Some of us see our dreams so clearly that we expect to attain those dreams immediately. We want to have a hundred rentals or we want to triple our income or we want to be financially able to quit our job or take two months vacation this year.

And we become disappointed when things take longer than we had hoped. Patience is a virtue and sometimes we don’t feel very virtuous. Disappointment weakens our resolve and before you know it, the dream goes back to sleep again. Out of sight, and out of existence.

You can have big dreams, but you must stay focused to reach them. When you look at dreams you’ve reached or goals you’ve accomplished in the past, there is a success pattern that always seems to emerge. That’s putting one foot in front of the other in a steady and unrelenting pursuit of what you want.

Step by step. Neither left nor right a half of a degree, but straight for the prize. Slow and steady wins the race. Sure, you get to go galloping off here and there, but normal everyday one step at a time really has a way of getting the job done like nothing else.

Assume for a moment that you could walk from LA to New York. It would take you a LOT of time, but step by step you could do it. The only way you would fail to get to New York is if you quit moving towards it step by step.

Learn the basics, add to that. Be a sponge for learning. Learn what you really want to do in this business and focus hard. Keep it in front of you and keep moving towards it. Day by day. A little bit every day. A little bit more, another phone call, look at one more house. Something, something every day, but keep moving towards what you want.

Don’t be swayed from your goals. The only way you don’t get to where you want to be is if you quit moving towards it. When it seems like you are not making headway, in reflection you find that that is where you learned the most. It is in those steps taken one right after another until we get where we want to be. Don’t give up.

I had a friend in the advertising business some years ago who told me that if I was thinking about making a phone call, then I was making a mistake; I should be making the phone call. That’s relentless.

If the next step is to talk to a seller or a buyer and you don’t want to make the call, make that your first call of the day. Get over it; get out of your own way. If you know you should do it and you don’t, it will just interfere with you until it gets resolved. Take the step and then the next. Every step you take brings you closer to what you want.

We’re on your side. We want to be one of the main ingredients in your success story. We love to hit home runs and we are just a happy to see you hit one too. We’re here to help you, and we’ll be here every step of the way.

Until next time, happy (and profitable) investing!

Doug Smith
President
myHouseDeals.com

P.S. If you haven’t done so yet, take the first step and start your free trial to myhousedeals.com at www.myhousedeals.com/freetrial, and get access to dozens of investment properties in your area plus $1,253 in free bonuses.

Hi folks,

I hope you enjoyed your weekend! I know I sure did. It was very relaxing. Went to Starbucks and read a book. Took my dog, Rocky, for a walk. Went out for a nice dinner. Watched the movie Office Space and was reminded of the old days when I used to have a job (I can laugh about it now!). Took a long nap on the sofa. Ahhh!

After such a relaxing weekend, I started today fully charged and ready to tackle a week full of excitement and opportunity!

But when I got to the office this morning, I made a big mistake. I pulled up CNNMoney.com (even though I promised I never would again) and saw negative headline after negative headline. Some of them were discussing the crisis on Wall Street, and others bemoaned the rising foreclosure rates.

After getting frustrated with the scare tactics of the media (again!), I switched over to my email account to find the following message from Jack Hockman. Jack recently bought the Advanced Short Sale System. His email read:

“Thank you for providing such wonderful tools. We were only able to structure this deal after we became familiar with your teaching methods, tools and software. Previously, we would have either passed on this deal or presented only one solution. The tools provided us the deal structure, confidence, and ability to present our offers in a manner that was easy for our clients to understand and find fair. We really felt like we were able to make a difference in their life. Thank you Tim and Doug!”

And then I found a fax on our machine. It was also from Jack. He sent over two settlement statements that showed he made $42,870 on this one deal alone. And he used none of his own money or credit. He double-closed to sell it to another buyer, just like Tim and I taught in the course.

After reading his email and reviewing his fax, I thought to myself, “Man! It’s a tale of two cities out there.” There are those who let the media convince them that this is the worst of times and are therefore paralyzed by fear.

