All Forum Posts by: Mike Hill

Hey man, if you want to drop your email address I can send you a copy of my assignment agreement

@Maugno M. on a side note, if a wholesaler used that technique to bring you a house that could generate you some nice cash flow or allow you to flip it for $50k or whatever... I don't think you'd complain... 

Just my 2 cents... and if you didn't want it, there'd by a thousand others who did. 

Most of my buyers just want to get paid, they don't really care how the deals come about.  

Where did you read that? lol.... I'm confused

And that's where the forums get irritating... when people try and put words into your mouth. 

So let's not play that game....

I'm trying to provide help to someone asking for it. Not much interested in being a keyboard warrior

In any event for someone actually looking for answers, the point I was making was this.... If you come across a good deal, the money will be there for the closing from either your end buyer or in the form of transactional funding. 

While some proof of funds are a legit requirement (i.e. when dealing with short sales), many are more or less a screening technique employed by an agent or seller to know that you can close (which is fair). 

There are hard money lenders, or places online that will give you a proof of funds that's essentially like a pre-qualification letter for a hard money loan and will be acceptable to the agent and/or seller. This is at the sellers discretion (like I CLEARLY stated in my post to anyone who actually read it.. not all sellers will accept it and that's OK). If they don't have an issue with it... then it shouldnt be a problem. Some people think that's hustilin hard (with three d's)... I mean, I don't think so, but whatever floats your boat... nobody is forcing you to buy those deals. 

There are many buyers out there who don't have the time to scour for these deals and will happily compensate you in the form of a fee for your ability to get them these properties. It's a good strategy, particularly for beginners searching for solutions to problems. 

@Barbara Gardner Yikes!! I didn't even read every post in this thread, but ouch. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but there are some things here that I a vehemently disagree with... so let me try and give some clarity. There's a lot here so I'll try and just and hit you with bullet points:

1. If you want to wholesale, get advice from wholesalers who are actually wholesaling:) Crazy concept right!? But seriously, If you're getting advice from flippers, realtors, or keyboard "experts," they're likely to tell you how or why you CAN'T do something or maybe they dislike a method because it's negatively impacted them in the past. A reason we can get paid as wholesalers is because we can be creative and do deals that others think are impossible. That said, a lot of the ideas I'm about to present will most likely be met with cynicism. Again, while everyone is entitled to their beliefs, I can show proof of these concepts in action. I've used them successfully, continue to use them with consistency and they can be replicated. 

2. Congratulations on beginning this journey. There will be a lot of naysayers that will play on your fears and tell you that you can't do things. Learn to silence them and that voice in yourself quickly. I see you made a comment about not being a "real buyer." This is a mindset shift you need to make immediately. I say this from personal experience. Not having any money when I first started, I often suffered from "imposter syndrome," often feeling like I was somehow being dishonest of inauthentic when presenting offers... it caused a lot of paralysis on my end. Then I realized this.... a lot of my cash buyers (my list is over 12,000), do not have cash just sitting in the bank (some do, but not all). Rather, they are using hard money or private money to purchase deals from me. This is Rich Dad 101 - using OPM (other peoples money)... its a fundamental concept related to wealth creation. As long as they close, I don't really care where the money comes from. I realized that I was essentially doing the same thing... Offering to buy a house with cash if the property meets my standards during the inspection period. If the house is a good deal, you WILL have that money... either from the end buyer or in the form of transactional funding. Whether you buy the deal and resell it for a profit 5 years after closing, or 5 minutes after closing is irrelevant. This mental shift helped me to confidently make offers.

3. "You can't do deals on the MLS" - You can. I do these deals every month... so anyone who says you can't... is just wrong. True, the spreads on these deals are typically lower, and my best deals are direct deals that come from paid marketing....but, these deals are low hanging fruit and so I just grab them. They're also good for beginners who don't have a large marketing budget to get started. The MLS is merely a real estate marketplace.... don't make it more than that. With paid marketing you're typically looking for motivated sellers. While you can do that here, I typically look for physically distressed inventory (that typically won't qualify for a mortgage). You can go to a site like Zillow and set up automated keyword searches for terms indicative of distress. Words like: "TLC, mold, Chinese drywall, vacant, permits" etc. I made a video where I show an MLS deal I did from start to finish (making my offer to closing - the spread was about $17k.... who says it can't be done again?)

