into the IRA account. You may not deposit any money, such as rental income into your personal account.

8. You will need someone like us to help you fill out all the paperwork required by the IRS. We are very familiar with each of the points above. We can help you through the entire process, even the most important part of finding the right investment strategies to bring you great returns. You can find your own properties, franchises or strategies, but unless you have lots of experience and you are an expert, your best bet is to leave that part to the professionals like us. We have several investment strategies available for you to participate in either with us as a partner or on your own.

For more information, visit:

WWW.THEMILLIONAIRESGROUP.COM

Investigate 6 New Lead Sources for Your Real Estate Business

By

By Leon McKenzie, CEO, US Probate Leads

According to Forisk Research, US Housing starts are projected to continue at 1.5 million a year all the way to the year 2024. This tremendous growth is great for the overall economy of the country. However, it will likely increase the competition for the stakeholders within the real estate industry. If you are a realtor or real estate investor, this is something that you need to be prepared for. Everyone wants a share of the profitable real estate pie.

But you shouldn’t fear. Increased competition does not mean that you have to lose money. You just have to find new ways to get better real estate leads for your business. The higher the quality of these leads, the more revenues you are likely to generate when they pan out.

So, where do you even begin? How should you go about investigating new lead sources for your real estate business?

As it turns out, there are plenty of options if you look in the right place.

Possible New Leads Sources for Your Real Estate Business

  1. Your Local Attorneys

Whenever any major legal life changes occur, people tend to consult attorneys for help. We are talking about major issues such as bankruptcy, divorce, death and the like. And while these life changes may not be good for the clients of the attorneys, they can be very good news for your business.

Think about it: when someone declares bankruptcy for example, that person will need to get rid of some properties in order to comply with the legal conditions that arise from being in such a difficult situation. Some of those conditions may require one to sell a home in order for the creditors to be paid.

As a realtor or real estate investor, attorneys who handle major life issues for their clients can provide a steady source of leads for your business. Your business presents attorneys with the opportunity to further help their clients to sort out their financial problems in the easiest way possible.

It’s therefore in your best interest to take the time to establish a connection with the attorneys in your locale. Let them know what you do for a living, and then make it clear that you are available to do business with them and their clients. If you establish a good rapport with your local attorneys, you will become the go-to person when they need to help their clients get rid of their properties.

  1. Home Cleaning Companies

Some people hire home cleaning companies simply because they are not in the mood to clean their homes. But do you know who else likes to hire professional cleaners?

Sellers, that’s who!

When people are set to put up their homes on the market, they are more likely to hire professional home cleaning companies. Professionals are in a better position to clean the homes properly.

Once a home is put up for sale, then the chance for you to sell that home on behalf of a client as the lead realtor, is gone. If you are a real estate investor, then you need to be prepared for the competition from other potential buyers who may also be interested in the property.

Home cleaning companies are a good source of real estate leads because they will help you discover which homes may possibly be up for sale before the sign or listing goes up. This gives you the time to contact the homeowners and offer to either represent them or to buy the property off them quickly.

So, the next time you come across a professional home cleaning company in your area, pay them a visit, and start talking to the relevant parties. Leave your business card too. The casual chats you initiate may end up leading to a sale or two for you.

  1. Property Managers

Some homeowners are absentee landlords/ landladies. They want all the benefits of leasing out their properties without the headaches. For that reason, they hire property managers to manage their additional homes.

If you are a realtor or real estate investor, then property managers are good professionals to have in your corner – especially if you live in an area with lots of investment proprties. At some point, some of the homeowners will get tired of owning the additional properties and may end up selling them to recover their monies.

If you did your due diligence and established a good relationship with the property managers in your locale, when their clients need to sell their homes, you will be the first person to know. This will ensure that you get your pick of prime properties that will enable you to get the best value for your money.

  1. Consumer Loan Companies

When people are denied loans by banks, they tend to go for loans from consumer loan companies. In such cases, it is safe to assume that the clients of these companies have a high debt load, poor credit, and are possibly in financial distress. This assumption isn’t far-fetched at all. After all, according to the 2015 NerdWallet survey, the average American household has a debt of $130,922!

So, when someone in financial distress cannot qualify for a regular loan, it is safe to say that the person in question may be looking to make lifestyle changes. In the event that such a person has a home, he or she may be very eager to downsize in order to reduce the overall debt.

