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Think back to a time in your past-five, 10, 15, 20 years ago. You probably envisioned a happy future making more money, having fun, enjoying romance, or living in a bigger place than you did previously.

Although few things turn out perfectly, or even the way we thought they might, chances are that at least one area of your life saw some growth and improvement out of desire if not necessity. The standards of a 30-something year- old adult are going to be necessarily different than those of a late teenager. In that sense, most of us have undergone economic, social, and career upgrades.

Given today’s economic super storm, faith in the future can seem fanciful. The realities of the current climate are pretty harsh. People are losing their homes, losing their 401Ks-losing faith in their prospects for security and prosperity. “Positive thinking” is often the last thing they want to hear when they’re months behind on their mortgage, the job market tightens, and their retirement is in question. But our lives mirror the cycle of everything that ever was and ever will be-nature and the seasons, governments, bear and bull markets-the world itself. Anything that involves life and/or people is going to go through seasons. We will experience a spring-like bloom, the reaping of summer, the preparations of fall, and the chill and severity that winter brings. This unavoidable cycle occurs in our individual lives and in society as it does in nature.

We are certainly in the midst of a severe economic winter. However, if we can remember that we’ve all experienced times of growth and improvement in our individual lives after a period of lack and want, we can re-adjust back to a mindset that focuses on a future we can look forward to again. That starts with accepting and embracing the now.

This wintry economic season provides an opportunity to hibernate, recover, and start planning for the next spring ahead-the same kind of spring that gave us relief before and will bring us relief again. You can do this by:

1. Defining what you want to create

Be specific. Sometimes luck helps, but there’s no way to get what you want until you’ve defined what that is, and, just as important, why you want it. Your motivations will steer you through this winter storm.

2. Controlling your focus

Worrying does not make dire circumstances better. The problem isn’t going to change any faster by obsessing over it. Focus instead on finding solutions, and focusing on the life you’ll be living once you’ve found them.

3. Taking inventory

List those attributes that enhance the quality of your life right here and now-family, friends, the network of colleagues who might help you take that next step; resources that are helping you get by economically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. You might be surprised at just how many resources are at your disposal.

4. Being grateful

For every “negative” thing that may be happening to you, someone else is undergoing more pressing challenges. Gratitude has a way of dispelling fear, anxiety, and a self-defeating attitude. You can’t focus on what you don’t have when you’re grateful for what you do have.

No matter what the conditions, we’ve all made some kind of improvement before, and the truth is that we can and will do it again. How we progress isn’t solely dictated by what we don’t have, or what we might’ve done or not done in the past. It’s about how we use what we do have now, sowing seeds of growth that we can reap later.

If we can recapture the hope and faith that helped us grow throughout our lives, we position ourselves to not only survive this winter, but come out of it happier, healthier, and wealthier than before. Winters are sometimes long, but they don’t last forever. And they aren’t pervasive. Somewhere, right now, someone is enjoying summer. That’s as true for the world as it is in our individual lives. Use this time to hibernate, re-focus, heal, enjoy your blessings, and start planning your next spring now.

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Ingrid Berman, the late award winning actress, was quoted as saying, “Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get.”

Many of us find out, even as kids, that we can want something desperately, and then get it, only to become bored with it within days and want something different. As grown-ups, we continue to want what we think will make life better, but do we know for sure that it will be enough to make us happy?

Most people will say they want more money, for example. When you ask them why, it’s usually to buy a new house, a new car, gadgets, travel, and so on. However, a more pointed question is: “What positive experience would you associate with having more money and the things that money can provide?” The answers usually point toward the real wants: more freedom, security, peace of mind, power, pleasure-variables that also satisfy our most basic needs.

Now dig even deeper and consider: does having more money absolutely mean having more freedom, or security, or peace of mind?

Look at today’s jet-setting tabloid celebrity, whose every move is observed and scrutinized. Can they really do whatever they want without their fame and success negatively impacting their personal freedom, peace of mind, or even security? An abundance of money certainly provides thrilling opportunities, but it doesn’t always come without some kind of price to well-being. A tragic consequence of unquenchable tabloid thirst is the late Princess Diana, escaping paparazzi in her last moments of life.

Contrarily, does not having money mean you can’t have freedom, security, and peace of mind-those qualities we tend to associate with happiness? Mother Theresa certainly didn’t think so. But for the rest of us, to be honest and real, having more money will more likely open doors to greater happiness. However, we can also truthfully state that happiness is not tied solely to the amount of money you have in your bank account, or the objects it can buy.

