“Without promotion something terrible happens… Nothing!”

P.T. Barnum

In order for you to make money as a Real Estate investor you need your phone ringing off the hook (or your inbox full of leads), each and every day so that you can make offers for properties and cater your offers to your buyers. The great thing is these Motivated Sellers and buyers with cash in their bank accounts are actually looking for you because you can provide solutions to their problems.

But guess what typically happens… They can’t find you. Why? Because You’re not marketing yourself. OR if you are marketing you are not marketing correctly.  Working harder does not always bring the best results unless you are also working smart.

Did you just hear about the investor in your local RE club that closed on a deal netting them $20,000 and they didn’t even have to lay a hand on the property? Or what about the person that just bought that rental house on the same block for 40-60% less than what you paid for yours? Are they just lucky? Or are they working smarter than you?

The best place to be is a little bit of both. Somewhere in between luck and chasing deals is where you should be in finding truly motivated sellers, or rather helping them find you.

Have you ever heard when someone is ready to shoot a gun at a target say, “Ready, Aim, Fire”?

I have. And in shooting a gun, that is appropriate. However for marketing we want to change that line up a bit.  The following goes over some basic Marketing principals following Ready, Aim, Fire, and Talley the Score.

1) Aim……Who is Your Target Market?
The most important element of any marketing to be done is to assure that what you are saying AIMS directly to your target market. Who are you trying to market to? If you are advertising “I buy Houses”, What types of properties and real estate opportunities are you seeking?  If you are advertising that you have houses for sale and are looking for buyers,  what does your advertising say to bring in the most promising prospects for you? The more narrow your focus and marketing efforts, the greater success you will experience.  As an example, I am a REI coach and trainer.  In the past, I had been marketing to “real estate investors” and “real estate investing coaching and training”.   Now you will find my marketing more niche focused – Flipping is my niche.  I focus on turning profits for quick profit. Not that I can’t teach on anything else.  I just decided to pick the niche that  best suits me and go for it.

WHO are you aiming at? Who is your target market? In Aiming, you want to first look at who it is that will bring you in what you are looking for in your business.  You might need a buyers, sellers, a power team, money sources, referrals, etc.  for every ad you place, you will want your marketing message to be, first and foremost, clearly directed at who/what it is that you are attempting to reach/sell/buy.  And you will want to know the ages, gender, nationalities and locations for the majority of your target market.

WHERE are you pointing your gun…. In other words where are you advertising to reach your target market?  The second consideration when Aiming is to assure the type of ad you are placing is they type of medium your target market will see.  Wherever you are advertising, be sure and verify historical numbers for who is paying attention to that medium whether TV, newspaper, online, billboards, etc. Make sure the mediums you use are those that those who are your target market will see.

WHAT ammunition are you using? What are you saying in your ads by the words and graphics used?  Is the copy enticing enough to make you stand out? What is your USP (Your unique selling proposition) What makes you special?  Many people pay copywriters to write their ads, (yes, even individual real estate investors), in order to assure what they are saying is the right way to put the message across.  If writing effective ads is not your cup of tea, you might want to reach out for help. You can have the right medium, pointing to the right target, but you if you don’t say something appealing, then you wasted your time and money.

2) Ready….Your Marketing Plan
Your Marketing Budget: You will want to create a marketing plan starting with a budget. We all have basic living expenses that need to be paid. If you are just getting started and short on cash, could you cut back on the budget anywhere to find a little money to create a small advertising budget?

List the marketing mediums to be used: In addition to the budget, you will want to make a list of the mediums you will use that meets the criteria we have discussed in Aim and Ready sections in this book.

Consistency is Key: You simply DO NOT have to have a large marketing budget to be effective to grow your RE business. One 42 cent letter netted me $70,000.  It’s all about consistency. You will want to be realistic about your monetary constraints to start out and then incrementally build your marketing program as you experience more and more success.  It is vital that you don’t base all your decisions on one attempt. Consistently do marketing to same target market using the same medium for at least 1 month …1 X week.  Often people need to see repetition in order to the idea to call you to sink in to where they take action.

3. Fire…Do your marketing plan!

So many people spend too much time telling themselves all the reasons they haven’t done marketing, mostly revolved around their lack of time and money.  However, to run your real estate investing business effectively and profitable, (or any business for that matter), you must get the word out to let others know what you do.  There are many low cost and limited Fire at the target and see the results!

3) Talley the Score… How many times did you hit your target?
Did you receive a return on your advertising investment, (Often referred to as an ROI)? We miss the boat on this one so much. When you are incorporating bandit signs, direct mail, flyer campaigns, into your marketing etc… it can start to get confusing where and if your success rate justifies the money and time put into the marketing mediums you are using. You will need to mainly pay attention to one thing … was money you profited higher than the money you spent to get the lead to call you. You will want to pay attention to two elements in tracking your responses.

