Getting Started

Struggling Investor started out as a blog about me (Scott) but has evolved into a blog that helps others.  There are over 650 posts.  The topics range from wholesaling probate properties, overall mindset, goal setting, lead generating websites and a ton more.  In short, there are a lot of posts covering many topics.  If you are new to my blog it may be hard to know where to start…That is why I wrote this post.

If you want to get into real estate investing or have been struggling to find your way…this is the place for you.  I’ve been that newbie investor who was lost and getting no where quick.  Investing is scary for a number of reasons big and small.  At the end of the day, it’s all about conquering your fears

What Its Like In the Beginning

The hardest part about being a first time real estate investor are all the questions and uncertainty.  Fear is a very real thing in this industry.  That is why seeing where someone came from really helps me validate what they are teaching me.  Below you will find posts about how I overcame some of the early obstacles that are their for everyone.

• Questions I had in the Beginning (First Every Blog Post)
  This is my first every blog post back in July of 2008.  I was scared and had a lot of questions.  I read this post from time to time to help me realize how far I have really come since then.  It’s a great starting point for anyone reading my blog to know that I was just like you at one point.
• My Opinion about Blogging
  Blogging isn’t for everyone but it is one of the key factors in how I got to where I am today.  This post talks about all the advantages there are for starting up your own blog from the beginning.
• How to Get MLS Access Without Your License
  It is not always a good idea to get a Realtor License yourself  when all you need is MLS access.  This posts talks about the ways to get MLS Access without having your license.  It is possible, though you have to work at it.
• How to Pick the Right Real Estate Investor Course
  Where to start? What course to get? Should I even shell out the money for a course? It’s so expensive!  It’s a tough decision that almost every single new investor faces.  This post helps you decide if the course is right for you.
• 18 Ways to Suck at Wholesaling Real Estate
  To truly learn something you need to know about what not to do and the consequences that come with it.  That is why I LOVE hearing about other people’s mistakes.  This post is all about what not to do as a wholesaler.

Finding Motivated Sellers

• 5 Creative Ways to Find Motivated Sellers
  One of the very first questions I had after deciding to wholesale was how to find motivated sellers.  This post goes through 5 great ways to locate property owners who need to sell quickly.
• Real Estate Investing Websites 101
  This is a resource post that will help you get started creating a website. From picking the right domain name, finding a host and what tools to use. I create all my website by following these guidelines.
• How To: Do It Yourself – Yellow Letter Marketing
  One of my blogs most popular posts.  Learn how to automate the process of creating your yellow letters.  You will save a ton of time as well as your sanity.  This is the technique that I have used.
• My Choice for Getting Probate Leads
  The most asked question I get regarding Probate investing is where I get my leads from.  This post walks you through the process I took to find probate leads in New Jersey.  It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.
• The Dark Side of Marketing for Motivated Sellers
  Not everyone is happy to get your we buy houses marketing materiel.  If you send out direct mail long enough you will get some nasty calls and notes sent back to you.  In this post I talk about a few of my angry targets.

Mindset

If you don’t have the right mindset for real estate investing, you will find it almost impossible to sustain your effort over the years.  Some people hit a homerun with their first property.  Other people, like myself, it took 2 years to get their first wholesale deal.  I  need to have a strong mind and be able to notice the small successes.  These posts will help you gain an understanding of what it takes and how you can become a successful real estate investor.

• What Motivation is the Key to Success in Real Estate Investing?
  In order to make a major change in life you must have motivation.  What ever the motivation is it must be strong enough to overcome the struggling in front of you.  This post is about that motivation.
• The Secret to Small Successes
  The building blocks to achieving your goals are small victories.  I have found this to be true over and over again.  By making sure I achieve my day to day goals, I find my big goals are easily accomplished.
• What 3 Things do Most Wealthy People Invest In?
  Julie Broad was kind enough to write this excellent article for my blog. There are plenty of things to spend your time, money and energy on in your life. But if you truly want to grow your wealth and live a fulfilled and prosperous life you should consider investing the majority of your time, money and energy into the three things most successful self made wealthy people invest in.

All About Websites

• Writing Content that Attracts Motivated Seller Leads
  As a person who has difficulty writing, I want to share how I put together my articles.  My technique works for me because I don’t always have the motivation or time to sit down for 4 hours and write a complete article…it’s exhausting!  This is how I write effective articles.
• Investor Carrot Review, Is It Right For Your Wholesaling Business?
  Over the past 2 years I’ve been running two lead generating sites.  One from Investor Carrot and another that I built myself.  This articles reviews what Investor Carrot has to offer as well as compares it to my self created site.
• How to Get a Website on a Shoestring Budget
  I believe it is critical to get a website for your business.  For social proof, to look professional or to drive leads to your email box.  The earlier you setup your website the better.  This is because Google uses the AGE of your website as a ranking criteria.  The older it is the better.

Yellow Letters

• My Yellow Letter Process
  Here is my complete step-by-step process from lead to putting the envelope into the mailbox.  This post will give you a great idea on how long the process should take.  I pretty much have it down pat.
• The Yellow Letter Resource
  Find out everything you ever wanted to know about yellow letters all in one post.  Learn the different methods for doing it, who can do it for you and how best to write them.  I gathered all of this information over the years and put them in one place.
• 5 Tips for Printing Yellow Letters Better
  In the past I’ve struggled through certain aspects of creating my yellow letter marketing campaigns.   In the post I wanted to share with you some tips that helped me produce better yellow letters quicker and with less frustration.
• Battle Royal – Printer Vs Me (who won??)
  I have spent many many hours of my life printing yellow letters.  While the laser printer I have is good, there have been some times when I wanted to chuck the thing out a window.  This is a fun post about one of those times.

Probate Investing

• Simple Way to Get a Better Response from Your Probate Letters
  Probate letters can be tricky to write because you are jumping into a sensitive situation.  This article gives you some tips for getting a better response to those letters.  These tips improved my response rate 5% (which is huge).
• Going Through Ron Mead’s Probate Course (Step by Step)
  This post is a gathering of 13 posts that I put together that chronicled my experience with Ron Mead’s Probate course.  Over all it was a game changer for me and really got me off the Analysis by Paralysis train.