29 JAN 2021 · Aaron is a real estate investor, a veteran of the finance industry, and highly skilled in financing for the real estate investor aiding in the analysis and structure of multiple financed properties. He is an expert in Self Employment income/ Credit Analysis and owner-occupied Financing. He has closed nearly 1,000 transactions every year, been in the finance industry for 23 years now. He is presently ranked #14 in an industry of over 300,000 licensed loan originators for transactions closed annually (723 closed units for real estate investors in 2019, 707 in 2018, and 676 in 2017). In addition to a career in real estate finance, Aaron is a Published Author with 4 books released and dozens of magazine articles. KEY POINTS Understanding the deal as the debt, and the debt as the asset in real estate Calculating Real Estate Cash Flow Learning about Compound Interest associated with Finance How inflation impacts investors The purchasing power of $100 in the past 3 decades Determining your Debt-to-Income ratio Tips for getting your next real estate loan The Basics of Real Estate Tax Depreciation LIGHTNING QUESTIONS 1. What was your biggest hurdle getting started in real estate investing, and how did you overcome it? Looking like 17 at the age of 23 and people saw him face to face at a hard time. He overcame it by growing a beard. 2. Do you have a personal habit that contributes to your success? Get up every morning at 4:30 or earlier, and start reading scriptures, and other books that help him to focus his mind and energy towards his goals. 3. Do you have an online resource that you find valuable? http://www.shadowstats.com/ (ShadowStats) 4. What book would you recommend to the listeners and why? https://www.amazon.com/Outwitting-Devil-Secret-Freedom-Success/dp/1469259036 (Outwitting the Devil) book by Napoleon Hill https://www.amazon.com/Stihl-Runnin-QJO-Initiative-Book/dp/1734119489 (The QJO Initiative) book by Aaron Chapman 5. If you were to give advice to your 20-year-old self to get started in real estate investing, what would it be? Enjoy where you are right now. RESOURCES Visithttp://m/gp/product/B00NB86OYE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8andtag=jacob0ee-20andcamp=1789andcreative=9325andlinkCode=as2andcreativeASIN=B00NB86OYEandlinkId=100a9d2905599266aa7088bba0a33d55 ( Audible) for a free trial and free audiobook download! https://www.aaronbchapman.com/ (AaronBChapman.com) https://www.facebook.com/Aaron-Chapman-SecurityNational-Mortgage-Company-263613934478978/?modal=admin_todo_tour (Facebook) https://www.instagram.com/aaronchapmannjo/ (Instagram) https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronbchapman/ (LinkedIn) http://www.shadowstats.com/ (ShadowStats) https://www.amazon.com/Master-Key-System-Charles-Haanel/dp/1604502754 (The Master Key System) book by Charles F. Hannel

18 JAN 2021 · Real estate investor, entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Rastegar Property Company. He specializes in working with high-net-worth individuals and institutional partners to build Areal estate portfolios in fast-growing markets designed to reduce risk and provide strong returns. Also, well-known for his interest in and dedication to a healthy lifestyle and is one of the preeminent thought leaders on biohacking and physiology, as featured in GQ Magazine. In this episode, Ari talks about his journey to real estate, bio-hacking, and health, wealth-building, motivation, and the importance of living a well-balanced life! KEY POINTS Ari’s Journey from Law School to Real Estate Investing Creating the Best Customer Experience in Real Estate The Gift of Failure Tips for Effective Goal Setting The importance of investing in yourself The Three Feet from Gold: The Story about Persistence Bio-hacking and making yourself the best asset LIGHTNING QUESTIONS 1. What was your biggest hurdle getting started in real estate investing, and how did you overcome it? Being scared to death to start with but overcome it by taking massive action. 2. Do you have a personal habit that contributes to your success? Transcendental Meditation 3. Do you have an online resource that you find valuable? https://www.youtube.com/ (Youtube) 4. What book would you recommend to the listeners and why? https://www.amazon.com/Think-Grow-Rich-Landmark-Bestseller/dp/1585424331 (Think and Grow Rich) by Napoleon Hill https://www.amazon.com/Relentless-Unstoppable-Tim-S-Grover/dp/1476714207 (Relentless) book by Tim S. Grover https://www.amazon.com/Three-Feet-Gold-Obstacles-Opportunities/dp/1455816132 (Three Feet from Gold) book by Sharon L. Lechter https://www.amazon.com/Defy-Aging-Make-rest-your/dp/1945507888 (Defy Aging) book by Jacob Rosenstein 5. If you were to give advice to your 20-year-old self to get started in real estate investing, what would it be? Study some business stuff like take Accounting classes, and some basic business courses. RESOURCES