FTR, 1-11-11, 5'7 1/2, 125lbs.
I've never felt better.
My goal is to be fit and fab this year.
Here's to a healthy and wealthy 2011!

Cogito ergo sum - I think, therefore I am

For Sale- newly renovated 2Level, 2Br, 2Ba townhouse in Parkview Homes Paranaque (our favorite village) for less than 2M @flexible terms :-)

LF a good priced studio/1Br unit at Asian Mansion/ Prince Plaza 2/ BSA Makati to lease/buy (for personal use) :-) PM me if you have one. Tnx

read Gulliver's Travels (ladybird series) last night. It is nice to go through the books that piqued my interest in reading as a kid.

is missing someone right now...

Weird. SM charges more for credit card (straight cash payment) purchase than CC purchase on 6 mos. installment & cash purchase. Is this ok?

Gift! I'm checking T. Harv Eker's "The Millionaire Mind Intensive" workbook and 7-CD collection. Thanks Thea for retrieving it for me :-)

A blessed Christmas to all :-)

Watch out for the alliance of 2 exceptional real estate investors groups for a 47-unit project on Jan. What an exciting way to start 2011!

Last night, I realized:
1. People aren't always what they seem,
2. How you react in any situation matters &
3. Follow-ups go a long way.

Yey! I'm online again :-)

just checked a hotel-resort for sale with RE friends. 31 rooms, 3 pools. 12M as is where is. 20M renovated. 8% commission for brokers :-)

Half of the work is done by showing up early, prepared and enthusiastic :-)

City hall officials are just doing their jobs. SMILE when dealing w/ them - even if you've been in their ofc 3 times & title is 1wk delayed.

is on an eBay shopping spree, buying books.

Today,
1) we closed a deal (tnx to hubby)
2) finally signed a note w/a non-paying tenant &
3) made a first quarter plan w/JEM sisters :-)

retrieved a property title (clean at last!), met with 2 investors and my mastermind group, never felt more energized after a long day :-)

Year-end activities make me happy - closing long overdue tasks and planning for next year :-)

My laptop died last night. It's time to buy a new one :-)

Some are so keen on wanting to know everything about the business. Don't get too caught up in the details, else, you'll never jump at all.

Revisiting Dolf de Roos
1. You make money when you buy
2. Always buy from a motivated seller
3. Fall in love w/ the deal, not the property

just woke up from a 15-minute power nap.
I feel good :-)

In any business, the #1 factor in losing customers is very simple. It can be summarized as "stated or implicit promises not kept." -DK

“Sometimes the most urgent thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest” -Ashleigh Brilliant;

Forced rest day for me> woke up w/ fever

Locksmith in Makati costs Php750.
Time spent:
< 10 minutes - travel from Washington St. to Rosewood Pointe,
< 30 seconds - unlocking

TIP:
If you're acting as a broker/agent, say it!
Ask for a commission upfront! Don't hem and haw expecting me to know. I'm not a psychic.

is off to lunch with real estate investors :-)

3 Life Lessons I Learned Today:
1. Smile even when you're under pressure
2. Following up produces miracles
3. Give, and you shall receive

is ecstatic with the opportunities pouring in. Thank You! :-)

I just enrolled in Engr. Cruz' Real Estate Broker's Exam Review class at AIM to start on January 8. Who will be my classmates? :-)

Hardly anybody gets to any goal via a straight line, but gets there instead by moving, bumping up against something, moving a diff way, zigzagging, but moving, moving, moving.

Everybody has ideas. Everybody has latent talents. Everybody has ability. Few act on them.

I had a light-bulb moment today (ting!) and I zoned out during a discussion with my mentor (yes, he noticed). I'm excited! :-)

List of authors that has greatly influenced me >> http://ping.fm/1oFMK

People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals - that is, goals that do not inspire them. - Anthony Robbins

On EXCUSES - Keep a notebook & write down all the excuses you make. Awareness automatically improves performance.

It is your willingness to take on responsibility that brings you wealth.

is off to the Think Rich Pinoy Seminar at UN Avenue Manila :-)

Are you happy?
Is you life going the way you expected?
The way you dreamed?
- Life's Golden Ticket

will be at Bo's financial coaching seminar today :-)

ran into the rehabber who bought the same house we were eyeing on. The competition just turned into a healthy partnership.

I spoke to my RE students last night & I end up learning more.
And I agree w/ Aristotle "Teaching is the highest form of understanding."

played Cashflow 101 with friends. I'm inspired. My action plan>> Meet with accountant to update my income statement and balance sheet.

It is lola's birthday today :-) >> happy lunch with family :-)

TTD: meeting with real estate joint venture partners, attend property auction, sign with investor

I will be facilitating the Cashflow 101 game at the Think Rich Pinoy Seminar on December 4. See you there! http://ping.fm/ikEnS

for brokers to be >> Comprehensive Real Estate Brokers Exam Review for REBAP MVRB starts on Nov 26; REBAP Makati starts on Jan 8. :-)

TTD: check 3 properties, lunch w friends, meet 2 investors :-)

I recorded snippets of my day >> to be compiled and made into a video entitled "A day in the life of a real estate investor"

5 domains I want to master > Author, Speaker, Coach, Seminar Leader, Online Marketer

is looking for a poi dancing partner. Anyone interested? :-)

The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going. – RWE

Home-made pizza anyone? ;-)

is at Eireen's Paypal/Ebay class :-)

House cleaning is in progress. Tenants will view unit tonight & tomorrow :-)

Money Sense July 2010 issue Q&A with Eden

1. When and how did you get started in real estate investing? And what attracted you to this field?

It was February of 2008 when I first attended Larry Gamboa’s Think Rich Pinoy Seminar. Before then, I had been looking for local books on real estate investing after reading Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad.

