Having Confidence in Real Estate

Investing in real estate is a risk. Like many other businesses, you cannot fully guarantee that you’ll get your money back as soon as you want. And, over the years, stories of recession and succeeding foreclosures affect the market. Stories of investors pulling out their shares from investment groups exist in the industry. When you invest in real estate, you invest a big portion of your assets into something uncertain. Thus, a lot of people hold back from investing in real estate.

Through the years, the industry has gone through a lot of forwards and backwards. Similar to other business industries, this is normal and painful, but true. There are some situations you can’t control. And, as a real estate investor, or any business owner for that matter, you need to learn to flow with the changes in the market. Or, better yet, navigate the changes and save your investments. Build confidence in your investments. Yes, it’s difficult to entrust your assets in properties and people. It’s hard to know if you’re making the right decision for your possessions and if you’re investing the right way. That’s why you need to be a well-informed investor. Be knowledgeable about the basics of real estate investing. Always allot time in studying your target market. Understand the difference in each market area and thoroughly review their economic and demographic status. Be very careful and meticulous in determining your goals for investing and the things you’ll have to do to attain those goals. Remember, you can never go wrong with the right amount of know-how.

If necessary, get yourself a mentor. It can be a consultant who’s already an experienced investor. Experienced investors have already been through a lot in the industry and already know how to play and, of course, win the game. Or, you might also want to join investment groups. Especially if you’re a beginner, groups like these can help you become the confident investor you’ve always wanted to be.

4 Tips for Time Management

In this era, people tend to be busy with multiple things every single day. It may be work, studies, family, social life, workouts, projects and more – all these things fill our schedule every single day. We tend to give ourselves a big pile of work and find ourselves unsure of how to get it all done on time. It is indeed hard to manage time, especially if you’re a person with a lot of responsibilities. Here are four tips to help you better manage your time and get things done.

First, determine your schedule in a certain timeframe (it may be within the day, next three days, this week, this summer, and more) and identify the things you need to accomplish. It’s better if you list them in your phone or write them down so you don’t forget something. You can also use your list to check off tasks/appointments you accomplish. After making a list, divide each item into different categories – schedule, urgency, and more. These will help keep you on track.

Second, learn to say “No.” I know for a fact that it’s good to say “Yes” to task assignments, opportunities, promotions and more, but if this will jeopardize your time management and give you too many things to do, then it’s okay to say “No” sometimes. You, of all people, know yourself. You know your capacities and limitations. Don’t force yourself to do something you can’t at the moment.

Third, avoid distractions. As humans, we are easily distracted for many reasons. If you set a time to do something, focus on it. Most of the time, you get something done faster if you give it your total attention. And, you make less mistakes. Be committed to the list you set for yourself. Be persistent to finish the task at hand. Avoid backlogs and save time.

Last and most important by far, enjoy and love what you’re doing. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, you will just feel lazy and end up unfulfilled. Engage yourself in the schedule and the tasks you set. Be consistent.

These are only a few of the many tips you can follow to better manage your time. Whatever you decide to do to succeed in time management, remember to keep it balanced. There’s a time for everything – work, studies, family, spiritual growth, social life, yourself, and more.

First Flip Checklist

So, This is Your First Flip? Where is Your Checklist?

Let’s talk about flipping. More specifically, let’s talk about what your checklist of items should include. Following the right process when buying a property will save you money and time after you have purchased the home. My list of the most important items that need to be addressed before and during the purchase of a property is below. Of course, there will be some flexibility to this — you decide where that will come in.

1. Financing: Get your financing lined up. Find out what lender you will use and what their requirements will be for you to borrow funds from them. Also, find out their terms and repayment schedule so you can work that into your numbers.
2. Insurance Agents: Talk to your insurance agent and find out what kind of coverage you will need while the renovation is taking place and how much it will cost.
3. Contractors: Get some quotes on the rehab. Look for contractors that are licensed, bonded and insured. You don’t want to cut corners just to save a few bucks. Fix things right the first time around.
4. Investor Friendly Agents: Make sure your agent has your best interest in mind throughout the entire process of purchasing the property. Never let your agent lead you astray. Make sure your agent is providing all the information you need to close the deal correctly.
5. Interior Designer: Find one whose design aesthetics you like and one you can afford. A good designer will help you sell your properties quickly. They will work closely with your contractors to get things done right.