Visithttp://m/gp/product/B00NB86OYE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8andtag=jacob0ee-20andcamp=1789andcreative=9325andlinkCode=as2andcreativeASIN=B00NB86OYEandlinkId=100a9d2905599266aa7088bba0a33d55 ( Audible) for a free trial and free audiobook download! https://rastegarproperty.com/ (Rastegar Property) https://www.instagram.com/rastegar/?hl=en (Instagram) @rastegar https://www.instagram.com/kelliekels/?hl=en (Instagram) https://www.amazon.com/Think-Grow-Rich-Landmark-Bestseller/dp/1585424331 (Think and Grow Rich) by Napoleon Hill https://www.amazon.com/Relentless-Unstoppable-Tim-S-Grover/dp/1476714207 (Relentless) book by Tim S. Grover https://www.amazon.com/Three-Feet-Gold-Obstacles-Opportunities/dp/1455816132 (Three Feet from Gold) book by Sharon L. Lechter https://www.amazon.com/Defy-Aging-Make-rest-your/dp/1945507888 (Defy Aging) book by Jacob Rosenstein

4 JAN 2021 · Raj is an expert real estate investor, apartment syndicator, achiever, financial independence retiree, engineer, and founder of Big League Capital, a company that educates and shares private investment opportunities with other people and helps them to invest in real estate in a passive manner. He came to the United States in 2000 seeking freedom and independence. He was working in the corporate world for 20 years but only achieved financial independence through multifamily real estate. As an early retiree, Raj is now living on his own terms. Today, Raj talks about his approach and philosophy on money and abundance mindset. KEY POINTS How to know if you’re financially independent Creating intergenerational wealth How to be a well-informed investor How to retire early with real estate The importance of an abundance mindset for investors The key to managing and owning multiple properties Cap Rate Calculation: Stock Market versus Real Estate The balance of living in the present and for the future Tips for new investors LIGHTNING QUESTIONS 1. What was your biggest hurdle getting started in real estate investing, and how did you overcome it? Education but Raj read books, blogs, and listened to podcasts, 2. Do you have a personal habit that contributes to your success? Rise early, plan the day, meditation, and pray. 3. Do you have an online resource that you find valuable? https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/RajneeshJ1 (Bigger Pockets) https://www.youtube.com/ (YouTube) 4. What book would you recommend to the listeners and why? https://www.amazon.com/Rich-Dad-Poor-Teach-Middle/dp/1612680194 (The Rich Dad Poor Dad) book by Robert T. Kiyosaki https://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Next-Door-Surprising-Americas/dp/1589795474 (Millionaire Next Door) book by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko 5. If you were to give advice to your 20-year-old self to get started in real estate investing, what would it be? Start and educate yourself sooner, be bolder, and jump straight into real estate. RESOURCES Visithttp://m/gp/product/B00NB86OYE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8andtag=jacob0ee-20andcamp=1789andcreative=9325andlinkCode=as2andcreativeASIN=B00NB86OYEandlinkId=100a9d2905599266aa7088bba0a33d55 ( )http://m/gp/product/B00NB86OYE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8andtag=jacob0ee-20andcamp=1789andcreative=9325andlinkCode=as2andcreativeASIN=B00NB86OYEandlinkId=100a9d2905599266aa7088bba0a33d55 (Audible) for a free trial and free audiobook download! https://finance.yahoo.com/ (Yahoo Finance) http://bigleague-capital.com/ (Big League Capital)

14 DEC 2020 · Mike Simmons, is a serial entrepreneur, CEO, business coach, speaker, author, host of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast, owner of a successful real estate investing company, and partner in one of the largest real estate mentorship companies. He personally works with hundreds of entrepreneurs to help them optimize and grow their businesses. He has shared the stage with Gary Vaynerchuk, Ryan Serhant, Jocko Willink, Russell Brunsson, Walter Bond, Andy Frisella, and Tom Ferry among others. KEY POINTS How to make your own money work for you How to safely invest money for retirement Mike’s secret sauce to success How to tell whether it’s time to shift your career or retire The catalysts for a change in life How to hire effectively and scale your team Competition Perspective: How to win things Tips for becoming a better leader The Learn-Do Ratio LIGHTNING QUESTIONS 1. What was your biggest hurdle getting started in real estate investing, and how did you overcome it? Fear that he feels sick and disgusted but made him motivated. 