At that time, I was still employed as a process engineer in a semiconductor company. Even though the pay was good, there was something lacking that I couldn’t find within the confines of my cubicle.

I got into the stock market and got burned in the mid-2007 market crash and hadn’t recovered. My boyfriend then (now my husband) and I partnered in a dimsum food stall in the place of his employment that later on included a waffle cart. It lasted for just 6 months and we realized that food business is not our forte.

Then we bought our first real estate investment--a condominium unit in Taguig. To save on the acquisition cost, I applied as an agent. But I didn’t realize until 6 months later that I just taken my first step into my real estate investing career.

It was the possibility of doing something a lot different from what I was doing then that attracted me to go into real estate investing. I fell in love with the thought of managing my own time and was inspired by the success stories I had read in books.

I went as far as to discontinue my master’s degree in electronics engineering in favor of pursuing the path of entrepreneurship. I didn’t have any sales background, except for the sales training I got by being an agent - I even considered selling as taboo, but later on realized that it was one of my core gifts that fits perfectly in this field.



2. What would you consider your first big win or deal?

I consider my purchase of a Quezon City townhouse my first win. I bought it from a bank at 50% off market value through an auction and paid a downpayment of 20%, which was paid by an investor. I then sold it at 70% market value on a flexible term scheme (rent-to-own) after 7 weeks of acquisition, and with that I repaid the investor. Even if I didn’t get a huge amount upfront from that deal, I converted what I read in theory by actually doing it.



3. Who do you consider your mentors and what’s the most important thing you learned from them?

I have 5 mentors.

Larry Gamboa was a phone call away on every deal, especially on my very first deal. He pointed out the importance of finding one’s core values and stressed on working within them. Our weekly meetings taught me the value of commitment and focus.

Trace Trajano provided weekly coaching sessions that focused on the proper mindset and working on the business and not in the business.

Bo Sanchez broadened my comfort zone by instilling that the purpose of acquiring wealth is for you to be a blessing to others.

Nelson Terrible and Randy Manaloto gave me a vision on what I can do and what I can become if I continue what I am doing now.



4. Which books, websites, and other resources do you recommend for beginning investors?

Visit my blog renttoownproperties.blogspot.com to get an idea how I market my properties. You can also read through askeden.blogspot.com, tracetrajano.com and thinkrichpinoy.com for real life experiences and practical answers to specific real estate questions. Also check foreclosurephilippines.com for a list of bank acquired properties for auction.



5. How much can one expect to earn in real estate?

It ranges from nothing to a few million pesos depending on which path you take.



6. What are three different ways one can earn money in real estate?

The most traditional way is by being a broker or an agent which is how I started and learned the basics on real estate transactions. Income is usually by percentage of the selling price.
Wholesaling a property requires taking control of a property and selling your rights to the property to another investor or an end-user. You dictate how much income you receive. It is paramount that the acquisition price be very low so that you are also able to sell low which is a factor on how much income you can command.
Retailing is like wholesaling, the only difference is that you get to renovate the property and you have different target end-users. You dictate both how much income you receive and how you will receive it – through cash, or in trickles in the form of a monthly passive income.



7. Per your experience, which of these strategies or investment models gives the highest chances of succeeding? Gives the best returns?

The easiest way and will give the highest success rate is by being a broker/agent. Retailing gives the best returns.



8. What are the risks involved in investing in real estate investing?
And what can one do to mitigate those risks?

Getting bad deals and “tenants from hell” (as Larry Gamboa stated in his book Think Rich Pinoy) top the risks involved in real estate investing. Doing your due diligence and getting a good lawyer to keep you protected through the contracts is the best way to mitigate these risks.



9. What would you consider your worst investment mistake? What lesson
have you learned from that experience?

In one of my first real estate deals, I entered into a partnership without having a contract and was left out during income distribution. I charged it to experience. And from then onwards, everything must be in writing.



10. For the beginning investor, what advice can you give to get started?

I get a few questions like, “We are looking at the same lists in banks and newspapers, how do you spot good deals?” I’d always say, start by familiarizing yourself with the prices of properties for sale or sold in your own area or the area you want to focus on. Walk around the neighborhood and ask around, network with brokers and look at online
sites where these properties are posted. Naturally, the opportunity will present itself in the form undervalued properties for sale or of neighbors seeking your help in selling their property.

I describe myself as a perennial student because I continually enroll in classes for self improvement. Invest on yourself by attending courses or seminars specific or supplementary to real estate investing.

Seek mentors. Accelerate your learning curve by asking questions or partnering with someone who have done what you want to do.

Lastly, be persistent. Do not stop at the first sight of failure. At 24, I overcame barriers and accomplished a feat that I hadn’t even dreamed of myself--all because of my persistence, and I’m sure you can too.