Many homeowners in Billings have found themselves in a situation where they need to sell their home now.  Many homeowners find themselves going through a tough time sometime in their life.   Whether you are moving for a new job and can’t afford a second mortgage payment or just need quick money to pay off the bills that have piled up.   There are hundreds of reason why a homeowner in Billings needs to sell fast. You could just be like me and have no patience and want to sell today.  Many Billings Homeowners own some type of business and sometimes just need some cash to keep it afloat.

We all know the ways to sell your home in Billings Montana, right?  Through a realtor and for sale by owner are the two most choose.   Have you ever thought of selling your home to an investor?  Yes an investor will have buy your the house at a discount but here is the great thing.  You can actually save money.

Let’s look at how you can save money and get out of your stressful situation fast.   Investors are usually cash buyers.  This means they can close quickly.  Remember finding a buyer through traditional ways means listing your house, waiting for the buyer to get approved for financing, waiting for the bank to agree upon a closing date and so on.  This can take months and months to sell your home.

Let’s look at an example of what I am saying.  Say your mortgage payment is $1,000 per month.  You take six months to sell your house that is $6,000 you just spent waiting for your house to get sold.  If you sold to an investor in Billings who can pay all cash and close in days, you could have put that money in your pocket.

The next benefit of selling to an investor in Billings Montana is you do not have to fix up your house.  That’s what most investors in Billings Montana do, they buy houses to fix up and sell.  Fixing up a house to get it in great condition to sell can cost $20,000 or more sometimes.  Investors in Billings can save you that money, which is another $20,000 in your pocket.  Even if your house does not need that much work, I have never seen a house that does not need some.  It could be paint, carpet, patching holes, updates and so on.  All of these can still add up to a few thousand dollars.

Another way for homeowners in Billings to save money by using an investor in Billings Montana is on closing costs.  Most good investors will pay for all closing costs.  This means that there are no realtor fees, and all fee that go along with closing.  This can save you on average another $3,000 to $5,000.

One last thing, listing with a realtor or FSBO does not guarantee that you home will get sold.  There are several houses that sit on the market for over a year and then homeowners just give up. With an investor you have a guaranteed sale.

So whether you need to sell your Billings Home fast or just want to save money and not have to do all the work to your house that it needs.  An Investor in Billings can be an amazing option. I recommend Big Sky Property Solutions LLC to sell fast.  They have a good track record and will do what they can to put your best interests first.

Interview with Damian Forrester one of the best real estate agents in Billings Montana.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTTh2NTbsKs[/youtube]

Eight Tips for Getting Started in Real Estate Investing

By Christopher Seder

Introduction

This article is just the basics for getting started in real estate investing. This is not a how to article but an article that gives you some information about things to do to get started.  Everything in this article is tools that can be applied to helping anyone get started in real estate investing.  I am going to give you my eight keys to getting started. Nothing is right or wrong but reflects the point of view of the author. Laws and legal practices vary from state to state, and laws can change over time.  The author does not vouch for the legality of his opinions, nor is there any intent to supply legal advice.  The author strongly encourages the reader to consult with professionals and an attorney prior to entering in any real estate transaction or contract.  The author is not a writer but he is a real estate investor.  There will be grammar mistakes and errors, so don’t be too critical of the grammar but focus your energy on what is being said.  With that said prepare yourself to think a little differently and expand your mind.   Let’s get started on an amazing adventure.

The Eight Tips are as follows

1. Desire
2. Goal Setting
3. Learning What To Do
4. Attending a Real Estate Investing Seminar
5. The Billings Montana Market
6. Finding a Mentor
7. Your Real Estate Team
8. Just Do IT

1.      Desire

Before we get in to the bolts and nails of real estate investing in I want to talk to you about desire.  If you are going to be successful at anything in life including real estate investing you have to have the desire to do it. Desire is defined as longing or craving, as for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment.  Desire stresses the strength of feeling and often implies strong intention or aim.  In real estate investing if you don’t have a desire to learn and grow as a human being and really get satisfaction out of it, then real estate investing is going to be hard to do.  When I go out and look at a property it brings me a lot of enjoyment.  Every aspect brings me joy from talking to home owners, figuring out how I can make a deal work, to buying the house and to finding a good homeowner or tenant for the house.  Real estate investing may not be for everyone but real estate investing can offer anyone the financial freedom we all crave for.  If you do not have the desire for real estate investing that is ok, it can still help you to live your dreams and help you to get where you want to go in the future.

Why is real estate investing an amazing avenue for anyone to live out all of their dreams?  Let me ask you a few questions.  Do you have enough money to do anything you want? Do you have everything you want? No debt?  A nice house?  Great Marriage? The freedom to do anything regardless of how much it costs and the time it takes?   If you have all of these things then you are one of the few people in America who does.  Most people may be working fifty hours a week and making just enough to pay their bills.  In today’s day and age most people are living pay check to pay check never really knowing if they will make enough to pay the bills that just keep piling up.   If you cannot keep up with your monthly bills how are you going to plan for retirement or send your kids to college or have time to enjoy life.   The answer to all of these questions is becoming financially free.  Now it’s not going to be easy everyone will have to get off the couch and out of their comfort zone.  Real estate is proven to be one of the fastest ways to get your out of the rat race of the nine to five and begin living the life you deserve to live.  Everyone wants something different out of their life.  Some dream of traveling the world, spending more time with family, volunteering, golfing, laying on a beach, giving back to the community, or anything that will make them happy.  There are thousands of things that make people happy.

