In a recent poll, I asked, “What is the most important part of a speech?”

We received several responses. Answers ranged from:

- The opening
- The closing
- Connection with the audience
- The delivery

These are excellent responses.

There is no wrong answer to this question, but, there’s one answer I left out. It’s the most important part of a presentation:

The thoughts and feelings of the audience listening to your speech.

The purpose of speaking is to change listeners’ perspective on a topic.

(There is one exception: the entertaining speech, but the majority of presentations have a message).

The best speeches focus on providing a new insight or way of thinking. They challenge the listener to see and experience the world in a new way.

I speak to audiences about the value of business storytelling.

People often walk into my presentations with thoughts like:

- I only need to give people the facts
- Storytelling is a waste of time
- I don’t need help telling a story

If I’m going to break through those beliefs, I have to change their perspective. My job is to change their thoughts and feelings about storytelling.

How Do You Do That?

Begin with the end. The first question to ask yourself when structuring your presentation is:

What do you want the audience to think, feel, or do differently when yo
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“How do I get started investing in notes?”

That’s a question we hear daily from tired landlords, stressed out rehabbers, or the couple next door wanting to improve life for their family.

Own The Real Estate Or Be The Bank

There are differences between investing in real estate vs. mortgage notes. Rather than owning the property, you own the right to collect payments on a promissory note. You are the one receiving the payments.

If something needs fixed the owner has to do it. And like the bank, you also have the right to take the property back through foreclosure in the event of non-payment. If this happens you can then sell the property for cash or take back another note.

Of course most note investors would rather just earn their yield and have the note payoff as scheduled (or better yet, early)! After 25+ years of buying and selling seller financed notes there have been both wins and losses. If you are getting started here are my…

21 Tips for Investing In Real Estate Notes

#1
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I was in the middle of negotiating on a probate property. It was the original home the seller’s family built in 1962. I could see the seller was very attached to this home. Why wouldn’t he be? He had an amazing childhood in this home. The first time I met with him I spent about two hours getting to know him. Finding out what his goals are and what he is looking for in a buyer.

This may sound remedial, but it’s important to understand; the seller is really the one who has some pain that he is trying to avoid. This is something many new and experienced real estate investors forget. It’s for this reason, I spend so much time on the phone and in person speaking with the seller. Many people have told me this is a waste of time. To them I ask, “Is it really?” If you don’t spend the time getting to know your seller, how will you ever find out what their real estate problem is to create a deal that will resolve/ease their pain?

As the potential buyer, you need to take the time building rapport with the seller. Don’t forget, you can be up against more than a half dozen potential buyers. What is going to make you stand out as, “the only logical choice.” Understanding what the seller’s needs are must be crystal clear.

Mr. Selle
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In the dynamic world of real estate investing, successful rehab projects require a meticulous approach that minimizes risks and maximizes returns. The key to achieving this lies in "bulletproofing" your rehabs – implementing strategies that ensure your projects are completed on time, within budget, and with maximum profitability. In this article, we will explore the six essential keys to success in rehabbing properties. By incorporating these principles into your projects, you can increase your chances of achieving guaranteed success.

Key 1: Understanding the Main Elements in Every Rehab

A thorough understanding of the main elements involved in a rehab project is crucial. From assessing structural integrity to identifying potential issues, this key emphasizes the importance of comprehensive property evaluation. By conducting detailed inspections and accurately identifying necessary repairs, you can establish a solid foundation for your rehab projects. Having a checklist is a must. Just like a pilot relies on a checklist before takeoff, investors should embrace this practice to ensure every crucial element is addressed.

A checklist serves as a valuable tool, helping you stay organized, minimize errors, and maximize efficiency throughout the rehab process.  

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As most of you already know, I believe that using private money is the best way to fund my real estate deals. I’ve been preaching the benefits of private lenders for years, and have been able to find a great deal of success following a simple system. But the top reason I prefer to use private money is that it allows me to receive multiple checks for every deal. Stop and think about that for a moment. If you’ve ever had to deal with banks, you probably already understand how much of a hassle that whole process can be.

Traditionally, if you’re borrowing from a bank, you’re only going to receive 80 percent of the total purchase price. It doesn’t matter if you’ve found the best deal on the planet, you’re going to need to come up with about a fifth of the funds on your own. When you borrow from a private lender, not only can you receive a loan for the full price of the property — you can borrow more than the house is worth. This is something I like to do to cover any additional repair costs which are needed to rehab a home.