[When you do these deals, expect to make a LOT of offers, expect to get a LOT of no's, You MUST MUST MUST follow up often (pending deals fall through all the time) - most of the deals I get are NOT accepted the first time, but only after following up... sometimes for months, and realize that you only need one to hit. You can literally make 100 offers (seems like a lot but it isn't... do 20 a day and be done in a week) and even if you get 99 no's, you only need 1 yes to have a good month.]

3. Never, never, never disclose to any agent that you are not the end buyer. This is not going to be a very unpopular piece of advice, especially among the Realtors here, but it will tremendously affect your business. I could rant about this and the reasons why for a long time, but at the end of the day, just understand that your offers simply won't be accepted. Like I mentioned before, you ARE the buyer. Whether you resell 5 years after closing or 5 minutes after closing is irrelevant... just focus on closing. 

4. Do NOT use a buyers agent. A couple reasons for this (i.e. It isn't fair to make them do a lot of extra work for properties you aren't interested in) but here's the main one and it appeals to self interest: 

You need to make the offer directly to the listing agent.

Why? Because they will fight harder to push your deal through because it’s in their best interest. Here in FL the agent commission is 6%

So lets say I make an offer on 123 Main Street directly through the listing agent for $100,000:

The listing agent makes the full 6% - $6,000

Now let’s say John Doe comes along and makes an offer of $120,000. $20,000 higher! But he also brings in his own agent.

Now the listing agent has to split the commission. 6% of $120,000 = $7,200. That $7,200 needs to get split in half (3% each) so now each agent makes $3,600

The listing agent has kids to feed. Despite one offer being $20,000 higher, do you think she’ll push for the one that puts $6,000 or $3,600 in her pocket?

Yes, agents have a fiduciary responsibility to the seller.. but that does mean they don't show bias? Some do it consciously and aggressively... while others subconsciously and  passively. Some might make other prospective buyers jump through hoops and qualifying stages that you might be able to "avoid." Sometimes the seller is a bank or entity, and their profit isn't always top of mind. And that’s why you always work direct with the listing agent. Also, make it easy for them. Handle the paperwork when you can (I have a blog post on this for details).

5. Proof of Funds... The only real proof of funds is cash in the bank. But, if you don't have it... don't give up, work with what you've got. Investors on here will tell you you can't do deals without it. But that isn't true. Ignore the naysayers, they don't care about your pockets like that, and a lot of the info they give is because it has negatively impacted them at some point in the past... I sympathize, but you gotta focus on you. That said, there are plenty of places online where you can find free or paid POF letters. Are these great? No. Will they be rejected often? Yes. But like I said before, you're a beginner. Do what you have to do... take a lot of rejection and keep plowing through. That's the wonderful thing about you wholesaling, and why people say the first deal is the hardest. There's a relatively high barrier to entry because you have to work through logistical challenges in the beginning and a lot of rejection that most people can't handle (and so they quit). After your first few deals however, you'll have enough money for paid marketing. You'll have enough money to show a real bank statement for POF. You'll have money to outsource and so the business gets easier. Be grateful for this barrier to entry. If it were too easy, everyone would do it and it would fail to be profitable. So back to the POF, while it's imperfect and will get rejected often, remember, you don't need to be successful every time... just use it until it's accepted. I have two important videos on my youtube channel on POF's, I recommend watching them. That said I'll make the following points:

- Sometimes, the POF isn't requested by the seller OR isn't a contingency of the contract... it's more of a screener/filter. If you present yourself in a professional and authoritative manner (i.e. you're experienced and know what you're doing), you can often get the contract without submitting a POF. Also, push for the executed contract... once you have it signed, you're in contract... even if you haven't submitted the POF (more details in that video)

- Back in the day I used really ****** one-page POF's that just said someone would loan me some money - stuff I found online. Got rejected often, but I still did several deals with these (you can still use these terrible ones on Hubzu btw). Nowadays I recommend a site called getpof.com run by Keith Yackey. It's a paid letter, but isn't terribly expensive. I like this site because not only does it give you a proof of funds letter, but they also provide you with a verifiable bank statement. Does it work all the time.... no, but until you get where you need to be, use it and it will work some of the time

- I'm at a point in my career where I can produce my own statement for most deals I bid on. Prior to this however, I got a little creative and got a letter from a local hard money lender I met at a local REIA. I explained I was a wholesaler trying to get my hands on as many deals as I could. I agreed to send any buyers that needed funding to them (and they were reputable and offered competitive rates so I was comfortable doing so) to them in exchange for a letter with bank statement. I created a win/win situation that worked pretty well.

Keep pushing forward, don't quit and ignore the naysayers. Hit me up if I can help. I'm not on BP much but facebook or email works. 

