Lex Levinrad Real Estate Investor, Speaker, Author & Mentor

On this podcast episode I talk about raising private money from private lenders. Many beginners that don't have much money want to know the "secret" to raising money. The reality is that there is no secret. The secret is approaching investors in the right way and knowing how to find those investors. You see if you ask people who have money to invest with you, they will invariably say no. The secret that you need to understand is that you need to focus on what THEY NEED. They need security, and they need to know that you are going to pay them their interest payment every month, and they are going to need to know that their investment is safe and that they have collateral. And finally, they are going to need to know that you know what you are doing and that you have some experience. If you can show them those 4 things then you will have no problem raising capital. If you are brand new to real estate and want to learn more about how to wholesale real estate and flip houses then please register for the free whole

On this podcast episode I talk about how to get started investing in real estate with no money. If you don't have much money, but you want to learn how to get started in real estate, then listen to this podcast. I will explain to you why being a real estate property locator or bird dog is the best way to start out, and why you don't need to have any money to start looking for deals for investors. That is how I started out, and that is what I recommend for you as well. Even if you do have money, I still recommend that you start out as a property locator and learn how to wholesale, before you start putting your hard earned cash (and credit) on the line. If you are brand new to real estate and want to learn more about how to wholesale real estate and flip houses then please register for the free wholesaling real estate training at this link below: FREE WHOLESALING TRAINING https://www.lexlevinrad.com/webinar FIXING AND FLIPPING TRAINING If you want to learn how to fix and flip houses I have a fix and flip traini

On this podcast episode I talk about buying deals directly from wholesalers, and how that is an untapped niche that many investors don't utilize. Much of the focus for new and experienced wholesalers focuses on finding deals, getting the houses under contract and then flipping those houses to cash buyers. However, just because you are a wholesaler, doesn't mean you can't be a cash buyer too. The key is to know what a property is worth. If you know the After Repair Value of the property, and you know for a fact that there is a substantial profit that could be made by rehabbing that property, then you can close on the house yourself and fix and flip the property. All you would need to do this is access to capital, a private lender or a credit line. Even if you have zero desire to be a rehabber (like many wholesalers) you will not give away your best deals too cheaply if you know what they are worth and you know what you could sell them for. Knowing the ARV is very important. You can also apply this same strateg

On this podcast episode I talk about getting started in real estate and the three main investing categories of real estate which are wholesaling, fixing and flipping and rentals. When you first start out in real estate, you need to decide if you want to focus on learning how to wholesale, how to fix and flip or how to buy and hold rental properties long term. It is tempting to want to learn all three investing strategies at the same time, but this is a classic beginner's mistake because each strategy requires a different and unique skill set. You will actually advance more quickly as a new investor if you focus on one skill set as a time (for example wholesaling). For most new investors, wholesaling and learning how to locate deals for other investors is the best way to start out because it gives you the most learning and requires the least amount of money. You don't risk any money wholesaling and if you are a beginner this is a very key and important consideration. If you have a good job and decent credit th

On this podcast episode I talk about the types of contracts you should use for wholesaling. One of the most common questions that I get is "what type of contract should I use". The answer is it depends. If you are buying from an entity like a bank or short sale, HUD, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, then you will need to use the Standard Purchase Contract for your state. In Florida it's called the FARBAR Contract. Banks and entities will also not allow you to assign their contracts so you cannot use the words "and or assigns" on a contract if one of these entities is the seller. However if you are buying directly from a motivated seller then you can pretty much use any contract that you want. When buying direct from sellers your contract should be: 1. short 2. assignable 3. have as long of an inspection period that you can get away with - the longer the better. FREE WHOLESALING TRAINING https://www.lexlevinrad.com/webinar FIXING AND FLIPPING TRAINING If you want to learn how to fix and flip houses I have a fix and fl