When you run a real estate business, consumer loan companies can be a good source of information on potential sellers or clients of homes, depending on whether you are a realtor or investor.

Take time to talk to the company administrators and inquire on the list of their clients. The worst that could happen is that you get a “no” because the company does not divulge information on their clients. Alternatively, someone working there may mention that they have clients desperate to sell their properties and want some help. Either way, it never hurts to ask.

  1. Nursing Homes and Retirement Communities

As of 2014, there were at least 15,600 nursing homes in the U.S. All these homes had a total of about 1.7 million licensed beds.

It’s important for you to consider senior citizens when you are investigating new lead sources for your real estate business. Many of the retirees living in nursing homes and retirement communities may have some property that they acquired during their working life.

When you consider that the average 55-64 year old only has $45,447 saved up for retirement, you can see why it would make sense for senior citizens to sell their homes to boost their savings. And this is where you come in.

As a realtor or real estate investor, you could take the time to talk to the members of the retirement communities within your area and create awareness of your services. Let them know how you can be of service to help them improve their financial situation. Leave a business card to anyone who’s interested and then adopt a wait-and-see attitude.

Do not be surprised to see multiple people contacting you to help them get rid of their properties. Many of them could have been waiting for someone helpful to come along and help them sell a home they had invested their time, money, and emotions in.

The Trouble with Investigating New Lead Sources…

Your local attorneys, home cleaning and consumer loan companies, property managers, and retirement homes and communities are all great sources of new leads for your real estate business. Most industry players who just happen to be your competition would probably not think of them. That said they do have their fair share of challenges:

  • Not every lead source will be willing or have the time to share the information that you seek. Some will cite client confidentiality issues while others just can’t be bothered. In such situations, all your attempts to find the best leads will be fruitless.

  • It takes a certain amount of social skills to network and form mutually-beneficial relationships with other professionals who can provide leads for your business. If you have social anxiety, prolonged contact to keep the relationships going can be a hassle. There is also the fact that it takes a lot of effort to establish the business relationships in the first place. If you have neither the time nor the energy, these lead sources won’t work out.

Probate Leads Mining Offer the New Real Estate Lead Source to Beat!

Have you ever taken the time to consider how many people actually die and leave their properties behind?

A lot as it turns out!

There are at least 2.6 million deaths annually in the USA.

And by 2018, there will be $15 trillion worth of real estate settlements that will run through the Superior courts. And 70% of them will be in form of real estate.

It’s also worth noting that 50% of executors live out of the county where the probate process takes place.

Think of the possibilities!

Probate lead mining companies offer you the chance to explore a new lead source that not many real estate industry stake holders consider. But unlike the other lead sources, you don’t have to deal with the hassle that goes into getting the information that you want. All you have to do is buy the already-qualified leads and you will find highly motivated executors at the other end of the line.

So, when looking for new lead sources, definitely consider probate leads. Probate lead mining companies like US Probate Leads offer the best solution if you are looking for new lead sources for your real estate business.

US Probate Leads

Leon McKenzie

Chief Executive Officer

Leon cofounded US Probate Leads more than 12 years ago and has witnessed its growth during that period from a one city lead provider in the probate space to the only national provider of probate leads for virtually every county in the country.

Leon likes to point out that US Probate Leads is the only company providing Probate-related Real Estate-related leads to Investors and Realtors based on data collected directly from individual probate courts in virtually every state. This has been achieved by building a National Network of Researchers that visit each county one time each month. Leon’s team processes this incoming data and makes it available to individual subscribers for their use in reaching out to highly motivated property sellers.

Email: [email protected]

Web Site: www.usprobateleads.com

Contact Details: Leon McKenzie
8108 Penobscot Ln

McKinney, TX 75071

(877) 470-9751

Best Kept Secrets To Get More Motivated Sellers Contacting You

By

By: Kathy Kennebrook, The Marketing Magic Lady

Getting motivated sellers to contact you first is essential to any successful Real Estate Investor’s business. A truly motivated seller is the key to a good deal; the more motivated the seller, the better the deal. You will find very quickly, as I did, that you will be able to buy a lot more houses at much better prices if you target the right sellers. You will also get the terms you want when the seller contacts you first, especially in some of today’s really hot real estate markets. You’ll want to target the kind of sellers who truly need to sell as opposed to those who just want to sell, including those sellers in pre-foreclosure.