Best of luck!

Mike 

@Gary Calver When you say "Get into real estate investing" what do you mean specifically? I would start there... get a little more specific about your goal. I'm a wholesaler so I'm clearly biased... but because you have limited funding and experience, that might be a good start for you. The buy and hold method might be out of your budget right now and rehabbing holds more risk, particularly at this time. Conversely, wholesaling is something that has very little risk involved.  

Now realize that when I (or anyone) mentions wholesaling as a good strategy for beginners, I can almost guarantee that the next 20 comments are going to be some form of naysayer telling you how hard it is or why you can't do it. While I've enjoyed the educational value here on BP, you're going to find that about 7 of every 10 posts are telling you why you can't do something, or why a certain strategy is dead, complaining about fake gurus, telling you something is "just reality," blah, blah blah on and on... take it with a grain of salt.

I'm not saying you need to spend money. In fact I agree that you can learn without it. In fact, in your position ($5k), I would NOT spend the money on a program at this time (on a side note however, the same person who would advise not to spend money on your RE education would encourage you to spend $100k on a college degree). FYI, I've spent well over $100k on my Duke University education and $10k on Real Estate Mentoring - I'll let you guess which investment I think was better in terms of ROI... but that's my personal experience and we can table that discussion for another day....

Point is, you look like a young dude with few financial responsibilities at the moment. IF anything, now is THE best time to explore your passions.... not when you have a mortgage payment, wife, and three kids. If you want to invest in Real estate , by all means, go for it. If you want to be a freelance writer, don't let a stranger on the Internet (no hate, I know he meant well), but who doesn't even know what your writing looks like tell you it isn't a "real job" and to go pursue a W-2 job. If you're gonna do it, just commit all the way until you can monetize it (They told JK Rowling the same thing right?). It's not the business itself... it's what you put into it. I have friends who waitress for like $6 an hour and those who waitress 6 months out of the year and clear $250k annually. 

Everyone who's ever been super successful at anything (including movie stars, celebrities, etc) were told by WAYYYY more people how unrealistic their vision was... until they did it. (Ask me how I know that?)

Also, while there is value in the experience of others here... some are not adapting to the times. Sure, there isn't the same amount of short sales on the market as 10 years ago... does that mean "getting into flipping" is delusional?? That's like saying, there are less people on myspace... social media marketing is delusional....

Is inventory less... sure... is it dry... far from it. You have people that get divorced, die, lose jobs, move, evict tenants and become motivated by different factors every single day. In addition, there are hundreds of thousands of deals on the MLS.

Oh the MLS.... I'm just waiting for these responses... :)

ANYTIME I've posted about deals that are on the MLS I get a TON of hate... it's amusing.

Fact is, the MLS is a marketplace for real estate transactions. If you don't think there are deals there, that in my opinion is delusional. If you visit my YouTube channel, the latest video shows you a recent deal I pulled from the MLS. It's completely transparent. You'll see how I found the property, how I made a profit, how I was happy, how the agent who collected 100% of the commission was happy, how the seller was happy (because we closed in as is condition in about 3 weeks) and how my end buyer was super happy.

Could my buyers find these deals themselves... sure. But a lot of my buyers are too busy to keep eyes on the MLS all day, or to make the calls, or to make the offer, or to negotiate the transaction,etc. When you do find a deal and lock it in for them, they're more than happy to pay you for it. If they net $50k on a deal... do you really think they care about the source??

I remember one of the contributors here spit venomous hate on one of the properties I posted here on BP a little less than a year ago. It was straight off the MLS. I was asking 85k for it. People laughed at me, people cursed me out, people said it wasn't worth 50k, people asked me to remove them from my buyers list. The specific gentleman in question was quick to point out my trash, MLS deal and "inflated comps." Nobody bought... so I kept it and paid $81k for it. I rehabbed the deal for $40k. That property sold for $210k... look It up.. the address is 824 NW 4th Avenue in Boynton Beach. Shout out to my haters.... love you guys :)

Point being... when you see things on forums telling you "How to do things" definitely check them out. When you see things telling you to be "cautious," check them out too.

When you see things telling you about what's not possible and what's realistic (ugh, hate that word).... for the most part, ignore them. Don't worry about other people, opinions, or even competition... worry about being the best you. Remember the 80/20 rule. You just need to dedicate to being in the top 20% of whatever it is you choose to do, so you can reap 80% of the profits.