On this podcast episode I talk about buying houses with no money down. One of the easiest ways that I know to explain "no money down" deals is to give you a real life example of my first no money down house that I purchased. The house that I am talking about on today's podcast was a house that I estimated had an After Repair Value (ARV) of $120,000. The house was offered to me by my mentor (who got it from a wholesaler). The purchase price was $50,000 which included all of the wholesalers fees. The house had a significant amount of water damage from Hurricane Frances and needed around $25,000 in repairs. I purchased this house with a $50,000 loan from my mentor's partners dad. I borrowed the $25,000 for repairs from my friend Darryl's mom. After repairing this house (using my mentor's crew) I rented out the front house for $1,200 and I rented the back unit efficiency for $600 (total $1,800 per month). I went to my mortgage broker Warren to refinance the house. The house appraised for $163,000 and after paying

On this podcast episode I talk about driving for dollars and how driving for dollars has one of the highest Return on Investment (ROI) of any of our marketing methods that we use. I discuss the old school method of using a notepad and pen to jot down the addresses of vacant and boarded up properties and how to use the property appraiser web site to locate the property owner (to mail them a postcard or letter). I compare that to the new technology methods of using smart phone apps like Deal Machine (www.dealmachine.com) and Send Fuse (www.getsendfuse.com) to market with postcards to motivated sellers. If you are not driving for dollars and using these apps then you should be. I also discuss your "investor toolkit" and what tools you should have in the trunk of your car when you are out looking for deals by driving for dollars (including bandit signs). Incorporate driving for dollars and utilize bird dogs by giving them access to your apps to make sure you are maximizing your opportunity to find wholesale deals

On this podcast episode I talk about how to get started as a property locator or bird dog for other real estate investors. I share my story of how I got started as a bird dog working for my mentor Ben, and why being a property locator for another real estate investor is one of the best ways to learn about investing in real estate. Learning how to find and evaluate deals is the most important piece of the real estate business. And it is the one piece that eludes most new real estate investors since they never put the time into learning how to do this. If you can find good wholesale deals then you can wholesale these houses to other investors, you can fix and flip these houses, or you can keep them as rental properties. The most important thing is learning how to find good wholesale deals at wholesale prices. And one of the best ways to learn this is by being a bird dog or property locator for another real estate investor. That way you risk their money and not yours. And you don't need to risk your cash (or you

On this podcast episode I talk about financial freedom and how to structure your life in a way that you can slowly move towards being financially free. Financial freedom means having the time and financial resources to be able to do what you want and whenever you want to do it. That means by definition that you will not achieve financial freedom by working hard at your job. You will achieve financial freedom by learning how to invest in real estate. And one of the easiest ways to do this is by buying rental properties at 80% or less of their fair market value since you are effectively buying these properties with no money down. If you are brand new to real estate and want to learn more about how to wholesale real estate and flip houses then please register for the free wholesaling real estate training at this link below: FREE WHOLESALING TRAINING https://www.lexlevinrad.com/webinar FIXING AND FLIPPING TRAINING If you want to learn how to fix and flip houses I have a fix and flip training webinar at this link:

On this podcast episode I talk about how you don't know what you don't know. If you are new to real estate investing or if you are just starting out, and trying to learn how to wholesale real estate and flip houses then it is important for you to know what you don't know. If you don't, you will tend to jump to conclusions based on your existing knowledge (which is very limited). This will cause you to make the wrong decisions. Making the wrong decisions when it comes to your income and your net worth can be the difference between being broke or having a life of financial freedom. How you deal with money and the financial decisions that you make will have the biggest impact on your net worth and income. Make sure you invest in your education and learn what you don't know so that you can make the right financial decisions. I use some real life examples of two houses that I purchased yesterday. One is a deal that was brought to me by a wholesaler which we had been marketing for around a week which I purchased fo

