All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

It takes practice. When I started out cold calling sometimes I would stutter or get flabbergasted (or whatever) and be completely overwhelmed on the phone. A lot of it due to nervousness. This is especially the case when you are leaving a voicemail and you have pressure to get it right the first time around.

But when I am talking to someone and I get a moment of being overwhelmed, I usually say "Sorry can you hold on I have so many things on my desk at the moment." But don't take anymore than 5 seconds of nothingness on the phone!! But with 5 seconds you should be able to collect your thought and your plan and get back in the conversation.

This trick has saved me many times in cold calls and has gained me business for sure. Just those few seconds are critical, but don't want too long otherwise it will really seem like you have no interest in the call.

I always add extra for plumbing in particular. Where I work many basements flood. Sometimes a whole rework of the basement plumbing is the only way to fix it. In a recent case, I had a plumbing problem that the village has no intention of helping me with. Just to find the problem is going to be my responsibility. I considered this would happen before I purchased the property and its a good thing.

I have an iPad I love it!!! Even though I preordered it, I still had to wait in line at the downtown Chicago Apple Store for about 45 minutes (I thought I could just run in so I parked in front of a church and put up my flashers chicago style). Overall its not so much a game changer as it is a good tool and moreover, an amazing piece of technology of the future - the first of its kind. I did not get the 3G version because I really have no intention of taking it out of my house. Especially the neighborhoods that I frequent for real estate work, I wouldn't dream of bringing out the iPad. I have it at home or I bring it to my office and I use it to read the news and surf the web, watch movies. Its not really good for "working" because the typing is not that good, but its great for surfing the web. And yes, at least the Northern Illinois MLS looks great. MRED has put a lot of effort into making all MLS related stuff iPhone, Android and iPad friendly. Good Reader is a good app for reading books or pdfs that you ahve downloaded. I sync my computer with the iPad with Dropbox (I also use it to hook up with my office computer). Dropbox is an amazing web-storage program also.

The game changer is that Apple has always been the trendsetter and the seeker of new market segments. Apple literally creates markets for themselves - for example the graphical user interface, the single form computer iMac, the iPod, the iPhone, etc. In all of these markets, Apple has either created a new market, or significantly expanded the market. For example with the iPod, sure there were huge music storage devices like I think there was one by Soundblaster it was blue colored kindof looked like a portable CD player... at the time everyone was still listening to CDs, and then with the iPod they expoloded the personal digital music market with the easy user interface, the chic form, and jazzy marketing. That led to smartphones - sure there were phones like the Blackberry that did your email, but that was really marketed towards Wall Street and business and not really to the masses. The iPhone was really the first phone that did "everything." The entire package was there - the interface, the apps, the marketing...

I believe that the iPad is a trend setter in that way. In 10 years, I bet 40% of all computers sold will be like this. Its like Star Trek. They might as well use iPads on the Star Trek set for perfect product placement. This has opened up a new market for computer manufacturers. There will be lots of very excellent copies, eventually we will have full fledged computers on an iPad form. Maybe not by Apple, but perhaps within 2 years or so, someone else will create a full Windows computer that is in the form of an iPad. Its only a matter of time. This is the game changer, the creation of a new market. Without the iPad manufacturers would have never known consumers would enjoy such expensive and extravagant personal technology, and have the prerogative to create them. Now they see the money is there and they will compete with Apple, and create incredible products (maybe the typing will improve and it will in fact be practical for work).

You have to admit that Apple, is in the business of setting the trend. They are kings! They are like the Gucci of the computer world - everything they create becomes what is the norm in a few years.

OK I wrote this but its a bit long sorry....

I created my own website with a content managment system. I used a web-based program called Drupal to develop our company's own website that allows users (tenants) to log in and view their account info (leases, rents paid, etc). Drupal is free and open source which is why I love it. There is little to no programming at all. I have not done a single piece of html editing using Drupal (except when it pertains to the site's appearance rarely) and do not know the programming code (PHP). I know my websites would be super awesome (like Bigger Pockets) if I knew PHP and could build custom websites...but I can't and thats where Drupal comes in.

