LIFE CHANGES CREATE OPPORTUNITIES!!!
THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON LINKED IN IN 2020 . SOME ADDITIONS HAVE BEEN ADDED TODAY.
I USED TO TELL A STORY ABOUT HOW I MADE $30,000 ON MY FIRST APARTMENT BUILDING. WHEN I LIVED IN WASHINGTON, D.C. I WORKED WITH ADMIRALS, GENERALS, COLONELS, ETC. THEY WERE EVERYWHERE!
ONE DAY A GENERAL ANSWERED MY AD THAT SAID, " IF YOU BELIEVE NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY AS MANY PROPERTIES AS YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH ONES OR HOW; CALL ME I DO; RETAINER REQUIRED! MY ASSISTANT SCREENED HIM AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR US TO MEET. TURNED OUT HE WANTED A SMALL APARTMENT BUILDING, NO MONEY DOWN, SOME WORK OKAY. I TOLD HIM THAT OF COURSE I COULD FIND IT FOR HIM; ACCEPTED HIS RETAINER AND TOLD HIM I WOULD HAVE IT FOR HIM WHEN HE RETURNED FROM EUROPE IN 6 WEEKS. HE GAVE ME A $5000 DEPOSIT AND SIGNED A BLANK CONTRACT AND LEFT. I IMMEDIATELY DELEGATED MY OTHER BUSINESS TO A LICENSED ASSISTANT AND CALLED MY MENTOR. HE AND I HIT THE BRICKS AND WITHIN 2 WEEKS WE HAD A 30 UNIT APARTMENT UNDER CONTRACT THAT MET THE REQUIREMENTS LAID OUT BY MY CLIENT. I WAS SO EXCITED!!! AWAITING THE RETURN OF THE GENERAL. I WORKED THE #'S, GOT REPAIR ESTIMATES AND DID ALL THE THINGS EXPECTED OF ME BY MY BUSY "EMPLOYER". I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT I WORK FOR MY CLIENTS!!! FAST FORWARD 3 WEEKS AND THE GENERAL RETURNS I AM SO EXCITED TO SHOW AND TELL HIM OF OUR SUCCESS--HIS MONEY+MY EXPERTISE==OUR SUCCESS!! AND HE TELLS ME HIS WHOLE LIFE HAS CHANGED!!!
IN TOTAL SHOCK, I AM THINKING; YOU ARE A GENERAL ,THE MOST REGIMENTED PROFESSION IN LIFE, YOU ARE TRAINED FROM AN EARLY AGE TO DO THE SAME THING EVERY DAY, TO BE DISCIPLINED, HOW CAN YOUR LIFE CHANGE??? YOUR WHOLE LIFE CHANGED IN 6 WEEKS? HOW??? I NEVER ASKED HIM...I DON'T KNOW HOW IT CHANGED. I NEVER ASKED! HE TOLD ME I COULD KEEP THE RETAINED $3000 PLUS THE DEPOSIT $5000 AND HE ASSIGNED THE CONTRACT OVER TO ME. I NEVER SAW HIM AGAIN.
HOWEVER, I NOW HAD A 30 UNIT APARTMENT BUILDING ONE THAT NEEDED WORK WHICH I HAD NO CLUE HOW TO DO. HOWEVER, I DID KNOW THAT THERE WAS A HUD PROGRAM THAT WOULD FINANCE THE NEEDED REPAIRS; SO I ADVERTISED TO FIND SOMEONE WHO WOULD DO IT AND FOUND THE EXACT BUYER WHO WAS LOOKING FOR WHAT I HAD AND SOLD IT TO THEM. THEY WERE IN HOG HEAVEN. WHEN I NEGOTIATED THE CONTRACT FOR THE GENERAL TO BUY THE PROPERTY I SET IT UP TO ASSUME THE FIRST ON THE PROPERTY, THE SELLER HELD A SECOND AND WHEN I SOLD IT, I HELD A THIRD FOR $30,000 WHICH WAS PAID OFF WHEN THE APARTMENTS WERE REHABBED AND REFINANCED WITH THE HUD LOAN. EVERYBODY WAS HAPPY!!!!
THIS TYPE OF SITUATION GOES ON IN REAL ESTATE EVERY DAY--THE ONLY THING THAT HAS CHANGED IS THAT I NOW UNDERSTAND HOW PEOPLE'S WHOLE LIVES CAN CHANGE IN 6 WEEKS.
THE REAL LESSON TO BE LEARNED HERE IS THAT WHEN SOMEONE'S LIFE CHANGES IT GENERALLY CREATES OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHERS WHO CAN HELP THEM WITH SOLUTIONS FOR ANY SITUATIONS THEY MAY FIND THEMSELVES IN AS A RESULT OF THOSE CHANGES. PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE KNOWLEDGE AND OR MONEY TO HELP THEM SOLVE ANY PROBLEMS WHICH MAY ARISE DUE TO THOSE PROBLEMS WHICH MAY NOT HAVE EXISTED PRIOR TO THOSE CHANGES.
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