So in the end, what are we really after? What do we really want?

What we’re really seeking is a feeling that the objects of our wants will bring. A new house can give us a sense of comfort. A new car can heighten a feeling of importance. A passionate relationship can bring us love, connection, and ecstasy. Travel and toys can invoke excitement and stave off boredom. Landing the dream job can satisfy our need to achieve and be recognized.

The point here isn’t to say that we shouldn’t want the objects and symbols we think will make us happy. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have the best of both worlds-the material as well as those intangible feelings. However, it’s important for us to keep in mind that our happiness isn’t limited to the objects of our desires. We don’t have to wait until we get want we want in order to be happy.

We can gain those same feelings we think our material desires will give us in other ways. The more we focus on the positive experiences we want out of life, not only do we tend to produce those more frequently, but also the easier it is to produce the “things” we want. Focusing on money may not make us any more secure or free, yet focusing on producing freedom and security makes it easier to create material success to go along with the inner qualities of fulfillment.

Those feelings and experiences we’re really after are available whether we get our wants or not. Donating some free time to a cause you really care about-from coaching kids’ athletics to numerous kinds of charities-can provide feelings of security and connection among like-minded individuals, and recognition that makes you feel good about yourself for helping others, just as much as earning the income and getting all those nice toys that bring the satisfaction of achievement.

Things get damaged or destroyed. Relationships can end abruptly. Trophies can lose their luster. But when you know what it is you’re really after, you gain a greater understanding that happiness is not primarily in the object, but in the experience and feeling that is available to us now and always.

Chances are, if you’re reading this you’re looking for an edge in real estate investing. If so, sign up to receive a free 30 minute success coaching consultation at http://www.timtaylorsuccesscoach.com/free_consultation.php. ]]> http://www.timtaylorsuccesscoach.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=108 1 http://www.timtaylorsuccesscoach.com/blog/?p=89 http://www.timtaylorsuccesscoach.com/blog/?p=89#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:30:04 +0000 Tim Taylor http://www.timtaylorsuccesscoach.com/blog/?p=89 Jump into real estate investing without having to spend any of your own money; all you need is just a bit of education. Check out my latest edition of the Tim Taylor Real Estate Investing video series, “Option to Purchase Strategy” and learn the secrets to the option to purchase program.

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While it is certainly true that we need to be aware, informed, and discerning about the events unfolding today, we also need to keep in mind that history is replete with examples of similar market breaks and the potential to actually profit from times like these.

In fact, the late Sir John Templeton, one of the most successful investors of all time, made billions based on his investments in countries nobody wanted to touch during the Great Depression and years leading up to WWII. More recently, commodity trader Paul Tudor Jones tripled his wealth on October 19, 1987-Black Monday-when markets around the world crashed.

We have proven examples of people who took advantage whenever everybody else was running for the hills. But we’ll never be able to maximize this truth without first realizing that fear is not the only option to respond to things that are sometimes beyond our control. The alternative is faith.

What is the difference between fear and faith? Both are products of the imagination. Certainly, when your life is in danger, fear is a useful tool in that primal fight or-flight sense. But most of us aren’t in those types of life or death situations on any regular basis. However-and more importantly-we invoke that same primal instinct just about all the time, whether it’s in response to a drop in the Dow or a challenge that presents itself in a relationship.

We know that markets go up and down all the time, just as we know that sometimes we might think the worst of someone’s intentions when it was only a simple misunderstanding. But fear can still be a natural response to both situations, even though neither is actuality based on any real danger, but rather a seeming threat to our identity, to our wants, goals, dreams-whatever matters to us most. The events, as interrupted by us, may in fact have nothing to do with reality at all. In this sense, the old acronym that fear is False Evidence Appearing Real rings true.

Faith, on the other hand, is imagination guided by intention. Faith does not react like fear does.Consistent faith creates a centeredness that says, “No matter what happens, I will find a way to make it through any challenge. I’ve done it before (and we ALL have), I can do it again, and come out even better, stronger, and more fulfilled.” Whether you believe in the concept of God or not doesn’t matter. The evidence is in nature and history itself. Change and challenge are what makes us grow and evolve. Economies have gone through these cycles. So have governments, institutions, nations, ecologies; anything that involves life. The same applies to us personally.