Before you start your search for the perfect property, find a financing lender, insurance agent, contractor, and interior designer with fees and requirements that fit your budget. Once you have your power team players in place, use your realtor to find the right deal. During your due diligence period, once you have a property under contract, you can have your contractor and interior designer walk through the property and give you bids. Contact your insurance agent and make sure the insurance will be in place and is affordable. Do all of this before your due diligence period ends, that way if something is not working you can cancel the deal.

There are some other minor things that need to be done during this process, but the items I’ve gone over are very important. Your list should look similar to mine. Remember to take things slow. Don’t rush into a deal, and never get into a flip if it feels like too much to handle. I suggest that first time flippers start off with a light or medium rehab. If you make a checklist before you start, you should have covered all of your bases to make money on your investment.

Reality TV vs. Real Life Fix and Flips

I really love golf. I used to watch it on TV all the time. Then I decided to take it up. Wow, what a wake-up call. It is a lot harder than it looks, and I need to practice all the time. Why do I tell you this? Well, reality fix and flip shows are a lot like golf. It looks easy and fun on TV but in real life it is serious work! The popularity of these shows has brought a lot of newbies to the business that get frustrated quickly because things do not go as planned. The shows mislead people into thinking it is so easy. Although this business can be lucrative, you need to understand how things work. Let’s go over what I feel are the missing links for people getting started in this business.

• It’s all about the numbers: The TV shows only show the basic numbers on a deal and make their profits look so big. What they fail to tell you is how much investors must pay back to their hard moneylenders. This cost is known as holding cost, which also includes insurance on the property while it’s being fixed up. So, the bottom line might be shown on TV as $60k in profit, but it might actually be $30k. That is still a good profit but maybe not to everyone.
• It takes time: Trust me, finding deals takes time and a lot of searching. You don’t get every deal you make offers on. The shows make it look easy to find a deal, look at it, and get an offer accepted. Well, in real life, you will probably get 1 out of every 25 offers you make.
• It’s scripted: Most importantly remember you are watching a show and it is scripted. The way they find the house, do the bidding, complete the rehab — it’s all for your enjoyment. Real life will have twist and turns that are more outrageous than what you see on TV.

If you are serious about getting into real estate investing, go to a local real estate club to talk to investors and visit with a local realtor who works with investors. Educate yourself on the industry and the processes. Prepare yourself for this business. If done right it can give you great results and even change your life.

Mindset in a “Seller’s” Market

As seasoned real estate investors will tell you, we’ve seen a lot of ebbs and flows in the housing market throughout our years of investing. As you gain experience, you too will come to see that even in the toughest and hottest of housing markets, investors can still create great deals. In today’s “seller’s” market it’s time to start thinking outside the box. Below are some suggestions as we all move forward in this, and any market.

As you go about looking for properties to make into deals, have you asked yourself this question: Have I told everyone that I know — friends, relatives, co-workers etc. — that I’m looking to buy a home from someone that is behind on their mortgage, behind on their taxes, or has inherited a home they aren’t interested in maintaining or keeping?  If you haven’t, do it. The result may be a pleasant surprise. Another option is to focus on homes that have a listing that has expired.  An overpriced house typically won’t sell causing sellers to get frustrated, and in some cases, let the listing expire or terminate their contract with their realtor, thus becoming an expired listing. Don’t contact the sellers right after their listing expires, as this is when realtors are contacting them and trying to get them to relist. Give the sellers some time. Look at listings that have expired 2-3 weeks prior. As a general rule, your success rate will be higher. In a “seller’s” market, making a purchase must be handled carefully, with planning, and a sense of calm and calculated urgency. We want to move quickly, but also in a smart manner.

Stick to your numbers! Let them be your beacon, and do not deviate from them. Run your numbers. At the end of the day, the numbers in your analysis don’t lie. Also, remember to not get emotionally involved with any offer you make or let the market condition determine your success. The offer will work or it won’t. Don’t go chasing a bad deal because you “have to get into the market” or run around like Chicken Little proclaiming the sky is falling because you have to get creative. Run your numbers, make the offer and move on to the next; whatever that is. Success only comes by moving forward.

