Realty411 Magazine Featuring Lori Greymont | Page 22

How to Survive
12 ROUNDS
in Real Estate
P
erhaps the most important ques-
tion that all real estate investors
and coaches should be asking to-
day is not where oil prices might
be in 12 months, or the best city to invest
in, but how to prepare and invest wisely
to thrive, and continue to survive any low
blows the next 12 rounds the real estate
market can bring. Sensei advises to keep
these six important tips in mind:
1. IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT CASH FLOW
This is that time in the market cycle when
everyone starts claiming it is different, and that
common sense gets kicked to the curb providing
there is cash flow coming in. Passive income is
awesome. Cash flow – “Please sir, can I have
some more?” But there is more than just income
to think about. Ask some of Sensei’s investors,
and they’ll clue you into how the value here is
different.
2. DON’T FORGET BENJAMIN GRAHAM
Warren Buffett will never let us forget his
favorite Graham quote: “Investment is most
intelligent when it is most business like.” This
is something Sensei Gilliland takes seriously
too. He believes in structuring well right from
the start and frequently hosts entrepreneurial
workshops for small business owners and real
estate CEOs.
3. YOU CAN DO IT
Believe you can accomplish those goals. If there
is one thing which may be the most destruc-
tive that emerges from the copycat epidemic,
it is close mindedness. Copycats have limited
programming. They’re like Siri in Beta testing.
Unfortunately, this often spills out online in
popular forums with new ‘gurus’ squashing the dreams of others. If you
have really thought through your goals and plans, have invested in edu-
cation, and have laid out a roadmap to scale realistically; don’t let some
newbie guru tell you that you can’t grow to holding six or more proper-
ties very quickly. Look for those that will build you up, not try and tear
you down due to a lack of their own knowledge and experience.
4. NINJA’S KNOW BEST
Real ninja’s are tactical. They were about as opposite from the Vikings
in fighting style as you could get. They used a variety of tools to win,
didn’t rush into the fray wildly, yet they knew when to take action.
Perhaps most importantly they appreciated training. Martial artists don’t
train to just achieve a pretty colored belt and then rush off to try and
win a trophy and title, and leave their training behind. They are dedi-
cated to lifelong learning, and improvement, and are never too proud to
step into a dojo and learn something new from a respected leader. The
same goes for real estate. When you stop learning, you have already
surrendered your trophies and titles, even if you don’t know it yet.
5. ASK QUESTIONS
Before you sign up for a real estate seminar, training course, or invest
with someone, ask questions. Never be shy about asking questions.
What drives them? Is it just money, or is there more? How long have
they been in the industry? How many times have they changed com-
pany names? Interest rates are great now and you want me to take
advantage before they go up. But why lock me into a 10 year balloon
mortgage that will dump me into the market for a refinance when rates
may be at their peak in double digits?
6. IT’S WHO YOU LEARN FROM
Tommy Nelson puts it as, “If smart means you learn quickly, wisdom
means you forget slowly... All kinds of smart people have wrecked their
lives...Wisdom is not that you can learn, but what you learn.”
There is a reason the entire nation’s education system is changing.
You may not think that they have it all right yet, but what the world has
realized is that we need both more practical hands-on training, and ver-
satile problem-solving skills that can be applied to future scenarios as
they happen, and when no text books are laying around. This is where
Black Belt Investors’ training truly stands out. When you attend one of
these Black Belt Investors training sessions, expect to take action.
You’ve got to learn the right investment strategies and tactics that will
get you profitably through tomorrow, not just today. A big part of that
is who you learn from. As in martial arts – lineage is so critical. You’d
never jump into the octagon for a minute with a giant unless you were
pretty confident in your coach’s proven ability to prepare you to win,
right? So why on earth would anyone put the rest of their financial fu-
tures, relationships, and lives in the hands of a coach that hasn’t proven
they can last a single round yet? v