Also, on the topic of inventory, and people saying FL is dry. Guess what that means? It means it's "dry" because buyers are buying everything they can. See some investors (particularly here) will only stick within the boundaries of "70% times ARV" which is what they've been taught. Now I know you're supposed to make your money on the buy and not speculation... I'm not suggesting that. But... based on the market situation and current demand here in FL, I've easily (and regularly) sold deals at 80% of ARV (been told my price is wayyy to high by the haters) and then had my end buyer make a nice profit.

Remember,

1. Although we lump buyers into one category, buyers buy for different reasons and therefore have very different criteria. Some buyers just want to make 20k, some buyers won’t touch anything where they make less than 50k. Look at these other examples:

Buyer A - using his own cash, wants to make a quick flip

Buyer B - Using hard money. Paying origination fees, application fees, 4 points, and 14% on the loan - he clearly NEEDS a MUCH larger spread than Buyer A

Buyer C - Buying for long term passive rental income

Buyer D - Likes an area, willing to pay more

Buyer E - Buying based on speculation

Buyer F - International buyer that just wants to park his/her money in secure US/FL real estate

etc…. all these people will buy at different prices

So it's not on me to decide that I can only look at deals that are 70% of ARV. Sometimes I get deals at 50%, sometimes 85% - I'm not twisting anyone's arm.... I'm putting potential deals out there and letting the market tell me what sells.... not people on a forum. 

Heck, I won't pay more than $30 for a wallet.... but people pay $100,000 for a Louis Vuitton bag, lol.... explain that to me. 

So now that my rant is over, (appreciate you if you made it this far) I want to give you some actionable items:

1. Sign up for all the Wholesaler's blasts in your market. Eventually you can probably do some JV deals with these people by helping them to advertise, or worst case, you just monitor and start to get a feel for the hot areas, zip codes and price points in your market that are moving quickly.

2. BREIA is a good club. Check out some of the others... DREIA (Dade), BIF (Broward Investor Forum), Distressed Real Estate Institute, etc... there are a bunch on meetup.com. Visit them all, you'll meet great people and learn a lot. One will probably resonate with you more than others...  pick that as a home base, where you're a regular. And remember, always look to serve and be of value to the people there rather than being a taker or someone who just tries to shove their business card in everyone's hand... that's not cool.

3. Take massive action. Contrary to what people on here say, wholesaling isn't hard per se. It does require discipline and consistency though. It's like losing weight. Is eating right (or in a caloric deficit) and working out "hard" or "complicated"- I don't think so... but a third of our country is obese. Not because there's a trick to it...it's actually quite simple. But because people have difficulty with focus, action and consistency, it can present a challenge for those who aren't fully committed to the process (as opposed to the result). Wholesaling will either cost you time or money (I don't believe in a "One strategy fits all") With $5k, I'd hold back on the paid marketing for a bit... try and do some JV deals with other wholesalers or check the MLS. You'll need to check it constantly and make a lot of phone calls. These deals are typically smaller in profit but you can do a lot of them in a short amount of time. Then, when you have some $$ together, you can invest it into your paid marketing.

Hmu if you have questions. I'm not on BP much but you can email me. Also, check out my YouTube channel. I have a bunch of case studies and "how to" videos on there. I try and keep it transparent so you can replicate. 

But if you only take one thing from this, you're young and have few responsibilities. Only you can and should tell you what's possible, realistic, what a "real" job is, and what you can or can't do. Now is the best time to explore. Wish you the absolute best of luck, 

Mike

If you're looking for just a generic wholesale contract and assignment contract (works in any state) - you can usually just google search them or shoot me an email and I will send them to you. 

Personally, I don't use these and prefer to use the Board of Realtor's state approved contract (known as the FARBAR here in FL). The generic contract works only with direct sellers who are highly motivated. I get deals from not only motivated sellers, but also REO's, Short Sales, Listed Rehabs etc... in those cases, the Real estate agent, Company, Asset Manager, Attorney or even a Savvy seller will want to see it on the state approved contract (if you submit the three page wholesale contract to a listing agent for example, they will often throw it in the trash and "blacklist" you for future deal consideration).

Not only will submitting your offer on this contract increase your offer acceptance conversion rate in most cases (and make you look more professional), but consider the contract more binding should you need to litigate (i.e. the seller tries not to honor your agreement and go with a higher offer). Also, the terms of the deal are more specific (contract specifically addresses occupancy status, leases, possessions, liens, violations, designates responsibilities and other contingencies). 

Now a disclaimer and word of caution for your personal knowledge.... 