Marketing to sellers is also a numbers’ game. The more motivated sellers you are able to locate, the more motivated sellers you will have contacting you, and the more opportunities you’ll have to make good deals. The secret is in learning how to find the truly motivated sellers.

Whom exactly are you going to be marketing to? Motivation comes in many forms. Sellers need to sell for a variety of reasons. Some reasons have to do with the sellers themselves, such as age, health status, job situations, personal situations, financial difficulties, change in family size or change in marital status.

Other reasons might have to do with the property itself, such as an estate, a property that needs too much work, or a property that has been vacant for a significant period of time. This would also include land lords who have simply had enough of tenants damaging their properties over and over again.

So how do you find these sellers and how should you market to them? The best way I’ve found to do this is by using at least three to five different marketing strategies at all times. One of the multi-pronged marketing approaches is the proper use of direct mail to reach these very motivated sellers. You always want to be reaching your market in a variety of different ways to draw the highest number of motivated sellers to you.

The BIG secret to effective direct mail campaigns is to use them over and over to the same potential sellers. As you will quickly discover, given time, almost every potential sellers’ circumstances change and make them more ready to sell.

I also find that these mailings are very residual. These potential sellers will hold onto your direct mail pieces until their circumstances dictate that they contact you, especially since they probably have not had any contact from anyone else, because usually their properties are not being actively marketed.

Since they are not being actively marketed, there is virtually no competition for these deals. And… if you take the time to actively follow up with your direct mail campaigns and with your sellers, these sellers will contact you first when they need to sell, even if they have been contacted by someone else in the meantime.

This makes it even easier for you to make a good deal. In addition, during the time you have been mailing sequentially to these potential sellers, you continue to build credibility with them. This will give you a significant advantage over your competition, since these sellers feel they already have a “relationship” with you.

The biggest part of the secret is to find the sellers who really want to sell. I use different direct mail campaigns to successfully locate several types of motivated sellers depending on what kind of deals I am specifically looking for in my business. The best way for you to build your business quickly is to use a number of different methods to draw motivated sellers simultaneously.

This can best be done by locating mailing lists and refining them to meet your specific criteria, and then mail to them over and over, cleaning your lists as you go. I find that I get the best results by mailing to my lists at least every sixty to ninety days. This is very easy to do if you implement a follow up system which will help you to track your mailings and your deals.

You’ll also quickly discover that different types of direct mail pieces and lists work better in some parts of the country than in others. Some of these lists might include mailings to out of state property owners, burned out land lords, quit claim deeds, military transfers, estates or pre-foreclosures. These are all sources of highly motivated sellers.

Be sure to give your potential sellers several different ways to contact you such as mail, e-mail, fax, phone and a website. The more ways you give these sellers to contact you, the more of them will contact you, especially when you make it more convenient for them by giving them several ways to reach you. This way they can contact you in the way that is the most comfortable for them and at their convenience.

When you learn how to get motivated sellers contacting you and then learn how to purchase properties using a number of different methods, the possibilities become almost endless. If you use several different methods to get motivated sellers contacting you, you will have more opportunities than you can even imagine. You get to pick and choose the deals that you want to do! Because you get to pick and choose the deals you want to do, you can also pick the exit strategy that most suits your needs, such as wholesaling, renting, selling or lease/options. There is no other marketing strategy that gives you this much control over your deals.

In addition, in today’s market, since so many folks are focused on pre-foreclosures, there is a whole other market of sellers who need our help as well, like divorces, estates and probate, military transfers, burned out landlords and Spanish Speaking homeowners. These are just a few of the types of sellers we need to be concentrating on to create great deals, including those that come with owner financing.

Using direct mail campaigns to market to motivated sellers and developing a “cookie cutter” system to accomplish this is one of most affordable, reliable, and effective ways that I know to build your business quickly and have more qualified motivated sellers contacting you than you will be able to handle.

For more information on Kathy Kennebrook’s marketing tools to find all the motivated sellers and lenders you need for your real estate investing business go to Kathy’s website at www.marketingmagiclady.com. While you are there be sure and sign up for her monthly newsletter and receive $149.00 of real estate tools absolutely FREE!!

Kathy Kennebrook

Contact Info:

Kathy Kennebrook
Dagger LLC
P.O. Box 14343
Bradenton Fl 34280

941-792-5390
941-795-6887 (fax)
[email protected]

Kathy Kennebrook is the ultimate success story. She spent several years in the banking industry before discovering the world of real estate. After attending some real estate seminars this 4 foot 11 mother of two got really excited and before you know it she’d bought and sold hundreds of properties using none of her own money or credit.

