Real Estate Investors Association of Greater Cincinnati

You and I both know that you aren’t gonna be reading and digesting a long business article at this time of year, so we’ll keep it light this week.

Don’t ask me why, but I have, over the years, accumulated an enormous amount of real estate poetry. The muse usually strikes me around Christmas time, which explains the “Night Before Christmas Meets Dr. Seuss” nature of a lot of this. Anyway, it amuses me—hopefully, it will give you a little smile, too.

Ode to Holyoke Lane by Vena Jones-Cox

‘Tis the night before Christmas

And I bring a tale

Of five hard-learned lessons

From one little sale.

 

It’s a story of heartache,

Of trouble, of loss,

Of hassle and torment

And headache and cost

 

But before you can hear

How my cash and I parted,

You must first hear the story

Of how it all started.

 

An estate sale it was,

And in Forest Park, yet,

And the price was so low

That I went into debt

$60K, and the comps said

That price was just fine,

‘cause the value was closer

To 79.

 

And the “subject to” loan

Was especially sweet—

Just two thousand up front!

It was too good to beat

With a stick! And the home

Was in lovely condition:

4 bedrooms, 2 baths,

And a cute little kitchen,

 

With a little paint here

And a touch-up or two,

It was gonna be perfect!

So I said to Drew

That I knew it would rent

For a zillion or more!

Or at least seven hundred

And seventy f ... Read More…

 

There’s an old piece of advice generally given to husbands regarding arguing with their wives that goes, “Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy?”.

And the longer I’m in the wholesaling business, the more I realize that nearly the same advice applies to negotiating with sellers—only it’s, “Do you want to be right, or do you want to get the deal?”

Don’t get me wrong: I have more than my fair share of gotta-be-right-ness. In my younger days, I often found myself debating with sellers about the “facts”—how much their house would sell for fixed up, how much their neighbor’s house sold for last week, what it would really cost to re-do the roof and gutters, and on and on.

Back in those days, I think I had some of the same psychology I see in you folks when you say to me, “I’m afraid to talk to sellers because I’m afraid they’ll be able to tell that I don’t know what I’m doing, and I’ll lose all credibility.”

This assumption that sellers sell to you because you’re intelligent, experienced, or a bigger expert than they are about houses in their neighborhood is just dead wrong.

Sellers sell to you (at the crazy prices and terms that you offer) because

1. Your offer solves whatever problem they think they have, and
2. They like you enough to be able to listen to you about how and why your offer solves their problem

The latter is ... Read More…

          The thing is, there’s a major question that most people never deal with because it’s not as fun or inspiring as thinking about goals. Yet, unless it’s resolved, it will continue to be nearly impossible for you to reach any of those great goals you’ve set for yourself. And the question is:

          Are there any “messes” that need to be cleaned up before you can really be effective in your real estate endeavors?

          Most of us have one or more of these: they’re like walls that we have to scale every time we try to do anything else. Often, they’re so overwhelming that we have a hard time even looking closely at them, but they’re always at the edges of our consciousness, distracting us, making us feel hopeless and helpless, and making it very difficult to move forward. Examples might include:

• Bad books that keep us from understanding what we’re really making on deals, from balancing our accounts, from filing taxes on time, and so on
• Loans that are about to balloon or have already ballooned, and we have no exit strategy from that loan
• Defaulted debts like credit card bills we can’t pay, mortgages that are in default, etc
• Staffing issues that we don’t want to deal with, like employees or VAs who can’t seem to be made to do the job they were hired to do adequately, no ... Read More…

        …is in the 5” or so between your ears.

        For real, people, if you want to know the difference between the people around you who are “killing it” in wholesaling or retailing or notes or income properties or, heck, pig farming or app development or whatever and those who have the same access to the same education and the same resources but never make any money, it all lies there.

        After 30 years of hanging around real estate associations as a newbie, board member, experienced investor, and coach and educator, I’ve watched thousands of people come and go. Some meet every goal they set out to complete.

        Most don’t.

        And they don’t because they believe that if they learn what to do, then all they have to do is do those things, and riches/security/freedom will follow.

        That would be 100% correct if not for, you know…LIFE. Life has a way of getting in your way. Whether your goal is building wealth, losing 40 pounds, or learning to quilt, things will rise up that slow you, discourage you, distract you, or stop you. Some of those things will be people. Some of those things will be habits. Some will be a lack of skills or resources that have to be overcome.

        ... Read More…

As you probably know, one of the big benefits of membership in REIAGC is your ability to post deals—wholesale, rental, or properties you don’t want anymore—on CincinnatiREIA.com, where they’re then sent to our nationwide list of over 4,700 potential buyers. 

Lots of members are taking advantage of this and selling deals (and filling rentals) using it, as you can see in your weekly inbox. 

But we’re also seeing lots of members who haven’t used it or who are using it in ways that aren’t as effective as they could be. So here are a few tips for increasing the effectiveness of your ads and staying within the law as we understand it so that this powerful tool works for you. 

• First, in order to post ads on our site, you MUST have your own “Pros” website, which comes free with your membership, already set up. 

If you log in to CincinnatiREIA.com with your password, you’ll see a tab at the top called “my account” and a dropdown that says “my website.” If you haven’t set up your site yet, you’ll be prompted through a series of easy steps to get it set up. If you already have your own website, we CAN NOT connect that one to ours; it MUST be the site that’s set up through CincinnatiREIA.com in order to push your deals out to our list. 

• Second, some legal issues: 
  
  
• Understand that your ads also go to a national site called REIPro and are publicly ... Read More…

 

Just this morning, I was having yet another conversation with a fellow educator about the frustration we have with students who have the brains, education, and resources to make deals—but who, month after month, do everything BUT make deals.

