When tested in real life, you aren’t given a multiple-choice test where it’s possible to guess your way to a high score. When I was in pilot training, I studied the theory of flight and aircraft construction and instrumentation. I learned FAA control tower and radio procedures. I was taught the proper way to pre-flight an aircraft and to start it up. But it wasn’t until my first solo flight, when everything I’d learned had to be put to work in order to bring myself back to earth in one piece, did I know I could really fly an airplane. The same concept is what builds confidence as a speculator or investor in the real estate business. How? Through the process of combining education, skill, and experience to achieve personal and financial goals you’ve set yourself. Setting and meeting your own tough standards creates a positive attitude that helps you to continue to overcome challenges.

Continue reading “Confidence Is Knowing That You Know Enough To Take Action”

  

     When we hear the expression “confidence game” or “con game”, we immediately think of scams and bunko schemes, but that’s not what this month’s letter is all about. In this letter, I want to deal with something that touches all of us to a certain degree; and in my view is a major determinant as to how well a person does as an entrepreneur or investor. Hopefully, I’ll be able to share some insights that will be helpful to some readers out there. As for you seasoned pros, think of this letter as a sort of literary chicken soup; if your sick, it will make you better; if you’re not sick, it couldn’t hurt.

Continue reading “Real Estate Success Is A Confidence Game”

   Interest: I know someone who's covered up with credit card debt, but who doesn't know how much interest she's paying on her unpaid balances. She's never applied for another credit card, which would charge a lower rate of interest. She could reduce her interest payments by using a lower cost card to pay off her current account. This could save her thousands of dollars, enabling her to pay her cards off faster. Few people realize that minimum ATM charges can add up to a lot more than it would cost to simply withdraw the money inside the bank.

Continue reading “The Highest Cost Items Offer The Highest Potential Savings”

   If ignorance breeds fear, and fear blocks people from becoming financially successful, using single family houses to help you climb capital mountain is a proven remedy for mediocrity. Millions of people have created nest eggs simply by buying a house using mortgage debt, then paying off the loan over time. Let the record speak for itself; how many people do you know personally whose lifetime savings are represented by their home equity? Today wouldn't be too soon to get started buying.

Continue reading “Single Family Houses Offer The Best Solutions”

  
    A long time ago somebody figured out that real job security lies in meeting the needs of both your employer and his customers. That can be a tall order. The first thing you should do in a new job is to burn the midnight oil to learn all you can about it, and to improve on it so that your impact on profits can be seen by those above you. But there's much more to the process. If you want to be successful, you've got to learn a lot more than your particular job. You've got to prepare yourself to take over the position you boss holds so that he can be promoted upward, taking you along with him. Aim to be the most qualified person to replace him. Prepare someone else to take your place. The last thing you want to be is the only person who can do your job. Your company will be reluctant to move you up if there's no qualified person that they can put into your old position.

Continue reading “Find A Need And Fill It . . . As Efficiently As You Can”

     I'm constantly surprised at how my seminars on Asset Protection seem to draw more people than my seminars on making money. It would seem that there should be a lot more people trying to accumulate money than there would be people trying to protect it; but that hasn't been my experience. I've also noticed that many people use credit cards to pre-pay their tuition into the Asset Protection seminars, then request that we hold off processing these cards until they can pay down their credit balances. Upon reflection, I've come to the conclusion that there's a direct connection between these two anomalies. They're both based upon fear.

Continue reading “Fear Mires Many In Mediocrity”

    Conventional real estate brokerage is very competitive. Most brokers don't make much money. To compete with others who have been in the field much longer than you, you've got to approach things differently. Once I'd learned enough to list, sell, and to find and process the financing, I began to focus on ways to sell or buy houses without using banks at all. That enabled me to continue to create profits when all the other brokers were mired down by lack of reasonable institutional financing. I firmly believe that being able to avoid institutional financing during periods of high interest rates, or non-availability of loans, is critical to real success in buying and selling houses. Think about this a moment.

Continue reading “Being Different Is The Key To Avoid Competition”

From time to time I'm going to revisit the topic of mortgage fraud because it has grown into a national epidemic, and the legal backlash is going to be severe.  A number of high profile attorneys, appraisers, investors, builders, real estate and mortgage brokers are already serving time for mortgage fraud, and the net is being expanded as I speak.

Continue reading “Mortgage Fraud”