Gary (MO)

And just when you think a thread couldn't get any lower...

Now THAT is hilarious! Some people are just born COOL - like you Jason!

You know Jason, It already sounds like this lady is looking to your for help- just the fact that she called you back after a period of time suggests that NOW is the time to "solve" her problem. I had a lady call last night who expressed interest in being a t/b until she found out that she would have to get a loan at the end of the lease. She thought I was Ower Financing; she says, "my husband and I both have jobs but our credit is terrible. We'd sure like to quit throwing our money away in rent..." Now remember, I had just given her the details of the deal; the lease, the 50% rent credit (even explained in detail just how that worked) along with the discussion about the "non-refundable option money". I then told her - "Hey, you are the person we are trying to help here. This would be perfect for you: you make your lease payments in a timely fashion each month and establish a good payment history. When it comes time to get that loan, you will already have the RC's and nrom applied to your purchase price, and YOU will be well on your way to being a homeowner. If you need more time, then I'm sure that can be arranged too!" She got quiet. After a pause she said, "Let me talk to my husband". She called back 10 minutes later and said, "we're going to drive by the house and peek in the windows. If we like it, I'll call you back!" The point I'm trying to make is that, what seems obvious to us is not always evident to others. Even though I had given her the details, I still had to "spell out" the benefit of the deal to her. Doug is "right on" with his advise...this lady doesn't care really about the details - what she does care about is what's in it for her! GO FOR IT dude! Gary

I'd like to add my congratulations to you too Naomi! My wife and I have three daughters and - believe me - she will change your life! When we were younger everyone said "enjoy the time with them for before you know it they will be gone". I always thought "yeah...right". It's true. It doesn't really matter in the scheme of things what you name her. What matters is that you love her and that she KNOWS that you love her. Gary PS Hey Jason....it wouldn't be any fun hitting bottom without YOU man! Don't lurk...come baaaaaacccccckkkkkkk!

Hi everyone! Sure sorry to miss the conference call, I'll bet it was great! (My loss ) I met the seller of my first CA last night (during the conference call) to put the sign in the yard and finally get the key. (They evicted the renter 3 weeks ago) To my chagrin, the seller had done very little in the 3 weeks to make the house ready. She said she was "wiped out" by how much the renter had trashed the house. She even said she wanted to switch from a CA to a 'fixer upper' arrangement like we are doing on another (my second deal) house of hers. MC said to go ahead and begin marketing the house and use the 50% rent credits to my advantage with the trashed house. My wife and I met the seller and her boyfriend at the house and put the yard sign in the yard. We had 1 call on our phone before we pulled away from the curb and 5 calls before we could leave town! I'm placing the paper ad today and will work on the flyers this week (there are several apartment complexes in the near vicinity of the house). I had gotten the impression that this lady will try to cut me out of future deals (she has 26 rentals and is buying 6 more) but hadn't said anything to anyone except Michael. My wife said last night, "you know, I got the impression she is going to copy what you're doing and do this herself". :ph34r: Not much I can do with that...who knows, if she does try one herself without me, it might solidify my value to her team! Anyway, it's exciting to be doing this! I'll keep you all posted as to how it progresses! Sorry I missed the call, I was looking forward to 'meeting' everyone! Gary PS Does anyone know what happened to Jason's COOL avatar?

All kidding aside vmoney...if you are serious about L/Os (in any form) buying the Manual will be the best $97 you'll ever spend.

Hey Pete - what's the latest with the billboard stats?

Jason - what happened to the COOL avatar?

You know Naomi, one of my very first 'live' calls was a mortgage broker who worked for a bank who had built a new home and needed to sell her existing home. Talk about panic - I almost forgot who I was! The call ended with me going to send her references of deals that I had done!! (Never happened) I just sat there stunned for about 30 seconds after I hung up - knowing that my brief real estate career was over! I learned from that call: 1. I was still alive when it was done. 2. That was probably the worst call I could ever encounter and the outcome was no different than many that simply were "not interested". 3. She needed help - even though she was a 'professional' in the business and I had an answer for her. We both could have benefited if I simply would have made more calls (more experience) by the time I got to her. I'm looking forward to getting hold of another call like that one. Truly. Hang in there!

