One real estate investor was in a home, garden and hardware store a few weeks ago and passed by a couple of Guys in an aisle. A conversation was heard as he walked by, I overheard one say, That is the real estate man. Now I had never seen either of those guys and have no idea who they are but that experience lets me know that I must be doing my job at letting the world to know my business is buying real estate in that area. There are many ways to let the world know that you are in the real estate investing business and getting information out there that helps people understand you buy foreclosures, distressed real estate, do real estate short sales and have a lot of real estate information and experience to flip properties. Some ways are cheap and some are more expensive. You are going to have to try many things and get a feel for what brings about for you the best results in your area to get the calls you need to transact real estate deals. I have tried many kinds of marketing techniques for real estate business concerns of all kinds and have come back to a few that constantly produce enough results for me to buy the 2 or 3 real estate properties and homes  I want to buy every single month. They are as follows:

Classified Ads

The classified advert in the largest paper in the area is by far the biggest producer of leads for local real estate investors that I have found. I know it is expensive and I acknowledge there are times it doesn’t generate calls but if you are going to remain in the real estate investing business just put it in there and leave it. Get used to it being part of the cost of doing the real estate business. You may pay about $300.00 a month for my 4 line ad and that is the commercial rate. I’d recommend running it 365 days a year to constantly remind everyone that you are a real estate investor and you buy real estate in their area.

Over the past five or so years I have witnessed many real estate investors ads come and go. Most folks put them in for a few or even just a couple of weeks and then pull them or try just putting them in on the weekends. Real Estate Marketing just doesn’t work this way. Put your real estate ad  in the paper and leave it. It will more than pay for itself, believe me, and you’ll discover after you close your first deal. If you are concerned because there are real estate investors ads from several investors in there, don’t be. They are there because they are getting calls. Just be sure to and actually answer your phone and keep it on all the time otherwise you’ll be wasting money.

When a new ad for real estate investor information pops up in my paper, I will always call on the ad. 9 times out of 10 I get a message recorder or answering machine. This is a big turn off to someone who needs a solution to their real estate problem now. They want to talk to someone who can calm their anxiety over their current issues with their property and tell them everything is going to be alright. Your answering machine won’t do that, they need a human being. As for what to put in the advert, you will have to work on this one. I have tried several ideas and the one I have now hasn’t changed for over 2 years. I haven’t altered it because I get phone calls. My ad is:

I Pay CASH FOR HOUSES s
In 48 Hours!
Any area, price or condition
Call Today xxx-xxx-xxxx

Now I have had other real estate investors jockey for position and alter their ad copy to be ahead of mine in the column but it hasn’t made any difference, at least as far as I can distinguish. Don”t worry about those things, just get the advert out there and leave it. It could possibly take some time, perhaps a few weeks to get going but sellers will call. Once you have your classified advert running, then you should start working on your other methods right away. If you only implement one idea a week, within a couple of months you will have a tremendously powerful real estate buying machine.

Ads in the Freebie Papers

You may also run ads in the freebie papers in your local area or the area you want to transact real estate investment business. These are the Thrifty Nickel or whatever they are called in your area. I run both a column ad and a display in this paper and spend about $200.00 or so a month for these. They pull in seller leads fairly well and have always justified the costs. Remember that these guys are usually open to negotiating on your rates and you’ll probably get a better rate if you commit to a longer advertising contract.

Bandit Signs or Road Signs

Bandit signs are great. They are some of the best lead generating tools around. I have yet to put out a bunch and not be bombarded with calls right after I did my marketing. I just don’t put them out that often. I might put out a few to a half dozen or so a month and the ones that remain and don’t get taken down continue to pull in calls. At an average cost of less than $2.00 per sign, they are one of the best real estate marketing and advertising values around. Check the internet for sign companies for discount signage prices. . I use 18 x 24 signs and place them at high traffic intersection points around the town I want to buy property in.

You may place a sign in the front yard immediately after buying any house. I have bought several homes in the same neighborhoods as a result of marketing this way.

You can either use wood stakes or the wire stakes with your signs. I like the wood stakes because they don’t bend like the wire ones, in addition, they are cheaper and you can find just about any reasonably sized stick of wood or stake at your local hardware store for a really good price.  Just get long lengths and reduce to fit. Then just nail the sign to it with the roofing nails with the orange or green plastic tops or you can use screws. There are many variations on what the wording on the sign can say. Keep in mind that traffic will be moving so you want to keep your message short and simple so it can be read. Plus your number must be big, large and easy to read.