When someone calls, be sure and ask where they found your phone number and track the “response rate”. for each particular form of advertisement.  This will tell you what ads hit the target!  From this information, it is easy to track the return on your investment to see how much money you make from each response and adding those dollars up.  Tracking your responses and closures of deals by how they found you is necessary so that you can identify areas that need to be tweaked or worked on. If you are not getting response, you will want to evaluate if that is the correct medium or if what you are saying is not working. If you are getting response, but not closure, you will want to change your ad to bring in more focused leads.

And when you find out that great mailing list is really working or the flyers in a particular neighborhood is getting tremendous feedback….then increase your marketing in that area! I mean when you are measuring success and can track it effectively, it allows you in full financial confidence to justify any increase in marketing expenditures that is bringing in more than you are spending.

My hope is for you to realize that marketing for the real estate investor is the lifeblood of his/her business. Great deals rarely knock on your door to find you without some kind of influence to do so.  Marketing is key.

Over the next few weeks I will  provide details on several types of marketing I have used in my real estate investing business with some success.  For your marketing plan, you will want to put into place no more than 2 or 3 of these marketing strategies at one time, amending your plan depending on the results.  Watch for more to come!

Most importantly, whatever strategy you use, follow these steps:

Aim, Ready, Fire and Talley the score!

To Your Massive Profits,

Tamera Aragon

Definition: Paying off an existing loan with the proceeds from a new loan, usually of the same size, and using the same property as collateral.

I don’t believe that refinancing your home is always in your best interest. Sometimes, once your financial situation is examined in both the short and long term it may be the worst thing you could do at this particular time. However, sometimes, refinancing your home is the best move you can make providing you have the income to support the new payment. This option is only available to you if your current loan does not exceed the value of your house. If the loan is higher than value, regular refinancing is not an option. However some lenders have been willing to refinance for the value of the house and offer a different type of loan for the balance, following different terms for this portion of loan. Ask your mortgage lender if this option is available to you.

WARNING:
You’ve probably received letters from mortgage brokers and lenders saying you are already pre-approved for a new mortgage. The fact is that it is very difficult to arrange new financing when you’re already in default on your existing mortgage. Be very cautious about sending advanced fees of $300.00 to $600.00 to lenders or mortgage brokers. Usually it’s a ploy to take advantage of your financial situation.

If you attempt to refinance, you should always have a backup plan available to you. Many times I have had homeowners call days before the auction saying their financing did not go through, and then it’s too late!

This is only one of the many useful sections of this 50-page eBook. If you are interested in picking up a copy of this great coaching guide, please visit our Foreclosure eBook website

Originally posted 2008-01-06 08:55:39. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Originally posted 2007-09-13 11:10:03. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

However, lately I have learned about a twist to an old strategy I had never done. Buying land and re-selling it via owner financing for a monthly profit and eventually a flip this property to another buyer. I think Jack Bosch, creator of the Land Profit System, who has closed over 5400 land deals himself, is on to something!

I have found the biggest stopping points for many of my Real Estate Investing Students are usually… #1 – The risk of getting into something they cannot find funding for and letting people down… #2 – Getting into a deal and finding out later something was missed causing financial loss. Many of my students are frozen stiff because of these fears. It is for this reason have listed some of the reasons a real estate investor might want to add land vs houses to their portfolio of investments following Jacks Land Profit System.

Why Land Flipping might be Better:

1. There is virtually no competition for land, especially rural land.
2. A lot of opportunity – There is an abundance of forgotten land out there
3. Cheap! You can purchase for literally pennies on the dollar.
4. With land you do not have to know as much about real estate like construction, termites, mold and all the other things of that nature that you must know when investing in houses.
5. Lower inspection requirements
6. Quicker closings
7. Less initial capital output (cheaper)
8. Buyers usually more savvy investors
9. Higher number of buyers are repeat buyers
   (Most house buyers are1 time buyers looking for a home to live in)
10. Good Potential for monthly residual income with your owner financing
11. Usually low to no upkeep
12. Usually low holding costs (No fire insurance, fix up, maintenance)
13. Very low, (or sometimes none), acquisition costs
14. Lower risk – no money down to lose

Why Houses Flipping might be Better: (May be a shorter list – but they are worth more $)

1. More potential to generate income while you hold it – owner financing OR renting
2. Everyone needs a house since shelter is a basic necessity of life.
   (Not everyone needs vacant land – smaller # of potential buyers)
3. Potential to profit big doing just 1 good deal (For Land Profits following Jacks system, on average, you must do more deals to profit higher dollars)
4. Potential for higher monthly residual income per property
5. A lot more home owners in desperate situations than there is who own land ( Land has lower costs to maintain and there are less vacant lots than there are houses generally)

Look for these Market positives when investing in land OR Housing:

• Unemployment rate is low compared to the national unemployment rate
• The general area and its population growing and expanding
• And if it is, best if expanding in the direction of the property you are interested in
• Talk to the city and county planning and zoning agencies where the land is located; they will be able to give you valuable information about area growth and building projections.
• Be sure to keep your ears open for news of major business expansions.