Kathy holds a degree in accounting and has co-authored the books- The Venus Approach to Real Estate Investing, Walking With the Wise Real Estate Investor, and Walking With the Wise Entrepreneur which also includes real estate experts Donald Trump, Suze Orman, Robert Kiyosaki, and Dr. Wayne Dyer. She is the nation’s leading expert at finding highly qualified, motivated sellers, buyers and lenders using many types of direct mail marketing. She is known throughout the United States and Canada as the Marketing Magic Lady. She has put together a simple step-by-step system that anyone can follow to duplicate her success.

Kathy has been speaking throughout the country and across Canada for over 14 years and has shared the stage with Ron LeGrand, Donald Trump, Dr. Phil., Dan Kennedy, Mark Victor Hansen, Ted Thomas and Suze Orman to name a few.

Kathy is going to share with you how she generates a seven figure income by mailing a handful of letters throughout the year to highly selected targets by knowing exactly what to send them, who to send them to and exactly how to deliver her message. She will teach you the secrets of pre-screening and automating your marketing and follow up systems to put your entire Real Estate business on auto-pilot.

Why Coworking is the Future of Office Space

By

Coworking spaces seemed like a niche market just ten years ago. Now they are popping up everywhere, with coworking spaces in Cincinnati, New York, London, and cities across the globe. More professionals and small businesses are starting to see the value of working in a shared office space. There were more than 1.2 million coworking members in 2017, and this number is expected to grow considerably in the coming years.

The growing popularity of coworking is due to several factors, but at its core, it is a response to the fact that traditional office environments were not meeting the needs of many of today’s workers. The following are a few of the reasons why coworking is going to continue to grow and become more popular.

An Answer to Unemployment or Underemployment

In many industries, traditional jobs are no longer available or necessary to a business. This has led many to strike out on their own and find their own work.

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, a number of companies went under and people lost their jobs. As a result, the number of people working in co-working spaces increased. At a time of unemployment or underemployment, coworking is often a viable solution for professionals looking to take control of their career.

A Resource for Freelancers

The nature of work is changing, and there is no clearer sign of this than the increase in the number of people who work as freelancers. This trend is expected to continue, and as it does, coworking spaces are going to be a vital resource for independently employed workers.

For freelancers, a coworking space is more than just a place to complete projects. Coworking spaces are more affordable for contract employees who need an office space away from the home. Beyond that, shared offices provide them with resources and networking opportunities that would not be available if they worked in a space on their own.

A Way to Fill Floor Space

Developing coworking spaces has also become a popular option for property owners and landlords. As traditional businesses have struggled and gone out of business, the idea of converting buildings to coworking spaces is an effective way to fill empty floor space.

As the market for coworking grows, you are going to see more property owners looking to convert traditional offices and other structures into coworking spaces. In 2016, there were just over 11,000 coworking spaces. This was up from a mere 436 in 2010, and the number is projected to grow to beyond 26,000 by the year 2020.

Providing Personal Connections

One of the downsides for freelancers and independent workers is that they miss the connections they develop with other people in the workplace. For many coworking members, sharing the space with other people is one of the most significant benefits.

A coworking member may work on his or her own, but they still have people with whom they can interact. Furthermore, coworkers often find the relationships to be beneficial to their work. Collaboration between different members is a common part of the coworking experience.

While ten years ago, coworking may have seemed strange, it is now the new norm for freelancers, startups, and large businesses. These shared offices offer many benefits, and are only expected to grow in popularity. If you’re looking to change your every day routine, joining a coworking space is a great way to open yourself (and your business!) up to new opportunities.

7 Tips for Nailing the Negotiation Process

By

By Sharon Vornholt

If they were to be honest, most investors would tell you they don’t really like negotiating. They would also tell you they aren’t terribly confident when it comes to the whole negotiation process (especially in the beginning). However, this is one of the most important skills needed to be successful as an investor.

Why Is It So Uncomfortable?

When the subject of negotiation comes up, there are inevitably some people that will tell you negotiation comes easily for them and I’m sure that is true. However for most people, that just simply isn’t the case. We aren’t born to be good negotiators; it’s a skill we develop. Whether it is easy or not, the negotiation process is something that everyone can learn with a little practice.