We discussed people who spend big bucks on courses, set up their LLCs, draft land trusts, buy marketing/accounting/management software, attend local REIA meetings religiously, have a color-coded filing system, get their real estate license, start a buyer’s list, concoct every conceivable question about every conceivable scenario in a deal…

…in fact, do everything that it takes to be a successful real estate entrepreneur except make offers.

Many of these people are successful in their other endeavors; many have good jobs, nice houses, great kids, you name it. But they can never seem to get to the point of actually buying a property, no matter what we tell them or how much time passes.

What many of you seem to be waiting for is that NEXT bootcamp or the NEXT investor meeting or the NEXT meeting with their coach.

And what you’re hoping for is that you’ll read something, hear something, or learn something that makes all the fear go away, makes you completely sure of yourself, and makes you 100% confident that the next step you take is the right one.

I’m here to tell you, from the perspective of 2 decades’ experience, that the day you’re waiting for will NEVER come ... Read More…

Many folks believe they procrastinate because they are “lazy”. As a result, they beat themselves over the head and feel bad about it.

(Maybe you do too.)

It’s not true though.

Procrastination has nothing to do with laziness.

This is just a cop out. It’s a story you tell yourself so that you get to feel bad for a little while “punishing yourself” for not taking action and following through on the commitments you made. Trouble is, it only makes your procrastination worse and reinforces the negative cycle.

You need to break the cycle.

How?

By understanding what really causes procrastination. It’s not what most folks think. There’s something deeper at play, something unconscious, and it’s stopping you from getting into action, staying in action, and following through on the commitments you made to others and yourself.

Ultimately, it’s stopping you from building your dream.

When you don’t follow through on the promises you made, you’ll often have a story that you tell — to yourself and others around you. 

This story then becomes the “reason”.

However, you need to see this story for what it really is:

It’s an excuse.

The real reason why you’re not taking action remains hidden from you, repressed under layers of stories just like this one where it can’t come to the surface and force you to face up to it.

Unless you know what to look for. 

Here are the ... Read More…

In the dynamic world of real estate investing, successful rehab projects require a meticulous approach that minimizes risks and maximizes returns. The key to achieving this lies in "bulletproofing" your rehabs – implementing strategies that ensure your projects are completed on time, within budget, and with maximum profitability. In this article, we will explore the six essential keys to success in rehabbing properties. By incorporating these principles into your projects, you can increase your chances of achieving guaranteed success.

Key 1: Understanding the Main Elements in Every Rehab

A thorough understanding of the main elements involved in a rehab project is crucial. From assessing structural integrity to identifying potential issues, this key emphasizes the importance of comprehensive property evaluation. By conducting detailed inspections and accurately identifying necessary repairs, you can establish a solid foundation for your rehab projects. Having a checklist is a must. Just like a pilot relies on a checklist before takeoff, investors should embrace this practice to ensure every crucial element is addressed.

A checklist serves as a valuable tool, helping you stay organized, minimize errors, and maximize efficiency throughout the rehab process.  (Link to Landing Page to Download Checklist)

Key 2: Crafting a Well-Defined Scope   of Work

A well-defined scope of work serves as the backbone of every successful rehab project. It is the foundati ... Read More…

After my banker cut me off, I had to turn to another source to be able to fund my real estate deals. I quickly learned the power of asking and the importance of asking for that you want in this world.

1. You make the rules. Whenever you’re borrowing money at the bank, they get to make all the rules. They give you the interest rates, the payments, and the terms of the loan. Conversely, when you borrow money from private lenders, you get to write the rules and set your own terms. In the end, this gives you more control over the deals you make with lenders, the exact opposite of borrowing money from the bank.
2. No monthly payments. The vast majority of deals I make with private lenders do not have monthly payments. We set up quarterly, biannual, or annual payments that allow us more freedom and flexibility. A lot of deals that we have in place don’t require a payment for a full year. This helps us to free up cash flow whenever we need it.
3. No origination fees. When you borrow money from the bank, you’re typically going to have to pay an origination fee. This essentially just stacks up to another point being added to your loan, which costs you more money in the end.
4. You can close quickly. Time is always a factor in this business, so you don’t ever want to waste it. Borrowing private money can help speed up the process of buying or selling a home. I’m able to close deals in less than a week and have even been able to get a deal done in 24 hours.
5. Rece ... Read More…

Everyone knows that as interest rates rise, real estate prices drop.  It is only natural.  If the current interest rate is 4% on a $300,000 loan, the monthly PI (Principle & Interest) payment is $1,432.25.  If the interest rate goes up to 7% and the average buyer can only afford a monthly payment of $1,432.25, then the maximum amount they can borrow goes down to $215,277.40.

This is affectively what has happened over the past year and a half, so why have prices continued to climb?  That’s a great question and can be explained by the extremely low inventory levels.  The level of inventory has been so low for so long that the principles of supply and demand have caused prices to increase dramatically. 

In other words, if interest rates hadn’t risen so much so fast, the average loan balance may have risen to $565,000.  That is what the borrowers could afford based on the current average monthly PI payment of $2,700 and an interest rate of only 4%.

The following chart shows the affect interest rates have on a borrowers ability to pay over the past 18 months.

Loan Balance	Interest Rate	Monthly PI Payment
$300,000.00	4.00%	$1,432.25	March 2022 Interest Rate
$215,278.01	7.00%	$1,432.25	Mortgage Balance if Monthly Payment stayed the same
$405,830.43	7.00%	$2,700.00	October  2023 Interest Rates
$565,545.35	4.00%	$2,700.00	Mortgage Balance if Interest Rates stayed the same

& ... Read More…