If you knew you couldn’t fail what could you accomplish??

Thursday, October 29th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Friend,

If you knew you couldn’t fail what could you accomplish??
– Tony Robbins
_________________________________________________________

I have a simple but very important question for you?
Do you have a mentor or coach?
Most don’t…and it’s unfortunate considering how important
it is. Read on.

When we are young, small and growing we look up to
adults, parents, older siblings, sports icons perhaps.
They are our idols and we’ll do whatever they do
because we think they are successful and we want to
be just like them. Then we hit adult age and get
in the job market. And *poof*, those mentors disappear.
Why?

I am lucky to have several people I look up to. My dad
is #1. My mom, my older brothers and several other
mentors, coaches, marketers and business people
who I have learned from again and again. These are
the people that I Iook up to today and seek out for
advice. I know I don’t know everything – not even
close – so I try to learn from them.

I just got back from a marketing mastermind group in
Austin, Texas with a bunch of bad – as in good – real
good – internet marketers.

Ryan Deiss and Perry Belcher’s mastermind group. They
call it the “War Room” because they have this special
part of their office where they sit back and think
about their companies. They come up with ideas and
strategies to help improve their business back in that
room. I have a “war room” too. It’s the one office
space I go to just to think about my businesses and
how I can improve them. I write down my ideas on
these giant white boards.

Do you have a “War Room?”

I signed up for their “War Room Mastermind” back in
August at a clip of $22,000 a year – Yep you read that
right – $22,000. To be honest I have already gotten over
$22,000 worth of ideas back from one simple meeting. I
actually even missed the first day because I was stuck
in a Chicago airport.

You see I believe that the only way for you and I to
change and improve our lives and our businesses is to
add new ideas into our brains. You can’t get rid of the
old stuff in our brains. You can only add new stuff.
Learning new concepts and new strategies and meeting new
people are the only ways we will be different a year from
now.
_________________________________________________________

You see I truly believe this one profound idea.

“One year from now the only difference or change we’ll
have in our lives will be the people we meet and the new
education we receive.”

_________________________________________________________

With that in mind I wanted to get you some cool training
videos to help you advance your education.

Check them below. Plus there will be a bunch more to come
over the next couple weeks.

Property Flipping: legal or illegal?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHupyFMw3Hg

The Real Purpose of the Option Contract
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4Zq3xQmbts

Jacked Up: Disinformation on the Option Contract

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEYy1n0SmeU&feature=related

That’s just a few to get you started. In order to
change your life you must change your mindset. You do that
through new education, new books, by stuffing your mind
with new ideas and by meeting new people.

Enjoy!

It’s actually 60 degrees in Cleveland today – Yippie!!!
I’m out of here early today to go play with my kids.

Josh

P.S. – Two of my mentorship students just made 115k+ in the
past two months. They wanted to share their experience in
the short sale business. They told me about their massive
success at a small high level group coaching event I
hosted about 4 weeks ago. Some of our most successful
students were there sharing their best ideas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLoeZGDtzrc

P.P.S – You can search YOU TUBE for other cool SREC
training videos from Jeff Watson and me. Just search
“SREC”, “Josh Cantwell” or “Jeff Watson”

Join SREC’s Silver Coaching for the absolute best free training anywhere!

The Case of the Hostile LM

Thursday, October 29th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Have you every had one of those cases that you just knew wasn’t going to make it, then you tried something crazy, and it worked?

One of our coaches recently had such a case, fought through some challenges with a bitter LM, and got it closed for a spread that most people make in one year.

The subject property was 3 bed, 1 bath SFR in Long Beach, Ca. The homeowner, a struggle real estate agent.  The foreclosing lender, GMAC, which held the first (439k) and the second (48k).

The case was submitted in the first week of May. BPO was scheduled two weeks later –– a good start. Along the way, there was the usual sending and resending of docs to the LM, as the bank somehow kept losing the paperwork.

In June, it was learned that the bank’s number was 241k. The offer was raised to 200k, but the LM balked and admonished not to send in anything below 241k or the case would be closed.  In early July, an offer for 241k was sent to the bank, with the hope that an end buyer could be found for near 280k.

Trouble was, there wasn’t an end buyer to be found, and the LM wasn’t willing to provide an extension.  Our coach and his negotiator pushed back, and the LM was willing to reconsider the amount, but only if sufficient documentation was submitted supporting a lower number than the 241k they had requested. A team BPO was completed with additional reference material submitted, and the LM ordered two more BPOs, which were completed in early August.

Then it got weird.  After two weeks of attempting to contact the LM, post-BPO, the LM stated unequivocally that the BPOs did not take place and that because a full appraisal didn’t exist for the property, the file would be closed.