No one knows what the future holds, but the difference between fear and faith is that fear is imagination out of control. It grows like a virus, infecting our emotions and destroying our sense of wellbeing. Faith is imagination directed, giving us the courage to act with the intention of attaining what we really want, not just react to what’s happening-ready to accept the outcome without fearing loss. This is the strength that not only gets you through tough times, but also molds a character that prospers and endures beyond today’s challenges.

Mastering your fear doesn’t mean that it never shows up. It just means that you take control of it rather than it takes control of you. When everyone else is ducking for cover, you’ll be ready to use these times to prosper. When it comes to fear or faith, especially now, is there really a choice?

Chances are, if you’re reading this you’re looking for an edge in real estate investing. If so, sign up to receive a free 30 minute success coaching consultation at http://www.timtaylorsuccesscoach.com/free_consultation.php.

[dailymotion width="600" height="400"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbemcx_marketing-for-motivated-sellers_lifestyle[/dailymotion]

Interested in learning more about creating your own successful real estate investing business? If so, complete my free consultation form so I can chat with you, personally, and discuss your goals.

Subscribe to my RSS feed by clicking on the “Subscribe” button on the right hand corner of the blog to ensure you are filled in on real estate investing techniques, important financial tips and more for free!

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No matter what your goal in life, hard work, perseverance, and an unshakable commitment to achieving what you want are unavoidable elements in the equation of success. That doesn’t mean that every step along the way has to be difficult, though. The shortest distance between any two points is a straight line. When it comes to gathering motivated house sellers into your real estate business, it’s no different. You can take all kinds of angles and curves while seeking out people who want to unload their houses or you can get them to come straight to you without expending a lot of time, energy or resources. The following mediums not only save time, but are extremely simple yet effective.

Business Card/Magnetic Car Signs

Business cards are cheap. You can buy 500 of them for $35. The nicer the card stock, the better. Leave them everywhere, give them to everyone. If you go to a restaurant, leave one on the table. When you go to the grocery store, leave one on the bulletin corkboard. Everyone knows of someone who wants to sell a house, especially in these market conditions. For magnetic car signs, you can go to any print shop, and they can make them for about $75 a piece. It will be magnet that sticks to the side of your car. It’s like a traveling billboard.

Every time you stop at a traffic light or pull into a parking lot, you got a billboard right there. Both business cards and magnetic car signs will say the exact same thing: Sell Your House Fast! Quick Sale – Fair Price (707) 555-1212. Remember, the first letter of each of these words is capitalized. You want the information to stand out.

Realtors

Build a relationship with one or two motivated realtors in your area who are going to send you leads out of the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). The only criteria you will give them is this:

So if the average selling price is $100,000 in a given market, you want leads out of the MLS for any house listed that is $80,000 a or less. This immediately lets you know that the house seller wants to get rid of their property badly enough to accept less than what the average price for a house in that area goes for. They are a motivated seller. In return for those kinds of leads, you’re going to give your realtor-ally the leads that you get from your other marketing strategies. When it comes down to it, you’re only going to buy, truly, one out of every 30 leads that come across your desk from your marketing, which means there are 29 leads out there that you are never going to do business with. So you’re going refer them to a motivated realtor that you build a relationship with.

The Bee Hive Process

You are the “Queen Bee,” and you want worker bees out there in your target market bringing you qualified leads. You’re going to hire people to drive around certain neighborhoods that are right outside the rough areas where first-time homebuyers are going to be: neighborhoods that aren’t very pretty. You’re going to hire people by advertising on Craigslist under the Real Estate Jobs section-anyone looking for some part time work, flexible hours and extra income. All they need to have is a car and a camera, preferably a Polaroid. You’re going to have your worker bees drive around these neighborhoods and snap a photo of any house that meets two criteria:

1. Abandoned

2. In need of excessive repairs

Some basic things that you’ll have your bees looking for include homes that need a new roof, exterior paint, new siding, and windows replaced. For every picture they take of a house that fulfills the requirements you’re looking for, you will pay them $10 per picture. If you don’t want to pay anybody, you can always take your weekend to drive around and do this yourself. Then, you will call the owners of these ugly, abandoned houses that are in need of excessive repair. You can find them by looking them up at town hall or hiring a skip tracer (private detective). You will find some gold within these ugly properties if you pursue them.

