Archive for the ‘career changes’ Category

Control Your Thoughts & Reach Your Dreams

Monday, October 25th, 2010

What things do you actually have control over in your life?

When you think about it, there are actually very few things that we can control.

For example, I was forced to give up my dream of boxing. I ruined my hands in the ring. The referee kept stepping on them.

We are required to buy insurance for our cars and houses. The kids must go to school and have supplies and clothes. We choose food, cars and most consumer goods based on the advertisements we see on television. Different levels of government and social pressures decide many things for us, or leave us with limited options to choose from.

And, it doesn’t get any better as time moves on. It seems the older we get, the fewer choices that we have. Men still chase women when they get older, but only downhill.

The One Thing We Control

Napoleon Hill says that we have control over but one thing, the ability to control our own thoughts. This is the most significant and inspiring of all human traits. It is part of our divine nature. This divine tool is the sole way to control your own destiny.

Mind control is the result of self-discipline and habit. You either control it or it controls you. The most effective way to control your mind is by keeping it busy with a definite purpose, supported by a clear plan.

The Ultimate Question

A lot of people I know have read Think and Grow Rich, and they say that they think it is a great book. But, very few know the answer to the following question.

What does Napoleon Hill say that you must do twice daily in order to make your desires become reality?

On page 36 of my copy of Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill says that you should have:

1.) written a concise statement of what you want,

2.) how you plan to get it, and

3.) when you will get it,

then you should read your written statement aloud twice daily, once before retiring at night and once after arising in the morning.

What Does This Have to Do With Real Estate?

In the early 2000’s, I thought my job was going to be cut and I that would be unemployed. I decided I needed a steady second income so I wouldn’t have to rely on my 8:00 to 5:00 job to bring home the bacon .

After I concluded that buying fixer upper houses and renting them out was the best second income for me, I wrote down my desire on a piece of paper and carried it around in my wallet.

I wrote, ” I will find and buy a fixer-upper house in the next 60 days.” In less than a month, I found and bought my first fixer upper house, and that was my start in this business.

That was the first time I experienced the power of this technique. I have had many subsequent successes with the technique as well.

Like most of us. you have ideas and dreams. But, if you go beyond just identifying them and you write them down, and put your passion into them, they are more likely to come true.

Confessions of a Fixer-upper-holic

How to Get Money to Buy Rental Houses (Video)

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

During my interview with the inimitable Dan Ramey, at WBEX 1490 1490 AM in Chillicothe, Ohio, he asked whether or not people should be concerned about refinacing their house to make a downpayment on a rental house.

Naturally, people are nervous about making financial changes during a recession. But, refinancing your existing house to take down payment money out of your equity and buy a rental house is one of the safest ways to start investing in real estate. It’s the most common way that real estate investors use to purchase investment properties.

If you have a steady job and a good credit rating, now is a rare opportunity to get a loan in the 4% interest range. And, houses are selling at fire sale prices!

It’s a good idea to refinance a house that you have owned for a few years before reinancing to take some equity out of it.

Refinancing an existing property for downpayment money is a lot better than waiting until you have enough cash to purchase a rental house withouta loan. Having a loan gives you leverage, because you don’t have to use all of your own money, which could take 20 years or more, to save.

The great benefit is, after you have purchased your rental house, is that you have a stream of income that is in addition to your regular 8:00 to 5:00 job.

You can be laid off, or fired from your regular job, but you can never lose your rental property job!

Here is my new video that shows the process of putting your lazy home equity to work for you:

———-

"Fix em Up, Rent em Out" wins USA Book Finalist Award

Monday, October 20th, 2008

.
I’m pleased to announce that my book, “Fix em Up Rent em Out,” is an Award-Winning Finalist in the Real Estate category of the National Best Books 2008 Awards, sponsored by USA Book News.

Top 50 Amazon Reviewer D. Blankenship says,

What this work does give you is ideas and an outline, that through hard work, common sense, and a bit of luck, you can do quite well for yourself and have a bit of fun while you do it. The author is quick to point out the down side of every aspect of this business and points out ways, if there are any, to avoid them. On the other hand, the author does a wonderful job of pointing out the positive. He not only emphasizes the financial aspects, but does a very nice job of drawing attention to the many side benefits involved, and there are many of these! I like the way that the author directs your attention to the fact that a job well done is a wonderful feeling. The author has listed given us a great list of other books and resources to turn to which I find most helpful. Actually, his list of places to go for information is almost worth the price of the book alone.

A complete list of winners and finalists in each category can be found at:
http://www.usabooknews.com/bestbooksawards2008.html.

Subscribe in a reader

Share this: del.icio.us | Digg | Ma.gnolia | Reddit | Stumble Upon |

Review of "One Person – Mulitple Careers"

Thursday, July 10th, 2008

.
My review of the book One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life, by Marci Alboher is now on-line over at ezinearticles.com. I think it’s a great book for those of us who are part-time fixer upper house investors with several balls in the air at the same time. One aspect of the book that I particularly enjoyed is that it describes many case studies of people who have chosen this path and tells “why’ and “how” they did it. My review of the book is from the perspective of someone who keeps their day job and does real estate on the side.

I also recommend visiting Marci’s New York Times blog entitled Shifting Careers: Smart Thinking at Work. It regularly provides thoughtful stories of interesting people who approach work to the beat of a different drummer.

Add to Technorati Favorites

Subscribe in a reader

Share this: del.icio.us | Digg | Ma.gnolia | Reddit | Stumble Upon |

Re-directing your career

Sunday, November 4th, 2007

Taking a new path toward earning money requires us “to give up what is familiar and secure,” as Marsha Sinetar says in her book “Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow.” Sinetar feels that working at the “right” job involves “doing our best at what we do best.” Sinetar suggests that we periodically take stock of our true life’s purpose by asking the following questions:

1. What do I want to have accomplished when I look back upon my life in old age?

2.What habits would I need to cultivate and what would I have to delete from my present life to live out my true purpose?

3. What activities would I do if I lived as if my purpose meant something to me?

While you pay a price for following your dream, you also pay a price for staying where you are. You lose the opportunity to develop new life-coping skills that help you deal with unexpected crises or joblessness. You may suffer from depression by staying in a debilitating job. Sinetar, in “To Build the Life You Want, Create the Work You Love,” says that excelling at a job that you love could be the best mental health insurance for people who feel depressed or anxious about their work. Americans spend $12.4 billion each year to treat clinical depression.

Info on Terry’s Book

Add to Technorati Favorites

 Subscribe in a reader

Share this: del.icio.us | Digg | Ma.gnolia | Reddit | Stumble Upon |