So what did our intrepid coach do?  Knowing that the sale date was in two weeks (mid-September), he had his offer rescinded, and sent in another offer with supporting evidence in his own name with the hope that it would go to a different LM.  The new offer was for 160k and as luck would have it, a new LM was assigned to the case. That offer amount was quickly raised to 190k net – the amount requested by the new LM – and the sale date was postponed and the approval given!

During this time, a cash buyer was found for 255k!

The transaction closed in mid-October. When fees, commissions, and all the odd and ends were paid, the net to our coach was 40k!

The point?  This case was dead in the water: with a hostile LM, a high asking price, and no end buyer to be found, the outcome wasn’t promising.  However, by doing some extra work, and gambling with a lower offer, the transaction came together and the transaction completed.

Our coaches and clients find strange challenges in the real estate investing business, and it’s probably why so many of us are hooked (along with the paychecks!)

To get a sense of what others are running into, and the solutions they are finding, check out Silver Coaching and peruse the forum – where others are constantly sharing ideas and how to solve them! (go to http://strategicrealestatecoach.com/members/).

Also, as I posted earlier in the week, we’re opening our high end coaching program, Platinum, and will begin taking new coaching clients soon.  We only do this once a year. Each coaching client will be paired with a coach, like the one mentioned above.  If you want to jumpstart your real estate investing business, this is the best approach. ~Josh

Join SREC’s Silver Coaching for the absolute best free training anywhere!

Yes, We’re Opening Platinum!

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Hi Everyone,

Just wrapping up a quick mastermind session in Austin, Texas and getting ready to call it a night, but I wanted to share a couple of things about SREC.

Obviously, most of you know that we offer a wide variety of educational services for people interested in real estate.  If you’ve signed up for our free silver coaching membership, participated on the forum, and have downloaded all the free reference material there, then you have an even better idea of what we’re about.

Unlike other real estate coaching companies, we’re into creating smart content, coaching investors, and doing our own transactions.  Yes, everyone on my team actually is still out in the field, doing deals. What we’re not into doing is selling from a stage. Yes, I’ve done that, but there are other things I’d rather do . . . like what I just listed above.  For this reason SREC only opens up its high level coaching once a year.  We’re not a feed-mill for people to come through, pay us a lot of money, and then get lost in the numbers.  We keep our high end coaching limited.

So during the next month you will see a shift in our blogs and our calls with a focus on our high level coaching – what we call Platinum Mentoring.   We understand that it’s not for everyone, and that’s why we have other levels so that you can find the right program that fits your needs.  Again, a good start is to check out silver (go to http://strategicrealestatecoach.com/members/?/register/silver).

And let me thump my chest a little bit.  When I look back at the positive impact we’ve had the last several years on many of those that have gotten involved in SREC, I feel real good.  The real estate industry is in constant flux . . . and to stay on top you need the best materials, and a network of the top investors in the U.S. –– SREC provides both.

More importantly, we’ve had many who have gone on to build incredible businesses making well into the six figures per month.  I’m not kidding . . . and I’m going to be releasing a report soon titled “Success & Failure” that discusses what coaching clients have done in SREC to be so successful in some detail.

The thing is, our biggest hitters don’t talk about their success.  They’re too busy running their businesses so that they can cash monster paychecks each month, even with all the changes in the industry.   They work hard, but each of them would tell you that their involvement in SREC has helped them to work smarter, instead of harder.

The thing is, while we’d like everyone to be in Platinum, we cap it.  We’re not interested in numbers –– again, we’re too busy running SREC and closing our own transactions –– teaching real estate is just something we love to do.  So we’ll only be taking a limited number of applicants. That’s why we have provided so many course offerings . . . Even if you don’t make it into Platinum, you will have some great content, and the power of the SREC community to help get you on your way.

Okay, time to turn out the light –– it was a crazy flight down here yesterday and I’m headed back tomorrow morning, early.  

In the meantime, keep your eye out for more info on case studies that we post . . . you’ll be able to learn a tip in each blog.  And if you haven’t yet checked it out, please go to silver (http://strategicrealestatecoach.com/members/?/register/silver) and sign up to get involved in the forum.

~Josh

A Down Market with Huge Opportunity

Friday, October 23rd, 2009 | Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Hi everyone,

This is Josh here, and I’m taking a quick break between conference calls to jot down some thoughts about the housing market before I head out for the weekend.   Everyone is waiting for the bottom to hit, and wondering what it will look like.  Well, if you’re in the Midwest, maybe it’s already hit. These areas didn’t have the explosive appreciation that other parts of the country, mainly those areas along the coast, enjoyed.  So in essence, they didn’t have far to fall before housing values came in line with local salaries.

