Expect the Unexpected ...

Being a real estate investor, isn’t without it’s challenges. As I was reminded of last night.

So, it’s 11:30pm, and I get a call from the Police that one of the properties has been broken into, and they need me to come to secure the property and give a statement.

Arrrggghhhh .... there goes the night. So I drive 30 minutes to the property, and find that some people kicked in the french doors and stole the stainless steel refrigerator and stove we had in there. They had also cut the ice maker water line to the refrigerator, and water was all over the floor throughout the house from the water running. What fun.

Well, fortunately, the police had a lead from a neighbor who got the license number of the truck they were using. The police caught them. Well, that was not the end of it. Because now they needed evidence and photos. But the police photographer was busy elsewhere, so we had to wait .... and wait .... and wait some more.

Finally, the police want me to go over to the residence where they think the appliances were to identify them. So I went along, and it was them. Then, they had a truck bring them back over to the property. Well, that was all they did, drop them off - in the driveway. So the officer and myself had to carry them by hand back into the property to secure them. More fun.

Then, we had to wait more for the police photographer to show up, and they had to collect evidence. Finally, about 5am, they showed up. 10 minutes, they were done. I ended up spending the entire evening there and got home about 5:30am. Good thing I don’t work a regular job.

So, did I let this upset me? No! It’s not worth my time. I discovered a long time ago, that it does no good to get upset over unimportant things. The event happened, and getting upset over it isn’t going to change the outcome. So I stayed calm, and focused on the solution. Problem solved.

One thing you can be sure of as a real estate investor, and that is to .... Expect the Unexpected!

Happy Investing!

Todd

It’s 2008! What Will Your Year be Like?

Well here we are, another New Year! It’s 2008, and I’m sure many of you are making your plans and New Year’s Resolutions.

So what kind of year do you have planned?

Did you make the typical resolutions - lose weight, stop smoking, get healthy, make money? The standard vague, open-ended resolutions. Well, let me ask you. Did you just make a statement, or do you have a specific plan behind it?

Did you decide to lose weight, but don’t know how you are going to do it? What exactly will you do to stop smoking? “How” will you get healthy? Make money? Do you have a plan on how you will do that, or just hoping and dreaming?

A wish without a plan behind it, is just a dream. But when you take a dream and put a specific plan behind it, then you have a Goal! So get specific.

What, specifically will you do to achieve your goal?

What steps will you take - daily - to move yourself closer and closer to your goal?

When, will you accomplish this goal?

Who else will be involved, who will help/assist you and support you in achieving it?

Don’t let another resolution go unaccomplished, turn it into a specific goal, and take daily action towards achieving it. When you have a plan, and can monitor your progress, it will help you keep more motivated towards achieving it, and will let you know how you are doing, and when and where you need to make adjustments to keep yourself on track.

Set your goals, and achieve them ... and let nothing stop you!

Here’s wishing you a Happy 2008!

Happy Investing!

Todd