Investment Intern Wanted

Are you looking for a way to get started in real estate investing, but don’t know where to begin? 

Are you looking for a mentor that could help you learn about real estate investing, without having to spend a small fortune? 

Do you have a minimum of 15 hours per week that you could commit to working with a mentor on real estate investment?

If you said yes to any of the above questions, this opportunity is for you!!!!

I love teaching and I love real estate investing.  Put those skills together and here's an offer that you will love...

Here's where it gets interesting!

I don't sell coaching and I don't sell educational books and tapes and seminars.   I buy and sell real estate investments. I am a great teacher, but I make my money actually doing deals for myself and for my clients. 

I have been a real estate investor, and an owner/broker of an independent real estate brokerage for the past ten years. I have done residential and commercial property management, development and pre-development; residential rehabs; lease-options; buy and hold rentals; private lending, and creative real estate acquisition. 

I have been an active volunteer with the Real Estate Association of Puget Sound over this same time period, serving as Membership Chair and writing monthly articles targeted to novice real estate investors. I write a regular blog on topics of interest to Seattle real estate investors.

I don't sell real estate mentoring outside of a transactional relationship.   My motto is "learn by doing".  Here's your opportunity to earn while you learn. I am willing to serve as a mentor for an interested investor, in return for a commitment of 15 hours of work per week with me for a minimum of three months. 

I am generating leads in off-market metro-Seattle residential properties. If you have an interest in buying any of the residential income properties I'm finding, that's awesome!  I'll teach you literally everything I know about investment real estate during the process. I'll also coach you step by step through your first year of property ownership including how to manage the property yourself or managing your manager.  

  

With over ten years of real estate transactional experience in my background, hopefully you see this level of mentorship is an even more valuable offering than the property itself.  It's certainly a unique offering that you won't find anywhere else and it's only going to be made available to one or two investors. 

My intern will be granted access to the NWMLS during that time, and will receive a bonus for every property acquisition made during their tenure as an intern.

Ideal candidate should have familiarity with the process of buying residential property and some investment training or background; and will be professional, dependable, well-organized, with a desire to grow their real estate investment career.

If you've read this far and you're still intrigued by the idea of acquiring mentoring AND residential income property, here are some action steps for you:

Send me a SHORT email to HomeLandInvestment@gmail.com with what you're hoping to accomplish

NO LATER than 5pm, Friday September 2nd. 

No phone calls, please!

FREE Investor eBook

Special promotion this Saturday!

Get a FREE copy of my eBook, Doing Your First Deal, published in cooperation with the Real Estate Association of Puget Sound. This book was originally published a few years ago, as a compilation of the first fifteen articles I wrote for the REAPS monthly newsletter, as a series of instruction for the novice real estate investor.

This is a limited-time offer, only this Saturday. It is being offered in conjunction with the free investor training we are offering this Saturday for REAPS members, guests and novice investors.

Go to Amazon.com this weekend and search for Doing Your First Deal by Wendy Ceccherelli. This eBook may be downloaded to your Kindle, pc, iphone or ipad.

Happy Investing!

Bellingham Investor Training

I have been asked to facilitate the Bellingham satellite meeting for the Real Estate Investors Association of Puget Sound (REAPS) on Wednesday, March 23, 2016.

I would like to focus on "Doing Your First Deal," getting started in real estate investing for the novice investor. I have been meeting for coffee with some of the newbies coming to the REAPS orientation at our main meeting, and many of them simply do not know how to get started. They assume they start with wholesaling or bird dogging, but they don't even know where to begin.

I would like to make the class very interactive and participatory, getting attendees to open up about where they are in their real estate investing, and hurdles they are having getting started. For many of them, it is even deciding WHAT they want to do; for some, it is the idea of buying their first primary residence, or finding more affordable housing, or generating quick cash. Some want to know about getting or using their real estate license.

For others who know what to do, it is simply taking action. Some fear or belief is holding them back from taking that first step. Plus, real estate investing IS NOT EASY, and I would want to focus on the realities of perseverance through frustration and rejection.

The class would also focus on REAPS membership tools designed to help them move forward in their real estate investment efforts, and we would identify audience members who might be able to partner or participate on a new investor's real estate team.

I would be using a very interactive Q&A format, developing some specific questionnaires, and giving each participant an opportunity to identify their own next steps in the next 30 days, possibly with an accountability partner.

If you are new to real estate investing, you may attend your first REAPS meeting for free. For more information on registering for this specific meeting, please go to www.REAPSweb.com

Happy Investing!

Asking Questions

Many of the novice investors with whom I meet have fears around talking to Sellers. Especially if they are younger and used to communicating through email, texts and social media, rather than over the phone. Successful investors communicate over the phone or in person directly because these are the most effective form of communication. The novices are too new to know how to respond to questions they may get from Sellers. What do they say to them?

Most real estate investor gurus, like Ron LeGrand, provide a script for new investors that will help them get over this fear. It is better for new investors to follow a script by reading it out loud, rather than "winging it," until it becomes comfortable. If you do not make calls, you cannot succeed as an investor.