Here is How to Lower Your Risks for Houses or Land before closing on any deal:

• Make sure title is not “cloudy” and property is marketable. Remember IRS liens have to be paid! If you buy a property with those liens, that bill becomes yours. Do your due diligence in running a title report before closing.
• Run necessary tests and inspections depending on specific area and property
• Check with County to verify no complaints or notices for required repairs are filed
• Make sure you work with escape clauses to assure you can walk away for any reason.
• Avoid giving check or cash money down until you are positive you are going to close.
• Make sure that your purchase contract is worded in such a way that it allows you to only transfer cash at the time of closing.

Land and House Flipping Similarities

In summary, you can follow a lot of the same strategies marketing to land owners as I always have buying from and selling to home owners. The best type of deal, whether land or houses, is when the seller, for one reason or another, wants a quick easy out of the obligation of owning their house or land – leaving you the opportunity to buy at a discount and profit in the short and/or long term depending on your goals!

Real estate investing, just like most things in life, has benefits and risks no matter how you look at it. There are always those unknown and unexpected circumstances. In the scheme of things, you need to decide… are you able to live a peaceful, joyful life as you are building your wealth through real estate investing in land and/or houses. Your personal risk tolerance is what only you can decide. I am doing both wholesale land and house flipping and holding, looking at each deal individually. Because most importantly, it is all about profitability and the bottom line!

Most Important!

Universally – having a system, a trainer and a coach to take you down the path of real estate investing is the key to your success. Someone who has already blazed the trail…and all you have to do is follow. You want to walk along side a real estate investor with the experience in doing it successfully – someone who has already figured out the “code”. “Why re-invent the wheel?”, as they say.

Knowing you have experience at your side alleviates those fears of the unknowns increasing the chances for a faster, easier and happier ride to the peak of real estate investing success.

I would like to leave you with a quote: “Perhaps the very best question that you can memorize and repeat, over and over, is, ‘what is the most valuable use of my time right now?’” - Brian Tracy: Author and speaker on personal and professional development

To Your Massive Passive Profits!

Tamera Aragon
REI Success Trainer, Author and Coach
http://www.blog.TameraREI.com

For the best training on how to profit from buying land for pennies on the dollar go to: http://www.MassiveProfits4REI.com/Jack

6 Month Coaching & training on wholesale flipping through short sales and REO’s and more http://www.CoachingU2Profits.com

Originally posted 2009-11-16 11:26:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

I wish Thanksgiving came around more often… it’s a beautiful time of year when we are reminded to not only “feel” thankful, but to also find ways to “express” our gratitude.  So, some might ask, how do you feel thankful when life sometimes feels so hard?  Watch this video and be inspired to find a way.

On that note, I want you to know how thankful I am for you! I value the honor of serving you, our partners, clients and readers and look forward to being able to continue to do so for many years to come.

As my core desire is to inspire and motivate……I hope you will pay this gratitude forward ….and also take just a few minutes right now and share with those to whom you feel gratitude but don’t always take time to say it.  Feel free to submit your thoughts in a comment box below and send others to this page!

That’s right – right now – send a message, leave a voicemail, let someone know how much you care and appreciate them and what they do… right now.

Go ahead…do it now while you can and while it’s fresh on your mind.

Do you see what life holds in store for you today? Do you know how blessed you are?  You have so much to be grateful for. There is so much opportunity for those who can see it. Do you see it?

Watch this short video to open your eyes to the possibilities that lay before you now.http://beattheoddsmovie.com/

If you are still having difficulty finding your own blessings to be thankful for, try asking yourself these simple questions:

• Do you live free today?
• Does someone love you today?
• Have you heard children’s laughter?
• Are you part of a family?
• Do you have your limbs to walk or hands to touch? Or eyes to see? Or ears to hear? A voice to talk? …..Or maybe you are one of the really lucky ones who enjoy all of these gifts from God.

“When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup.”
Sam Lefkowitz

The more you think, the more you will realize that you are truly blessed.  Take in this moment…Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday reminding us to be and act thankful every day.

“Stars do not struggle to shine; rivers do not struggle to flow, flowers do not struggle to grow, and you need never struggle to excel in life. You are a child of the universe and have all the resources you need within you to create the life of your dreams. By Gods grace, you deserve the very best, ever and always. Know this.”

Have a wonderful Holiday with many Blessings,

Tamera Aragon

P.S. – I want to encourage you to take time to share this message of hope to others. Just copy and paste this link…. www.TameraREI.com and make someone’s day!

Originally posted 2009-11-25 13:23:26. Republished by Blog Post Promoter