All Forum Posts by: Jerryll Noorden

All, I am not sure if I will be yelled at starting this spin-off topic to my other "how do I just start topic (https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/253794-how-do-i-just-start). I will remove this if I have any complaints.

The reason I am starting this one is because the whole point of making the  How to just start topic was for other newbies to follow along on how to just start as I was having the HARDEST time with it.

The other topic just got too cluttered with advice which of course I am VERY thankful for. But one would now need to read a 3 page long history of my voyage to figure out the steps I took. Pleasedirect feedback to this post here:

https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/253...

So I wil devote this thread to  no BS step by step how I did it(doing it).

My disclaimer will be. 

I am by NO means an expert, infact I am most likely the one person on this forum that knows the LEAST amount of real estate (hence all my begging for help).

Secondly, this is how I did it. If I made a wrong step somewhere I believe you. However this is what I did, period.

OK so here is how I am doing it.

I ask you not to reply to this post. I encourage you though to reply about this post in my original post, (https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/253794-how-do-i-just-start) as I would lie to keep this clean short, straight to the point, step by step recipe NOT from the perspective of an already successful investor like you all, but from the eyes of a newbie that is at ground 0!

Here is my recipe of how to JUST START!! (I am not live yet, but I am getting there)

1) First. I bought 500 dollars worth of education. "Cody Sperber" and Josh Altman clever investor make your first million in real estate. This package included all the contracts, secrets (that everyone knows about I am sure), methods tricks strategies, you name it. SOme of the things they say and methods  are VERY questionable, however, 80% of material is very useful to know. You just need to use your common sense to label the bulshit as ********.

2) I studied, watched videos, educated myself, obsessed about it.

3) I created business cards

4) I bought Clever investor's  M5 marketing system. Which includes (ugly) website funnels, CRM, and some other useful tools to organize incoming leads. (not I am not yet live)

5) sought out a Real estate agent willing to work with me. Seemed promising, but after the break I never heard from her again. She is a very busy and successful REA, and she promised to get me in touch with her cash buyers and with someone that could mentor me. I sincerely think she is just really busy and it is not like I can offer them much value so I am not holding it against her. I am sure if I email her again she will do a lot of effort for me. She is that kind.

6) Created a website. Actually I am about to finish this. I am very proud of it, but I may be biased as I made it. And this is where I am thus far. I got into some severe obstacles and this has caused me to sow down, but I am back on track. The 9K a month job I had is no more (was contractor, project got scrapped). I got offers but it is either Real estate full time and make it, or take the job and do it part time. So I decided to take 1 month break and launch this FULL ON and see if I can make 1 deal this month. If I make a deal I will say goodbye to working for the man.

7) this is what my next step will be: Finish this website by tomorrow. Then make the website LIVE! Yeah baby!

8) Take my contracts and go to an attorney and make sure I have an escape claus (I will start with wholesaling). I would like to make at least 1 deal / week.

9) For a one deal / week I would need a ton of marketing and writing offers. So after contracts, I will dump about 2K into direct (targeted) mail cards, SEO for my website, 

10) Once I have sent out the marketing to me this means I did it. I started, I am live, and my company exists. 

New ones, this is what I have noticed.

I was always getting stuck because I felt like I didn't know enough to get started. And I still don't. What if I go live and I DO get a phone call and they ask me about what about my liens that are deductible from my probate in article 45 section d, and what if the mouse in the corner pre foreclosures me into deduction? It is all chinese to me. But like a wise person said somewhere. you do not need to see the entire staircase in order to take the first step. All you need to see is that first step.

Easier said than done I know. But the hardest thing and most important thing to do is force yourself to take that first step. I am going live soon. Do I know anything about those more weird methods, for wholesaling? hell no. But there is too much to learn about. I will never start that way. So I know when people say "just do it man" is completely useless because you would have done it already.. so I will not say just go and do it.

I will say, .. see the list above? The numbered one? Do that. Don't look at the following step (step 2)... just do step 1. When that is done, then figure out how to do step 2. Chances are by the time you are done with step 1, you already know how to do step 2 ,3 and 4. That is the trick. That is the secret!

This is how I did it, and I do not see why it wouldnt work.  I will update this as I progress. 

Everyone I would love your input and feed back. Feel free to write it here:

https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/253...

Hello everyone.

I have not given an update on my efforts.

My situation has changed drastically, and now I am basically forced to step up and do this.

So I would like to continue this effort with your guidance and commentary.

My plan now is to finish my website. Before I go life with it I would like to familiarize myself with all the contracts and paper work and thus I will schedule an appointment with an attorney.

This should be all set and done this coming week. THen I will actively try to generate leads.