Making it in real estate takes a person who has a strong desire to change their lives for the better and think big.  Anyone can become a great real estate investor.  It is going to take a lot of work and can be a struggle at times but in the end it will be the most amazing feeling ever.  The people that make it in real estate investing all have a few things in common.  First they run their real estate investing business like any other business out there.  Second they get out there and network with anyone and everyone.  Some people might be like me and have a hard time talking to other people.  If you are that is ok, anyone can learn how to become a people person, it just takes hard daily work.  You have to push yourself past your comfort zone.  The third thing is that you cannot be afraid to fail.  Everyone has failed at something but the most successful people out their learn from their failures.   The fourth thing is that you have to put a good team together.  I will go into putting a team together in a later chapter.  The concept of putting a team together is so that when you don’t know something you have team members that know what to do and can help you with questions.  The can also make sure that you are not working yourself to death.  You do not want to be the person doing everything in your business.  Doing everything is a receipt for failure.  You have to put together good people who you can trust and rely on.  The fifth thing is that you need a mentor.  Sixth and final is the desire to do it.  No one can become successful at something if they don’t want to do it and don’t get satisfaction out of what they are doing.

2.      Setting Goals

Having goals is one of the most important aspects of achieving what you want in life.  You don’t want to just have your goals up in your head you want to write them down and past what you have wrote on the wall somewhere or in the bathroom mirror.  You want to review your goals daily and read them out loud to yourself.  This way you remind yourself everyday why you are building your business.

How should you start to write down you goals?  First off you should think big, and by big I mean HUGE.  If your goals are too small you will easily achieve them and have nothing else to look forward too.   You should start off by asking yourself the question if I had all the money and time in the world what would I do, what would I buy, how would I spend my time, and how would I spend my energy.  Are you starting to write these down?  Well you should be.  Think about what you want, spending time with family, traveling the world, the best cars, a castle, owning a small country, running for president, having the biggest real estate investing business in your area or in the country.  Whatever your dreams and what you want out of your life, write it down.  Some of my goals are becoming free, traveling the world, having a Ferrari, having 10 vacation homes all over the world.  Right now I am just trying to get you out of your comfort zone of thinking and let your imagination run.

There are several ways to set goals. I have learned a lot of ways you can set you goals and there is no right or wrong way.  The best ways that I have found to set your goals is to break them up into two categories.  First your short term goals.  This should be goals from a month out to around a year.  The second is your long term goals these goals are you think big goals and what you see for your future.

For year one I like to first make a list of what I want to achieve this year and I will give you an example of how to do that.  For year one you want to be very specific first you want to list what you want your income to be at the end of the year, next how much cash in the bank you want (this is money in your checking account, not assets).  Next you want to list how much you are going to give.  Giving is a very important, this can be giving to charity, giving of gifts to friends and family, giving to your school or anything you can dream of.  As long as what you give brings joy to others who need it more than you.  Next list what bad habits you have that you want to eliminate.  Weather is be quitting smoking, spending too much on junk, drinking too much, working too much, not spending enough time with family, too much TV, not exercising and many more.  We all have bad habits that need to be changed in order for use to grow as human beings.   Under each of these bad habits list out some steps that you can take in order to quit them.  If you bad habit is being lazy and not exercising enough what can you do to change that.  Well you can get a gym membership or a home work out program.  Commit yourself you following through with a plan to work out 3-5 days a week.  For you to change these bad habits you have to be totally committed and follow through with a detailed plan you set for yourself. After you have your plans in place you should start listing several things you want to achieve or do in the next year.  This can be start a successful business, spend time with family, travel to 2-5 places and so on.  Now under each of these you should also write a detailed plan on what you need and what you need to do in order to achieve these goals.  Finally you should take all of this information you have a write on page on what you see your life being over the next year.  Doing this is a great exercise to really see what you want out of life.

Goals Year One

This is what I am going To Do This Year

Income: $500,000

Cash: $100,000

Give: $20,000

Bad Habits that will be changes:

Over Sleeping 1. Go to bed at 11p.m. 2. Use a timer and set it for 8 hours 3. Set the timer on the other side of the room

Buying things that you don’t need: 1. Going out shopping less 2. If you have the urge to buy something think to yourself is thing item going to help me to achieve my goals of becoming financially free? 3. Tell friends what you are doing, so they can help to stop you.

What I want to Achieve:

Start a successful Real Estate Investing Business:  (you should write a detailed step by step plan of everything you need in order to achieve your goal)

Travel:  Where do I want to visit?   1. Gators football game (what I need to do it, money, etc)

And Last your own page about what you want to achieve using words like I will and only positive words.

For Long term goals you don’t need to be as specific right now, but you should list them and under them list a few steps or smaller goals that need to be achieved before you are able to achieve them.  With the long term goals always think big.  Another good exercise for long term goals is to make a collage of you goals.  Put pictures of the house you want on it, places you want to travel, a picture of your family, a number of what income you want in or anything you can think of.

3.      Learn

Knowledge builds confidence and destroys fear.  If you are starting any kind of business you need to learn the ins and outs of that business.  The best way I have found to learn about real estate investing is to read all about it.  But once you know it you have to apply what you have learned.  Learning and reading is just one step to take.  There are thousands of books on the market about real estate investing and everyone has something you can learn from.  You don’t just want to read real estate investing books though.  You also want to fill yourself with motivational and leadership books.  Every successful person that I know if a reader and they all spend at least thirty minutes a day reading something that will teach them about improving their business or helping themselves to become a better person.   Some of the best books that I would recommend reading are listed below.

