Home Again!

Today was mighty fine! The first thing that made today a great day was that I found a home for the kitten that my deadbeat tenant abandoned. It's ironic, but finding a home for an abandoned kitten holds a good lesson about finding great deals for houses. How did I find a house for my kitten? I found that kitten a home exactly like I find great real estate deals - personal contacts (lots of them). Beginning Thursday afternoon, I began telling everyone the story of my orphaned cat. I told my wife, who told everyone she knew. I told several tenants that I came into contact with. I told everyone at my local REIA meeting. I told my parents. In each case, I asked them to tell everyone they came in contact with about my homeless kitten. By the end of Thursday, I had probably talked to more than 40 people about my kitten. Who knows how many more people they told. I did the same thing Friday. At about 3:30 on Friday afternoon, my mother called to say that she found someone to take the cat. Almost as if this was destined to happen, my mother called one of her friends who is a pet lover. About an hour before my mother called, this woman's cat had died and she had literally just finished burying it. The woman was distraught about the death of her cat and immediately told my mother that she would take the kitten!!!

This is very similar to the way I find great real estate deals. Hundreds of people know that I buy houses (and I'm telling new people all the time). From that huge network of people, I receive a LOT of calls from people who have a friend that needs to get rid of their property. Contrast that to so many newbies who contact me saying that they can't find properties that will cash flow. When I ask them what they have done to find deals, they usually say something like "I've talked to a realtor". If I had only told one person about my kitten, it would still be homeless! Telling dozens of people who in turn told their friends gave me a huge network of people trying to find that kitten a home!

The other thing that made today a GREAT DAY was Ohio State's vistory over Michigan. GO BUCKS! Will the last one out of Michigan please turn out the lights!