I was hoping in case I do get a lead I can ask you all for  how to's as there is still a alot I do not know (i.e. how to deal with owing back taxes, liens on property, behind on mortgage).

One of my fears is that on my website of course I have listed to call me if you have questions. But if someone asks me questions I have no idea if I can answer them. I am trying to do some reading and more education, but the main problem is.. I do not know what I don't know.

There is where I am now.

THank you very much.

See it this way. If you successfully generate one lead that goes through, it would have been worth it to market in Spanish.

I have ZERO experience in this game yet. But I am trying my hardest to get started. I am now finishing up my website. And I am translating the entire thing in to a spanish version as well. I am putting a lot of effort into this so  to me of course it is very worth it.

Indeed.

Thank you. I will do that.

I saw the video. It is amazing how you two pulled that one off.  I need to do research on this. I am familiar with Florida. Here in CT it gets a bit intimidating with all the taxes they throw at you. I really need to look into this.

All, what is your best marketing techniques that work for you?

Willing to share?

I am thinking about investing in direct mail.

Also what exactly does one do, driving for dollars?

Can some of you tell us in detail how you do it?

Example..

From going to zillow, scouting for neighborhoods, to driving there?

What makes you choose a certain neighborhood, and once there, how do you navigate, what makes you turn left on this intersection and not right?

What are you looking for and what are you hoping to find?

And once you find it, what do you do? knock? take pics,  go home and do research before you contact owner?

Thank you!

NEXT TASK:

For all the newbies stuck like I am, following along... here is what I will do next based on the messages I received from BP experts.

I will consciously set a time schedule and try to keep it, and make it more like a regular job. From 3 to 6 I will:

• Company admin work. 
• Setting up websites, 
• Forming an LLC,
• Plan routes to drive for driving for dollars. 
• Design bandit signs, 
• Do divorce and foreclosure research. What ever it takes to find sellers.

From about 7 to 10,

• I will do needed education and online research, and prepare maps and routs for next day's driving tasks.
• Learn how to estimate rehabs.
• Call rent post on CL and ask them if they would like to sell their house.
  
• Call FSBO on CL, Zillow, exc. and talk to them
  

Weekend:

• Drive for dollars
• stalk desired neighborhoods after some zillow research, and get out in the field
  
• Post bandit signs.
• Work on my website(s)
• Apply other marketing methods to find sellers and deals. (everyone please share your methods and feel free to say which ones worked for you and which ones didn't. Someone said they had horrible luck with direct mail. I was about to invest money in this. Would love to know why it didn't work.
• Go to REIAs and talk with everyone.
  

thanks to Curt and Chance!

The following response deserves a separate post.

Thank you for such an informative reply. It is obvious you all really do care about others success here!

1. Sleep less, do more- If you want to change your position then you are going to have to sacrifice something now to cause change later. If you cut your sleep to 7hrs a night then you could have one extra hour a day to work on real estate. If you worked 5hrs a day on the weekend you would have 15hrs of action a week concentrated on real estate. How much time are you working on it now?

1)"Working on it" I am working on it when ever I do not sleep, shower, or work. But thus far it has been watching videos, trying to set up a website and generally educating my self. Just this week did I step out and did something concrete.. have a meeting with a real estate agent. I am not going to work at 6 AM and leave by 3PM so this gives me a full day to now do other "real" things like drive for dollars. (Will write more about this in my next post).

2. Get on CL and CALL every for rent post on there and ask them if they would like to sell there house. ( get used to hearing no).

See next post

The rest of the points will be addressed in my next post.

Everyone.

Thank you very much for all the help!!

As promised I will continue this post with the steps I will take and identify my next task. SO newbies can also follow along with me, if I ever make it big :/

OK so from the advise received, this is what I will do now.

@Steve Vaughan

Interesting that now you converged more towards wholesaling. It is so od that only wholesaling has such a diverse response. Some say absolutely do not do wholesaling. Hard, too much work etc. etc.

Others say, it is the best way to gain capital "fast" (which is what I want to do now).

I thank you for sharing your beginnings. I will research it and see if it is something that I can learn from.

@Curt Smith

A fellow Engineer. Good to know that our backgrounds match. Interesting to know how you "made it" 

OK so you are saying getting a mentor (even paid) is well worth it. Can you tell me how so? What aspects? Is it so they show you how to find deals? How to see a deal through till the end? If so, what is the difference between online vids and education? (Other than the obvious that there is a life person next to you. I am asking because I now spent almose 1K on education. Know that money spent to get started is absolutely worth it to me. I am not against it.

 Steven,

I didn't quite follow the sentence "for $2000 or less".

What do you mean?