Three Little Pigs Destroy House

Hey guys,

Just saw this story and had to share it with you. Apparently, this homeowner that was facing foreclosure let 3 pigs inside the house to destroy it just before the bank foreclosed. I’ve seen some pretty scary stuff in my day, but I’ve never seen pigs sent to destroy a house.

Is it any wonder why banks want to avoid foreclosing? Check out the video and let me know what you think…

Near Completion

Hey guys,

Just wanted to give you an update on the renovation as we are nearing completion, just a tad over my projected completion. Anyway, thought you’d like to see the pics from this deal. Still, a little landscaping and some final touch ups, then we’ll be ready to flip it and get paid.

I initially projected this rehab to run into the ball park of $25K, however I went over about $10K. Even though, I ran into some issues that was completely unexpected, I still have a profit margin of around 20%. I’m listing the house at $117K and expect it to sell fairly fast as the neighborhood has really been buzzing about the renovation and about how fast my crew got it done. Once everything is finished and I have time, I’ll put a little slideshow together for you to see all the before and after pics.

Told Ya So

Don’t you hate those people that say ‘I told you so’?

Well, look at this article from USA today, as it discusses the same problem that I addressed in the free report that I recently posted.

Here’s the story for you to read:

Click Here for story

I’ll be posting some new articles this week, so keep your eyes open…

Derek

Interesting…

Just saw this news article about Don Johnson (Miami Vice star) that I thought you might want to read. From the looks of this article, it claims Don Johnson is in default on his $10 million note. Anyway here’s the link:

http://tv.yahoo.com/news/ap/20060324/114323502000.html

Do you think it’ll make it to the courthouse steps?

I’ll talk to you tomorrow

Derek Pierce

Keep Your Mouth Shut

First, let me say that I’m a huge fan of the Apprentice. I’ve watched the show from Day One and it’s one of the rare shows that provide entertainment along with business insights. It’s also a display of some of the brightest people making some of the most ridiculous business decisions when faced with pressure. If you’re not watching, you should be as there’s always a lesson in the show for you to grab.

Last night kicked of the new season for the Apprentice and as one of the devoted fans I watched. It’s utterly amazing at how many people have a real problem with simply keeping their mouth shut. I see it in day-to-day business activities and last night’s Apprentice proved the point that people want to talk when they should be listening.

In case you didn’t watch, Trump was about to fire Tarek for the task, when Summer the restaurant owner interrupts him. Let me ask you this, “how stupid could one be?” If you’ve ever watched one episode, you should know when to talk and when not to. It should be obvious that when someone else is at the point of getting fired, you keep your mouth shut. Anyway, this sealed her fate as she was immediately fired after the interruption. Which brings me to my point for this post:

Know When to Keep Your Mouth Shut!

Now, when you’re talking to your seller, ask open questions to get them to open up to you, then shut up and listen. If you build a good rapport with your seller, then they’ll open up to you, and the more you know, the better deal you can negotiate.

Just my .02

Derek

My Last Post

Ok, this will be my last post for the year 2005. I have a big two days coming up crammed full of activities and promoting a couple of my businesses. The one thing I want to leave you with this year is probably the single most important factor in all of business. Take and throw everything you know out the window because without this one possession, you’ll end up more lost than driving down an old country, dirt road in Alabama.

It’s called direction…

Direction for you and your business…

Since it’s the beginning of a new year, you should initiate the year off on the right foot. Take the next few days to work on your real estate business instead of in it. What do I mean here? Shut off all the phones and conduct some serious soul searching to figure out what it is you’re really looking for from your real estate business. See, it’s time for you to stop tiptoeing along and get to work. This can be your year to stop being a “lookie-lou” and become a real investor. More on that in a sec but let me ask you -

“What direction are you heading in right now?” Are you where you want to be in life?

And no I’m not trying to sound like the latest Geico commercial with Tony Little yelling, “Yeah Baby, you can do it.”