On this podcast episode I talk about how to build your cash buyers list. If you are wholesaling, you need cash buyers to buy your wholesale deals, and you need to know how to find these cash buyers. That's where learning how to build your cash buyer's list becomes crucial. Topics that I cover on this podcast episode about building your cash buyers list include: Websites Lead Capture Pages Syndicating Your Deals Craigslist Screening Your Buyers Pay Per Click Search Engine Optimization Landlords Finding Cash Buyers Online Finding Cash Buyers Offline Real Estate Investment Clubs If you are brand new to real estate and want to learn more about how to wholesale real estate and flip houses then please register for the free wholesaling real estate training at this link below: FREE WHOLESALING TRAINING https://www.lexlevinrad.com/webinar FIXING AND FLIPPING TRAINING If you want to learn how to fix and flip houses I have a fix and flip training webinar at this link: https://www.lexlevinrad.com/fixandflipwebinar DON'T

On this podcast episode I talk about how to complete a purchase contract. You will need to have a standard purchase and sale agreement in order to be able to purchase houses. If you have sent out postcards, made an appointment with the seller and gone on the appointment then the next step is to agree on a price. If you and the seller have agreed on a price, then your next step is to have them sign a purchase contract and sales contract. You can use any standard purchase and sale agreement for your State. You can Google the search term "Purchase and Sale Agreement" and you can also purchase them online from legal web sites or you could have your attorney prepare one for you. The 14 main variables that are components of this contract are: 1. contract date 2. name of seller 3. name of buyer 4. address of property 5. legal description 6. property ID 7. purchase price 8. deposit 9. balance to close 10. closing date 11. Title company (or attorney) 12. Inspection period 13. date signed 14. signature Some of the abov

On this podcast episode I am talking about motivated sellers and why they sell their house at a discount to market value. Motivated sellers are willing to exchange price for convenience, meaning that they would rather just sell and have the cash in hand now, than wait for a few months to see if they can get a higher price by selling with a realtor. Why would someone be willing to sell their house for less than full market value? There could be many answers. They may not know what full market value is. Their house could be damaged and they may not be able to live in the house. Or they may have inherited the property from their parents and live in another State and may need to get cash fast to pay off bills or other obligations. Or they may be in foreclosure and are about to lose their home and want to save their credit. There could be many reasons why someone is motivated to sell. This is why we call them motivated sellers. Remember this one thing: If you want to wholesale, or fix and flip or buy rentals at a

On this podcast episode I talk about turn key section 8 rental properties. I walk you through a case study of a rental property that we currently have listed on the MLS for sale for $60,000 to show you the numbers and the returns that are possible by investing in turn key section 8 rentals. In this case study the property can be purchased for $60,000 and would only require a down payment of $12,000 to purchase. After closing costs, the initial cash investment would be only $13,000 and the property would be managed and turn key (meaning you as an investor would not need to do anything). The Gross Annual Rental Income on this property is $8,400 and after factoring in mortgage payments property taxes, insurance, repairs, vacancy and property management this property would return $2,252 on the investment of $13,000 which is a 17.3% return. I have all of the numbers and the breakdown at this link: http://www.lexlevinrad.com/section8 If you are brand new to real estate and want to learn more about how to wholesale

On this podcast episode I talk about financial freedom and how real estate can help you achieve financial freedom. I also discuss why financial freedom is so difficult for most people. It starts with how we are raised, when our parents tell us to go to school, get good grades, and get a good job. And we listen to them. Fast forward twenty years, and you may find yourself feeling overworked, underpaid and at a job that you can't stand. Even worse, if you are like most Americans, you can't quit your job because you have bills to pay, credit card debt and almost no savings. You have fixed expenses that won't go away. Does this sound familiar? You need that job in order to pay those bills so you feel stuck. You are in what Robert Kiyosaki calls the "rat race" in his book "Rich Dad Poor Dad" (which you should read). So the first step towards financial freedom is to understand that your focus should be on INCREASING YOUR INCOME, not on decreasing your expenses. Focus your energy (and time) on increasing your income