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (read this first and also ready everything in the rick dad poor dad series, great books to start with and will expand you mind)
2. Be a Real Estate Millionaire by Dean Graziosi
3. Flip your way to financial freedom by Preston Ely (this is an E-Book)
4. Four hour work week by Timothy Ferriss
5. The Attractor Factor
6. Short Sale Pre-foreclosure Investing by Dwan Bent-twyford and Sharon Sestrepo
7. Keys to success, by Napoleon Hill
8. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
9. How to win friends and influence people

10.  Any Book by John C. Maxwell (he has tons of amazing leadership books)

11.  Getting Started in Real Estate Day Trading by Larry Goins

12.  The E Myth by Michael Gerber

13.  How to be a quick turn real estate millionaire by Ron Legrand

14.  The Power of Full Engagement

15.  The It Factor

16.  Anything by Anthony Robins

There are tons more you can read but these will give you a great start.  You should also read books on negoating, sales, motivation, and biographies on American business people.

I hope this list gives you the knowledge it has given me.  If you learn and apply what you have learned from these books there is no reason that you should not become very successful.

4.      Attend a Real Estate Investing Seminar

Attending a Real Estate Investing Seminar can be one of the best places to learn about real estate investing from some very well known experts.  There are several seminars going on all over the country every weekend.  If you live in a big city it will be very easy to find one.  If you live in a town like Billings Montana you might need to travel a little ways to find one.  Now most of the best meeting cost money to attend them.  Some range from five hundred dollars for three days and some can be up to $20,000.  There are a few that I would recommend.  Than Merrill is a great speaker to go hear.  I have learned a ton from him.  You can find his company online by Google searching him.  Also rich dad poor dad has seminars all over the country.  I attended one of their seminars in Billings Montana for only $500 dollars and learned a ton from it.  There is also Preston Ely, Larry Goins, and hundreds of speakers out there.  If you find a great book that you really enjoyed, then just simple search for that person online and see if they are speaking somewhere or offer a seminar close to you.

Another reason I recommend going to a seminar is because they get you pumped up and motivated.  I have not yet found anything else that just gets you feeling like you can do anything.  When you get back from one of these seminars you will have tons of energy and knowledge.  Every time I get back from one all I want to do is going out and do a deal or ten.

These seminars will also provide you with several opportunities to purchase amazing real estate investing tools, software or learning material at a fraction of the cost.  Believe me when I tell you all of the low priced seminars try to sell you something.  But a lot of times what they are trying to sell is some really good stuff.

Another reason to attend a seminar is to network with other investors and build relationships with them.  You can meet other investors who you can partner with on a deal, sell a deal too, people who will provide you with deals and so on.  You should have hundreds of business cards made up and try to give them all out.  You never know how much one business card you hand out can make you.

5.      Learn About the real estate market in your area

Most real estate investors start their career off my investing around where they live. This is why I do my real estate investing in Billings Montana.  You can venture out when you have more experience.  The reason behind this is because we feel more comfortable with the areas and know the areas better.  It is also easier to get local real estate information that we need.   Investing in your local market is also cheaper to start out, there is less travel costs, you can see what you are buying and it may give you a feeling a comfort.

First you have to decide which part of town is the best place to invest in.  This can be determined by what kind of real estate investing you choose to do.  I have not gone over the types of real estate investing but some include rehabbing (fixing up and selling), wholesaling (finding deals and selling them to other investors), buying to rent, and there are a few others.  These are the real estate strategies that I use for the most part.   When looking at the market you need to see where other investors are buying their houses.  Most of the best deals will be found in low to middle class neighbors hoods.  By low I don’t mean drug infested war zones, what I mean is blue collar safe neighbor hoods that might have somewhat older houses and houses that are not on the higher end price side.  Now you can find deals in the higher priced neighbor hoods but most will be in the low to middle income neighborhoods.  When looking where others are buying ask local realtors, other investors or appraisers.

When talking with investors ask them several questions such as what neighborhoods they prefer, what type of houses they buy (3bed 2 bath), and what they do (rehab, rent, wholesale).  You should not look at other investors as competition but try and work with them.

There are different types of markets such as appreciating markets, flat markets, and deprecating markets.  Appreciating markets are markets that there is no enough houses or a very high demand for houses which causes the price of houses to go up.   The reason there is a high demand for housing can be because of job growth, a very appealing area, or several reason.  Flat markets are markets that have no or very little growth.  This means that there is not a lot of demand; buy just enough to fill every ones needs.  Depreciating markets are where there is a lot more houses than people to fill those house.  This causes house prices to start going down.  This can be because of a large employer leaving the area, a natural disaster or just over building.  There is an old saying buy in a bust and sell in a boom.  In depreciating markets you can pick up several deals, while in appreciating the house prices are going to be much higher and harder to find great deals.  The deal will still be out there you just have to know where to find them.

Learning you market is another key to becoming successful.  Real estate Brokers and experts in your area can be the best source of information for you.  Learn to use them to find out what kind of market you are in.  If you are in Billings Montana we are in a pretty stable market.  Billings Montana has not seen the ups and downs that other markets have experienced.  I will have to say that I have been noticing a little bit of a downward trend but not much.  Once the first time home buyer credit is over with we might see a little more decline. Every market can vary by neighborhood, so make sure you know you market well.  I have seen the same houses just one mile apart selling for totally different prices.

