Real Estate Investors Association of Greater Cincinnati

I got into the real estate investing business to have more free time for myself and my family and to have the financial freedom to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I wanted my life to be more worry-free. I have spent a great deal of time accomplishing that goal and I want to share some of my insights with you as a real estate entrepreneur.

When you decide to become a Real Estate Investor, make sure you structure your business in such a way that it doesn’t become overwhelming, even more so than a full-time job could be. It’s very easy to fall into that trap, especially if you work from home. You can also fall into the trap of trying to do everything yourself, and long-term, this just won’t work. Believe me when I tell you that most tasks in your business need to be delegated to others starting with your marketing.

In my case, I like to work from home and most of the functions of our business are handled offsite and by Independent Contractors.

Working from home has its advantages and challenges; the biggest challenge is that your work is always right there, calling you to finish one more thing, day, and night. But if you realize this in advance and set certain boundaries, it can make it a lot easier to avoid that pitfall.

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One of the most important aspects to a marketing campaign is to create a solid mail piece for your business: one that sellers will actually respond to.

Here are the key things to remember when you want to create effective messages:

1. Don’t just explain what you do or what you’re offering;  “touch” your prospective seller with “the dream”, or “the solution” to their problem. You’ll want to touch the basic emotions and the needs of your seller within the body of your letter, whether that is fear, relief, greed, pride, or vanity.
2. Keep it simple. The grammar doesn’t necessarily have to be perfect. You want to reach this person at their comfort level. Keep your letter relaxed, personal and conversational.
3. Use simple language; don’t fill your letter with big words or technical words or “industry jargon” that your seller or your customer might not understand.
4. Don’t make your letter hard on the prospect’s eyes: use paragraphs so that there is a specific break between thoughts and so that the letter just flows better and is more pleasing to the eye.
5. Even though this is
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We all know that developing an effective marketing strategy is essential to getting any business off the ground, especially as we roll into this changing market.

Educating yourself and discovering how to locate and motivate potential sellers to contact you is a must in making your real estate business a success. You must be able to locate prospects who want to do business with you.

You must find the sellers who need to sell, not just want to sell their properties. This is essential to your success as a real estate investor in any market, but will also determine how your next 12-18 months look: will you get lots of good deals in this softer market, or waste the opportunity?

Know this: marketing is also a numbers game. The more leads that come in, the more opportunities you will have to make deals. You won’t buy every deal that comes your way, but when you develop a “marketing machine” that brings in quality leads, you will be able to pick and choose the deals you want to do.

Let’s talk about QUALITY leads. You cannot afford to waste your money-making time on unqualified leads! Using a shotgun approach such as signage, business c
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“If you were arrested for being a real estate investor would there, be enough evidence to convict you?” I was once asked! I wholeheartedly responded with a resounding, “YES!” You must be able to do that which makes you stand out from your competition. As you begin your campaigns as part of your overall marketing strategy and goal, continue to diligently test and track results as you go. You MUST be able to determine what marketing tools work best for you in your marketplace in order to draw the highest number of motivated sellers to your real estate investing business. 

People often ask me, “What is the best way to find motivated sellers and buyers?” My response is to do that which your competition will not and do a lot of it. Dare to be different in your approach to locating motivated sellers. Analyze, discover, and continue to rediscover the best combination of marketing methods that will generate the highest number of motivated sellers for your business. Develop three to five marketing techniques that give the very best lead-generating leverage possible and devote your resources to those marketing techniques which net the very best results. As simple as it may sound---don’t spend time on something that is n
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