This is the fourth and final podcast episode in the "Flipping Your First House" Podcast Series. If you have not already done so, please listen to Flipping Your First House Parts 1 through 3 before you listen to this podcast episode. On the previous podcast episode (Flipping Your First House Part 3) I spoke about the types of mail pieces that you can use to mail out which were: 1. White Letters 2. Yellow Letters 3. Postcards On this podcast episode I am talking about mailing lists, types of mailing lists and how to obtain mailing lists. You need to have a list of homeowners in order to be able to implement direct mail. The first part of the direct mail process is to create a list. On this podcast episode I talk about the types of lists that you can get by using sites like: http://www.listsource.com and http://www.listability.com You can create lists of absentee homeowners, probate, tax delinquent, code enforcement violations, evictions foreclosures etc. Some of these lists can be created by registering with th

This is the third podcast episode in the "Flipping Your First House" Series. Please make sure that you listen to the "Flipping Your First House" Parts 1 and 2 podcast episodes BEFORE you listen to this episode (which is part 3). On the previous two podcast episodes I spoke about direct mail and marketing to motivated sellers. I discussed action steps to get started and how to incorporate a direct mail campaign into your real estate marketing. I also spoke about your marketing budget, tracking your performance, call tracking and key performance indicators (KPI's) you should be keeping track of. On this podcast episode I am talking about the types of direct mail that you can mail out to motivated sellers. I break this down into three major categories: 1. White Letters 2. Yellow Letters 3. Postcards I speak about the pros and cons of each method including the mailing costs associated with each method and the results. Direct mail works. Don't let anyone tell you that it doesn't. I can tell you for a fact that the

Flipping Your First House Part Two On this podcast episode I talk about direct mail marketing to motivated sellers. Make sure you listen to the previous podcast (Flipping Your First House - How To Get Started) before you listen to this one, since it follows up on the previous episode. On this podcast I drill down into the details of direct mail results and what the typical results would look like from mailing to a list of 8,000 absentee owners over a period of 8 weeks (mailing 1,000 postcards a week). I broke down the mailing costs and showed a real example of mailing $500 a week for 4 weeks and spending $2,000 before my student got a house that he flipped for a profit of $12,000. I talk about getting out of the trading your time for a paycheck mindset and how the key to generating motivated seller leads is to be marketing. You cannot afford to skip this step - especially if you have a full time job. I also speak about scripts, talking to motivated sellers and knowing what to say. The ultimate goal is to go o

On this podcast episode, I talk about the action steps that you would need to take in order to flip your first house. I start out by introducing wholesaling and talking about assignments of contract compared to double closings and the pros and cons of each method. I also talk about the difference between wholesaling and flipping versus fixing and flipping and the difference between wholesaling and "wholetailing". Finally I talk about the action steps that you would need to take to move closer towards your goal of flipping your first house. I use an example of mailing out postcards to a list of absentee homeowners, and discuss the type of list, postage costs and returns on investment. I also talk about why so many beginners quit because they have a mindset of trading their time for a paycheck. Enjoy the podcast! If you are brand new to real estate and want to learn more about how to wholesale real estate and flip houses then please register for the free wholesaling real estate training at this link below: FREE

On this podcast episode, I talk about investing in section 8 rental properties. Section 8 is a government backed housing program which offers rental assistance for low income families. There are a lot of myths and stigmas associated with investing in section 8 rental properties. A question I am often asked by investors is which properties are eligible for section 8? The answer is that almost ANY property can be a section 8 rental since section 8 is determined by the tenant NOT by the property. As long as the tenant qualifies for housing assistance and they can find a landlord willing to rent to a section 8 tenant then that property can be a section 8 rental. In order to qualify for section 8, tenants have to apply with their local Housing Authority. In most cities there is a backlog of tenants looking for housing and only a limited number of vouchers are released each year (based on need). Tenants have to show that their annual income is below a certain level and this amount is adjusted depending on many fact