I’m being totally serious here. See, a few years ago, when I worked at the J-O-B, I had a Franklin Covey planner that I tracked all of my goals, my appointments, heck my entire life in that one little book. Anyway, after moving a little over three years ago, my wife found this little book tucked away in a pile of stuff. She opened this book and proceeded to read what I had written for my goals and the direction for our businesses and our lives. She was shocked to see that nearly all of the items I had listed had come to pass. And the ones that hadn’t were not our really our goals anymore, as we were striving for bigger things.

So, the moral to the story is this: if you don’t know the direction you’re heading in, then how in the heck do you intend to ever get there? Do you think one day, you’ll suddenly wake up and say, “Oh, this is exactly what I want”?

I think not.

You’ve got to have a plan: A plan of Massive Action to get your butt moving
in the right direction.

Now, some of you may ask, what do I do if my plan fails?

This type of thinking simply comes from the fear of failing. This stops most investors dead in their tracks from ever buying their first property. They read articles, books, and even buy courses, yet they remain inactive in buying any real estate, never realizing their dreams of escaping the rat race. They talk a big game about what they’re going to do, but they always seem to be just talking and not doing.

My response to the above question is that we can play “the what if” game all day long and still be at the same point you’re at now except a little more frustrated.

But let me ask you this: What if your plan works? What if you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you wouldn’t fail? Would you then still procrastinate? Would you put off running that ad to buy houses? Would you still drive by that house in preforeclosure, yet convince yourself they’re not at home so that you won’t knock on the door?

It’s time you get serious about your financial future because the one thing that keeps passing us by regardless if we take action or not is our time.

So, I ‘m going to show you how to get off your butt and take action. It’s something I’ve used for years and believe that you’ll benefit as well. Here it goes.

First, I want you to identify where you want to be. This is the most important piece to the puzzle. Get some direction about your business and your life. Identify what’s makes you tick… Write this down. This could be something like you want to buy six houses per year with a net of $10K or whatever your situation is.

Next, what actions do you need to take to get to this point? Write down, what you’ll have to become as a person to fulfill your goal. Now, this person that you have to become, what do they do? What actions would they take?

Now, I want you to ask yourself, “What is it you can do over the next ninety days to get closer to your goal?”

Then, write down the actions and tasks that you’ll commit to completing in the next ninety days to realize your goal. When I say commit, I mean you have to be committed more than the average “Hollywood marriage” and stick with your plan adjusting it as you go along the way.

Along the way, as you complete some of the tasks, you want to reward yourself. Maybe, you’ve finally sold that house that seemed like it would never sell or maybe you’ve talked with 20 sellers or whatever your tasks was, then reward yourself accordingly. Now, I’m not saying break the bank, just take a percentage of your profits from your next deal as a reward for your work. Maybe it’s a weekend getaway or it could be as simple as having a nice dinner with your family.

Now, you must remember to focus like a “laser guided missile”. It’s easy to get caught up with everything going on around you, however it’s crucial you remain focused with your eyes clearly set on your goals. I admit that I struggle with this every day. With the internet and running several businesses, it’s easy to get involved with all the day-to-day crap or surfing the net for hours on end. Ask yourself daily; what is the most productive, profitable use of my time?

Finally, at the end of the ninety days, it’s time to look at what you’ve accomplished and repeat adjusting your plan from what you’ve already completed. I want you to do this process starting with the end in mind of where you want, and then backing your way to do the things necessary to achieve the end result.

If you fail to take time to do these simple yet powerful steps, then I grant that you don’t have what it takes to be a successful real estate investor.

You must remain as the visionary for where you want to lead your business and the steps to getting there. If you fail to have this vision, then you’ll always be working for someone that does.

However, if you follow theses simple steps, then you’ll be amazed at the amount of ground you can cover over the next ninety days. Commit to making this your best year ever. Screw the resolutions and focus on getting things done!

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