I'm in!

Hi vmoney! When calling FRBOs and FSBOs, I simply ask them if they would be interested in selling their property on a lease option. You find out pretty quickly if they are interested or not - less than 15 seconds if they aren't. If they are then you can use your 'gift of gab' to find out pertinent things like what they owe, what the property's worth and how they arrived at that figure, their monthly payments, etc... As you visit you can learn about their needs; their situation - why they NEED to sell and would they be a better fit as a cooperative assignement or a sandwich Lease or a pure option. A script is more of a guideline than a rule. The author of this site (Michael Carbonare) has a Manual that would really be helpful to you. At $97, you can't beat it. He explains all of the above, shares with you ads to use, scripts for calls and - get this - even provides copies of all of the contracts you need to do this in the real world. (Hard copy AND he emails you the contracts in Word documents). $97. Welcome to the community vmoney! Gary

Good for you Adam! That IS a nice ride! It's always cool to get something new isn't it? I've been wanting to take flying lessons but my wife won't let me. (Something about never paying attention, attention?)

Jason - you were right with the totally cool avatar! I thought Adam's response to your post was the most HILARIOUS thing I've read in awhile! I'm thinking I've GOT to find an avatar that's as cool as yourn..... or cooler :ph34r:

Good for you Naomi! Keep going!!!!

I like: 1. The E-Myth by Michael Gerber 2. How I became a Success in Sales (? - or something like that) by Frank Betger 3. The Richest Man in Babylon (not sure on the author) Have a great vacation! Gary

I wonder where Doug is - this thread would be right up his alley.

Hi Jason - If you have no way of contacting her then you can use this experience to prepare for your next call... Have your questions ready by the phone with pen, ready to go! Think through your conversation before you actually have the conversation. That's another side benefit from the "cold call challenge" that option8 offered up over on the marketing forum....you GET to practice on live people! And look at it as just that - practice. Who knows - you may actually land a "live one" but if you don't - you will certainly hone your people skills and get more comfortable with the whole process of interacting with the sellers. Hey man, it's just a call...if you missed it, look at it as a blessing (it helped you realize your weaker areas in your game) and make sure that never happens to you again! Gary

Thanks option8, I too took the challenge. I did not keep a running talley of how many machines I talked to (there were MANY) and how many live voices that were unmotivated (again - MANY!). I did sign two deals out of the challenge though and it is true...just one deal makes all of those 'other' calls well worth the time and effort spent. What did I learn from this? 1. The wheelbarrow doesnt' move unless you push it. 2. There are many factors for success in this business but none of the others will happen unless you first talk to sellers! 3. Cold/Warm calling is reallly expensive....NOT! Thanks option8! Gary

Michael, Someone once said that "we receive through the same hole that we give". Respect is something we earn...you have mine. What an example! Gary

Hi Kennon, I wanted to share my .02 cents worth. I too have been exactly where you apparently are. I would encourage you to consider Michael's mentoring program. (The first one made the most sense for me...) He helps you focus on what's important and what's not - at and through every step of the process. I struggled for months without any success. I signed on with MC's Program One and within a few short weeks had two deals signed. Coincidence? I don't think so... Gary

Nice! A 'system'. VERY nice! Gary

Let me add my compliments too Pete - GOOD JOB! Gary

I've got a 'fixer upper' under lease. The lease begins 8/1/04. The focus is to flip the contract to another investor - or possible to an end buyer. I intend to put a Rent To Own sign in the yard, use flyers and a newspaper ad. Am I missing anything? I'd appreciate any other suggestions anyone might have. Same way with the second deal (which is a CA) that also starts on 8/1/04. Thanks! Gary

Hi Naomi, I used to hate cold calling too. What helped me the most was when Michael made the point that these people actually paid money to place an ad in the paper so I would....call them! For me, THAT changed things. It was no longer me "bothering" them out of the blue. It was me calling to see if I could help them with whatever problem was behind them running the ad in the first place. I hope that helps you as much as it helped me. Gary

Kudos Tony!