I developed the website it so that staff and users can log in and see the same information but in a different format. For example, I have my secretary scan all rent checks as they are received, and then log into the website, create a new receipt and include a PDF of the check there. The tenant will then be able to log on and see the receipt, as well as a list of all rent paid and when, as well as a scanned check. I have incorporated many other features as well, such as a "Support Ticket" where tenants can send things like maintenance requests and other questions, and even a section that are costs. When something needs to be paid for, whether it is on a recurring basis or not, me or my secretary will input a debit and note which property. This way the website is also an accounting program. Its really useful when consolidating my quickbooks.

With Drupal, the great thing is if you have the time and the aptitude you can create a freaking awesome website for free.

There are modules that are downloadable and can expand your website. For example if you want forums, you can install the "forums" module. Again these modules are all free. The best thing about Drupal is that there are modules that allow you to create a full database system for your company, and develop pages that can view the information in a very specific way, for different types of users. This is CCK and Views if those of you are looking.

I opened an account with Buildium and tried to model my site after theirs. But the best thing was I was able to tweak it for my specific requirements.

It took me about a month after hours to build the site, a total of about 40 hours... I know some computer programmers online would charge like 4000 for a similar custom website (but they're just outsourcing their work to India anyways).

the tenants love it, my staff love it, i can see everything thats going on. Its easy enough for me to tweak from any computer. It looks professional. To a programmer it may be the CMS for the lay and the masses but I have accomplished loads through the website and I highly recommend Drupal. What I am saying is... you should try to build your own "Buildium" on your own website.

check it out:
http://www.drupal.org

Hi dude,
I think that you gotta do what you gotta do to find out if its a good buy our not. The bank will probably go out of its way not to help you. Banks don't really care. Our company here in Chicago bought a building that had a kerosene gas tank in it as well. Unlike yours, it was a small one in a room on the basement. However, most banks will not underwrite a loan with a gas tank because of precisely the environmental risk involved with the property. Most loans would not go through and either must have environmental cleanup contingency in the contract (where you would have to pay for an inspection and clean up anyways), or use cash. I would get yours inspected by a local environmental engineer or whatever they're called (gas tank or fuel tank specialists?). If you aren't willing to pay to find out whats going on, then maybe you should pass onto the next property. I would rather pay to find out I was about to buy a lemon than to outright buy a lemon, if you know what I mean.

Hi there... I have a rental that is in a fancy area in Chicago and we do have nicer floors and other fixtures such as granite (quartz is really hot these days). These are 2 bedrooms that are currently rented for $2400/mo.

Our granite however was pretty cheap, and our floors were prefinished hardwood cherry for 1.5/sq ft. Check out Lumber Liquidators. They have a retail location here and I would go in every few weeks and ask what is on clearance sale and whether they've got 4000 sq ft of it, and after a while they joked that they stopped believing that I would buy anything (but eventually I did buy something and everyone had a good laugh over that one). I've usually gone here since then for my flooring needs (not because of our rapport but because of their decent prices). Their bamboo, which is what I use in some of my cheaper rentals, is actually my personal preference and is very durable. In Asia, buildings are actually built with bamboo tied together as the scaffolding, since it is extremely flexible and strong.

The reason we decided to do higher end finishings was because we bought the 3 flat at a bank sale but it is in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Chicago, so naturally as a long term rental a higher end rehab made sense. Since the crash, Chicago has a glut of condos with the stainless steel and fancy finishings, and with investors and developers unable to sell, they've decided to rent. This has pushed rents down (along with people losing their jobs and stuff), and has forced landlords here to compete with more vigor.

I have lots of buyers from Hong Kong, China, and Singapore snatching up bank owned properties here in Chicago. 2 sales of this nature closed last week.

I wrote something here but I didn't read the thread clearly... nevermind.....

I see... I am not really into paid mentors or bootcamps, though I was willing to bite the hook. My website, if programmed by a developer would easily cost in the 15,000-20,000 range, though I'm cheap and use Drupal for free (major investment of my time). I have been interested in the concept of "internet real estate" and in a lot of ways this virtual reality is extremely profitable since startup costs can be very low compared to what you are selling on the site. - Josh, I just clicked a few ads for you.

V

Since you mentioned it, where can I get more information about your RE Forums Bootcamp?