A “seller’s” market doesn’t mean there aren’t deals out there to be made. The strategy of buy-and-hold is a great one to look at in this market. As you negotiate a deal, remember the property will still likely go up in value. In this “seller’s” market, instead of focusing on large, “home run” deals, focus on what you can control: you. When you focus on volume, you spread your risk across multiple deals. Don’t shoot for 2 or 3 “home run” deals a year; hit singles every 2 or 3 months and when one doesn’t work out, you still have the rest of the deals to bring you up. And remember, every deal is a learning experience. The more you do, the less anxious and overwhelming the market and conditions become. Do your research on the market and know it. Don’t go off what someone is telling you.

In this market, even though there appears to be fewer listings and prices are higher, investing wisely based on ratios, profit margins, and market trends will still allow you to make money. No matter the market, people are always going to buy and sell houses. It may not always be smooth sailing for us real estate investors, but learning to ride the rollercoaster known as real estate is half the fun.

Why You Should Promote Yourself from Landlord to Investor

There is a difference between being an investor and a landlord. Simply owning an investment property doesn’t make you an investor. If you are highly involved in the day-to-day operations of your property, you are a landlord. Investors treat their properties like any other investment: hiring professionals to manage the day-to-day operations and investing the profits from their property into their portfolio. Many real estate investors begin as landlord. Below are the three reasons why you should take the leap and promote yourself from landlord to real estate investor.

Get Out of the Daily Grind

Being a landlord is a fulltime job, if you do it right! From completing routine maintenance to answering emergency calls, keeping a rental in pristine condition is no easy task — not to mention all the work that comes with vacancy. Landlords are responsible for screening tenants, marketing the property and completing any other move-in related tasks. Real estate investors outsource all this work to a property management company. Not only does this get the work done, it ensures it’s being completed by a seasoned professional, and it can even decrease vacancy!

You Can Focus on Purchasing More Properties

Once you are out of the daily grind of being a landlord, you can focus on being a real estate investor. Finding deals and/or rehabbing properties requires focus. If you are wearing all the hats of your landlord responsibilities, it can be difficult to find the hours in the day to close more deals. You can also focus on making the most of your current investments. The better your current investment properties do, the more money you have in the bank for growing your portfolio.

Investors Are All About the Bottom Line

As an investor, your focus is simply on positive cash flow. You don’t have to worry about keeping tenants happy or your properties occupied. That is the responsibility of your property management company. Investors can enjoy the profits from their rental properties while also enjoying an additional check each month or even early retirement.

Many investors start their real estate investment journey as landlords. Successful investors, the ones enjoying financial independence and early retirement, take the risk and make the jump from landlord to investor.

Staying Motivated

Staying motivated in your real estate business is critical to your success and can sometimes be hard, especially when you are first building your business. Here are some ways to help you get motivated and stay motivated.

Goals: Goals are the first step to motivation. Knowing why you are doing what you are doing allows you to create a road map that you can use to guide you. Make sure you have a long-term goal that really excites you. Work that goal backwards so you have some intermediate and short-term goals. You want to break it down to weekly goals and daily action steps. Be sure to have your goals written down and read them daily.

Vision: Create a vision of your long-term goal. Imagine (visualize) it as if it is already real. Imagine it in enough detail that you catch yourself smiling. The emotion you feel while imagining your vision is the power that will fuel your motivation. Spend a minute or so when you first wake up imagining your vision, and again as you are falling asleep at night. This is called, “Feeding Your Vision.”

Vision Board: A vision board is another tool you can use to bring your goal to life. You want to find images that represent your goal as completed. You can put these images on a poster board or a corkboard. Be creative and have fun. You want to put your vision board where you will see it often. The power in a vision board comes not from just looking at it, but from taking 20 to 30 seconds while looking at it to let it take your there, so you can feel motivated and catch yourself smiling.

One last tip: When you wake up in the morning, ask yourself, “What do I get to do today”?

Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Start Investing

As you start investing in real estate, ask yourself these three questions:

First:

What are your real estate goals? Outlining what you want your investments to accomplish will help guide you in the right direction. When you first start, it is like planning a vacation or cross-country trip. Discuss with your spouse or partner the core reason you are investing. Is it for retirement, for your children or grandkids and/or for supplementary income? Different strategies are needed for different reasons. Some yield returns more quickly (such as wholesaling), while others are for longer-term investments (such as buy-and-hold rental properties).

Second:

What is your time commitment? How much time are you dedicating to your efforts? Is this more of a hobby or do you want it to replace your day job? You need to be honest in your assessment of timing and what you are willing to give-up or reschedule. There are limitations to your weekly obligations.