If you look the sign advertisement content, you’ll notice that it is the same as my newspaper ad.  I like to brand my advertising because I think that helps with recognition that is probably why the two guys noticed me as a Real Estate Investor.  You want to have contrast, so a white sign with dark blue letters usually is the best draw. Some folks swear by black on yellow or black on orange. Again, I say it’s not what or how you say it rather simply that you’re out there marketing and putting out signs that counts. You’ll build a ‘brand image over time if you stay consistent with your real estate marketing efforts.  When dealing with bandit signs, be sure that your local code enforcement laws are tolerant of them. In some areas or counties they can lax on them but a few miles down the road in another county or city, they can be super strict and will fine you in a minute, pull the signs down and start looking for your next postings to go after you again.  Some retailers in high tax areas can’t put out any A board signage without getting them sized and then fined.

Flyers and Bulletin Board Postings

Flyers and related collateral are another inexpensive way to get the word out that you are a real estate investor buy houses, foreclosures or distressed properties. Just create a flyer with any one of the free online flyer software sites telling people that you are a real estate investor and how to get in contact with you. Make copies for few cents apiece and you have some really inexpensive real estate marketing and advertising. It really is that simple. Then place these flyers on every bulletin board in your town or area you would like to buy your property, foreclosure or distressed home.. I also recommend that you place some of them in those plastic sheet protectors so the rain won’t destroy them and put them up on telephone poles around neighborhoods I like to purchase property in. While not as large as the bandit signs, on poles actually in the vicinity they still attract calls. I carry a file with me in my vehicle and place them up whenever I stop at a grocery store or major discount store or really wherever. Some of the other places to put them are:

• Laundromats
• Taped to the inside of Phone Booths.
• On the counter of any business that will let you place them at.
• Bulletin boards at any local or major discount store (lots of traffic)
• Grocery store bulletin boards
• Fax to Mortgage Brokers, call first
• Fax to Real Estate Agents, call first and they may get a lot of these.
• Take them Door to Door in target neighborhoods
• Employment Center Bulletin board
• County Courthouse or public office Bulletin board

These are just a few examples. Any place that will allow you to put one is a good place. You can never let too many people know that you are a real estate investor and are in the foreclosure market.

Imprinted and/or Promotional Items

Optimum Real Estate Investor Marketing Ideas – These no miss ideas are sure to get you top hits on leads and calls for your Real Estate Investing Business.

These are some of my favorites and most fun. While they are not the top producers of leads or the least expensive, they will sure set you apart from the average investor.

Pen Knives – These tiny Swiss army knives are the coolest. They are actually key chains engraved with your message, mine being: WE BUY HOUSES- All cash or take over payments within 48 hours! Call xxx-xxx-xxx I guarantee if you give one of these to someone they will keep it and if they think of selling, they will think of you. They are about $1.50 apiece.

Key Chains – I give these to all my buyers with the keys to their new house on them and leave them all over the place. They come in the shape of a house or #1 or whatever style you like and have your message on them. You can guess what mine says. Cost – about $. 25 cents apiece.

Pens – I use these all the time. Whenever I sign a sales receipt or anything I leave my pen. I can’t tell you how many calls I have gotten off of these things and since I always need one, I always have one to give away. My attorney even has a supply on his closing table. I have two types printed. One for sellers says We Buy Houses! and one for buyers says Everyone Qualifies. Cost – about $.21 cents apiece.

Coin Holders – These you hardly find anymore so everyone is surprised when I have them. I leave these things everywhere. Mine are bright yellow with blue letters and my message. Cost – about $.30 cents apiece.

I leave all of these promotional items everywhere, on the top of gas pumps, on end-cap displays in grocery stores and in department stores. I look at it this way, if I give away 100 pens, 50 knives and 50 coin holders a month, that is only a little over $100 bucks a month. That is still cheap advertising. And with the money you can make in a real estate deal, it is ‘no cost’ marketing strategy. You can get any of these promotional advertising products at many major promotion marketing manufacturer, and you can find companies online as well.

Business Cards

I order business cards by the 1000’s and you should as well, there are a lot of great places online that can print up nice (and cheap) cards for you and that specialize in real estate as well. As for business cards, well, they are cheap, mine are about $50.00 for 2000, and I pass them out and leave them everywhere I possibly can. I leave my cards everywhere, in pay phones, on restaurant tables, my kids even have their own supply to pass out. Try to get a box a week out. The card doesn’t have to be fancy, in fact the simpler the better. My card is bright yellow with blue letters and says:

WE BUY HOUSES
Foreclosure? Need Repairs? Bad Tenants? Divorce?
CASH IN 48 HOURS!
OFFERS MADE ON ALL CALLS!
XXX-XXX-XXXX

Car Magnetics

Magnetics are one of those things where you spend once and get use for a long time. Mine cost about $75.00 and are yellow with blue letters. They say:

WE BUY HOUSES!
FA$T CA$H
XXX-XXX-XXXX

or

SELL YOUR HOME FAST
WE PAY CA$H
XXX-XXX-XXXX

I have gotten several deals from these signs. Remember to order a smaller set for the back of your car/truck. People have more of a chance to read the message when they are riding behind you.