2. Do you have a personal habit that contributes to your success? Compare-analyzing 3. Do you have an online resource that you find valuable? https://www.youtube.com/ (YouTube) 4. What book would you recommend to the listeners and why? https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs-ebook/dp/B0739PYQSS/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?ie=UTF8andref_=cm_cr_lh_d_bdcrb_top (Extreme Ownership) by Jocko Willink https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837 (Traction) by Gino Wickman 5. If you were to give advice to your 20-year-old self to get started in real estate investing, what would it be? Figure out where you want to go, make a plan, and execute it. RESOURCES Visithttp://m/gp/product/B00NB86OYE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8andtag=jacob0ee-20andcamp=1789andcreative=9325andlinkCode=as2andcreativeASIN=B00NB86OYEandlinkId=100a9d2905599266aa7088bba0a33d55 ( Audible) for a free trial and free audiobook download! https://mikesimmons.com/juststartrealestate/ (Just Start Real Estate Podcast) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1734832703/ref=sr_1_25?dchild=1andkeywords=level+jumpingandqid=1591040844ands=booksandsr=1-25 (Level Jumping) book by Mike Simmons Text: JUST START send to 55444

11 DEC 2020 · Here we are in December of 2020 – one of my favorite times of the year. Many people are winding down, getting ready to enjoy the holidays, spend time with family and recharge for the upcoming new year. This is a great time to start planning and preparing for the next year ahead. 2020 has been a unique year and one we’ll remember for years to come. A global pandemic impacted in some way nearly every single person’s life on our planet. This has been a devastating event, and our thoughts and prayers are with those who have felt the brunt of the impacts this has left. You’ve probably heard people talk about what a bad year 2020 has been, hear news media tell you what disasters have characterized this year, and you may find yourself starting to think along those lines. However, like anything else, you can find silver linings wherever you look. Think back over the past 12 months of your life and I’m sure you’ll find some things that you’re happy about. Take 30 seconds here to reflect on the positives in your life, big or small. Perhaps you’re financially stable, still have a great job, have a healthy family, got to spend more time at home, picked up a new good habit, started a new project, bought another investment property, helped someone in need, kept food on the table. I challenge you to think of 3 things you’re happy about right now. See, there are things we can all be thankful for. Let’s carry that momentum now and look at 3 steps we can take to prepare for the new year. Reflect. Think back over this past year and reflect. If you had any goals identified for 2020, look at how you tracked towards those goals. Likely, your goals changed over the course of the year. Identify things that went well for you and things that didn’t work so well. It’s important to take these lessons forward with you into next year. Practice gratitude. Celebrate your accomplishments and aim to learn from your failures. Visualize. Ask yourself what you want your life to be like in 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years. By visualizing your life, you create your own reality. Get clear with yourself about your priorities. Identify a few areas of your life you want to improve. The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan is a great book that will help you identify your most important priority. Once you have a clear vision of where you want to go, you can start to map out goals to get you there. Set Goals. Maybe your goals took a backseat this year. Or maybe you crushed your goals and have some great momentum headed into the new year. Either way now is the time to start thinking about your next set of goals. I say your next set because I’ve found the best time period for setting goals is 90 days (or 3 months). This goal setting strategy was first introduced to me with Bryan Moran’s 12 Week Year, and I use Brandon Turner’s 90 Day Intention Journal to implement it. Going back to your vision for your life in 10 years and working backward to 5 year and 1 year visions, you can break down those large goals into smaller goals. There’s a Chinese Proverb that says, “A journey of a thousand miles must start with a single step”. Start thinking now about your goals for the next year, and break those down into 4 sets of 90 day goals. You’ll be able to take consistent and daily action towards your bigger goals. In the One Thing book, Gary and Jay teach you to ask yourself “What’s the One Thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”. This is a great exercise when you’re looking at your big picture goals and when you’re looking at your daily action steps. “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” - Benjamin FranklinThose are 3 things you can do now to prepare for the new year. Your life is more important than some arbitrary man-made date, so don’t wait until January 1st to start becoming the best version of yourself you can be. Create your own reality. Be intentional with your actions. Line up your dominos and start...