If you are already busy with a full-time job, school or the kids, then you should asses your schedule carefully. Experts and seasoned real estate investors say beginners should realistically evaluate how much time they will be able to carve out of an already full schedule.

Third:

What is your focus? Where do you want to start investing? If you need money in the short-term, then you should focus on wholesaling. If you have the time and the expertise (or the network), then you might undertake buying a fix and flip. If you want residual income, then a buy-and-hold property would be a good strategy for you.

Assessing where you are financially will also help you decide where to start. Wholesaling takes little to no money down, while doing a fix-and-flip or buy-and hold will take a significant amount of cash. Some investors do not understand that many lending institutions will only lend a portion of the funds for a purchase and will not lend additional money for repairs.

Summary:

Assessing your goals, time-commitment and financial focus will help you be more strategic in your efforts to be a successful real estate investor. Additionally, being clear on your objectives will help you focus your efforts and avoid wasting time.

Suggestions for First Time Flippers

Buying real estate properties for a bargain, fixing them up and then reselling them for a profit is a great way to make money as a real estate investor. This is often referred to as “house flipping” or doing a fix-and-flip.  You look for a home, buy it cheap, fix the home up, then sell it for more than what it costs you to buy and fix it up.  You can make a huge profit. There are a few ways to improve the experience or ensure you do not lose money.

Plenty of real estate savvy investors are making money with fix-and-flips, but while it looks and sounds easy to do, house flipping has some risks involved. If there are more repairs than estimated, the flipped property does not sell immediately and/or you encounter other unexpected issues, one might not break-even.

Here are several suggestions to help you be successful:

• Get a Mentor:

Successful “flippers” educate themselves and know the ins-and-outs of the real estate market. If you are just getting started, one of the ways you can get off on a good foot is by finding a successful house flipper to mentor you. The things these seasoned investors have experienced or learned along the way are invaluable. Offer a percentage of your profit for advice if you need to. Then do your research on properties in your local area and find a house you want to make an offer on. 

• Save Money On Materials

Buy the materials to fix up your house yourself.  Contractors do supply materials but they will mark up prices. If you buy the materials yourself, you will save money and only pay for labor. 

Because costs for materials vary, it’s best to get to know your local stores. Some stores who offer discounts to contractors will give you the same deal if they know you are an investor and plan to do more than one house. Don’t be afraid to ask for a discount.

Home Depot, Lowe’s and Costco offers great deals. Also watch for any clearance sales on materials. You can also go to second-hand stores to find great deals at a lesser price than buying new materials.

• Save Money on Labor

Some investors buy a house during off-season. This way they can complete the job on time since contractors have less of a workload on their hands and can focus more on the job you have for them. Contractors are sometimes cheaper in the off-seasons.

Hire reputable sub-contractors instead of a contractor and run the job yourself. This will save you money because a contractor also marks up the price of the sub-contractor they hire. 

Doing some of the work yourself will also cut labor cost.

• Save Money and Time by Using a Realtor

Once the home is fixed-up and you’re ready to sell the house (vs. keeping it as a buy-and-hold property), studies show if you use a reputable real estate agent, your property will sell quicker than selling without one. The longer you hold on to the property, the more holding cost you incur. Realtors know plenty of possible buyers and having them list your house on the MLS helps sell your property faster. While they are selling your house, you can spend your time looking for your next deal.

Overall, utilizing a few basics will help you in the process of doing a fix-and-flip. All it takes to be successful is having the right attitude and information. And getting out there and doing it.

Knowledge + Action = Results

4 Steps to Overcome Analysis Paralysis

Most beginning investors will deal with analysis paralysis or overthinking a situation so that action is never taken.  A couple of the biggest causes behind analysis paralysis are lack of confidence and fear of failure.  Beginning investors feel like they do not know enough to take action.   Here are some steps that can help one overcome analysis paralysis.

1. Remember your goals and what you would like to accomplish with real estate.  Write you goals down somewhere you can look at them on a regular basis.  If you have not set goals, you need to.  Having goals in front of you will help give you the motivation to take action.
2. No one is going to do it for you.  This is your business so don’t count on someone coming to help.  You need to take action because if you don’t, things won’t happen. 
3. Find your fuel.  This is a key in getting moving.  This is also different for everyone.  Why do you want to invest in real estate?  What will investing in real estate help you achieve?  Lite that fire within you, start taking action, and never look back. 
4. Are you willing to do what must be done?  Investing in real estate is not easy.  It takes perseverance.  You will be told no over and over again.  The investors that are successful figure out how to get through whatever obstacle is put in front of them.  They are willing to do what must be done to be successful. 

