Markian Sich joins the show today to some specific things you can do to benefit yourself and your legacy as a member of the military. With VA loans, the government has put some things in place that many people may not know about. Markian talks about how he discovered real estate, the formation of his company, and the goals they're trying to achieve for active service military members.

Key Takeaways:

[2:45] Markian is a third generation immigrant from Ukraine. While growing up in Ukraine, he always admired how cool America was, which planted the seeds for his return (so he could figure out why America was the way it was). He joined the Navy, commissioned as a Marine, and went to flight school.

[6:00] He actually found real estate during active duty when he was looking for an additional source of income to support his travel to France to visit his wife. He read Rich Dad, Poor Dad, listened to podcasts, and found real estate at the same time as online business.

[9:13] He wrote Military House Hacking as a manifesto for military guys on how to succeed. This was also to help military members transition successfully as well back into the real world.

[12:55] Markian doesn't remember the exact set of circumstances that led to him being involved in real estate, but he did come across it while looking for something that was going to help him earn some passive income. His first property was a rental property in Georgia, that he bought with his parents. His parents' financial strategy was actually a goal that he wanted to emulate.

[19:00] Markian shares the story of his and his parents hunting for their first property to purchase together. They partnered together — he was the brains, his mom was the people person, and his dad was the money guy. It was quite a doozy!

[23:45] He got one of his first big rentals (a multi-unit apartment complex) through a "support group" of people like him who went to meet-ups and helped each other find properties. He made a video and his parents wrote letters to the property owner explaining why they wanted the property. One of the biggest takeaways from the early deals is the importance of persistence.

[31:45] With this multi-unit apartment property, their cash flow was going to be about $8000-$10,000 per month. It was fully renovated, and the rent on each unit was about $650. All the numbers checked out, and this multi-unit property was going to help them establish their legacy.

[36:20] Markian talks about the financing of the property, and also future plans for this property.

[39:55] Active Duty Passive Income is a website that Markian started while he was going through the trials of his first few properties. It started as writings and videos, and now it's turned into a social network that provides advice and mentorship.

[41:55] The strategy they teach is that while you're in the military, you should be buying, selling, and refinancing homes (smartly!) at every duty station using your VA loan, because it's a 0% down. A VA loan is a Veterans Affair loan that allows you to buy a house that you intend to live in for 0% out of pocket. There are many other benefits of using a VA loan.

[46:33] One of the biggest fears they've encountered is that service members are worried about falling into debt during a market downturn. When you're getting into a property, you have to make sure the numbers make sense. Look both backward and forward to ensure that it will still provide cash flow if the market changes. If you don't sell, you must be looking at cash flow numbers.

If you'd like to become part of the Active Duty Passive Income community, visit their website or Facebook page following the links below.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Meetings

Daily REIA Show

Facebook Page

Brian's Book

Active Duty Passive Income

Facebook Group

Social Network

[email protected]

Military House Hacking Book (text "House Hacking" to 345345

This month's book is Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking. Brian Trippe and Mike Kelley sit down and dissect this powerful book on influence and persuasion.

Book of the month for December is The One Sentence Persuasion Course by Blair Warren. This is an e-book and audio book only. There are no hard copies available.

You can get the e-book here: https://www.amazon.com/One-Sentence-Persuasion-Course-Bidding-ebook/dp/B00AAF5GJK

Watch House Heist here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVmhwNoVZk4

Today's guest, Robert Syfert, went from real estate to software. He started off with a turnkey business and became a software business owner as he searched for a way to make his CRM automate his business. This prompted the creation of InvestorPO. On today's episode, Robert shares his story of going from real estate to software, some of the changes he had to make in his business and personal life, as well as the importance of automating certain aspects of the real estate business, specifically follow up.

Key Takeaways:

[1:35] Robert has always wanted to do real estate and found himself perpetually studying but never taken action. After the military, he dabbled in sales and financial/estate planning. His boss actually influenced him to go all in with real estate.

[4:57] He started off by wholesaling, and everything evolved from there. He began to get actively involved in the management of properties, and his business experienced massive growth as they started rehabbing rental houses as well.

[10:15] Most people get into real estate because they want the freedom and the lifestyle. One of the first things you can do to get some stuff off your plate is to delegate. In Robert's company, they built their CRM to replace several VA's that were doing various jobs. You may also look to hire someone to handle some of the administrative duties. They don't necessarily have to be a full-time employee! Hire someone for the time you need.

[15:50] When he first got into real estate, Robert became a bit of a yes man. He realized that he didn't know enough about real estate to do all the things that someone had suggested. When he focused on a few smaller things, he was more successful.

[18:55] With so many things available to distract us, it is important to have a clear-cut plan of what your goal is. This way you can say yes to things that would forward your life goals. You can also turn off and unsubscribe from all the extra stuff we get — clean up those emails and notifications.