Once the house has been prepared, it can then go on the market. This is another point when having some extra funds can help in marketing or promoting a property. Once you’ve found a buyer for the home, the next big check comes at the closing of the purchase. A strategy that I use to e
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Every month I have clients call that they received a notice from Duke Energy (the local gas and electric utility) or from the Water Works, asking for access to check their equipment. People often are confused why we get these requests. 

The reason is twofold – equipment upgrades or checking for leaks. In years past, a “Meter Reader” would go door to door every month reading the gas and electric and water meters. They went in every property monthly and manually read the meter so they could bill you. If you were not home, they did an estimated bill based on your history.

Technology has changed this, and new meter technology lets them read the meter without entering the building. At first it was a separate little box they attached to meters or in the case of electricity, they had a way to read it though the electric wires. Early versions put out a signal and the utility had to have someone drive down the street to get the meter reading. Over time these devices have changed, and newer versions can be read remotely anytime.

I recently got a letter from the Water Works about my house. The man came and was able to pop off the top of the meter and replace it with the new top that has a transmitter built in. It took him less than 5 minutes to make the upgrade. Then he cut off the wire to the o
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What are the consequences of selling that property you have held for 15 years? You may walk away with some cash, assuming you haven’t refinanced the property. If you have refinanced the property and taken cash out, you may find yourself owing more in taxes than you get when you sell. By the time you’ve paid off the mortgage and paid all of those taxes the government wants, it could literally cost you to sell your property.

Why? Because the depreciation deduction that you take on a rental property is really just temporary—you get to write it off while you own the property, but you have to “recapture” it when you sell.

We all know that for the most part your property doesn’t really depreciate over time. Meaning it does not go down in value. We plan on the property to go up in value.

Well, since it really did not depreciate, the IRS wants you to return the deduction. So, in addition to the capital gain on the property (Sale Price less the purchase price and any improvements you did) all the depreciation has to be added back to income (or recaptured) when you sell the property.

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I was in the middle of negotiating on a probate property. It was the original home the seller’s family built in 1962. I could see the seller was very attached to this home. Why wouldn’t he be? He had an amazing childhood in this home. The first time I met with him I spent about two hours getting to know him. Finding out what his goals are and what he is looking for in a buyer.

This may sound remedial, but it’s important to understand; the seller is really the one who has some pain that he is trying to avoid. This is something many new and experienced real estate investors forget. It’s for this reason, I spend so much time on the phone and in person speaking with the seller. Many people have told me this is a waste of time. To them I ask, “Is it really?” If you don’t spend the time getting to know your seller, how will you ever find out what their real estate problem is to create a deal that will resolve/ease their pain? 

As the potential buyer, you need to take the time building rapport with the seller. Don’t forget, you can be up against more than a half dozen potential buyers. What is going to make you stand out as, “the only logical choice.&rdqu
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Think of yourself as an investor or buyer’s broker. Your goal is to buy one or two single family detached houses at the best price possible. So, you target foreclosures.

First you will need to see if someone in your community offers a foreclosure listing service. Most large cities have them. That will save a lot of time.

Then comes the sorting process. You are looking for value. So, one sorting process would be to look for properties with old loans. 

Maybe you’ll have a property style sort. Only brick on slab, no houses on pier footing – whatever makes sense or non-sense in your market.

Maybe you’ll have a type of sort, like no condos; or a function sort like three bedrooms or larger.

There are three stages of foreclosure. The first stage is pre-foreclosure. It includes people who are behind on their payments and homeowners that have had foreclosure action filed against them, but the sale has yet to occur. This is the best time for the most profit requiring the least cash and/or credit. The second stage is the s
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Hiring the right contractors is crucial for running a successful real estate business. It's important to acknowledge that turnover among contractors is common in this industry. Contractors may become too expensive, busy, or their quality of work may decline over time. That's why it's crucial to continuously network and search for new contractors to add to your team.

Finding a Contractor:

• Network at your local Real Estate Investors Association (REIA) to connect with investors who can recommend reliable contractors.
• Join local real estate Facebook groups and seek recommendations from fellow members who have had positive experiences with contractors.
• Utilize websites like Angie's List or Home Advisor to explore contractor options and learn about their specialties and areas of expertise.
• Create a Craigslist ad specifying the type of contractor you're seeking, but be prepared to conduct thorough due diligence when assessing responses.

Due Diligence:

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