I am wholesaler but I am NOT licensed (and choose never to be licensed). The state approved contracts are copyrighted forms that are to be used by active licensed Realtors only. Sure, you can find them on google, but if you use them without permission, you are technically breaking the law. 

That said, here in FL, we have a service called Altastar. For a fee of $129 per year, non-licensed individuals are able to lease and legally use these contracts, which is what I do.

I don't know about Maryland, but would encourage you to do your homework and see if a similar service exists in your state. 

Otherwise you basically have a few options (assuming you are not licensed):

1. Just use the simple wholesale contract (again this won't work on REO's and MLS listed deals)

2. Have an attorney prepare a contract for you that closely resembles the board approved version (again for deals with an agent involved they will still insist on using the approved forms)

3. If an agent is involved - Make the offer verbally and have the agent draft the paperwork (you need to carefully read over these contracts because you don’t know what terms and contingencies the agent may slip in there. One of my “rules” is to ALWAYS control the paperwork.)

4. Just use them anyway. This is 100% your decision and I can’t advise you to use something illegally. That said, while I do it the RIGHT way now, when I first started wholesaling, I used these contracts prior to leasing them... and I know a lot of investors that do the same. 

To me it’s similar to the FBI warning that comes up at the beginning of an NFL game (or movie or whatever). If you record the Super Bowl… it is illegal… you are breaking copyright law and can be penalized significantly. Does that mean people don’t do it??? 

Again, this is a decision you have to make at your discretion and talking to an attorney is recommended.

Best of luck, 

Mike

 Marcus, congrats on getting your first contract signed. It sounds like you indeed have a great deal on your hands. Based on your numbers, I'm confident that you can move this deal. One thing I've learned though is that the deal isn't done until the money is in the bank! Not to discourage you in any way... just to motivate b/c I saw a comment saying "Congrats on Your First Deal." - Not just Yet. 

I recommend shifting all of your efforts to selling this deal and go HARD and move with a sense of URGENCY.  

Obviously, sending to your buyers list is the first step.

Then, I recommend putting out bandit signs. Second to an established buyers list, I've had the most success selling properties the fastest by putting these up near the subject property. Put them up not only in the normal, high traffic places (corner of busy intersections, highway ramps, etc), but also put them up in nearby home depot/lowes parking lots (where rehabbers are likely to frequent). Also, you can put these up at the edge of shopping plazas - if you put it right on the edge of a lot, it's technically a private lot and code enforcement wont snatch it. 

Hit up meetup.com and search for local REIA's - some groups have the option to email the entire group

Check out gosection8.com and call landlords in that area

Search for other wholesalers in that area (find them through google and checking online classified sites) - call them, ask them to blast your property and be open to a JV split

Post online - Social Media, Facebook Ads, Craigslist, Backpage, etc... and here on the BP marketplace as well (worth the upgrade if you aren't a member).\

Best of luck , Bro. I am vicariously reliving my first deal through you (like another poster mentioned, we can feel the excitement). The first one is special... it's not just about the money but it shows you that this is real... opens up a new world of possibilities, kills skepticism,  and usually gets easier from here. Good luck!

@James Myrthil... Hey brother, I understand the struggle. Thing is, a lot of people on here have been either burned by ****** wholesalers or people who sold them ****** programs on wholesaling (and yes there are some bad programs out there). It has left a sour taste in the mouths of many (and perhaps rightfully so). I do think that as a result however, the overall attitude is disproportionately negative and like you said, there's often very vague information. 

I am a wholesaler. I love wholesaling. I've been in business for about five years and I am full time. No, I'm not a millionaire (but comfortable... work in progress) and nope not a guru either. In full transparency (because I can see the hate coming already, lol) yes, I do have students that I do JV deals with... but no, I'm not looking to make a sales pitch.

Having had similar frustrations I have a youtube channel where I try and be as detailed as I can about the wholesaling process while being as transparent as possible. Truth is, wholesaling isn't for everyone and it does take work (surprise, surprise.... particularly in the beginning).  

I've gotten a lot of positive feedback on the channel and think you might find the info beneficial. And again no, this isn't 100% altrustic... but like I said, not selling either. I figure some people will just watch and realize it's not for them... cool. Some people will learn and do some deals on their own... cool too (I believe in paying it forward and universal Karma), some will want to know more and buy training... cool... and others will bring me deals that we can JV on... coolest :)

So anyway, I know BP isn't huge on promoting URL's and stuff like that but shoot me a message here or on FB and I'll send you some info. Maybe you'll find it's for you, maybe not... but at least you'll have some clarity. 