But for many regions of the U.S., it’s going to be a long road.  Several weeks back Moodys, a highly regarded rating agency for investors, released a report stating that the California market wouldn’t come back until sometime between 2020 and 2030.  I know, that’s California, it’s a different planet, right?  Well, yes . . . except that if California were a separate country it would have a seat at the G8 summit – you know, that meeting of the eight richest countries in the world. So what happens in California, does matter. As for the rest of the country, look at Japan.  Their current housing prices went back to 1986 values after their economy went bust, and this is on an island with a high population and a First World country.

Okay, so some things to consider as real estate investors when looking at today’s market. In other posts I’ve talked about unemployment and the lack of a new industry that will create something tangible to bail our economy out.  Let’s look at two addition reasons, among many, why this housing market isn’t coming back any time soon.

We’ve overbuilt supply.  In the first several years of this decade, developers built enough homes to meet the needs of a growing population in the year 2020.  We now have a surplus of houses just sitting.  According to the latest data, the number of vacant U.S. homes touched 18.7-million in the second quarter. That is a daunting figure, of course, but it is more fun to put it in context. Assuming four people per household, the U.S. currently has enough surplus housing to put the entire population of the U.K., with room left over for Israel.

Baby Boomers –– those born between 1946 and 1964 –– are retiring and downsizing.  There are 77 million of ‘em and they’ve been a force in our economy for decades.  Part of aging is spending less and less money, which they are doing.  As a result, the economy is losing its largest segment of buying power.  Moreover, as they downsize from houses into town homes and condos, this will add to the glut of houses already available on the market.  Finally, only a third of the 77 million baby boomers have any kind of retirement, and that was before housing went bust along with their financial portfolios.  Let’s not forget what this aging population will do to Medicare and Social Security . . .

I know, it’s all rather gloomy, especially given that 10 years ago people were discussing a “new economy” that promised increasing wealth for everyone.  I remember one teacher trading stocks while students were taking tests, and making more than his salary! We all thought that we had it figured out . . . well human nature has trumped us again.

That’s why it’s important to have your eyes open and to begin thinking about what’s around the next bend in river.  As a real estate investor, regardless of what the economy does, people need houses that they can afford. That’s were you come in.  We can’t rely on the government, regardless of what party is in power –– politicians will always favor the banks’ interests and corporate interests over our own. The last politician we had stand up against these powerful interests was President Theodore Roosevelt, and that was a century ago!

So get out, get some houses, learn how to buy right, and build a business that both affects your family and your community in a way that will make us all stronger!

~josh

Join SREC’s Silver Coaching for the absolute best free training anywhere!

$90k in 90 Days

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Jim Fleck did $90k in 90 days. He used none of his own money
and while only working about 5 hours a week. Now he wants
to take you by the hand for 6 weeks and teach YOU how to
do it too. He wants to make you rich.

Wednesday morning (October 21st) at 11am Eastern AND
at 8pm Eastern, YOU can be the FIRST to learn about Jim’s
proven formula and how he can PERSONALLY guide you to
success in real estate.

Register here now for 11AM training webinar
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/569433377

Register here now for 8PM training webinar
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/138112369

He uses this very same system today to close 6-figure
months buying and selling real estate in this crazy economy.

Jim is a super successful investor who has been doing deals
and teaching others how to make real money in real estate
for a long time. (Jim bought his first investment property in
1992.)

It should be easy for him right? Well, it can be easy for you
too, whether you’re a new or experienced investor. You’ll be
able to leverage the experience of someone who’s “been there,
done that” and paved the way to wealth.

That’s why Wednesday Jim’s going to show you exactly what
he does today to achieve amazing results in his business
putting almost all of the work on autopilot…

Here are a few things that you’ll learn on tomorrow’s training…

* How Jim makes money buying and selling 10-20 homes in a
month – while barely “working” just a few hours a week.

* How to start with nothing (no money, terrible credit, buried in
debt) Yes, you can still experience financial freedom in today’s
crappy economy no matter what the media says about the market

* Jim’s “7-days to Cash” jump start – this is perfect if you need to
make money right now. You’ll learn a practically risk-free method
to put an extra $5,000, $10,000, even $20,000 or more in your
pocket in as little as one week buying and selling houses regardless
of your current financial situation. (And you can repeat this formula
over and over again to bring in pay-days each and every month like
clockwork!)

* Where to look for the very best deals. In today’s market with
skyrocketing foreclosures, cheap houses are everywhere… you
just need to know how to separate the good deals from the bad.

