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Be Yourself

published june 29, 2019

Dont listen to what others tell you, Be Yourself. So many times people are almost yelling in your ear to do something that you dont really think is right. Don’t do it. Be yourself.

I listen to a few podcasts. I read a few other blogs like the BiggerPockets podcast, Paula Pant, Mr Money Mustache, and a few others. Most of the information is right on and has the spirit of what I believe in. Sometimes not.

There are times where they mention couch surfing. This is like AirBnB, but you are literally staying on someone’s couch. I have to say, if I was single, maybe, but not now and not anymore.

It is ok to NOT be like everyone else. Ironically, In this whole journey to get to a place of retirement before 60 or 70 years old you are going to have to do things that other people can not or will not do.

I have mentioned to people in the past that I would rather be rich than cool. I have said it to close family members who make fun of the car that I drive. Can you really be cool if you are a 50 year old with no kids at home and you drive a 2016 Honda CR-V?? Probably not, but that is just fine with me. Again, I would rather be rich than cool.

My little 4-cylinder car is probably going to give me about 150,000 miles before I sell it for about $5,000. Along the way it will give me a minimum of 30 miles per gallon. At times it has given me up to 40 miles per gallon while I was on vacation.

Growing up and most of my life I owned 3 or 4 pairs of shoes. I had some tennis shoes(usually white), some brown shoes and some black shoes. Sometimes I might have some running shoes or a pair of work boots extra.

Some family members would tell me that I should not be so cheap and buy some more shoes. Spend some money for a change they would say. Even now I still get shoes for Christmas. What they dont seem to realize is that I have very wide feet. I have bunyons that stick out and I have to buy size 8 extra wide shoes.

It is very hard for me to find the right fitting shoes. When I find some that fit well, I tend to keep them for a long while. Nowadays, I dont wear out shoes like I used to in the old days. Now I have 3 pairs that have never been worn because I constantly use the ones that I like. They were bought for me and I have not even worn them yet. I will probably not purchase another pair of shoes for 3 or 4 years.

I bought some brown Clark’s some years back and I continue to buy the same ones over and over. YES, I am a nerd that likes what I like. And no, I am not the fashion guy that has to change styles every year. Maybe if my feet were more narrow, but no not really, I am just fine NOT being cool.

I realized a long time ago that I am a nerdy guy with glasses. That is who I am. I own it. I have been told to get contacts. The prices have come down and I would look better with contacts. I find it a big hassle to put little pieces of plastic or whatever it is into my eyes everyday.

Not only the hassle of insertion, the cost of the solution and constantly buying the actual contacts. Then you need sunglasses for the Texas sun. Plus I tend to lose little contact cases quite easily. So contacts dont work for me.

I buy glasses that cost a little more that have the scratch resistance, bi-focal lenses and they turn into sunglasses in the sun. They usually cost about $500 but that turns out to be about once every 2 years or so. This costs me WAY less than contacts AND I dont have to jack around putting my eyes in everyday. I just reach over to the nightstand and put them on, not IN my eyes.

Whether you are nerdy, cool, a jock, a fashionista, whatever, be yourself. Be who you were meant to be. Dont let others push you into something that you are not.

I dont mean this just with shoes or clothes or even what kind of real estate that you invest in. Be yourself in everything that you do. Keep your morals and integrity intact also.

There have been many occasions that I could have pushed a seller to sell to me for 10k less. Some people are so ready to get that great deal that they do things that they might not ordinarily do. One thing they might do is not telling the truth or being as fair as they can be.

I remember buying a house from a couple that owed about 12k in taxes. They inherited the house from parents along with the taxes. When they realized the situation, they were ready to sell. Not only were they way behind, but they were about to get the house foreclosed on with the county. The folks had no money of their own to pay the taxes and they had a home of their own to keep up. This was a classic tax sale type of property.

The ARV was about 70k and needed about 15k to 20k in repairs. From the rule of 70% minus repairs I should offer just under 30k. The sellers told me directly that others had offered 13k and 15k because they knew how much they owed in taxes. They were in tears when they told me that.

I could have offered 18k and got the deal. After talking with the people for about 30 minutes I knew that I was going to offer my original offer of 27k. WHY when I could have gotten the deal for almost 10k less?? Because I knew I could make money by buying the property at 27k. Also, it was just the right thing to do.

I ended up wholesaling the property. The buyer rehabbed the property and made some money. I made some money and so did the seller. Everyone came out ok. Some think that you should get the property at the lowest price that you can so that you can make the most money. I have to disagree. I think that you should buy at a price that everyone can come out ok.

There have been people who said, ” You should have made the extra 10k. What a deal that could have been”. I made a fair amount on the deal and that is what is important to me. Dont let others push you into doing what is NOT YOU. I have to be myself. Please do me a favor, when you are negotiating a deal, be fair and most importantly, be yourself.

Please, please, please dont let others pressure you into wearing contacts if you dont want to. Dont let them pressure you into buying a brand new Maserati if you are fine with your older car. Wear the shoes that you want to because they are what you like.

If you know me in person, or even just from reading the posts, you know that I am not a real flashy guy. I like to dress up sometimes, but you will probably never see me in a suit, and rarely, if ever, in a tie.

There is a big difference in doing things that are outside your comfort level or comfort zone and doing things that you do not morally agree with.

Getting out of your comfort zone might mean that you have to work an hour or two after your work day. It might mean you work on a Saturday or even a Sunday. What it might mean is that you have to pick up the phone and do some cold calling to find a deal.

It could also mean that you design a postcard, send it to thousands of people who are behind on their mortgage as well as knock on some doors and even talk with neighbors in a strange neighborhood. That my friends is getting out of your comfort zone.

Sometimes you must do some things that you are not comfortable with (comfort zone) while keeping your morals and values(be fair to others) intact. I have done so so many things that are out of MY comfort zone because I know I have to get out there to get deals done.

I lead a small REIA every month. Public speaking in general is not my cup of tea. If you know me, I love to talk one on one, but to 20 people scares the crap out of me. Even now, it still makes me nervous, but I know that is what I have to do to further my real estate investing career. That is getting out of your comfort zone.

What I tell people is the same everyday. Treat people right. Get out of your comfort zone and most importantly, be yourself.

Good luck and happy investing!!