Good luck

A few things:

1. When dealing with individual sellers, the most important thing is their motivation. 

Comps, price, repairs… all of that stuff is secondary.

At first, remember that almost every seller is way too high when setting an asking price or estimating the worth of their property… no need to worry there. Only by understanding why they need to sell, will you know if there’s a deal or not.

Here’s an example that might make sense to you (or might not make any sense at all, lol, but worth a shot). I grew up a total video game nerd. I don’t get to play often, but when I do, I love it (Right now… Destiny and Mortal Kombat X)

As a kid, games cost about $50… a lot of money back then (at least to teenage-me). If I paid $50 for a game and beat it in two days and took it back to the store, they would purchase it back for around $3 to $5… then resell it for $45!

Who in their right mind would sell back at that price!? Especially knowing what the store would make. I knew it wasn’t a great deal… I expected at least $40 back for my barely used game... but it was convenient… also, maybe I wanted some money towards the next best game, maybe I just knew I would’t play that game anymore… maybe there was something else I really wanted to buy asap and needed any additional money I could get....

Perhaps that’s a terrible analogy… but my point is, you’d be surprised how low people will go, regardless of what their initial asking price may be. Look at the Pawn shop industry… same thing. People go in asking for and expecting $100 for an item, but if they're are desperate, they leave with $10 or $20... And the business model thrives.

Talk to the seller… maybe you can help them, maybe not. Remember, it HAS TO BE WIN/ WIN. If money is their primary motivation, it's not a deal

Which leads me to my second point, that a lot of people get wrong.

2. A lot of people tend to try and make the seller take a low offer. If the seller isn’t motivated, they wont take a very low offer… and you have to be ok with that. Never get too attached to any one deal.  The idea is NOT to MAKE a deal into a wholesale deal… it’s to understand that deals already exist, but they're hiding and you have to find them. Subtle difference there but important to survive in this business. You have to make a lot of inquiries and offers to determine which ones are deals, and let the others fall away. The analogy is akin to digging for gold. You don’t try to turn the rock and soil into gold. Rather, the gold is already there, but you need to dig in a lot of spots and sift through a lot of stuff that isn't gold. You find more of what you don’t want than what you do want and it can be frustrating…. but you keep sifting (searching, probing, asking, making offers, etc). When you do find that gold nugget, it makes all the dirt you had to go through well worth the effort. Hopefully that makes sense.

3. Send me an email or direct message, I can help you out with some buyers in the area

Good luck. Worse case, enjoy the learning experience and move to the next one as fast as you can. 

1. TAKE ACTION. Yes, you should always be learning.. BP is a great resource (as are podcasts, books, etc)... but don't wait to "know" before you decide to "do." It's very easy to get caught up in information overload or analysis paralysis. The fact that you know what wholesaling even is and you're on BP tells me that you have enough to get started.. you'll learn as you go.

2. Attend your local REIA - can't stress the importance here. You will learn a ton, meet people that you can do deals with (i.e. buyers), form your "power" team (attorney's, Realtors, Title company, private lenders, etc), and most importantly immerse yourself in the RE world, build your social capital, be inspired, and rewire your brain for success in real estate.

3. Pick one initial strategy to focus on exclusively (at least in the beginning.. and given that you have a full time job), and focus on it CONSISTENTLY. You need to stick with it and form routines that make it habitual. This could be making 10 phone calls on REO's per day, or putting out 30 bandit signs a day on Thursday - Sunday.

Most people ask me for THE BEST strategy, and when one doesn't work, they switch a week later. When sending direct mail for example, I send to the same list each month for about 8 months. Most of my results do not come until at least the 4th or 5th month. To the contrary, most people send once, and then claim it does not work. 

I've said on the forum before... it's analogous to fitness in two ways:

1. Many people look for THE BEST "diet," and when they don't see results after a week or two or three, they become Internet junkies and switch from the low-fat diet to the low-carb diet, to paleo, to ketogenic, to vegan... and ultimately get frustrated and give up. Whereas, they don't necessarily need THE BEST diet, they just need to do some initial research, then choose and stick with one for at least 8 weeks or so, AND THEN reassess and make adjustments as necessary

2. Consistency... who will make more results in a gym... the person who lifts weights for 5 hours, 10 random times... or the person who only has 10 minutes a day but goes for a 10 minute jog, every single day, 7 days a week for six months?

Analogies are not perfect but hope you get the idea. Good luck and remember... action is more important than anything else. Take the leap of faith and I promise you can figure it out along the way.