* Why you’ll never have to apply for a traditional loan to buy
properties. You won’t have to fill out lengthy paperwork, wait
for approvals or put up large down payments.

* How to work with sellers who have little to no equity or are even
over financed. You’ll learn to be a problem solver for anyone
looking to just unload a property. And as the “solutions person”
you’ll make a ton of money doing it.

* Selling strategies that work in any market. Everyone’s whining
about how bad the real estate market is and that no one’s buying.
Not true – when you know what super investors know.

Plus Jim is giving you the chance to be coached by him, leverage
his experience, get all of your questions answered along the way
and even personally mastermind with him and his dream team at
his Chicago office to see how a million dollar real estate investing
business works in action.

This level of hands on training is limited to a very few select
individuals serious about finally taking control of their financial
future.

Register here now for 11AM training webinar
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/569433377

Register here now for 8PM training webinar
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/138112369

You’re not going to want to miss this training call (and truly once
in a lifetime opportunity to be trained and guided by a bona-fide
millionaire.)

Thanks,
Josh

Join SREC’s Silver Coaching for the absolute best free training anywhere!

Housing Myths

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Hey Gang,

I wanted to continue my thread on housing myths.  There’s too much to write for any one post, so when I get that chance I’ll jump in and share something new.

I’ve already mentioned in previous posts how part of becoming a successful real estate investor is learning to incorporate some practices that appear to be counterintuitive.  We already covered one myth in a previous post . . . remember what that myth was?  You got it . . . that now is a great time to buy because interest rates are low.

But we haven’t addressed the grand-daddy of housing myths, so here’s my favorite:

Housing prices always go up.

This was what got me into real estate investing several years ago.  I was told time and time again that real estate was a “can’t miss” because it would always increase in value.  What have I learned since, and what should be apparent to everyone, is that housing values are linked directly to current salaries and interest rates. Houses don’t increase in value on their own over time, they provide the same value as they did when they first were built.  Moreover, they are a drain on resources, sucking money through taxes and maintenance.

People who look at buying a house as an investment haven’t learned from the past two years.  Don’t believe me?  Well, maybe you’ll believe Yale Economist Robert J. Shiller who recently released a report he did on the history of the U.S. housing market. What he found was that since 1890, the housing market appreciated 4 percent after inflation. Home prices were on this trend up to 2000.  However, there is ample argument that factoring in the years before World War II may not be relevant; therefore, if the start date for the study began in 1960, that rate of appreciation increases to 8 percent.

But wait!  What happens if we leave out the bubble years of this decade?  That 8 percent rate drops dramatically to 2 percent!

Again, housing prices reflect interest rates and salaries.  Right now we have an economy on the ropes, a high rate of unemployment and partial employment (23%) and despite the government pulling out all stops, prices have inched up only slightly in most areas.

What that means for those of us in real estate investing, is tremendous opportunity to buy low and provide excellent value to our buyers.

What do you think?  What are some other housing myths that you’ve seen or experienced while out in the market?  Click on the box in the top right corner (for free silver coaching), and add your comments. Thanks.

~ Josh

Join SREC’s Silver Coaching for the absolute best free training anywhere!

Alive and Kickin’

Friday, October 16th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Hey Gang,

It’s been fun watching the genesis of an idea that radically altered the short sale industry –– the use of an option contract to close back-to-back short sale transactions.

When we promoted this technique a few years ago, we knew it would have a positive affect on the short sale business.

It’s also been with some alarm that we’ve watched others take this approach, rework the documents and then use them as part of their own marketing efforts for their own coaching programs.  We don’t mind competition, but we do mind the lack of accuracy and veracity behind how the option method should be conducted.  Many programs we’ve reviewed take out the essential language crucial to the success of this method, and as a result, there’s been some negative press.

Why?

What it all comes down to is this –– disclosures and transparency.  Now we know that these two words have often made some real estate investors flinch, but we’ve always resisted the urge to cut corners while hiding the intent of the transaction for any of the parties involved.

In this video, one of the co-creators of the option method, attorney Jeff Watson, quickly shares his thoughts concerning those who are ready to bury the option method to closing short sale transactions.

Can you take a guess as to why so many are having a tough time with this approach (especially those not using the original SREC documents?).

Again, it comes down to closure and transparency.

I don’t want to steal Jeff’s thunder, so click on the link below.

Thanks,
~josh

Join SREC’s Silver Coaching for the absolute best free training anywhere!

