Peter Fortunato was my guest speaker for the Tuesday night conference call.  I have to say, it was one of the best calls we have had!

Peter discussed
•  Why real estate investing is very alive and well – despite hedge funds. 

•  What to say to get motivated sellers leads from people you don’t even know

•  How to get sellers to agree to seller finance with great terms

•  How you can pay retail and still get great cash flow

•  Why you can make better deals with caring than you can with dollars

You’ve probably seen the emails from young hot shot gurus claiming that real estate is DEAD because hedge funds are buying up foreclosure and bank owned properties.They’ll try to convince you that the only solution is to buy their “turn-key” rental properties (usually at inflated prices with little cash flow because their management fees are so high).  They will tell you to not even waste your time trying to find good deals ... just buy from their “secret sources” instead.

DON'T FALL FOR THEIR SCARE TACTICS!  You're smarter than that!  Real estate investing is ALIVE and WELL!  Here’s why…

What makes a property hard to sell? It can be ugly, dirty, shabby, low qualify or non-conforming construction, be functionally obsolescent or have an inconvenient floor plan, it may be on a poor or remote site, have EPA problems, deferred maintenance, indifferent or dishonest management, be encumbered with unattractive financing which incorporates short term balloon payments, high interest rates, reverse amortization; or it may be "red lined" so no new financing may be obtained.

Each of us has different personality quirks, different attributes, different talents, and different family and financial resources. It's easy to try to emulate inspirational people, but it usually doesn't work out because of these differences. A more rational course would be to take the time to really analyze what it is that you like to do and can do, or could learn to do.

Sooner or later, you'll make so much money buying and selling as a real estate dealer that you'll start looking around for tax shelter. The most obvious solution is, instead of buying low and selling high in rapid fire succession, to buy low and sell high in slow motion. By holding a house as a rental and reaping the income, tax-shelter, amortization, and depreciation benefits it throws off, you'll not only reduce the amount of earnings that are siphoned off by income taxes, but also build a solid retirement income when you decide to stop wheeling and dealing.  Seller financing offers the best opportunity for achieving this.