30 NOV 2020 · Life is full of choices. You have the ability to live your life how you want for the most part. Work a 9-5, be an entrepreneur, travel the world, buy a home, raise a family, adopt a child, marry a spouse, etc. There are so many different ways you can live your life, and it’s completely up to you to decide. When you ask someone what they want in life, you’ll get typical answers like health, happiness, prosperity, wealth, etc. Those all make sense. Who wouldn’t want those things? But then comes this dichotomy. People want freedom. They also want security. In today’s episode we’ll aim to dissect each of those two terms – freedom and security – and then compare and contrast them. Security. This seems like a reasonable desire, right? It’s natural to want to protect yourself and your family from threats. After all, that’s how our ancestors survived generation after generation, and lead us to where we are today. Often when people talk about security they’re referring to financial security just as much as physical security. Financial security could be the ability to retire when you want. It could be job security, meaning you have a stable and steady job to rely on. It could simply mean knowing what to expect in your life tomorrow, next week, and next year. Then we have Freedom. Freedom is another thing that people want. It is one of the principles the United States is founded on. We likely take many of the freedoms we do have for granted. We have the freedom to choose our careers, who we marry, where we live, how we earn money, where we travel, speak freely, discuss ideas, and so much more. People have so much freedom that they don’t even know what to do with it. I have a good friend who travels the world with nothing more than a backpack. He’s been abroad for two years now traveling all around the world and picking his next stop based on what type of food he’s in the mood for. I’m not kidding. He has what most would call a high level of freedom. Freedom and security are a bit of a dichotomy. On one hand, freedom allows you the flexibility to do what you want, whereas security will provide assurance and safety every day. Think of freedom and security on a sliding scale, with freedom on one end and security on the other. Now take that slide and push it all the way to the security side. There are all different types of ways to relate this, but let’s look at a few examples. If we were talking about government, then the security side of the scale might look a lot like communism, whereas the freedom side of the scale might look like total anarchy. I’m not attempting to be political here, but rather show that if you have only one side of the scale then the results look much different from the other side. Or another example is your lifestyle. Slide the scale all the way to the security side and you might find yourself in a maximum-security prison. Slide it all the way to the freedom side and you might find yourself without any possessions, job, or money, roaming the world doing whatever you want with absolutely no security. After all, we don’t have any maximum freedom prisons that I know of. But we do have maximum security prisons. Now sure, these are quite dramatic examples but you begin to understand what one without the other looks like. Then comes the question, why are we even talking about freedom vs. security in the first place. Well, you have the ability to live your life as free or as secure as you want. It’s up to you to decide where to take risks for your freedom, and where you want security. Chances are you probably don’t want completely one without the other. Only you know what balance of freedom and security is best for you. Understanding that taking risks in return for some level of freedom will cost you some security is important. So find freedom where you want. Build security where it matters to you. Using these two levers you can begin to engineer the lifestyle you want, which is one of the fundamentals here at the

23 NOV 2020 · Marco Santarelli returns to the show for a second appearance. Marco is a licensed real estate broker in California, an investor, author, serial entrepreneur with multiple businesses, founder and CEO of https://www.noradarealestate.com/ (Norada Real Estate Investments), a nationwide provider of turnkey rental properties that helping people build their real estate portfolio by providing knowledge, tools, and resources to achieve financial freedom and build wealth. He is the creator of https://www.noradarealestate.com/DealGrader (DealGrader)™, a scoring system that measures the investment quality of a real estate investment, giving you an overall snapshot of its profitability and investment risk. Likewise, he is hosting the http://www.passiverealestateinvesting.com/ (Passive Real Estate Investing) podcast, the show where busy people learn how to build substantial passive income while creating wealth for the long-term. KEY POINTS The Importance of Staying Market Agnostic How to Pick the Best Market Suburbs versus Urban Core markets Supply, Demand, and Balance in Housing Markets Is it a Good Time to Invest in Real Estate During this Crisis Shadow Demand vs. Shadow Inventory Tips for First-time Investors How to Identify the Ideal Neighborhoods within the Best Markets Your Core Five Team Players Why Marco likes Single-Family Homes RESOURCES Visithttp://m/gp/product/B00NB86OYE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8andtag=jacob0ee-20andcamp=1789andcreative=9325andlinkCode=as2andcreativeASIN=B00NB86OYEandlinkId=100a9d2905599266aa7088bba0a33d55 ( Audible) for a free trial and free audiobook download! https://www.passiverealestateinvesting.com/ (The Passive Real Estate Investing Podcast) with Marco Santarelli https://www.noradarealestate.com/ (Norada Real Estate Investments)

