ShortSaleWealth.com

After my last blog post, I got an email from a new student of mine.  Since I know that there are a lot of people out there that feel the same way as he does, I thought I would share this with you and make a comment that I think everyone can relate to and learn from… 
His letter reads: 

Dear Shaun

 I have your course.  I am scared to death to delve into it thinking “these” people are in misery.  I can’t guarantee these people >anything< so I feel less than adequate to even approach them and poke at their wounds not being a doctor.  The banks take a looong time to process the paperwork if they would happen to agree to do a SS.   

I know first hand how they feel, as I have been one step from a box under a bridge for a long time.  I am slowly getting a business built up rehabbing. I have done two with a secured HELOC … on my brothers home. What a guy!   

Now, in lieu of the economy and the dreaded fear of this administration leading us into ruin within 2 years, I am trying to learn how to wholesale.  But what if I can’t find an investor buyer?  Then what?  Between the uncertainty of the economy, dealing with people in misery and the fear of getting in over my head and finding myself on the street I am frozen stiff.  It’s always easy for the successful investors to say, ” just do it.”   But when you are one step from defending your turf under some bridge, it’s hard to flow like water.  – Joe

 Dear Joe,

I can totally and completely understand and appreciate how you feel right now.  As a matter of fact, most investors that I know right now feel this way, at least to a certain extent.  As a matter of fact, I can remember when I first got started in real estate.  I remember feeling many of the same things that you feel right now.  If I’m being truly honest with myself and with everyone on this blog, I can also tell you that there are still times when I feel this way about a number of challenges that I’m getting ready to face in life.  The fact is, it’s human nature to be scared of the unknown.  

Want to know how to get over this feeling?  You simply must put your heart in the game for the right reasons.  I can tell just by your e-mail that you’re someone that cares about people.  It comes across in what you just wrote.  You mention that you’re scared to move forward because you are not, in fact, a doctor, and yet you’re here trying to treat their wounds.  While I can agree with you that you’re not a doctor, I can also tell you this; if you truly have gone through my course from start to finish, you already know more than 99% of the other investors out there that are already successful doing short sales.  It doesn’t matter how much more information you feel like you still need to know before you need to take action, one fact remains.  You know enough to take action right now. 

If there’s one thing I’ve learned by being around successful people, it’s that successful people don’t waste time thinking of all the reasons they shouldn’t go after something.  Instead, they think of all of the reasons why they should.  Don’t get me wrong here, successful people also calculate the risks involved and take appropriate measures to make sure that they’re not taking on levels of risk that are unnecessary to complete the job.  At the same time, the most successful people that I know are the ones that aren’t afraid to get out there, make a decision, and take action.  (i.e. JUST DO IT.)   

The fact is, there are many questions that are going to come up over the course of any pursuit that you’re not going to know how to answer.  Do you honestly think that just because I have experience now that I never felt some of the same things that you felt?  Trust me, I remember what it was like to be scared to death, wondering whether or not it would ever find a buyer for a property or was getting ready to purchase.   I remember wondering if I was even going to be able to figure out a title company to use before I had even sent out my first marketing piece.

On one hand, it is human nature to be scared of the unknown.  On the other hand, I believe that it’s all in how you look at it…  you can either be so scared of the unknown that you don’t do anything to pursue it, or you can be so excited about the discovery and adventure of the unknown that you simply can’t wait another minute to make your move. 

Throughout the process, there are going to be many questions that you don’t know how to answer.  That’s part of life.  That can be a really fun part of the process, if you allow it to be.  It can also stop you from taking any action whatsoever and force you to freeze you in your tracks.   The choice is up to you, but I don’t know of any one thing in my whole life that is truly valuable to me that didn’t take some level of courage to acquire. 

One more thing… and ALWAYS remember this.  When I get a call from a homeowner who is in distress, I have to remember a few things.  First and foremost, I’m not the one that got them into the problem they’re in the first place.  They did that to themselves.  I am, however, so committed to doing whatever I can possibly do to helping them out their situation, that regardless of how many deals I’ve done in the past, there is no one more qualified than me to try and help them out of the mess they’re in.  The reason for this is that I actually care about the homeowner.   While I may have the goal of making money on the transaction in the end, my heart really does want to help out the homeowner in any way that I possibly can.  Because of this, I’m willing to go to bat for the homeowner in the best way that I know how.  This doesn’t mean that I’m going to make false promises to them by telling them that I am, without a doubt, going to save their house from foreclosure.  That would be a lie since it’s really not up to me.  It’s up to the bank to make that decision.  It does, however, mean that I’m going to be honest and upfront in my approach, and let the homeowner know that I will do whatever I can within my power to try and help them put this difficult part of their lives behind them.  

I believe that if you get out there and “Just Do It” with that in mind, you cannot fail regardless of the outcome.

Hope this helps,

Shaun