Real Estate Articles

The Passive Income Money Machine | By: Chris McClatchey

THE PASSIVE INCOME MONEY MACHINE

“Landlords grow rich in their sleep without working, risking or economizing.”

-- John Stuart Mill, economist

Twenty years ago, I became a real estate investor.   I had a job, a wife and a baby on the way.  I had a decision to make.  Work for the rest of my life or do something to change it.  I made a commitment then and there that I was going to become a real estate investor.  I was going to take action and I wasn’t going to let anyone or anything stop me.  Twenty years later, I have a life I would never have dreamed of and you can too!!

Did you know that 90% of the worlds millionaires made most of their money in real estate? So you want to live the life of a millionaire, you have to invest in real estate.  But, you have to invest the right way in real estate.  The buy and hold way!!!

In the beginning years of my investing, I did it all.  Rehabs, short-sales, apartments, houses, wholesaling.  Here is what I quickly realized.  The only way I was going to get out of a job, was to hold onto the properties that I was buying.   When I was doing rehabs and wholesales, I realized that this type of investing was really just creating another job.  Once I sold the house, I had to do it all over again to get paid again.  I didn’t want another job. I wanted free time.  You see we all say we want to be millionaires, but the reality of it is we just want the free time that a million dollars can provide. This business is not about money, it’s about time freedom.

Over the years, I began to see what worked and what didn’t.  That’s when I figured out there were really only 4 important action items.  Forget everything else. If you do these 4 things, you will be successful.

  1. Leads - Not just any lead, a focused lead.  That means a lead that is consistent with your investment goals.  A lead that is specifically aligned with your investment strategy.
  2. Analyze - Know your numbers inside and out.  You have to also realize who is in control of your deal. If you are borrowing money from banks, they are in control of your deal.  Do deals creatively and you can take back control
  3. Offers - You have to write offers. You won’t be successful without writing offers. Remember though, words have meaning and can determine whether a seller says yes or no.
  4. Negotiate - Language controls everything.  If there is one area I would suggest new investors study the most, it is the use of language and how that affects negotiations. 

Focus on your dreams.  Focus on the life you want.  Focus and educate yourself on how to make that happen.  Don’t let anything stop you and in a few years, you’ll have everything you ever wanted from this great game called Real Estate.