6.      Find a Mentor

Having a mentor to help you can be your biggest learning experience.  Mentors can help you with any questions you may have, walk you step by step through the investing process, give you moral support, you learn from their proven system, and also network you with others in the business.  Every successful real estate investor that I know says they owe a lot of their success to the mentors they have and had in their lives.  I have had one of the best mentors around, my father.  He is teaching me something new every day and pushing me to become successful.

When trying to find a mentor I would suggest network with the investors at your local real estate investors club meeting.  There is a real estate investing club in Billings Montana that meets once a month. You can find information about real estate investing clubs in your area by searching for Rea or real estate investors club then your area in Google.  When you go to the meetings ask around who the biggest investors are.  Then ask if you could get together with them sometime and discuss real estate investing.   Ask them if they would consider working with you to get their career going.  Offer your services as a bird dog.  Bird dogs are people who go out find deals or leads about deals and give them to other investors.  A bird dog gets from $500 to $3000 dollars depending on the deal.  Make sure that you have a bird dog contract signed with the investors saying that if you find them and deal and they buy it that you get paid a certain amount of money.  Being a bird dog helps you to build credibility with the investor and they are more likely to mentor you if you have something to offer them.  If you would like to contact me with a question go to my web site Big Sky Property Solutions LLC.

7.      Your Real Estate Team

Building an effective team can make your life as a real estate investor a lot easier.  You are only one person and cannot do everything or be an expert in every aspect of real estate investing.  Going at a project alone can become one of the most frustrating experiences you will ever encounter.  Many people have become frustrated and quite real estate investing because they try and juggle too many things.  Make sure that when putting a team together you provide everyone with win-win opportunities.   When someone knows that working with you is going to make them money they will put you as a higher priority on their list.  But you have to prove it to them that you are the real deal.

People to have on your real estate investing team include

• Real Estate Agents ( find the top agent for volume of sales in your area and other agents who work with real estate investors)
• Real Estate appraisers (find an appraiser that has done a few hundred jobs or more and make sure they carry errors and omissions insurance)
• Real estate contractors (good rehab crews that can get the job done in a timely manner, have 3-5 crews and on every deal get 3 estimates done.  Ask for referrals from them and make sure they are licensed)
• Real estate attorneys (every investor needs an attorney, they can help to protect your assets, make sure you find one that works with investors)
• A property management company (can manage your properties and will give you leads on property they are managing that might come up for sale)
• Title companies (take care of the legal process and make sure there are no liens against the property you are buying, choose one that does hundreds of closings a year)
• Home inspectors(charge about $400 but will give you a great inspection and could save you thousands in the long run)
• And your Mentor

All of these people can help you in various aspects of real estate investing.  You might find that there are a couple others that are keys to your business but this is just a list of a few.

8. Just Do it

There is no better phrase out there then JUST DO IT!  Once you have learned all you can networked with investors in Billings and learned real estate investing strategies there is nothing left to do but get your feet wet.  There is no better learning tool out there then doing a deal.  Once you have completed that first deal you will know what to expect and find out that it is not as hard as you thought it would be. You will have learned what you did right and what was frustrating.  Take that experience and ask yourself what would have made it run smoother.  Apply that to your next deal. Then the next deal will be easier and it keeps getting easier as you go.  I will say that every deal is different from the last but that what makes this business fun.  You have to be creative and always keep on learning and growing with your business.

The average person never uses what they learn.  Don’t be average apply your knowledge.  When going out and doing your first deal act like you have done 1000’s of deals.  The fastest way to change a habit is to act like it is true.

Five keys for success

1. Specialized Knowledge
2. Tools of a professional
3. Have the mindset of a winner
4. Mentors
5. Money and the knowledge of leveraging it (you don’t have to have millions to invest in real estate, there are many strategies out there to use other people’s money, or no money at all)

This is going to conclude this article about getting started in real estate investing.  I hope this gave you some ideas about how you can get started.  I didn’t give you any strategies at this point but look for some in upcoming articles. These are simple steps you can use to get started.  If you read this article, thank you for listening.  If you would like to contact me and discuss anything you can find me at Big Sky Property Solution LLC by just clicking the link below.

This article was wrote by Christopher Seder of Billings Montana

How to evaluate Deals in Billings Montana

By Christopher Seder

As a beginning investor one of the hardest parts about real estate investing is evaluating deals.  How do you know if you are getting a good deal on a property?  Most will tell you it takes experience and I truly believe it does.   But there are steps you can take to help you evaluate deals even with no experience.

Initial Lead taking

First you get a phone call from a seller.  What you want to do is, ask him a series of questions to really get everything you can about the property. You really need to try and build rapport with the seller, so they know that you are not trying to take advantage of them but there to help.  Never take advantage of anyone, I personally will never work with an investor who has. There are bad investors out there and they give us good investors a bad name.  So be kind and passionate with every seller and put their best interest first.

You need to ask for the address, beds, baths, square footage, any special features, ask them the reason they want to sell, repairs needed, the loan balance, are the payments current, if not the bank name and home many months behind, then ask them what they are looking to get for the property. There are other questions I ask sellers but these are the basics.

