I'm not this crazy, but it's still amazing stuff.

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

More real estate to come.

-Taylor

Strategy Adjustments

Well, I just rolled past the one year point as a corporation. Which is good. What a crazy year it has been too. Things really seemed to be trucking along there in June/July last year, then slowed down as 08 came to a close.

With the changes in the market, I have been forced to take a hard look at what is working and what is not working.

Based on the last deals I have done, PROBATE is working... There is equity AND motivation (which are the key elements in this investing game.)

While Free and Clear/High equity mailers get lots of calls, the appointments haven't been as frequent and the resulting deals have been non-existant in the last 6 months.


Absentee owners/landlord mailers also generate lots of calls, but in this crazy market, there is just too big of a gap from where I need to be and the lowest they will take. I can't justify the expense when I'm not sure I'll be able to convert the calls to cash $$$...

So...

1. I'm putting the mass mailers on hold. Going back to the old-school. Probate mail and knocking doors...

2. Continuing my Probate method of gathering info at the courthouse each month, mailing a nice letter and now, (2b.) adding a follow up component by designing an executor follow up post card.

3. Door knocking motivated lists. I have a researcher knocking expired listings for me right now and am going to have him add probates to the list. We knocked 7 doors the other night (expired listings) and bumped into a probate executor and I was able to schedule an appointment for the following week. Quick results and little cash outlay. (gas money.)

4. Get licensed. I have heard/read many conflicting opinions about whether or not to get my RE license, but I was successful finding buyers for that property that went into short-sale and have so many potential listings and short sale leads, I can no longer keep giving the business away as referrals to my agent. I need the income and love the thought of keeping myself in the RE game during this market downturn.

We're making the same changes in Virginia as well, with emphasis on follow up with current leads and continuing to mail probates.

It's baby steps at this point, returning to the things that originally brought in dollars for the dollars spent and on making money through the market change so that when the shift comes I can be ready to jump and make cash again.

Keep watching.

-Taylor

Buy at the Peak, Sell on the Way Down...

I'm making follow up calls (18 so far) this evening and just had a nutty call that I had to get online.

Here's the stats:
She bought for $397,500 in 12/05. Which was about 4 months prior to the peak of the biggest peak in american housing. Full retail at the peak of all peaks.

She has rec'd my mailer once every 3 months and called to see if she could get out of her house with a little profit.
Wouldn't tell me what she thought it was worth. (I had 3 websites open looking at current value...)
Wouldn't tell me what she owed.(can pull all that from county records in about 5 mins.)
Didn't want to meet. (I can't help those that don't want help.)

So, in the end I told her that Zillow.com and Realquest.com both showed a value for her place at $297 in today's market, would that number be in the ballpark?

Heavens no. I wouldn't sell for a penny less than $450k.

Hope you have a couple decades to wait my dear.

It's gonna be a while.

Here's the foreclosures around her house.


Ok, thanks. I feel much better now.

Back to the phone...
-Taylor

More Core Identity Thoughts

I've had 2 meetings with sellers this week that have been frustrating to me.

• Both were single women with houses they needed to sell.
  
• They needed to sell for as much as possible, as fast as possible.
• In the end they individually gave me the same 'i want to think about it because you're numbers are too low' as a reason to leave the meeting without a contract or a return appointment.

• One has listed with a realtor and I expect the one from today to list with a realtor

It is super frustrating for me (ergo another 1am blog post) because I know that what I have represents the best possible chance for these sellers to get what they want/need, which is a. quick sale, b. Cash c. Cash that meets or exceeds what they would likely net from a retail sale.

But something must be missing. I may be too logical in my presentation/meeting with them. Maybe I don't build enough rapport, find out what their hot buttons are, paint them in to their pleasurable future...

I have mentioned Frank Kern before, but I don't think I've linked any of his video to my blog. Check it out. It is an interesting premise to approach business/sales from such a 'touchy-feely' kind of place, but it resonates with me and my best meetings have followed a similar path.

Enjoy and tell me what you think...
-Taylor


this guy was cool too. Absolute Congruence.

Oh NO! The Obamanator attacks!

By RICHARD ROHL, Published: March 31, 2009

"WASHINGTON -- At the protest of "vulture" investors,

President Obama will sign legislation tomorrow reversing all

private transfers of property by homeowners in default.

This provision of the "Community Risk Abatement Plan," a

recent addition to the stimulus package in consideration. It

will require the owners of all property acquired in the last

two years from sellers where were behind on mortgage or

tax payments to be returned to the previous owners within

121 days."

Good thing for me that I don't deal in foreclosures.

-Taylor

I love surfing.

I really love it. Once this little business gets going I'm going to surf more. And stand-up-paddle surfing? I'm sooo going to get one of these boards. It can be completely flat and you're having a good time. Plus, my 12 year old (who has never wanted to surf) wants to get out there with me on one, so it's got to be cool right?

Enjoy-
Taylor


Find more videos like this on Stand Up Paddle Surfing

More Good Stuff for all the Sales Mastery Folks

Ok, enough politics and education. How about something you can use with sellers?

Here you go.

In my Virginia Beach office and here in CA, we have a number of people trying to sell their vacation/get-away homes. The most common response to my offers is 'I'll wait it out' or the oh-so-common 'I don't really need to sell...' which are both lies, but we won't get into that today...

What you need to bring them back to planet earth, USA is some proof.

Supply is up. Funding is down. Competition from Banks, Foreclosures and Builders are all up. What does that lead to? Price Drop! (cue the disco ball and police lights/siren) That's right kids, a price drop. And when you start lower, you can end lower. Buying low is what we like. Starting lower makes it easy.

So here's the bullet points from today's article:

• The vacation home market was driven by the availability of debt (money.)
• With the absence of mortgages for primary homes, secondary home loans are even less likely.
  
• Vacation home sales dropped 31% over all and the median dropped 23%

I can make it all go away, right here, right now. All I need is your OK right here and I'll get to work putting the financing together.

Go team!
-Tayor