Thursday, January 22, 2009

Low-Budget Marketing for the Newbie Real Estate Investor

Ok, so the money is tight so what....

This is for the typical newbie real estate investor or any level real estate investor as the saying goes where you don't have the time then spend the money. And if you don't have the money spend the you guessed it time. Why throw away marketing dollars in this crazy economy it's all about creativity. Yes to market on a low budget you have to consider who you want to target or the market, what you will use the media, and what am I going to say to the message.

What you will need for this low budget method. All products can be purched from a office supply store.

1. A pack of brightly colored card stock paper
2. A decent inkjet, laserjet, or officejet printer
3. Enough ink cartridges to print your desired number of pages
4. Microsoft Office or Open Office a free program like Microsoft Office.
5. Your imagination
6. A high quality paper cutter

Open up your office program and use your imagination to create your message set page size to 4.5 x 5.5 add 4 of the exact same sheets. Then when you print select print 4 sheets per page and scale to letter size. This is how I print out 4 little 4.5 x 5.5 cards a sheet.

What should your little cards say that is entirely up to you. Just think whether you are targeting buyers or sellers then adjust your message accordingly.

Once all of the cards are printed and cut disribute them in the neghborhoods you want to target here is where you can be creative.

Tip
Canvas neighborhoods using http://maps.google.com it makes life a lot easier pick your target neighborhood then look for the places people will be like grocery stores etc., Also use google maps to check out neighborhoods before entering. It's a cool feature and if you use street view you can literally walk up the streets virtually to peek at property.

Tip
And never forget where you don't have the money you should spend triple the time especially when it comes to marketing.

Tip
It doesn't take a huge marketing budget to get started or pump up the marketing juice for your business. Have fun, be creative, have family and friends help out, double this method with a neighborhood you may be farming.

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Friday, December 19, 2008

So You Wanna Become A Real Estate Investor?

Real Estate Investing can be very profitable. If it wasn't then everybody and their momma wouldn't have course trying to teach you how to invest in real estate. Oh, and I can't forget the countless number of late night infomercials making you believe real estate investing is the easiest thing in the world.

If you really want to get your feet wet and find out what investing is all about, I suggest starting out with a book. Plus, for pennies vs thousands you can quickly decide if this is something you can do. I would never recommend spending thousands on a whim after a long sales speech telling you can make thousands. Education is key know what's involved before jumping off a career in real estate investing. Here are a few books I have purchased and read these are starters they outline what is involved and give you a clearer mental picture.







It doesn't stop there this is just basic education. Once you have some of the terminology and fundamentals it'll be time to branch out to a local real estate investing group. This is a way to find future partners, possible resources, contacts, people to buy your deals and much more. No man should be an island you'll have to surround yourself with others to make it. Another thing to do is join online real estate investing communities such as Bigger Pockets and Real Estate Investor. On these free sites you can connect with other investors from all over to get a broader spectrum.

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Saturday, November 15, 2008

Real Estate Investors Must Build Rapport With Home Sellers

Rapport What Is Rapport?

Rapport is about building a relationship, especially one of mutual trust or emotional affinity.


Be A Genuine Person

As real estate investors we are in the professional business of getting houses under contract. The intent is not to make the homeowner feel like you are trying to steal their home. Walking into a person’s home without the thought of taking any genuine interest in them will leave a lot of money on the table. It could even come across as outright disrespectful. The motto is doing unto others as you would have done to you.

Remember And Use The Homeowners Name

One of my recommended readings is Dale Carnegie’s "How To Win Friends And Influence People". To quote Dale Carnegie “a person’s name is the sweetest sound in any language”. Taking the time to remember and use a person’s name is a sign of genuine interest.

Tip: Use a person’s name 3 times in a 45 minute time frame.

Some real basic topics to cover that help to build rapport include Family,Occupation and Recreation.

• Family – Talk with them about their family or pets
• Occupation – Discuss what they do for a living
• Recreation- What are their interests or hobbies

A lot of these things are very noticeable from the conversation over the phone, pictures on the wall or other indicators in the home.


Comment The Homeowner On Something

Have you ever had some on comment you on something and immediately you felt warm, smiled, or felt an instant boost in self-esteem? Comments just make people feel good so don’t hesitate to comment your homeowner’s on whatever you feel is best. It could be the home, their family, taste, occupation you get the idea. Now I am not suggesting outright flattery. Flattery is fake finding something genuine to them comment on is highly recommended and believable.

Body Language

Always use eye contact, good posture, gestures and if comfortable smile. Smiles are very welcoming and inviting if you’re just not into smiling practice it until you’re comfortable. Also remember just one smile goes a long way. And definitely no frowning, turning up your nose, or brow beating. Genuine, kind, natural, postures to help the homeowner feel comfortable.

Listening
Allow your home owner a chance to speak without interruptions. Again genuinely listen, or if your mind begins to wander a little nod and keep eye contact. But it’s best to try as hard as you can to listen and free your mind of distractions.


These are just some really basic ways to successfully build rapport with your homeowners. And always remember rapport is important!



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Thursday, October 30, 2008

Lloyd Irvin's Metro Money Makers Meeting October 30th 2008

Lloyd Irvin's guest speaker for tonight's Metro Money Makers meeting was Mr. Caleb Osbourne provided a bulk of content in a free-flowing easy to understand manner. He covered all the basics of what it takes to get your website up and running and how to get the leads. He covered several different topics, Landing pages, Free offers, Ad Words, exactly how to get a simple campaign started how many emails to send, how to position your offer, how to follow up with clients. He covered a lot and I must say I have paid well over $1,000 to hear the same stuff. Lloyd Irvin always provides excellent information at his highly valued Metro Money Makers Meeting. I can't wait to put some of the tips I learned for free into practice for my real estate investing business.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Stepping Out As A Newbie Investor

I took my first Real Estate Investing training seminar back in April of this year April 14th to be exact. I didn't have a clue to investing I didn't even know what it was, how to do it. The course was offered by Vicki Irvin I opted to upgrade to another graduation course at the end of the first. Thad Winston instructed some of the course he was a very motivational excited speaker. His message was a powerful that stuck he stated to picture this business of Real Estate Investing as someone holding a gun to your head giving you specific instructions and all you have to do is follow through to save your self or your family. Yeah my primary reason for stepping outside the box and trying something different is family.

Real Estate Investing is all about follow through you gotta do something with the education. Look for ways to generate leads cause without leads the business cant thrive. It's about confidence it's about being tough never giving up and most of all follow through. I played around in the interim cause it was just to much dynamics for one to grasp and understand. My funds was short however if I know then what I know know I would say I went about it all wrong. It's all about getting leads and that means spending money on #1 finding them #2 Marketing to them #3 Have them respond to your message #4 Having that Message converted into a sale or shall we say some $$$, Dinero, Cha Ching whatever you call it that's what its all about.

So before the trigger is pulled go out there do something and in the words of Thad throw so stuff on the wall and make it happen!


Chiconya Washington