Clothing

I like golf shirts and oxford dress shirts with my logo on them. There’s plenty of advertising houses that will help you design a logo if you don’t have one or use the one you already have. There is no charge for set up and all items ordered include your embroidered logo free.

I pass custom imprinted hats out to everyone I know who wears one and have given away many shirts as well. They really look nice and present a nice image for your business.

Other Advertising Tools

There are many other forms of advertising, some I have tried in the past such as billboards, door hangers, yellow pages, television and radio advertising. I even have a traveling billboard, an old SUV painted bright yellow with blue WE BUY HOUSES! and my phone number that I drive around and park overnight at different places. It gets the calls! Get the marketing going and let the world know who to call when they have a house to sell, a pre-foreclosure, distressed property or someone who just wants to get out of their house. If that phone isn’t ringing, you aren’t making money so you need to get a good marketing strategy going and stick with it!

I sincerely hope these tips will help you in your next real estate marketing efforts and get you the real estate investing deals you’re after.

Credit: Duncan Wierman

Looking for short sales or foreclosure listings? Contact Mitch Painter and he will help you find investment property for sale not listed on the open market.

Mitch Painter always holds monthly educational webinars. Make sure to sign up for his buyers list to get the jump on great handyman specials for sale in Cincinnati and to hear about his upcoming webinars: http://www.RoyalFrogRealEstate.com

If your looking for great rehab investment properties that are priced 50 cents on the dollar that not everyone knows about, then make sure to join my buyers list at www.CincyCheapHouses.com. You can get the jump on great foreclosure houses and investment properties that no one else knows about. Our rehab deals in Cincinnati go very quickly. Below you will find some deals that we sold recently!

Hemphill – Deer Park
Sold for $54,900 – re-sold for $118,500

Lester – Pleasant Ridge
Sold for $85,900 – re-sold for $185,000

Inglenook – Mt. Lookout
Sold for $169,000 – worth $369,000

Whitfield – Clifton Gaslight
Sold for $25,000 – worth $140,000

Plainville – Madison Place
Ssold for $21,000

Self Directed IRA’s are great instruments to use for the average investor who wants to be diversified in real estate, but doesn’t know how to go about it. Equity Trust Company is an example of a company that serves as a neutral third party to manage the account. I would highly recommend them as they manage hundreds of thousands of accounts and really know what they’re doing. We then pay our investors that get setup through them a flat monthly interest rate and use the money to buy an apartment building and give the investor a note and mortgage secured against the building.

Our buildings are in A-B areas, so they are very desirable and liquid, in case an investor wants to exit. Also since we own more than 154 units and have been in business for over 12 years, we have a ton of experience. If you’re considering investing as a private lender to an active real estate investor, make sure to find someone that has a lot of experience managing and owning real estate. Also make sure the deal your investing in has a lot of equity and is in a great part of town.

I have used private lenders to fund some of my deals, but only use a handful a year. They love me because they make 10% interest with absolutely no work, and have a very secure investment in real estate, without any hassle. Make sure to check with a local securities attorney to learn about the rules in looking for private lenders. It is very important that you follow these rules. As a real estate investor you usually can’t advertise to find private investors. Instead reach out to friends and family and people you know. You’d be surprised how many people have money in CD’s or 401k’s earning very little interest.

Self directed IRA’s are amazing in that you can invest in real estate through them and avoid paying taxes on your earnings. Similar rules to a standard IRA apply. You must use a guardian company, you must start to withdrawal at age 65, etc… Visit equity trust company’s website for more info.

Happy Investing!

http://www.thecincyhousebuyer.com/

It is important to always keep the idea of creating a win-win in mind throughout your negotiations. Sure you need to make money, but in order to do so you must continually put yourself in the sellers shoes. Sometimes you may have to give some token items to allow the seller or buyer to feel as if they’re winning. Sometimes it means you don’t ask for everything you want right away. Other times it means you come up in your price some (never all the way), or you use higher authority to make them feel you went to bat for them (and got them something). In whatever way you do it, be sure to create the win-win environment and you will surely flourish in the negotiating career.

In order to offer a win-win solution you must listen to the details of the seller’s situation. What is it that needs to be solved in the seller’s life to enable them to move on? Most often it’s not only the sale of the property. For example the seller may need to pay off medical bills. If so how much are the medical bills? We did a deal in which we couldn’t get a price out of the seller. We didn’t want to make an offer as we felt we could get a great deal on the property. We asked why they wanted to sell and listened in detail. We found out there was $10,000 in past medical bills owed and they just wanted to get those paid off. We signed the deal at that price and both parties won. Never jump to making an offer until you get to the root of the situation.

