Q: Gerald, I want to be a real estate investor but there are no good deals in my market, I don’t have any investment capital or any experience. Adam, Bergenfield, NJ A: Nobody starts out with any experience when they do anything for the first time, Adam. As the philosopher, Lao-tzu said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” If you want to be a real estate investor you have to start. Whatever you set out to do, wherever you want to go, you have no choice but to start from where you are now regardless of your present circumstances. Here’s a little story to illustrate my point: Ed & Mark are friends from elementary school […]
continue reading Q: Gerald, I’m newbie real estate investor. I know you’ve said that I should work with investor-friendly realtors. What exactly is an investor-friendly realtor? Carlos, Union City, NJ A: Realtors are typically trying to maximize their commission checks while investors are typically trying to buy properties as cheap as possible (these are not the same goals). Consequently, realtors will often look at investors as time-wasters, which is why you should always be upfront about being an investor and never feel bad if a realtor doesn’t want to work with you–just move on to the next Realtor until you find one that is investor-friendly. Good realtors usually have a niche and for some realtors that niche is investors. Investor-friendly realtors are […]
continue reading