After they have said an amount they want for the house, always say if I can pay all cash and pay all your closing costs what is the lowest you can possibly take.  Never be the first to say a price; always get the seller to say a price first.  In a negotiation the first one to name a number always loses.

The reason you want to get why the property owner is selling is because you can determine their motivation.  If a seller tells you there is an auction next week, then I would think that they are pretty motivated.  Let the seller know that you will try and help them with what they need.  If they are going to need a place to live once they sell the property try and find them something they can afford.  Always try and understand their situation and know that everyone goes through tough times.

It is going to take you about 10-50 calls before you really feel comfortable with asking all the questions you need to ask.  You cannot be afraid to ask tough questions, you need to know all the facts in order to save yourself money and so you can best help the customer.

Running Comparables

The next step you need to do is run comparables.   This way you get a good feel for the area and what similar houses in the area are selling for.  If you are a real estate agent you have access to the MLS which will allow you to see comparable sales.  When looking at comparable sales always look in a half a mile radius of that property.  Also take into consideration the location of each comparable.  Some comparables can be a block away but because on is on a busy street it may not be a good comp.

Now if you do not have access to the MLS yourself you can contact a realtor and see if he/she can help you out.  There are also some software programs out there that can provide you with comps.  Just make sure that the comps you are finding are recent and accurate.

Go look at the property

Next you need to go out to the property and take a look at it for yourself.  I also recommend driving to each of your comps and making sure they are similar to your house.  You will never really know if a property is what the seller says it is until you go and look at it yourself.  If the seller lets you take a look at the inside then you can determine around what the rehab cost will be.  You will not know exactly until you have a chance to get some contractors in there or if you have done a lot you can kind of determine rehab price.

Determine you asking price

Now once you have all of your data piled together of what similar houses are selling for you can determine what you want to offer the seller.   For doing rehabs you need to buy the property around 65% of what the after repair value would be.  This means that if you find a property worth $100,000 in mint condition you need to buy the property around $65,000.  But this will also depend on the amount of repairs that are needed.  If the property needs $30,000 in repairs then it’s not a deal.  Some deals you may have to buy at 40% of the after repair value depending on the repairs needed. It will just take some time to really get a feel for where you need to buy the properties.

There are also other fees, commissions, your profit and things that you need to consider into you deal.  Make sure that you are very detailed about what your expenses are going to be.  This should have given you some idea about where you need to start and the process of evaluating a deal.

Seven Requirements for a Successful Business in Real Estate Investing

By Christopher Seder

Professional Sales Ability

Even in real estate investing you are always selling.  You are selling yourself, your business, and benefits of working with you and so on.   Become a student of the past masters of sales.   Learn how to explain what you do and what service you provide and you have it made.  Sales are a huge part of the real estate business.  Read some of Zig Ziglars books on seller and anything you can find.

Persistence

Don’t let obstacles and setbacks top you from achieving great things.  Remember every business has its cycles.  This helps eliminate the “dead wood”.  You have to stick to what you are doing and know that success is just around the corner.  Everyone has to go through a testing or dues paying period.  This is where you have to struggle and struggle and at a certain point everything will come together and you persistence will pay off.  It happens to a lot of real estate investors and the ones who don’t give up can have phenomenal success.

Master Real Estate Knowledge

You need to become an expert in the niche of real estate you are going after.  I also recommend having a good knowledge in all aspects of real estate investing.  Look for investors who are having great success in your niche and learn all about what they are doing.  If you want to learn wholesaling go to Preston Ely or Than Merrill.  Want to learn short sales go to Nathan Jurewicz the short sale kid or Pat Prescot.  If you want to learn rehabbing learn from the fortune builders team.  They have someone the best information on the market about rehabbing.  Always learn from people who are currently doing it, not someone whose information is 20 years old.

Be Creative

This one requirement will make you go to the head of the class.  Most people in real estate investing are brain dead and cannot come up with a creative thought to save their life.  You can be both an analytical thinker (left brain) and Creative thinker (right brain), it just takes practice.  Incredible things happen when both sides of the brain work together.  If you are doing the same old boring marketing that others are doing then you will not be in business long.  You need to think of new ways to improve the old marketing and new ways.

Work Hard

Most people fail in their business endeavors because they just do not want to be there and put in a good days work.  Work hard and the rest will come.  If you want to get into full time investing believe me you have to put in the long hours and pay your dues.  You have to be working 8-10 hour days in the beginning.  Yes 10 hours a day, once the business is up and going you will want to eventually cut back on that by having others do simple work for you and eventually position yourself out  of the business, so you can work on your business and not in it.

Positive Attitude

Expect to succeed and you will.  Look at the positive side of every situation.  If you are a positive person it shows and people gravitate towards you.  If you are negative it also shows and people steer clear from you.  Working on your attitude I feel is the biggest key to success.  I recommend learning all you can about having a positive attitude.  Ready the millionaire mind, it will change the way you think in a lot of areas of your life.

Negotiating and Persuading

Once you master the art of gentle persuasion, no one can stop you.  Negotiating is a huge element of our business.  Becoming a rock star negotiator can save you millions of dollars over the life time of your business.  Study up on negotiating and just get yourself comfortable doing it.

Sell your Billings Montana House in Days Instead of Months

Learn the secret of selling your house in days instead of months.  No Fees, No Commissions and No Hassles.