Taking action with investing is the most important thing we do.  Of course we need knowledge but if knowledge never turns into action we will never make money.  It is important to understand that we will not be perfect as we get started investing and we will make mistakes, but it is all part of the learning process.  As we continually take action, we will make money investing in real estate.   

The Importance of a Positive Attitude in Real Estate Investing

Having a positive attitude is extremely important to becoming successful in real estate investing, as it is in any successful endeavor in life.  Negative speech and thoughts can be debilitating and keep a person from accomplishing their goals.  Learn to change the way you talk to yourself and others and you will change the outcome of your life’s journey. 

For example, let’s look at the subject of attempting to get into better and healthier physical shape.  If your thoughts and speech follow the lines of, “I can never lose weight,” or “I can’t stop eating sweets,” or “No matter how much a work out, I never get more muscular,” you will create a mind-set that causes you to lose faith in the fact that with proper eating and exercise you can lose weight, get stronger, be healthier and look better.  It is important to start have the right self-talk. Try changing the phrases you repeat over and over again to, “I know I can lose weight if I eat healthy foods and exercise regularly,” “I will gain muscle if I work out 3-4 times a week consistently,” and “I enjoy eating healthy protein, vegetables and fruit, and I feel better when I do.”

This same technique works when it comes to investing in real estate.  If you keep making statements to yourself and others such as, “I can’t ever find the time to do this business,” “There are no deals to be found in this area,” “There are too many other investors in my area to compete with,” or “People will know I’m not very knowledgeable in investing when I talk to them” then stop. Change your self-talk to, “If I use proper time management I will find the time to be successful at this business,” “The more offers I make, the more deals I will create for myself,” “By being persistent, I will be the one to find the deals in my area,” and “The more times I talk with people, the more confident and knowledgeable I will become.”

Every endeavor and business adventure is a learning experience. With faith and confidence in yourself, you can be successful at the things you work hard for.  Talking in a positive manner can help build confidence and faith with which you can succeed, especially as your experience starts to prove your statements true.  Whatever you say and think will become your reality. Change the way you talk to yourself and others and you will change the direction of your life.  Now, go out and make it happen!

Five Mistakes Investors Make When Building Their Business

Being in the real estate industry over the last 20 years has allowed me to see many forms of success and failure.  I have learned a lot from each of these categories.  You might think I’m going to tell you how to make sure you run your numbers correctly or not overbuild for the neighborhood.  You might think I’m going to suggest that mistakes are made by not seeing all the hidden costs in a fix and flip property.  Yes, these things are important and I’ve made my share of mistakes with these along the way but the biggest mistakes I’ve seen in my 20 years of experience is that real estate investors forget to PLAN for their success and they don’t realize the most important success habit is your mindset.  Investors seem to have a hazy idea of what they want to happen and then they just throw all their efforts at it to see if it sticks without really taking the time to create the success they want.  I’m going to share some of the top mistakes I have seen over the years and the success markers I’ve implemented in my business and have helped successful real estate investors implement in their business. 

The first mistake I see entrepreneurs make, especially real estate investors, is they are not clear about what they want.  They say “I want to be a successful real estate investor” but they really don’t know what that means nor have they taken the time to really find out what that means.  In order to be successful, you need to know what it’s going to take to be successful.  You need to know what education you are going to need, what foundation of your business you are going to need to build and how to create a power team around you to help you build your success.  For example, take some time today to ask yourself. 

• “How much money do I want to make on each of my real estate deals?” 
• “How many will I need to close each year to accomplish the dollar amount goals I have set for myself?”
• “What needs to be done to make this happen?”

As you can see, there is some planning that needs to go into setting yourself up for success.  When you begin to ask these questions, then what needs to be done to make it to the next level of success in what want to accomplish will become clearer.