[21:20] Robert is currently shutting down his previous business and turning his focus to software. He had hired a mentor to help him fix his business, and his mentor helped him realize that he needed to focus on fixing himself. The exercise his mentor had him do was figure out what a perfect life for him was, and then build his life around going after that.

[24:10] You can get burned out very quickly if you don't have a clear goal/vision for what you want to achieve in your real estate business. Robert decided he didn't want to do wholesaling and turnkey, so he switched his focus only to turnkey, and only managed houses that he fixed.

[25:50] As his business was getting so systematic, that is really what prompted the growth of their CRM. They built their own CRM to automate their business and scale operations by being able to control the back end virtually. This evolved into other people wanting it as well.

[29:05] They started InvestorPO by duplicating their system for a few people, and it grew to them building a new software for everybody on a monthly basis. They built something called WholeKey — they have both wholesaling and turnkey options available. He describes the ups and downs of the early stages of the new system, and how he adjusted to get the numbers to go up.

[33:25] It was a hectic time during the launch of multiple systems, his wife's pregnancy, and losing some of his staff. Everything began to implode, even though the launch of the systems were successful.

[36:48] There are a lot of CRMs on the marketplace, but Robert's stand out because they managed to truly automate follow-ups. They also have a "dynamic multi-interactive funnel." They have automated all of the touch points on a one-off basis to your buyers, sellers, and any other contacts. Automated contacts start as soon as someone fills out an online web form and once they go from a contact to a lead, the type of follow up they receive changes.

[41:15] With InvestorPO, as soon as a web form is filled out, it creates a contact and notifies someone on the team to reach out but also generates a ringless voicemail drop. Someone on your team should still get in contact with them but their automated system buys you a little time without the risk of losing the lead.

[43:17] The absolute key to the real estate business is follow up. If you don't follow up with interested buyers and sellers pretty quickly, you will lose the deal. Many people are starting to focus on creating CRMs that focus on follow up.

[45:05] Robert didn't originally get into real estate to build a software company, but that's where the evolution of his journey took him. While he hasn't stopped doing real estate, he has become a software business owner. Because he knew what he wanted his life to look like, the decision for him was pretty easy to make.

[47:35] With his software business, he has the ability to affect a much greater number of people than he could with his real estate business. He has narrowed his focus in the real estate business but is still involved. His software business is continuing to grow and they're getting ready to release the newest update to their users.

[51:26] To learn more about InvestorPO, visit the link below. Their website offers a demo, as well as a one-on-one to see how it can work for your business.

[54:00] It all comes back to focus. When you focus on what you want your life to look like, and how your business can enhance that, that is when things start to fall into place.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Meetings

Daily REIA Show

Facebook Page

Brian's Book

InvestorPO

The Magic, Rhonda Byrne

Meet Paul and Brittany Provincher from Sarasota, Florida. They are rock star real estate investors and will be the hosts of REI LIVE Sarasota!

Paul has been investing since 2001 and Brittany is an agent in the area. Together they flip, wholesale and buy rentals. In this episode of REIX, the Provinchers talk about the Sarasota real estate market and get us ready for the December 13 launch of REI LIVE.

Join us on Dec. 13 in Sarasota for this incredible time of networking and real estate instruction. Click here to RSVP and for more details: https://www.facebook.com/events/894659124071913/

Meet Andrew Lucas, the leader of REI LIVE Columbia!

Andrew is a 10+ year real estate veteran who rehabs, wholesales, and buys/holds rentals. Andrew is hosting a LIVE real estate networking event in Columbia South Carolina.

For more info and to RSVP, go here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2181373648850362/

Scott Jelinek joins Brian on the podcast for a third time on the show. Scott recently gave a keynote speech on his slow flip process, and today he does a brief follow-up on the podcast with Brian. They discuss some of the regulations that govern the purchase process, some market trends, and how to decide which properties to buy and how to sell them.

Key Takeaways:

[3:10] Scott has previously presented a keynote on slow flips. They buy houses like a car and sell them like a house; they buy on five-year money and sell them on thirty-year money.

[4:40] The average homeowner in America only stays in their house for five to seven years. Scott explains how the buyer takes the burden of ownership, and if they fulfill the terms in the contract they become the owner. If they don't pay, it is an eviction.

[7:20] When it comes to Dodd-Frank, you're allowed to do three deals per year per entity. When you sell to investors or as an investment, there are no regulations. It becomes a commercial transaction.

[9:15] For Scott in his market, he looks for houses with an ARV of around $70K-$100K, and buys for no more than $30K. With this model, you either have to be doing your own marketing to get deals or work with someone who gets you deals.

[10:40] A slow flip is a little different than a retail sale, where someone renovates it and puts it back on the market. Instead, they are distress sales or a regular sale without renovation. Their price estimates come from a few different places — Zillow, tax appraisals — but ultimately the value comes from what someone is willing to pay for it.

[13:25] The attractive thing about a slow flip for the buyer is the payment and the non-qualifying, versus the actual purchase price. When investors buy the properties, they usually rent it out, and Scott's company acts as the bank.