If you are trying to sell your house, you may not have the luxury of waiting weeks, months, or even longer for a qualified buyer to come along.   There are two most common ways that property owners in Billings Montana attempt to sell their home.  These ways are list with a real estate agent and for sale by owner.

First let’s talk about method number one.

You may think that listing with a real estate agent is the preferable way to go.  And it really is if you don’t mind waiting.  But if you wish to sell quickly there might be better options out there.  Some cases are different and real desirable homes that are in amazing condition should be listed through a realtor.

One major problem is that most agents are dealing with dozens of homes at a time.  They do not really put their energy into selling just one home.  Now in Billings Montana there are some agents that really do hustle and will focus on you.  You just have to figure out who those agents are.

After all, if you had access to a database that lists hundreds or thousands of homes of every size, shape and description, would you really just focus on one?

There has been a lot of discussion in real estate circles recently about mortgage rates that are no longer falling.  The reality is that the frenzied home buying market in the last few months in Billings is going to start slowing down.  Recent statistics from the Association of Realtors show average homes sales taking more than three months to sell.  I believe I read that average homes are taking around 212 days to get sold.

This is sobering for a lot of individuals trying to sell their home.

There is also another down side of working with an agent.  Another down side of working with an agent is that most will advise you to either fix up your property before putting it on the market.  You can spend thousands of dollars and countless houses of effort making the property marketable.  But most sellers in Billings Montana do not have that type of cash ready and it can become a tremendous burden.

There is also the cost of doing business with an agent.  Now agents are motivated to get your property sold when they see what they can make.  But sometimes this can really hurt you because once all the commissions, fees, and closing costs are paid what does it leave you with?

In spite of all your efforts there is no guarantee that your house will sell.  You could do everything in your power and still be left with a property that sits on the market month after month.

For Sale by Owner

While those who market their house themselves want to cut down on costs and earn more money from the sale, the reality is often quite different.  If you choose to go this route, you will have to do all the marketing yourself and cover all the marketing costs yourself.  You have to run ads, buy signs, hold open houses, and show the property.  All this can take a toll on your check book and on your time.

You also need to still fix up your house so that it compares to other houses on the market.  It may need a new roof, new paint, an updated kitchen and so on.  There is also tons of paper work that goes along with selling a house.  Title searches, disclosure statements, buy sell agreements and qualifying buyers financially.   This is why some people should go with a realtor.  Sometimes the fees are worth the hassle it takes to do it yourself.

The Solution:  How to sell your house in Days instead of months.

Did you know that there is a better way of selling your house, a method that does not mean going to a real estate agent, or doing tons of work trying to sell your property yourself?  You cut out all the commissions, fees, repair costs, marketing costs and just get your money.

Big Sky Property Solutions LLC can help you because we are the buyer.  There is no middle man when you work with us.  We specialize in buying and selling homes and are always looking for ones that meet our criteria.  Most homes do met it, unless you live in a cave we may pass on that.  When you contact us, in most cases you will have an offer in minutes or by the end of the day.  We can close on the property in as little as three days or whatever works best for you.

Are we for real?

You may be wondering why we can offer this type of service and whether our firm is really on the up and up.   We are professionals dedicated to helping homeowners.  One reason we can do this is that we have a network of outlets for the properties that we buy.  We buy houses to rehab and sell, houses for rental properties and houses for other investors.

If we agree to buy your house we will meet you face to face.  This is important because our firm wants to make sure that this is something you really want to do and is the best decision for you.  I have talked to a number of sellers who I told them that I was not their best option and let them know what the best option was for them.  Meeting also gives you a chance to ask any questions that you may have.  Selling a house is an important step and we want it to go well for you and for you to know that you are receiving a solution that works best for you.

If you decide, when we meet that working with us is something you want to do or you want to try something different that is totally fine.   There is no pressure from us in any form.  Our goal is to reduce your stress, by helping you find the best solution for your needs.  We want to come up with a fair workable solution that benefits both parties.

If you would like to learn more about our company you can go to our company over view page and read more.  Click Here

Our goal is to help you sell your house right away and get out of debt or enjoy increased financial freedom.   You can contact Big Sky Property Solutions LLC at www.sellmthomes.com

We have several articles are resources about our company for you to read over and get a better feel about what we do.   We can help anyone who is motivated to get their home sold.  If you would like more articles about selling Click Here

What is Real Estate Wholesaling?

Wholesaling is seeking out affordable properties and put them in the hands of other investors or buyers.   For your trouble of marketing and finding the property you get paid a nice profit that is almost like a finder’s fee.  The process of wholesaling houses is one of the most simple and straight forward investing practices out there.

Why in the world does the world need wholesalers?

It seems like the buyer or investor could easily search out cheap properties on his own or her own with no need for the wholesaler.  These buyers often do seek out and find some properties but cannot always find the best deals out there or don’t have the time to.  Buyers who seek out wholesale deals are usually always on the lookout for more properties.  As a wholesaler you have to become a monster marketer.   This is what separates wholesalers from your regular investors.  Regular investors doing want to do the dirty work and sort through the 50 sellers calls and non motivated leads that come in a week.

Wholesalers do the dirty work of searching in every little crack and crevice to find the deals.  As a wholesaler you have to be proficient in marketing, negotiating, rehabbing (because you will be flipping to another investor), if the property cash flow and knowing the market.    Learn everything about real estate investing you can.

Here is the wholesaling process the simple version.