S/he who asks questions is in control. As the investor, YOU should be the one asking questions. I was reminded about this on a recent conference call between myself, my builder/equity partner, an equity firm in Chicago, and their investor in London. My equity partner jumped on the phone with a barrage of questions that became the framework for our entire discussion, and resulted in a $1.5 million decision by the investor.

Here are a few questions that help novice investors establish rapport with a Seller:
Tell me about this house. What did you like most about living here?

Determining motivation:
Why are you selling?
What is most important to you in a (sale, cash out, etc)?
What is important about that?
To make sure I understand, ultimately, what would (answer above) do for you?

(if they want cash out) What would you use the cash for? How would you invest it? (most sellers don't know) What kinds of returns would you expect there/after fees? What if I could offer you a better rate of return?

(If they want a retail price):
Why not list your house on the market? (listen for objections: I don't want to pay real estate commissions; the house is not in a condition to sell on the market; there is an elderly or sick person residing there; too many repairs, etc.)

If the Seller is not motivated, not in a hurry to sell, does not have a need driving his desire to sell, move on. There is no point in staying on the phone asking further questions. A simple "I don't think this will work for me. Thank you for your time," is a sufficient exit line.

Negotiating a price:
If I paid all cash and could close quickly, (avoiding the objections to listing as noted above) what is the best price/terms you could do?
Is that the best you can do?

Overcoming Objections:
Many novices perceive a question as an objection. But a question is simply a question, and nothing more. Respond to it factually and move on to your next question. An example might be:

Q: Are you planning to live in this house?
A: No, I typically buy houses as long-term rentals. Can you tell me what type of neighbors you have now? Renters or owners?


Closing Questions:
As Director of Expansion for another business, here are the questions I typically ask at the end of every presentation:

1. What did you like best, the product, the money or both?

2. Tell me more about that.

3. Do you want to make a little bit of money or a lot?

4. What for?

5. At your current job, how long will it take you to do (answer to #4 above)?

6. Where do you see yourself getting started, at the bottom slowly working towards your goal, or do you want to put yourself in the best position to allow you to accomplish your goals faster? 


By the time they answer these questions, they are ready to sign up.

Similar closing questions to a homeowner might be:
What if I could show you a way to have (motivation answers) by selling your house to me instead of listing it with a broker?

Would you be interested if I could show you a way to sell your house for more money?

I like to remind Sellers of the reasons why they NEED to sell (assuming this is not merely a WANT, and that there is real motivation), and why selling to me helps them achieve their goals and avoids the hassles they may encounter with listing their property for sale with a real estate broker. An investor needs to be asking the right questions to be able to prepare the right closing questions or statements.

And finally, I am not a proponent of making an offer on the spot, unless you are a very savvy and experienced investor. I like to "walk away" for a day or two to work up an offer, and preferably one that gives the Seller more than one option about how I could buy their house. So I usually end my meetings to a Seller with:
Let me play with my numbers and see if I can make this work. I will get back to you within the next day or two.

The good news, as with all things in life, is that practice makes perfect. Pick up the phone, and keep practicing! You will become better, more comfortable, and ultimately more successful as an investor, as you practice the art of asking questions.

Happy Investing!

 

Attention New Investors!

Here is the agenda for this Saturday's FREE orientation for new real estate investors, sponsored by the Real Estate Association of Puget Sound (REAPS):

REAPS ORIENTATION AGENDA

Saturday, October 11, 2014

10 am - 3 pm

Location:

Mercer Island Community Center

8236 SE 24th Street
Mercer Island, WA 98040

·        Doors Open/Social     10 – 10:15 am

·        Welcome (Wendy Ceccherelli)          10:15-10:30a

o   Introductions

·        REAPS Overview ( Angelique Tinney  )       10:30 –10:45a

o   --What is REAPS?

o   --History

o   --Non Profit Structure

o   --Board/officers/volunteer structure

o   --Relationship to NaREIA

o   --Opportunities for involvement/Partnership Program (Dawnya Ikerd)

·        REAPS Education (Sheila Lair )       10:45a – 10:55a

o   –Ethics

o   –Professionalism/PHP 

o   --Main meetings and satellite meetings

o   --Speakers/Education/

o   Newsletter (Missy Takahashi) 10:55-11a

·        BREAK 11:00a—11:15a

·        REAPS website (Wendy Ceccherelli)           11:15a – 11:30a

o   --Profile

o   --Membership Directory

o   --Message Boards/Rules of Use

·        Other Membership Benefits ( Wendy Ceccherelli) 11:30a – 11:45a

--Discounts/Specific Programs

o   --Library (Steve Kish) 11:45 -11:50a

·        Orientation Wrap Up/Evaluations/ Membership Incentives (Mike Sumsky) 11:50a - noon

·        Lunch Break/ Membership sign-ups (12:00p - 1p)

·        Wholesale Workshop (Mike Sumsky) 1-3 pm

o   -- Evaluation

o   --Q & A

Happy Investing!

Doing Your First Deal

If you have not already done so, you may pick up a FREE copy of my e-Book "Doing Your First Deal," targeted to novice real estate investors, this weekend. You may download it from Amazon, and do not need a Kindle reader. It may be downloaded to a tablet or to a pc computer.

It is FREE on Amazon.com this Saturday and Sunday only! Check it out!

Happy Investing!