Q. I want to hire a live person or answering service to take my phone calls.
A.
Answer your own phone; maybe get an extra cell phone and use that
number on your flyers, ads, etc. People calling on your ads DO NOT want
to talk to anyone except YOU--the person who placed the ad. To the
caller, YOU are the information person. And, after all, don't you want
to take the calls and get your deals rolling?
Q. I am having trouble finding birddogs in my area. What should I do?
A.
Be your own birddog. Look for properties yourself on your way to work,
on your lunch break, on your way home, on the weekends, etc. Check on
your local Internet bulletin boards for FSBO ads, etc. You only need ONE
property to start your first deal. After that, you will have so much
more experience, you may never need a birddog.
Q. What real estate books or courses should I invest in to learn about the real estate business?
A. All of the free advice, information, articles, forms, etc. on this web site will give you a well-rounded education, and you may never have to spend a dime on any further education.
Q. How do I know if I can be successful in this business?
A.
This business takes energy (not three hours per week as stated on the
infomercials). It takes diligence, perseverance, and the ability to
laugh at yourself. You will have disappointments, and your heart will
probably be broken more than once. If you believe you have the ability
to hang in there and be diligent, you will be uplifted over and over by
the many successes you will have.
NOW, for some motherly advice:
Getting into the real estate business is no different than starting any
new job. You have to invest yourself emotionally, mentally, and
sometimes even physically. (Wait until you have to clean out an
abandoned house.) You have to prove to yourself that you can take the
disappointments along with the rewards.
And guess what? You will be SO PROUD of yourself (and so will all of us here on CRE Online)
when you go to your first closing. And as you learn and grow in this
business, you will be posting responses to questions from newbies
because you will no longer be one.