All Forum Posts by: Robb Terranova

Successful real estate investing is extremely difficult work. There is a steep learning curve and a constant barrage of unexpected turns and twists in the road.

Finding and closing good deals is difficult, managing renovations is difficult, and marketing property is difficult. If you make mistakes during any of these steps, you might end up losing a lot of money because the risk is high.

Folks who criticize the industry are often naive, and believe it's easy to "rip people off" because all they ever see is the guru hype commercials that make it seem like a slam dunk. If they ever tried it themselves, they might be impressed.

Maybe "a day in the life" journal of your business might be the reality check your Dad needs to understand how hard won the profits are.

Ah, now that I have you under my power I can sell you my system! :mrgreen:

Unbelievable but true, I have split tested ads using these and they get better response...

And they work in despite the fact we know they're using them on us. They teach you the top 100 "power words" when you study advertising, so I wrote an ad using all of them. Don't you want this FREE product??

"Now, the easy, simple way to solve your financial problems free! This new, no risk, no cost method is guaranteed fast, proven and secure.

Yes, you can save money with this important, limited offer and you’ll love the results! Discover this dramatic new secret finally revealed and seize the opportunity to create stunning profits almost immediately! As seen on “Today,†get the shocking proof that experts who have taken advantage of this goldmine are talking about. Finally, eliminate frightening financial problems forever!

This offer expires soon, so grab your chance to take advantage of this money-making solution! This is not one of those scary scams – it’s based on a crafty trend recommended by experts to instantly create a jump in personal wealth.

See your profits explode by getting an exclusive glimpse into the latest key study with astonishing facts that can suddenly change your financial world forever! Learn the revolutionary information that big industry leaders know risk free! The report outlining this method is complimentary and it works! At last, information you can see and touch for actually becoming rich!

This is not a bargain, this is not a discount where you can save up to 20% off, this is not a sample of the latest information, but a roadmap to wealth that is shaking up the financial world. Now, an effortless answer to more huge profits that you’ve ever imagined. At last, you can obtain all of your favorite luxuries, live the sexy life, be the envy of your friends and family in a flash! Warning, other offers don’t compare, there’s no exact match and our system works almost instantly.

As an amazing complimentary bonus, you get our improved critical financial safety report– hurry to receive the complete update. Finally, more wealth than you ever dreamed possible! There’s never been a better reason for action – act now!"

Wow, this thread has everything that makes BP great: good question to begin with, some hillarious answers and then actual information.

Mike, hot cash flow areas are of great interest to me also so thanks for generating the discussion. I would be willing to listen to advice - you probably have some techniques for remote management that would benefit other out of state investors.

MikeOH you are hysterically funny, period, and hopefully everyone can take your response the way I think it was intended - to keep us in the real world.

Meanwhile, thanks to everyone who responded with locations to research - I've been scouring the BP forums every day for just this type of info.

Atlanta investment property prices are about back to where they were when I first started investing fifteen years ago. Investment for appreciation yes, for cash flow, still getting there...

Kirk - We use the internet in the process of marketing our rentals. We direct genuinely interested ad respondents to the property site where they can view additional information and photos. We include a downloadable application PDF in the property profile, and a PayPal button for the application fee. We do not process the signed, faxed/emailed application until the fee has been received.

I am increasing my use of Twitter, and measuring the impact on traffic to my site. I find it's most useful when you follow/are followed by people with a targeted interest like real estate investing. If you want to follow me, my ID is robbterranova, and I will follow you back.

Really well stated, Chris. Another critical "C" in REI is common sense...

I am just looking forward to the 180 degree difference between doing business in a buyer's market that thinks property is appreciating vs. depreciating.

For some statistical perspective on the "Great Recession" vs. the "Great Depression" CNN did a side by side comparison:

http://money.cnn.com/news/storysupplement/economy/recession_depression/

I’m with Jon on doing the PM yourself. You may be trusting the theoretical science of property management a little too much in counting on these professional service providers to perform as expected. Frankly, it would be great if you could really hire someone to do it the way you have in your head.

I’m sure there are good PM’s out there, but I, and many of my colleagues, have had some frustrating experiences with our property managers' inattention to our properties, turnover delays and excuses about the bad rental market, general sloppiness with paperwork, and alienating our existing tenants.

Like anything else, nobody is going to care for your properties like you will, and learning good property management techniques is a fundamental part of real estate investing. It’s a steep learning curve, and there’s no time like the
present to get started...