And there are those people like Jack who know that this is actually the best of times. They ignore the dire forecasts of the media, remain focused on their goals, adapt to the current marketplace, implement proven systems, reap the profits, and build lasting wealth.

So today, I have to ask you. Which group are you in?

Group A: Paralyzed by Fear (Worst of Times), or

Group B: Building Wealth in Today’s Market (Best of Times)

If you picked Group A, please delete this email — it’s not for you. By the way, I fear for your future. Now, if you say you’re in Group B, good for you! But now’s the time to prove it.

Instead of reading the negative headlines today, go here now to watch the replay of the webinar that Tim Mai and I did on the Advanced Short Sale System.

In this webinar, you’ll be exposed to the other side of the story. The side where we are experiencing the best of times. Tim, Patti, Ken, Vinh, and I will show you how we are reaping enormous profits in today’s marketplace while others are running scared.

But know that the deadline for listening to the replay of the Advanced Short Sale System webinar is midnight Central Time, TONIGHT. After midnight, the webinar will be taken down and there will be no way to access it.

Tonight is also the deadline for getting the $1,182 in bonuses and $500 off. So go watch the replay now and learn more about the bonuses and discount.

Until next time, happy (and profitable) investing… And welcome to the best of times!

Doug Smith
President
MyHouseDeals.com

P.S. Remember, the webinar comes down and the special discount and bonuses expire at midnight TONIGHT! Go here to watch the replay NOW.

Check out this funny video a buddy sent me. I haven’t had this good of a laugh in a while…

YouTube Direkt

And I must confess that I can relate to this cat more than I’d like to admit. What can I say – I’m a tech guy, but electronics just baffle me sometimes. And I think it’s safe to say we’ve all had a bad printer day at some point. Can you relate? Are you as lost with electronics as this cat is?

Electronics may not be your weakness, but what about the current real estate market? Are you confused by real estate today?  If you are not sure what to do to thrive in this new market of increased foreclosures and tight lending, you must learn about short sales. Short sales are a powerful strategy that can add $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 or more to your bottom line every month.

Join me on the webinar I’m presenting this week with Tim Mai. This special event will take place on Thursday, November 20th at 5 pm PT / 6 pm MT / 7 pm CT / 8 pm ET. Tim and I will give you an in-depth overview of our Advanced Short Sale System. We’ll also share tips and secrets we have learned through our many years of investing using the short sale system.

Yes, sign me up for the FREE webinar!

When it comes to investing, knowledge is power and your most invaluable tool. Tim and I are two seasoned investors who have made many mistakes and achieved great success with short sales, and together we’ve mastered a fail-proof system for short sale profits. We are ready to share our strategy so that you can start taking advantage of the short sale opportunities that have recently become available.

Should you attend the webinar? Ask yourself:

 - Do you know how to get your phone to ring off the hook with qualified short sale leads by this time next week?
 - Do you know which lenders enable you to reap the most profits and which lenders you should avoid working with at all costs?
 - Do you know how to tell when a short sale ISN’T going to work and when you should walk away before you lose too much time or money?

If you answered ‘no’ to ANY of these questions, you MUST join us on Thursday. Guarantee your spot now by clicking on the link below!

Yes, sign me up for the FREE webinar!

Ken and Patti, two of our students, will also join us on the webinar. They have agreed to show you how they made over $80k combined on their latest short sale deals. But remember, you won’t be able to attend unless you register, so go reserve your spot now.

I hope you got a laugh out of the video. See you on the webinar!

Until then, happy (and profitable) investing!

Doug Smith
President
MyHouseDeals.com

P.S. This is a unique chance to get the latest information about short sales. You’ll be able to implement the techniques we share with you immediately to start profiting from this niche. And be sure to stay until the end of the webinar, because Tim and I will make a special offer that’s ONLY available to those who are participating LIVE.