I have done over 250 deals and would love to teach you to be a successful real estate investor too! You can’t do it alone! Visit my blog for a ton of free info on real estate investing:

www.Real-Estate-Rocks.com Happy investing! – Mitch Painter

http://www.thecincyhousebuyer.com/

Happy Investing!

http://www.thecincyhousebuyer.com/

1. Maintain a positive attitude

Though this might sound ridiculous considering your home foreclosure situation, it is very vital. You need to remain confident of finding a solution to stop foreclosure now. The fastest way of losing your property is to give up.

2. Don’t pick sides

To succeed in stopping foreclosure, it is important to remember that you are not in a battle, and that your lender is not an enemy. Actually, most lenders want to stop foreclosure where possible, since foreclosure is very costly to them in terms of time and money. If you wish to stop foreclosure now, you need be on your lender’s side and work together to identify a suitable solution.

3. Remain focused on your goal

Attempting to stop foreclosure will not always be very easy. It will take both time and much effort. If you do not stay focused on the reason why you are doing all this work, you might be tempted to quit. Always remember that your home, credit and dignity can all be saved if you continually work at stopping foreclosure.

4. Research your options for stopping foreclosure

There are several ways to stop foreclosure on your property. If you hope to succeed, you need to research all your options and choose the best. In Cincinnati, Ohio, some of the options for stopping foreclosure include short sale, bankruptcy, deed in lieu of foreclosure and short refinance.

5. Take action immediately to stop foreclosure

When facing a home foreclosure situation, time can become your worst enemy. That is why it is very crucial that you take action immediately if you hope to stop foreclosure now. However, avoid making rushed decisions before evaluating them thoroughly. Make sure that you take maximum advantage of the time that you have to stop foreclosure.

6. Stay in touch with your lender

While trying to stop foreclosure, the biggest mistake you can make is to ignore your lender. Actually, it is wise to keep your lender informed on any progress made towards a solution. They will appreciate to know that you are taking the home foreclosure seriously and making an effort to improve it.

Stopping foreclosure does not have to be difficult. Simply making the right choices can make a huge difference as to whether you get to retain your home. Following the guidelines above can help stop foreclosure now and as a result save your home. In summary, to stop foreclosure, always maintain a positive attitude, work together with your lender towards finding a solution, and remain focused on your goal. In addition, you need to know which foreclosure help options are available to you, act on the most suitable one, and ensure that your lender stays updated on your progress. Follow these guidelines and you will greatly increase your chances of success in stopping foreclosure.

Submit your Cincinnati property on our website now and we will fight the bank for you at no cost http://www.thecincyhousebuyer.com/stop-foreclosure.php Sell your house to a direct house buyer today and stop foreclosure now!

Keywords:

http://www.thecincyhousebuyer.com/

First, you don’t have to wait three months or six months for the rehab to be completed before you can realize a profit. This is hugely important to cash flow; it allows you to move on and find other deals. If it takes you six months to rehab a house in order to make $30,000, and the same six months to wholesale ten houses to make $5,000 each, which is better? Do the math.

Second, you need no money or credit to wholesale. Since you’re simply finding a distressed property and assigning your right to purchase that property, it costs you nothing. The buyer you find closes the deal, you get your assignment fee, the seller gets paid, and everyone’s happy!

Third, you have next to no liability. Many of you may discount this factor, because you haven’t yet been through this rehabber’s nightmare. But if you’ve ever rehabbed a house and subsequently been sued over mold or nondisclosure or some other issue, you’ll know what I mean. When you wholesale, neither you nor your company ever takes title, so you have much, much less liability.

Fourth, cost overruns for rehabbing can eat you alive. Over the years, I learned to add 20% to my rehab estimates. Now I believe in doubling them. Buyers are extremely picky today and require everything about the property to be brand new. If you think you can rehab a house without updating the HVAC or electrical sysem, think again. Don’t forget holding costs, either. Think you’re done after the rehab? Think some more! Your property could sit on the market for three months or more. You’d better allow for at least six months of mortgage payments, heat, electricity, water, property taxes, insurance, and lawn care.

I can tell you the cold, hard fact that wholesaling is a far easier way to make money investing in real estate. Even so, many of you will read this and choose to rehab anyway.

If you do, I may wholesale you a house one day. Then I will fly first class to Italy and do some sightseeing, while you deal with the rehab. Go ahead—rehab as many houses as you can. I promise I’ll always be ahead.

Be sure to follow my blog to get weekly tips on how to take your wholesaling career to the next level!