Webinar Replay 10-15-09

Friday, October 16th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments

The Low Interest Myth

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Hi everyone,

Hope that you’re getting out there and opening cases and making smart buys. There’s so much going on in real estate investing, that I feel like I’m being pulled in a million different directions.  Right now, short sales are on fire, REOs are heating up, and we’re even getting back into wholesaling. If you haven’t been doing this for a while, then my advice is to take it slow and steady, and focus on one area at a time. Your business will never move as fast as you want it to when you first begin, but don’t worry, you’ll one day get to the point where you have trouble keeping up!

So a few days ago I offered a challenge asking readers to give me their thoughts on why buying property for the long term with low interest rates was a bad deal.

Remember, much of what we do as investors is counter intuitive, and this is no different.

The comments were mostly dead-on.  So I’ll round them out with my list of reasons.

First, prices rise as interest rates fall because a fixed monthly payment covers a smaller mortgage at a higher interest rate. Right now interest rates have only one direction that they can go –– up. What will happen to prices?  They’ll fall.  This is what the Fed hopes to prevent by artificially keeping interest rates low . . . hoping that they can buy some time until the market and economy recovers.

If you want to buy for the long term, and buy smart, keep some cash on hand for when rates go up forcing potential buyers out of the game because they can’t afford the costs.

What are the benefits of a low price with a high interest rate? First, property taxes are lower (on the coasts, this is huge). Second, a low price gives the buyer the chance to pay off the debt, instead of being tied to the bank forever (think “trapped in a prison of debt”).  Remember, when you rent you are borrowing someone’s house, but when you buy, you are borrowing someone else’s money –– which gets expensive (more on this in future posts). And finally, the third point is that in many markets property values are still dropping.  Recently, this past May a report by Fitch Ratings was issued that predicted housing values in California would drop and additional 36 percent!  For all those buying in California, chances are good that they will end up with a mortgage greater than the value of the house.  This mean no ability to refinance, and the strong possibility at selling for a loss. And California is not alone, plenty of other markets will find themselves in the same position.

So as investors, we can act like real estate agents, and attempt to get people in houses for the most amount of money, or we can sell them a great deal, that also affords them some protection from an uncertain future. When you sell for a low price, assuming you’ve done the work needed to create a spread (if a short sale), you’re minimizing the risk that the end buyer will face –– especially if they are buying for the long term.

Hey, for more info and to get involved in a fantastic community of investors collaborating on how to get smarter with real estate investing, click the box up to the right, and join Silver.  It’s free and you get a ton of free resources!    ~ josh

Join SREC’s Silver Coaching for the absolute best free training anywhere!

How to Increase Your Profits in Real Estate

Monday, October 12th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Naturally, you want in the real estate business to make money. You can either do that by rehabbing a house and reselling it or rehabbing it and renting it out. Let’s look at both of those options and see where the potential for profit lies.

Purchasing for resale can be risky business. There may be unforeseen repairs – you can almost expect that to happen. What if the house sits on the market for months? What if the value of the property sank while you were rehabbing it? Bye, bye profits.

Is finding a renter any better? You still have the repair cost issues. However, another variable has been added. You have a tenant who may walk out without paying, or trash the house and negate your money and efforts. Then you have to decide whether to rent again or rehab it once more for sale. The variable is whether the property has increased in value and how much equity have you established versus the expenses. Can you hear the sucking down the drain yet?

Here is the dirty little secret. Home ownership lets you play with other people’s money. It is called leverage. The market may seem to be on a roller coaster right now, but over the long haul, the National Association of Realtors, who have mapped sales for decades, find that housing prices traditionally rise two points faster than inflation. Unlike stocks and bonds that may appear more profitable, in the long run, the profit in a home can be the better deal. That is, if the market does not crash. In many areas of the country, it is right now.

That is why short sales is the best investment for your hard earned money. You can minimize your exposure on each deal. You can make money quicker and take advantage of volatile markets. How? You can streamline the process with a tried and true system that will get you in and out quicker. With a quick turn program such as the Strategic Real Estate Coach methodology, your profit is not locked into rehab, retail or rent. Instead, it is a tool to help you find buyers geared for a short sale, negotiate with the bankers and make a profit with an exit strategy that works. Instead of running into the normal blocks in the path – seasons, listing the property to sell and having to micro-control the deal, this system can bypass those headaches.

This strategy is much better than other methods: It is less paperwork, less time and a way more people can come away satisfied. You make a good profit fast, a new owner is happily settling in their home, the bank closes their books and the previous owners are free and clear of what was their problem. At the end of the day, everyone is smiling. Not a bad way to make money, is it?

Thanks,

Josh

Join SREC’s Silver Coaching for the absolute best free training anywhere!