My First Time

My first time might be called a “failure to launch”. When I bought my first property I wasn’t even able to negotiate the deal. I was terrified. The person selling the house was a member of my REIA group; a man known to be a very intimidating “in your face” investor. I was at least smart enough to know I didn’t stand a chance against him. So I did what a lot of newbies would do, I had someone else do my dirty work. A realtor friend from that same investor’s group negotiated the deal for me.

When the seller (who was also an investor) wanted to talk to me personally because he didn’t like the way the negotiations were going with the Realtor, I was so scared I refused to talk to him. I was pretty sure it wouldn’t end well for me. After a little “back and forth” on the price, my realtor friend AKA the negotiator refused to back down, and I got my first deal at the price I wanted to pay. Watching her in action was when I learned how to stand my ground with this type of investor. I never had to have someone else do the negotiating for me after that first time.

There is No Substitute for Practice

Things are different now. I don’t have any problem negotiating deals today, but it was a learning process that a lot of new investors will need to work through. Do I like negotiating? Not really.

An investor friend told me something a long time ago that I have always remembered. We were talking about negotiation and he said, “If you are not embarrassed or at least uncomfortable by your (low) offer, then you have just offered too much for the property”. That was a lesson I have never forgotten.

So What Exactly is Negotiation?

Simply put, negotiation is when two or more people try to reach an agreement about something. When you are a real estate investor this will almost always involve the sale of a property. Negotiation is not only about money. It might be about “terms” or something else the seller needs. Regardless, at the end of every negotiation, both parties should feel like they won. When everyone leaves the table feeling good you have just completed a successful negotiation.

Sometimes You Just Can’t Agree

There are times however when you just can’t make a deal come together. I have learned over the years that when this happens it’s usually for the best. When you are dealing with someone that has a large list of objections, can’t make a decision, or you just can’t seem to reach an agreement with them, this is almost always a red flag. This is the same person that will either have buyers’ remorse after signing the contract or you will hear from a hundred times after the closing.

Here Are 7 Tips for Nailing the Negotiation Process

No matter how you feel about negotiation, I have some tips that will make the whole process a little bit easier.

  1. Always do your homework. Whether you are buying or selling a property, know what the comps are for the area.
  2. Know your numbers. How much will the repairs cost? (no guessing here) What is a realistic ARV (after repaired value) for the property? Having all of this information will be invaluable as you try to negotiate the deal.
  3. Know your desired outcome. Knowing what you must have from the negotiations is essential. What’s more important to you; the price or terms (or a combination of both)?
  4. What is your exit strategy? You need to know what this is the day you buy the property. Your exit strategy will affect how much you can pay for the property.
  5. Find out what the seller really needs or their true motivation. Be prepared to really listen to the other person. In addition to the cash, is there something else that they really need? Closing Costs? Moving Expenses? Maybe they just can’t face cleaning out “mom’s” house. There are many times the seller will take less money for the property if you can solve another problem for them.
  6. Don’t beat up the other person to get your way. There is a give and take in any negotiation. At the end of the day, both parties need to feel like they won in any negotiation. Remember that getting top dollar may not be what they really need to feel like they “won”.
  7. Realize that there will be times that you will just need to walk away. In fact, sometimes that is the only solution.

Remember that most great deals are created, not found. The money is in the follow up. Sometimes negotiation takes a while, so follow up with all those sellers that say no. In many cases no just means, “not now”.

Know When to Fold’em

This brings me to my next point. Know when to walk away!

As Kenny Rogers says in his song The Gambler: “You have to know when to hold’em. Know when to fold’em.” I’d say that is pretty good advice when it comes to real estate.

Author: Sharon Vornholt

Sharon Vornholt is the owner of Innovative Property Solutions in Louisville, KY. She has been investing in real estate for over 15 years. Sharon is the creator of the Louisville Gals Real Estate Blog, and the popular podcast “Let’s Talk Real Estate Investing” which you can find on iTunes. She is also a mentor and coach who loves teaching others how to succeed in this business.

If you’d like to find out more about Sharon’s real estate coaching and mentoring programs, you can reach her at [email protected] 

For your FREE REPORT “Probates and Absentee Owners: Your Fast Track to Real Estate Riches”, stop by her blog at: http://LouisvilleGalsRealEstateBlog.com.

Social Media Buttons: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter

http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon.vornnholt

http://www.facebook.com/sharon.vornholt

http://www.twitter.com/svornholt

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins