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All Forum Posts by: Marcel Umphery

Marcel Umphery has started 2 posts and replied 21 times.

Post: Newbie Investing in Northern VA

Marcel UmpheryPosted
  • Real Estate Coach
  • Baltimore, MD
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 16

Grace I'm in your marketplace our offices are in Baltimore the NOVA market is very competitive and I highly recommend you focus on the deals no one else knows about. I think it is prime for sub-2 and even wholesale if at the right price. I partner up with investors all the time.

Post: yellow letter marketing

Marcel UmpheryPosted
  • Real Estate Coach
  • Baltimore, MD
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 16

Kevin did you close a deal using it yet? We have and we have made a lot more then we spent on the marketing. Also how long is the letter and are you using a P.S.

One of the things that we use are The Simpson stamps upside down, invitation envelopes (bright colors and not sealing them)

Post: How Many Leads to Get to ONE DEAL?

Marcel UmpheryPosted
  • Real Estate Coach
  • Baltimore, MD
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 16

Robert this can vary it also depends on the type of marketing your doing. Online or off line. For instance you could easily find a great deal on Craigslist that another Wholesaler has to partner up on or buy if the don't have a buyer. Every market place is different in Baltimore every 5 to 8 leads that come in are doable weather a wholesale, sub-2 or short sale. One thing you have to factor in is we have over 40K vacant houses here.

Post: 23 and just starting out

Marcel UmpheryPosted
  • Real Estate Coach
  • Baltimore, MD
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 16

Mark congrats on taking the leap into the real estate industry continue to take action on the education you are getting and continue to build relationship with other seasoned investor's. I'm 30 and started out when I was 21 I LOVE this business.

Post: Successful Craigslist Ads

Marcel UmpheryPosted
  • Real Estate Coach
  • Baltimore, MD
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 16

I actually had a lot of success using one of Steph Davis's Subject Line Ideas with a slight tweak for my marketplace "Roach Infested House Really Cheap Must Go!" Baltimore, MD is know for the Rat problem "RAT Infested" We received a ton of interest when we added this to our marketing arsenal.

Post: When I fell in Love with Wholesaling

Marcel UmpheryPosted
  • Real Estate Coach
  • Baltimore, MD
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 16

I remember it like yesterday young, green and hungry, full of excitement and enthusiasm. It was your typical Thursday night at a local REIA meeting in Baltimore, MD about 8 years ago to be exact. The thing was I had never even heard of wholesaling I did not know it existed being your typical newbie the only niches I had heard of and were being glamorized during that time were rehabbing, buying foreclosures, auctions and short sales. These were niches that scared and intimidated the heck out of me they all required some level of experience and up front money needed; not to mention you needed to know how to speak the investor language to even play in those arenas. Sitting in the back row at this particular meeting with another young real estate entrepreneur Tony who happened to be from Chicago, IL we both were bored to death with the presenter that night and started talking about our future careers in the real estate business. The funny thing was we both never closed a deal before but owned a few manuals that we bought with our last dimes. Tony had explained to me that he had recently bought a manual on Wholesaling for Quick Cash but he wasn't really pleased with the amount of money you could make 3,000 to $10,000 dollars a deal the book explained he wanted to make 30,000 to $50,000 a deal doing short sales. Now at that particular time I had in my possession a Short Sale manual that I had recently purchased at a live event where I was sold on how easy it was to make 50K on just one deal; a guy in the crowd that day even stood up and said I just made 500k in the last eight months with that Guru's manual little did I know he was a plant. When I got home it was like reading a foreign language I had know idea how to apply the terminology and strategies in the manual. I was totally disgusted with the investment I had made.

I came up with a GENIUS idea that night I told Tony we should swap the manuals since with both were dissatisfied with our purchases I had no intentions in putting together any short sales any time soon and 3 to 10k did not motivate him. It was a match made in heaven. We decided we were going to meet up at the next local real estate event and exchange manuals. It was about a week until the next meeting I was on edge those 5 to 6 days on google researching wholesaling it was like love at first site. I came across so many forums talking about how it's the best way to start if your a newbie in the business there is no risk, no money and no experience needed I thought that was SO SEXY! I called Tony like 4 times that week to make sure he was coming to the next meeting. That meeting finally happened I did not even go into the meeting that night I meet Tony in the parking lot before and we swapped manuals and I speed straight home reading every single page I did not put that book down literally until I had read every single page. I never saw Tony again. Me and that manual were inseparable I took it everywhere I went class, the barbershop everywhere referencing it whenever I was unsure of something and constantly reading and highlighting what I thought were important points. I could not wait to get it on and popping with my first deal.

A few weeks after reading the manual I landed my first deal 12 properties with no money, no credit and I had no experience what so ever. I ended up finding a buyer to purchase these properties and I ended up netting $34k on my first deal. I wasn't a wholesale deal virgin anymore! I always wondered if Tony ever closed any of those 30 to $50k deals......................

Post: how to find property value

Marcel UmpheryPosted
  • Real Estate Coach
  • Baltimore, MD
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 16

Baran I would recommend using homegain.com or remax.com these sites give pretty accurate numbers.

Post: 100 Bandit Signs out...Not oooone call.

Marcel UmpheryPosted
  • Real Estate Coach
  • Baltimore, MD
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 16

I would recommend that you switch up your Bandit sign marketing style. We are having a ton of success with our 18x24 hand written signs. The only thing you have on your sign is WE BUY HOUSES and a #. You need to add a USP(Unique selling proposition and CTA(Call to Action) Like Any Area Any Condition/Call Now then the number. Buy some blank bandit signs. If you need some go to www.fellers.com also if you put out 100 all at once that is very hard to track I recommend 25 a week 100 month very easy to track so if someone is taking down your signs you know exactly where they were and if another wholesaler or investor's went up that's most likely your guy!

Post: What was the most inspiring book you've read?

Marcel UmpheryPosted
  • Real Estate Coach
  • Baltimore, MD
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 16

I would have to say it was "The Pursuit of Happyness". This is actually the book that inspired the movie with Will Smith. The movie was only a few chapters of it. Very inspirational. If you liked the movie than you will love the book even more.

Post: Looking for a good direct mail letter

Marcel UmpheryPosted
  • Real Estate Coach
  • Baltimore, MD
  • Posts 29
  • Votes 16

Mark I have been using yellow letters with red ink in invitation style envelopes with up side down or crooked stamps on them. You have to think most people are getting bills every month. An invitation envelope in the mail will stand out of all that clutter.