P.P.S. Short sales can be pretty confusing, especially if you don’t know all the ins and outs of the process. So it’s very important to learn all the secrets because they can be extremely profitable. Especially in today’s volatile market. Tim’s and my goal was to develop a short sale system so easy that anyone could do it. I think we’ve accomplished just that! And I look forward to sharing this system with you on Thursday. Yes, sign me up for the FREE webinar (and say bye-bye to cat-like confusion)!

Hi folks,

Do you know when to avoid a short sale deal? Knowing when to walk away is just as important as knowing when to jump on a deal, so here are a few tips I’ve picked up along the way.

On a short sale deal, it is preferable that the seller wants zero money or even wants to give you money. There are plenty of short sale deals out there – you don’t need to be working with sellers who want $5,000 or $10,000 or more from their property when they have no equity. No one else in town and no other investor is going to give that to them. If they want that much money now, just wait a few days and they’ll be coming back to you and wanting zero. They will talk to some other people and realize that they’re not getting what they’re looking for.

To sum it all up, you want a seller that will cooperate with you throughout the entire short sale process and will give you and sign any documents that you need. This is very critical. From the very beginning if the seller is not going to cooperate with you, then forget it and move on to the next seller. Don’t waste your time!

I addressed this in last week’s posting, but the second major factor in whether or not you should work on this short sale deal is to know how much work the house needs. I know it may be scary, but it’s good if a house needs a lot of repairs. If it’s a pretty house with hardly any repairs and it’s not in distress, then your chance of getting a short sale will be very slim; it does happen but it’s rare. There are exceptions — for example, a sizeable second lien on a high-value home can be very motivating when the first lien was foreclosed on. The lender is more motivated to work with you if they’ve seen that there’s a chance their lien will be wiped out as well. Because second liens are more willing to work with you, then your chance of getting a short sale even if the house doesn’t need a whole lot of repair gets better. But generally speaking, you should just avoid pretty houses.

Also, the third thing that is important to know is which lenders to stay away from in the first place. There are lenders that will either not accept short sales at all or they are very tough to deal with and want 95-100% of BPO. You want to stay away from those lenders! You should start compiling a list of these lenders so that you’ll know from the beginning to walk away.

To Fun, Fortune, and Freedom!

Tim Mai
Lead Mentor
MyHouseDeals.com

P.S. If you don’t already have a list of these tough lenders you should be avoiding, be sure to join me and Doug on the exclusive webinar we’re presenting on Thursday. We’ll discuss short sales in much more depth, and you’ll learn the several steps to take to guarantee that your short sales are approved! Yes, sign me up for the FREE webinar!

This free webinar will take place on Thursday, November 20th, at 5 pm PT / 6 pm MT / 7 pm CT / 8 pm ET. But here’s the catch — you MUST register to attend. And even if you cannot make the live webinar, you have to register to get access to the replay.

“The way of the world is meeting people through other people” – Robert Kerrigan

You can’t do this business by yourself. I don’t care if you have a trunk full of cash and know where to get a good deal on thousands of houses. You have to buy those houses from someone, and you have to sell or rent those houses to someone. In between the buying and the selling you are going to need goods and services such as title insurance, attorneys, CPAs, contractors, inspectors, appraisers and so forth. It just makes more sense to network than it does to sit down in front of the phone with the yellow pages to build your empire.

Suppose you don’t have a need right now. Suppose you know where to get the goods and services and have all the information you need … right now. Well, there’s something here for you. I want you begin to let people know what it is that you do and what you are trying to accomplish in real estate investment. That’s right, become known as the person who does wholesale property, or flip houses, or multi-family or whatever it is that you are doing or interested in doing in real estate.

Be the first one to say “Hello”. Stick your hand out and say; “Hi, I’m Suzie, and I am doing rentals. What’s your name?” If you are shy, this is a good way to practice your game. If you are looking for friends, this is the way to start. If you want to expand your knowledge base, this is where to start. You’ll be surprised at what you will hear from the people you meet.

Some of them will be able to help you in your endeavors. Some of them will need your help. In the future, you and the person you introduced yourself to could become partners in successful real estate dealings. That’s exactly what happened with me and Tim Mai. I walked up to him and introduced myself at a meeting, and he later went on to help me buy my first six houses. And now he’s the lead mentor of MyHouseDeals.com.

