Racking Up Rentals

You've got big plans, goals and dreams….but are you ready to pursue them?   Humans crave comfort, and comfort comes from perceiving that you're "ready" for whatever you going to undertake next in your life.   But do you need to wait until you're ready?   Is waiting until you're ready actually hindering your progress?   In this episode, Jeff discusses the illusion of readiness, and offers five reas...

"How much does it cost?"   These words roll so naturally out of our mouths when presented with an opportunity to buy something. But is "how much does it cost" really the right first question?   In most cases, no.   Why? Because we don't yet know enough about the thing we are potentially purchasing, to evaluate it if it's really a good VALUE.   In this episode, Jeff discusses the difference between...

A talented and experienced Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneur has the skills and tools to make deals work that most other investors can't. And that's a great thing!   But should a real estate investor say yes and do every deal they can, just because they can find a way to make it work?   No, they shouldn't.   In this episode, Jeff discusses the critical importance of holding two ideas in a health...

Have you ever considered investing in mobile homes as rental properties?   For many of us, it's an interesting and intriguing idea, but one we're not very familiar with.   Mobile homes are an asset class within real estate investing that for many people is loaded with stereotypes, generalizations and even stigma.   In this episode, Jeff interviews mobile home investing expert and author of "How to...

As Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneurs, we have a core thesis about how we do business.   It's our strongest belief and the guiding principle for how we go about building wealth through real estate.   It says, "Designing your entire acquisition and finance strategy around relationship development directly with Sellers creates better outcomes for BOTH them and you."   In this episode, Jeff breaks...

When it comes to working directly with sellers—especially with seller financing or other creative financing—creating the right deal structures can admittedly seem a little complicated.   But ultimately, every deal simply comes down to three simple things:   1) what are you giving me?   2) what am I giving you?   3) what form does the things we are giving each other take?   In this episode, Jeff br...

Most people will tell you that real estate investing is all about the brain—looking at numbers and making purely rational decisions. These same people will tell you that they love any property that makes them money.   That may be one type of "love," but there's another type of love as well:   truly loving the properties you own themselves.   In this episode, Jeff discusses that there is great valu...

Let's face it, real estate is a complex topic.   From numbers to forms and documents, to terminology, there's a lot that has to be discussed between Buyer and Seller.   In the world of sales and marketing, it's often said that "a confused mind always says no."   The same is true for Sellers. You can have the best offer or proposal in the world, but if the Seller feels at all confused by any or all...

As real estate investors growing a portfolio, our perspective on the world is that we BUY properties.   But really, it would be more accurate to say that Sellers SELL properties.   Why?   Because there's no transaction unless the Seller would prefer to trade what they currently have (a property and situation) for something different that they would consider "better."   In this episode, Jeff explai...

You've heard the expression before:   "everything is for sale at the right price!"   But is it that actually true?   No, it's not.   It's close, but not quite accurate—and the distinction is an important one for Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneurs to understand, if they are to get the 'yes' they need from their Sellers.   In this episode, Jeff explains why it's not true that "everything is for sa...

How do you add more units to your existing portfolio, without buying more properties? You master the art of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)!   ADUs are additional units that many cities and towns allow you to add to your existing single family homes.   In this episode, Jeff interviews Derek Sherrell, known as "That ADU Guy." Derek is a passionate advocate for ADUs, and an extremely knowledgeable r...

In a word full of Extroverts who get their energy from meeting with and talking to as many people as possible, where do Introverts fit in?   If you're a fan of the Thoughtful approach to real estate investing, there's a good chance you feel at least a little like an Introvert yourself.   In this episode, Jeff interviews Ashley Harwood of Move Over Extroverts, who specializes in coaching real estat...

Real estate investing starts with actually being able to buy a property, right?   But is that "Acquisition and Finance," or is it more accurately, "Finance and Acquisition"?   Many real estate investors make one big mistake:   they think of their "deal-finding" and "deal-financing" strategies as being two separate and unrelated efforts.   In this episode, Jeff explains that in order to build a sca...

When is the right time to consider transitioning your acquisition and finance strategy to buying properties off-market, directly from Sellers?   A lot of people think that you should only make this transition after you've exhausted all the "low hanging fruit" ways of buying and financing properties.   Others think you should only make this transition after you're more experienced.   In this episod...

Ever feel like you could make more progress in your real estate investing endeavors if you just had more CASH?   Sure, many investors do as well.   But it turns out that in most cases, you probably don't need quite as much cash as you may think you do.   In this episode, Jeff explains why when you feel like you have a cash problem, you usually don't really have a cash problem.   Instead, what you...

When you embark on a new path, learning new skills and attempting to do something you've never done before, that new path is by definition full of uncertainty and challenges.   And while many people address their fears and discomfort by stepping off the path entirely, others continue to move forward bravely and boldly.   In this episode, Jeff interviews Michael Monteith, a coaching client from The...

When you think about appraisals, what comes to mind? Expensive, time-consuming steps that are a necessary evil in the process of getting a loan?   Or do you think of them as helpful tools to make sure you're buying the property for a fair price?   Either way, you probably think of appraisals as REQUIRED.   But what if an appraisal could be an OPTIONAL step in your acquisition process?   When you b...

One of the most contentious topics in the real estate investing community is coaching—do you, or don't you, need a coach? Each side has strong opinions. Those who do not believe in coaching will often say, "everything you need is available in books and podcasts." But is that true? In this episode, Jeff explores this topic, and explains why he believes—without a doubt, based on his experience of bo...

When does "the negotiation" begin, when you're talking directly to a Seller, off-market? While many regular real estate investors would say it begins after the pleasantries are done, we Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneurs think differently. To us, the negotiation begins the second we first have contact with the Seller, and is conducted through a million tiny little "touch points" that the Seller...

Many investors get excited about the idea of Seller Financing because they think it will give them one big benefit: being able to make low—or no—down payments. And while that may be true sometimes, is that really the biggest benefit of Seller Financing? In this episode, Jeff breaks down the many different benefits of Seller Financing and proves that the real benefit of Seller Financing is the fact...

"Financial Independence" is the holy grail for many of us real estate investors….and it should be! But there's another level beyond financial independence that's even better and more valuable: Financial Resilience. In this episode, Jeff explains the difference between Financial Resilience and Financial Independence, and discusses why Financial Resilience is an even more valuable goal to achieve.

For many real estate investors, when they are considering which loans to get, they want to pay those loan off as quickly as possible. But is the goal really to pay off the debt on the property? For some people, it may be; but for many others, that's not the goal at all. In this episode, Jeff explains why the goal may not be to pay a property off, and explains what the real goal is instead: to crea...

"Should I do this deal?" It's one of the most common questions we ask each other in the real estate investing community. Real estate "entrepreneurs" will have a different answer to this question than real estate "investors." In this episode, Jeff explains the difference between "mundane deals," and "entrepreneurial deals," and discusses why as Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneurs, we avoid the mun...

As Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneurs, we see problems as opportunities—chances to apply our entrepreneurship that create equity and cash flow. In this episode, Jeff shares and describes the expression, "Beautifully Mismanaged." Beautifully mismanaged properties are those in which the Seller has left us with a lot of opportunity to create value by fixing the mistakes of their mismanagement. Jeff...

Following up on recent podcast episodes about The Five Currencies (Financial, Effort, Time, Expertise and Relationship), Jeff hosts a live discussion with friend and coaching client Joe Hefley. In this episode, Jeff and Joe have an engaging conversation about the real-life, day-to-day dynamics of growing an "account" full of Relationship Currency.