Find a motivated seller and negotiate a sales price around 40-65 percent of the after repair value (the value of the house if it were in perfect condition).   We have to buy properties at this low price because we consider in rehab costs, carrying cost, closing costs, wholesale fee, and the rehabbers profit.   Put the house under contract at a price that will work out with all these expenses added in.

Take the contract to a title company.   Let the company know that you will be bringing in an assignment document and another copy of the purchase agreement at the time of closing.

Take the price you agreed on and mark it up anywhere from $2,000 to $100,000 (it will take some time to get a feel for what you think you can wholesale the house for quickly).

Market the property to all investor buyers, landlords and wholesale buyers you know.

Once you find your buyer, simply assign the contract to them with your profit documented as an assignment fee.

Attend the closing deal with the buyer and make sure everything is running smoothly.

Collect you check and then move on to the next deal.

The process is simple enough and can be a great place to build up cash for other investing strategies.

Keep your priorities straight.

As a real estate wholesaler you always have to keep your sellers and buyers best interests first and foremost.   This helps the homeowner because you are the one doing the legal work of and saving them lots of time.  The reason you are buying from the homeowner is because they were unable to sell on traditional markets and the house is in need to some tender loving care.  You are helping them move the property and get rid of the burden.

Homeowners willing to wholesale property are people that have old rundown homes they cannot sell on the market without first fixing up the place.  People who have inherited a house and literally have no desire for it or the carrying costs needed to keep the place.  Just people who need to or want to get rid of a property.   Never take advantage of anyone of these people, figure out what they want out of the transaction and help them get that.

Want to Learn More About Wholesaling and How to become the Best.
Click Here Free Guide

Billings Montana Real Estate Market

There is a lot of information in newspapers and in the media about real estate.  Most of this information is about real estate nationwide and does not focus on specific markets, unless it’s a very large market.  There are only a few good sources in Billings Montana about what is really going on in the market.   For up to date information the Billings Association of Realtors is a good source, local real estate experts, or just doing hours of research yourself.

First off no one should be watching the news to get information about real estate.  The news media puts a negative spin on everything and gets buyers, sellers, investors and realtors nervous.  There is not really a nation real estate market because every city, town and even neighborhood is different.  Different real estate markets are affected differently because of employers in the area, economic conditions, natural disasters, and so on.  When you are looking to buy and sell always pay attention to what is going on in Billings Montana or your local area.

As a buyer and seller you should pay attention to the local trends.   How much real estate is available on the market, what is selling, what is not selling?  Right now the local Billings Market is flooded with homes on the market.  Is this a good thing or a bad thing?  It is tough to say if it’s good or bad.  It could mean several things for buyers and sellers.  It could mean that there are more sellers in the market right now than there are buyers and prices could be falling in the near future.  Or it could mean that sellers have realized that there are a lot of people looking to buy houses so they have decided to list their property for sale and see if they can make some money.

Now is a good time to buy.  The housing inventory levels in Billings Montana are high.  And interest rates are low but may be on the rise in the near future.  Buyers with good credit and stable income should have no problem getting approved for a mortgage.  This means that a lot of first time buyers should be out looking for some amazing starter homes on the market.  Even if you do not have the good credit required to qualify you for a loan, there are several programs available out there that can help you out.   Contact lenders, Billings Real Estate Association to get information on these programs.

Now a word of caution for home sellers in the Billings Montana market.  If you are trying to sell your home and take advantage of all the buyers on the market, make sure that your home is up to standards.  Fully painted, new carpet, upgrades, holes in walls fixed, and make the home stand out.  Go to biggest mistakes by sellers in Billings Montana.  If you do not have the resources to do all of these things then, be prepared to take a discount on what you and your realtor think that you home is worth.  Buyers have a lot of options out there and don’t want to pay for a house that needs to be fixed up.  If you don’t want to do the necessary and just want to get rid of the property contact Big Sky Property Solutions LLC.  They are the best residential redevelopment company and specialize fixing up homes for sale.

Short Sales Common Questions from Billings Homeowners

Everyone I come in contact with has questions about short sales, from homeowners, to realtors, to other Billings Montana Real Estate Investors.  There are some great investors In Billings Montana that are experts in Short Sales.  If you are an investor when a question comes up are you prepared to answer tough questions?  Homeowners getting a Short Sale done should try and find out as much information about the process as possible so nothing unexpected comes up.  Below are some frequently asked questions?

How Longs Does this Process Take

This is a question that most will ask during the first meeting.  You should also be up from and never give false expectations that the sale will transact quickly.  A short sale can take anywhere from four to fourteen months, so you want to prepare your customer for an involved process.  The banks are getting better and faster but they still take some time.

Even the simple steps in the process can take days to complete right.  Sometimes working with some of the bigger banks can be a pain.  Simple processes like faxing a document to the loss mitigation can take hours.   Loss mitigates can get hundreds of faxes a day and it takes them time to sift through them all.

Everyone should explain to homeowners that it may take several months of work and waiting.  If everything does work out quickly then great

What happens during the short sale process?

Make sure as an investor that you go through all of the disclosures one by one with the homeowner getting the short sale done.  This way they are prepared with all the information they need if the bank asks them any questions.  Also let the homeowner know step by step what you will be doing from assembling the short sale package to negotiating with the bank to finding a buyer for the property.  If you are a homeowner make sure that the investor you are working with keeps you in the loop with the process.

Why is the bank sending me letters?