You never know what can come of it. It all starts with someone introducing themselves to another person and it grows from there. Get some phone numbers, get some business cards. Let them know what you have to offer and what you are looking for. Nothing wrong with any of that. It helps them and it helps you.

We all have something we bring to the party. Some of us have money, some of us have time. Some of us have skills or a certain experience. When we combine our tools and skills and experience, the effect is synergy, a total that is greater than the sum of its parts. It is this synergy that is the octane of entrepreneurship.

Capitalize on the resources you have. Work at extending your resources. Why do you think they refer to it as “building” your business? You build it a piece at a time with all the tools at your disposal, and the smart people are building it constantly. Networking energizes your journey from wanting to do something to doing something. My experience tells me that the people you meet are willing to help you and you are most likely willing to help them.

So don’t be shy forever. Meet some new people this month. Find out what they are doing. Tell them what you are doing. You will be very pleased with yourself for the outcome that you will have produced for yourself.

Until next time, happy (and profitable) investing!

Doug Smith
President
MyHouseDeals.com

P.S. Networking means little if you don’t have any deals in your pipeline! Get dozens of new deals in your area delivered right to your computer screen each week by starting your free trial today. Just go to www.myhousedeals.com/freetrial. See you there!

Hi folks,

I’ve received a lot of questions about short sales lately and because now is such a perfect time for them, I want to expand a little more on the topic. In the current market, it’s very important to know how to determine what the ideal short sale is. Pay attention because I’m about to reveal a few golden nuggets of information that Doug and I have learned over the months and years that we’ve been doing short sales.

First of all, one thing you should look for is a house that’s at least twenty years old. In most situations, if a house is at least 20 years old then it needs some sort of repairs and you can use these repairs to your advantage when you’re negotiating with the mortgage company. This shouldn’t be a problem considering the inventory available today.

BPO stands for Brokers Price Opinion – this is either a real estate agent or appraiser that the bank hires to give them an estimated ‘as is’ value of the property. Having contractors give you repair bids and showing those bids to the BPO is invaluable in getting a lower appraisal value. On new houses, it’s really hard to convince a BPO or a mortgage company to do a huge discount because they feel that the property is in such good condition. Typically this goes along with older houses, but ideally you will want at least $15,000 in repairs that are needed on the property. A lot of times $15,000 in repairs from an investor’s standpoint translates to as much as $45,000 on repairs to a BPO or a mortgage company, simply because those are the kinds of prices that they would have to pay if they were going to fix this property up to a marketable condition.

When you’re first deciding if you should pursue a short sale, you should also know comparable sales in the area. If there are low comparable sales, you can present those to the BPO and the mortgage company to help prove your case.

Another thing you want to look for is a seller that has owned the property or had this particular mortgage for at least a year. When mortgage companies give a loan they get an appraisal done on the property, and if the appraisal is less than a year old they will still consider that appraisal to be valid. They are much less likely to consider a short sale from you when they have a valid (and almost certainly high-valued) appraisal on file. After all, they did base their loan on that appraisal. 

Well, those are a few different things you should look for when considering a short sale. Even overlooking one of these things could cost you – it’s very important to pay attention to all the items above in order to get your conversion rates up.

If any of this sounds confusing, you need to be sure to join me and Doug on the exclusive webinar we’re presenting next Thursday. We’ll discuss short sales in much more depth, and you’ll learn the several steps to take to guarantee that your short sales are approved!

This free webinar will take place on Thursday, November 20th, at 5 pm PT / 6 pm MT / 7 pm CT / 8 pm ET. But here’s the catch — you MUST register to attend. And even if you cannot make the live webinar, you have to register to get access to the replay.

Yes, sign me up for the FREE webinar! But it’s best that you hurry — I’ve only reserved 500 spots, and I expect all of them to be reserved.

To Fun, Fortune, and Freedom!

Tim Mai
Lead Mentor
MyHouseDeals.com