The second mistake I see entrepreneurs make is not prioritizing what needs to be done to create their own success.  Too many times I hear the excuse, “I don’t have enough time.”  My answer is a little blunt and not really easy to accept if you are committed to this excuse.  I gently say we all have the same 24 hours in a day.  The way that we use those 24 hours will determine our success.  My suggestion is to make a list at the beginning of each week of everything you NEED to get done for the week.  Then make a second list of all the things that you must do to be successful as a real estate investor.   Go through both of your lists and prioritize each activity with an A, B, or C for priority level.  Sometimes it also helps to put a time frame on each item.  Then grab your PAPER calendar (yep, we’re going old school for a minute) and put all the “A” activities on your calendar for the week, then add your “B” activities.  Your “C” activities will fill in any free time you find for yourself during the week so keep your list handy throughout the week.   This is going to be a work in progress and I will GUARANTEE…. Yes….. GUARANTEE you will fail the first week you put this in place so realize that this is going to be a work in progress and you are going to have to keep doing it to get better at it.  Remember that failure is just information.  It doesn’t mean you give up; it means you do it better the next time.  Your calendar is going to be somewhat flexible but you are also going to start becoming very responsible with your time and learn to manage it, so you can master it.  My favorite saying for time management is, “Either you run your day or your day runs you.” 

The third mistake I see investors make is giving up.  The commitment level is there when the hope is high and the excitement level is at its peak but when it comes to doing the hard work, putting in the hours, staying persistent, trying something new when one thing doesn’t work, I hear, “This doesn’t work”.  I want to say, “Does this not work or do you not work?”  Sometimes success is not found overnight.  In fact, I would say in most cases success is not found overnight.   If you interview any successful entrepreneur, they will tell you it was a long climb to the top and they fell down a few times.  They will also tell you that staying the course and being persistent with successful habits is the reason they found success.  Decide now that you are “in it to win it,” that “if it is to be, it’s up to me” …whatever silly mantra you need to come up with to remind yourself to stay the course and be consistent and persistent with your efforts.

The fourth mistake I run into over and over when working with new real estate investors is they are blown like a plastic bag in the wind with everything they read or are told.  They become consumed with what everyone else is saying instead of doing the research themselves and coming up with their own opinion.  They go to a real estate investment club and listen to everyone whine and complain about “how hard it is right now.”  They jump right on that band wagon and complain that this can’t be done.  I’ve got news for you.  It can be done but you have to do what others are not willing to do so that you can have what others will never have.  It’s really that simple.  What you focus on you will create.  If you are going to dwell on what someone else said and drag it along as your victim story, you are not focusing on the solution.  You are not creating something new. You are stuck, and I promise you are not going to go very far, and you will end up right back up in mistake number three —  giving up!  You must be aware of the people you are surrounding yourself with, the news you are allowing to come into your life, and you must determine that you will only “listen” to what is working.  The great thing about real estate is that when it’s good, it’s really-really good and when it’s bad, it’s even better but you have to know what strategies to employ.  You must become a problem solver. You must know that there is always a solution, and you must be determined to find it. 

A fifth mistake I see people make when building their real estate business is they forget to take a little time to evaluate what has worked in the past, what could be done better and what needs to be done completely different.  Taking a step back to evaluate every so often — maybe monthly, maybe quarterly or maybe even more often — helps you to build on the strengths and define where the weaknesses might be.  This isn’t a time to dwell on the problems and what’s not working, it’s a quick evaluation to see what needs to be tweaked.  When you can identify what is working and what is not, you can play to your strengths and put practices in place to build the weaknesses into strengths.  For example, if you are getting more properties than you know what to do with and you’re getting accepted offers but your cash buyers are not interested, then maybe you need to re-evaluate how you are running your numbers.  Take a little time to question what is working — and do more of that.  Then making sure if something is not working, you find a solution. You are learning equally from your failures as well as your successes, both have great information to share with us on our journey to success.  By evaluating what is not working and finding a solution to make it work, then evaluating what is working and doing more of that, you keep “building” a successful foundation for a thriving business. 

These are the top mindset mistakes I see real estate investors make.  There are other mistakes you will make along the way and that’s ok. As long as you have the right mindset, you will make it through the other slip-ups.  Remember to plan your way to success, make small and attainable goals.  Become friends with your calendar and make it work for you.  Make sure you are aware and conscious about what you are putting your focus on and commit to your success with consistent and persistent effort.  After putting all these success habits in place, stop from time to time to do an evaluation of your efforts and make them better.  Buying a house to flip in the wrong neighborhood is not as detrimental of a mistake as doing the same wrong thing over and over and over again.   You must have a plan for your success, so take some time today to make it happen.  Good luck and happy investing!