Under this scenario, the homeowner maintains ownership (i.e. the deed) on the property, but you have an equitable interest (control) and the right to sub-lease the property to a prospective buyer and give them the option to buy from you. In fact, by lease-optioning a property.

Here are our six different buying strategies: getting the deed “Subject to”; Land Contract; All Cash; Split Fund; Straight Option and Lease Option.

Please remember that the All Cash and Split-Fund strategies are for ugly, rundown houses only.

When we’re considering the Lease-Option offer to a seller, we’re only going to make such an offer to higher-end homeowners, people whose homes are in good shape; people with vested interests in leasing and/or selling the house to someone who is going to properly maintain it. In short, we are now focusing on the pretty-house side of the business.

Most sellers who lease option their house are looking for debt relief. They may have had a job transfer, or maybe there was a divorce and neither party can keep the house on their own. Or maybe they’re living some-where else, renting, and just couldn’t sell the house in time before they moved. However, there are some sellers who do not want to sell the property and lose complete control over it buy handing over the deed of ownership, losing the benefits of being a landlord—like depreciation for their taxes and receiving monthly payments when selling or renting. But they may consider leasing the property to you with an option to buy.

Now, since we’re on the pretty-house side of the business, a homeowner’s asking price is going to be considerably more than what we would purchase an ugly house for. Even if they may really want to sell that house, we may not be able to buy it at a price that makes sense to us to pay them all cash. However, the benefit of offering the lease-option strategy is that it provides us with an opportunity to offer a higher price to the seller—up to 70-80% of the value of the house (as opposed to only 50-60% through the all-cash buying strategy).

We could also offer 70-80% through the Land Contract buying strategy. If fact, if you had it your way, you’d want to try to see if they’d accept a Land Contract first for the simple reason that you’d be getting the ownership, have control over the property, and you’d have more strategies you could employ to sell the house. But sometimes the seller just doesn’t want to hand over the deed or ownership through a Land Contract if we’re not buying the home outright.

So we’ll immediately flip to our lease option offer and say something like this:

“I can certainly understand that you want to maintain a little more control. I do have a Lease Option program in which you’ll be able to maintain ownership of the property, and you and I will have an agreed upon price which I’ll buy the home from you at some point in the future. I will make monthly lease payments to you in the meantime, up until, if and when, I exercise my option to buy it from you.”

The first thing you do is agree upon a purchase price and the amount of a monthly lease payment. You’ll maintain the home in good condition until you exercise your option to buy the house. Then you agree upon a date in which you will purchase the property from the owner. In addition to that, you have the right to sublease the property to a tenant/buyer of our own. At that time, the home will be paid off in full.

A Matter of Trust
The most important component of buying houses through Lease Options is the rapport that you build with the homeowner. If someone has the intent to sell their house and they contact you, you are offering a different kind of creative strategy for them to sell. When it comes to buying and selling houses, most of the outside world only knows that “I find a buyer, and they come in and pay me off at closing in full.” That’s conventional wisdom.

So if we’re offering something outside the norm, like a lease with the option to purchase, it really comes down to trust. You either build rapport to the point where they trust that you know what you’re doing and they feel confident that you can produce, or you won’t get the deal. If someone is unsure of you, or of your ability to do what you say you’re going to do, they most likely aren’t going to just come out and say, “I don’t trust you.” Instead, they’ll come up with objections. When the human mind is feeling uncertain about something, it’ll create reasons as to why this should not work, why I shouldn’t take action, or why I shouldn’t trust this person.

Objections are perfectly natural. When someone presents you with an objection, what they’re really saying is, “I think I understand, but I’m still missing a piece. I cannot say yes with complete confidence. Please keep talking to me to fill in the information that I’m missing.” After you’ve completely covered their objections in an open and honest manner, they will become comfortable in working with you.

It’s the way that you handle their objections that will determine the rapport and trust you build with them. You want to cover the material in a natural tone of voice. If the person picks up on the fact that you are reading a script, then you will lose all their trust. Building and maintaining trust are the most critical parts of becoming successful in this business.

About Tim Taylor Real Estate Success Coach
Tim Taylor real estate success coach and author of “Wealth with Purpose” is an accomplished learner. He has been mentored by Robert Kiyosaki, Robert Allen and Ron LeGrand and is now passing on the secrets he has come to know and practice onto select individuals with a burning desire to become successful real estate investors.

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