[14:45] The numbers that are viable in Scott's market won't be realistic in all markets across the U.S. Brian talks about some of the properties in his market, and some of the parameters you can apply to the market wherever you are.

[16:55] For areas where the only strategy to make money is to owner-finance, Scott will also wholesale. The properties he keeps as slow flips are ones that don't really have retail value in the market.

[18:40] Keep in mind that if you are selling to owner-occupied, you will be the most heavily regulated in that situation. If you're just getting started, you might want to consider selling to non-owner occupants at first.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Meetings

Daily REIA Show

Facebook Page

Brian's Book

Scott's Keynote at REIA

Scott Jelinek, an accomplished investor from Virginia Beach, Va., comes to Birmingham, Ala., to address the REI LIVE crowd on an investing strategy he calls Slow Flips.

Watch Slow Flip follow up questions with Scott here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdyloPyeOXE

Today's guest joins us from Knoxville, TN. Zach Tetley is relatively new to the real estate investing business but has already figured out some of the keys to success. In today's episode, he shares some of his story of how their business got started and what they learned along the way, as well as some steps you can take as someone first starting out to help you scale, make smarter hires, start making deals, and manage your SEO. This episode is full of actionable steps you can do today!

Key Takeaways:

[2:00] Zach has been wholesaling for a little over a year now, after coming from a background of restaurant management. He decided to move from one career into real estate investing to see what kind of opportunities there were.

[4:27] Zach took a big risk giving up his career to do real estate full time. He prepared by listening to podcasts and finding guidance on YouTube and the internet. Now he's in a place where he has a team in place that is successful.

[9:30] Zach spent the first few weeks of being in this business falling down and getting right back up again. Now he has built a team, but it wasn't always easy. They would pour their capital back into the business, and continued to build the team.

[12:20] Zach talks about some of the mistakes they made at beginning of their business. One of the big ones is that they didn't have their core values defined. The second is that they realized they weren't making enough offers, and this is something they fixed quickly.

[15:15] If you're brand new to the business, and you're being consistent on deals within a market, then you might be ready to hire someone to take over aspects of the job that you don't want to have on your plate.

[17:27] Working in your business and working on your business aren't the same thing. If you want to have a business though, you have to be willing to put in the work. The first steps to take are write down every single process you have in your business, and also expectations. This will help you make smarter hires.

[21:08] Once you start making money, you can start building out your business's SEO. It is important to have a website, with original and unique content that will drive traffic to your website.

[26:00] Start by doing some research on where you feel comfortable getting a website, and what the best businesses are. Get referrals from people who have what you want in their business.

[30:03] Once you start getting out there and talking with sellers, you have to master negotiating. When you're talking with potential sellers, make sure you really listen to what they're saying and calculate your response before you give it. This allows you to ask the right questions and really figure out the seller's motives.

[34:57] In Zach's business, they are looking to expand into the Chattanooga market, and they are getting ready to launch a company to offer their systems and training tools to other people.

[39:32] One of the most important takeaways from this episode is the importance of making deals. You won't be able to make any deals if you're not making offers. There is a lot to focus on when you first get started but make sure you're focusing on bringing in some money first.

Contact Zach at [email protected]

Mentioned in This Episode:

Meetings

Daily REIA Show

Facebook Page

Brian's Book

Nexus Homebuyers

Reibar Marketing

REI Episode 67 with John Martinez

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, by Gino Wickman

Carrot

Wholesaling Inc Episode 209 "Learn Powerful and Effective Negotiating Secrets from a Phenomenal Wholesaler" with Zach Tetley

Brian Trippe is back with a second guest appearance on the Flip Empire Show! Brian has made excellent strides in his career and he all credits it down to networking and being a giver. On today's episode, Brian shares his tips on how to network the right way, how to provide enormous value and ways you can become a better people connector too!

Key Takeaways:

• The vast majority of people don't know how to network and provide real value to others.
• Brian talks about how he created a connection with Tom Krol at his wholesaling summit.
• Brian was able to speak at Tom's summit just because of networking!
• People can read between the lines. They know when someone is just trying to pitch you.
• Brian shares his three keys to successful networking.
• You don't just go to an event for information, you go for the people.
• You've got to be selfless. You have to add value, even if you have nothing!
• Ask the right questions!
• If you're a networker, then you have to be a connector. Connect the dots so you can help other people.
• Alex reflects on how being good at connecting people to other people has actually really helped his business.
• It's cliche, but it's true. Your network is your net worth.
• What if you went out and started a meetup group? What would happen?
• Brian shares an example of how easy it is to network in our digital world.
• How can someone position themselves as an authority if they're shy or don't know anybody?
• By the way, you're going to mess up. Just embrace it.
• The only way you're going to get better is by doing it.
• If you want to do more volume, then you have to start a group or even a podcast.
• Brian would love to give you a free book! Just DM him on Instagram (see below)!
• Brian was fed up that his local REI group was always selling things instead of providing value. So what did he do? He created his own!