Many homeowners get letters from banks notifying them that the short sale has been declined.  Let the homeowner know that they will be getting a letter from the loss mitigation department letting them know that the short sale has been declined.  Real estate investors always turn in a very low first offer and expect it to be declined.  You never know, the bank may sometimes accept it but most decline the first.  Also let them know that it is just part of the negotiation process.

How are you financing the sale?

Most homeowners want to know if you are paying cash or what is going on.  Explain to the homeowner what you are doing.  Let them know that the process is complete when you resell the property.    Most short sale programs involve the resale of the home in order to make a profit and complete the sale.  You will be buying it, but also have buyers who want to buy it before the sale is done.  The reason we have buyers already is because most buyers don’t want to do the short sale themselves, so short sale experts do them then sell the property to another buyer.  Homeowners should not worry that they are getting ripped off somehow.  No investor would be in business long if they did rip off clients.  Always explain the whole situation to them and what is happening.  This way homeowners are not surprised when there is a for sale sign in their yard.

How can I know what is happening?

Since your short sale deal with the bank takes a few months and involves many steps and negotiations, many homeowners become confused about what is going on.  As an investor you have to keep them in on the process.  Set them up with some kind of email notifications so they can track what is going on.   You can even set them up with some kind of Google calendar alert.

I hope this helped investors and homeowners with some common questions.  There are many more questions and concerns.  The key is to always keep homeowners informed with every step of the process and always be honest.

10 ways to live a fulfilling life

Discover your purpose.

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go and do that. Because the world needs people who come alive” Howard Thurman

You need to ask yourself a few simple questions.  Who are you? Why are you here? What is your Mission?

Everyone was put on this earth to do something amazing but if we don’t seek to find out what that is then we will never find it.

Having a purpose can do amazing things.  Some people believe that having a purpose can cure cancer.  Research Tom Laughlin to find out more about this.  It is also thought that the stress of living a fake life causes cancer.

Having Desire and Passion

How bad to you want it?  “Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire” If you want to become a rock star at anything you chose to do you have to want it bad.  Bad that it may drive you crazy at times.  The one who wants something the most will ultimately get that which he desires.

You also have to love what you do.  A combination of desire and passion is a key to living a full life.

Determination

Many people in the real estate investing business fail because they don’t keep pushing themselves.  They try and try for a few months and don’t have any success so they give up.  Everyone who is suppose to be successful goes through a testing period where they have to push and push in order to become rewarded with success.   Never let one little failure keep you from achieving your ultimate dreams.

Self Discipline

You have to be disciplined and get yourself in a routing everyday that will help you move towards your goals.   And by routine I mean pushing yourself to do new things and get out of your comfort zone.  We have to do things over and over again.  Never do something once and just figure that is good enough.  If you want to succeed in life you have to keep doing things over a

Positive Attitude

I believe that having a positive attitude is key to success.  Having a positive attitude rubs off on everyone around you.  No one wants to be around someone with a negative attitude.

I also believe that having a positive attitude and believing that you are the greatest is another key becoming successful at whatever you want in life.

Motivation

Know what motivates you toward success.  This is why I recommend that everyone write down their goals.  Know what you want to achieve and create an action plan of how you are going to achieve them.  Be outrageous with your goals, put down your wildest dreams in some of your goals.   Also be updating your goals, a year down the road we may not want the same things.   I recommend that you don’t just shove your goals into your desk.  Have them out and posted on your wall where you can see them.  Read them every day so that you know why you are working so hard.

Hard Effective Work

Success is not handed to anyone.  It is given to those who put in the time and energy to get it.  You have to push yourself everyday and work your ass off.  Do what brings in the most money.  Do not spend your day working hard doing mundane tasks that never bring you any closer to your goals and dreams.

Some people think that multitasking is a huge skill.  I say don’t do it.  It is best to put all your energy into one thing at a time.  This will make your more effective and you will do a better job.

At the end of every work day you should also prepare a to-do list for the next day.  This is important so you can keep on track and move towards your goals.  It also makes sure that you have things to do every day to help you stay productive.

You should have a sense of urgency in everything you do.  Do not put off your tasks.  Most people put off tasks till the last moment or put them off forever.  Stop the procrastination and do it right away.  If someone says hey, let’s meet up soon and talk about a new business, say to them lets meet right now.

Integrity-don’t do business with liars

You must always keep your word.  If you don’t keep your word people won’t trust you and will not want to do business with you simple enough.  Also don’t do business with people who don’t keep their word.  Distance yourself from those types of people.

Boldness and Risk taking

The world does not reward someone who does is not bold and does not take risks.  You have to just ask for what you want and don’t take no for an answer.  Do not be shy when it comes to what you want.

You should also take risks and never be afraid to fail.   You have to get out of your comfort zone.  You don’t grow by doing the same thing, the only way to grow is to try new things and have new experiences.

Energy

Everyone should be getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night.  It has been proven that with less sleep over time you cannot function at 100%.  You become less productive and have less motivation.   Also exercise is a must for anyone wanting to gain energy.   From personal experience I feel energized after every time I work out.  I also feel better about myself after every work out.  Any when you feel better about yourself it shows.  You have more confidence; you are more enthusiastic and just feel alive.

If you want to start working out I would recommend doing some light work outs for thirty minutes in the morning.   Jumping jaxs, Lunges, pushups, crunches and a few other simple things to start out, then you can move on to more intense working out.  Seek out a personal trainer to help you set up a program specific to your body type and goals.