13 NOV 2020 · In our world today we’re seeing a shift in the way people work, commute, live, and much more. With these new trends, we’re seeing people move around the country, less tied to where they once were with many more people working from home than were just 8 months ago. Consequently, this has created new supply and demand imbalances in different markets. Once hot San Francisco has seen an exodus of white-collar tech workers leaving the city for lower cost of living locations. Where people once lived near downtown and large cities, they can now move to more rural locations. These are just a couple examples of shifts we’ve seen over the past 6 months. We talked about some of these trends a couple of weeks ago and then followed that up with how to qualify deals in new markets. Let’s look at some metrics in analyzing markets for real estate investing. By now you’ve heard the saying “the 3 most important factors in real estate are location, location, location”, which I largely agree with. In the world of real estate investing, the location of a property can be described by its market and submarket. A market can be thought of as a city or town, and the submarket as a specific part or neighborhood of that city. https://www.cbre.com/research-and-reports/Global-Real-Estate-Market-Outlook-Midyear-Review-July-2020 (CBRE) publishes several different commercial real estate reports, in those they categorize markets into 3 tiers. Tier 1 San Francisco San Diego Seattle Chicago Miami New York City Tier 2 Dallas / Ft. Worth Houston Denver Atlanta Orlando Philadelphia Tier 3 Oklahoma City Jacksonville Charlotte Cleveland Kansas City Nashville So what makes a market better or worse than another? Sports teams, great parks, no traffic, cool coffee shops? Well, close but not quite. Evaluating markets as a real estate investor, we’re concerned with two main metrics – jobs and population. That’s what it all comes down to. Are there people who live in the market and have a job that allows them to pay rent? That’s what we’re focused on. These two metrics – job growth and population grown – are indicators of a strong market. While we can never predict the future (i.e. – COVID-19), we can look at historical trends and project those into the future. Generally speaking, jobs bring people. After all, you don’t see a booming population in Antarctica. Knowing this, we can sometimes gauge population growth in a market by looking at what jobs are expected to grow or relocate to the market. Oftentimes, employers will announce new locations, headquarters, etc. and we can use this to assess the increased population those jobs will bring to the market. Now digging a bit deeper and understanding that we want people and jobs in a market, we can next look at employment rates. Employment rates are simply a percentage of people employed or unemployed. Our nation’s unemployment rate is generally in the single-digit percentages, although that number spiked to double digits during the initial phase of COVID-19. Now I want to bring something up here. There really is no such thing as one housing market or a national housing market. The same thing applies to these metrics. There isn’t one unemployment metric. Rather these metrics broken down by markets, or states at the very least are what we should be concerned with, more on a micro-scale. Just because the U.S. unemployment rate may be 7%, doesn’t mean that’s what it is in your specific market. It may be lower (great) or high (uh oh). The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports unemployment rates and breaks this data down by markets, or Metropolitan Statistic Areas (MSAs). A good example of an MSA is Dallas/Ft. Worth and principal cities that include Arlington, Plano, Garland, Irving, McKinney, Frisco, and others. DFW MSA makes up a single MSA of nearly 8 million people Getting back to the unemployment rate. This number is manipulated in many ways (after all, the government reports it, so...

6 NOV 2020 · There is a lot of real estate. Like, a whole lot. Practically everything you see is either real estate, or is on or in real estate. If you’re driving down the road, running in a park, or cleaning your garage as you listen to this podcast, chances are you are surrounded by real estate. When you start to see everything as real estate, you then start to look at that real estate from an investment perspective. There are a lot of ways to invest in real estate, as shown with the different guests we have here on the podcast. From buy and hold single-family investing, to house hacking small multifamily, to apartment syndication, there are different niches and investment strategies. Starting out, most people are successful by being as narrow focused as possible, meaning they select one real estate niche and focus solely on it. If you don’t focus on one niche, you’ll find yourself looking at raw land in South Texas, Condo’s in San Diego, and new development multifamily in Virginia. Which brings us to the next point – the market. Just as it’s important to narrow down your niche, it’s also equally, if not more important, to narrow down on a few markets. These two criteria – niche and market – will help you develop an investing strategy. So, by now you’ve committed considerable time and resources in your own education. Now it’s time to start finding deals. Let’s look a how to qualify a deal in three steps. Setting your investment criteria. Now that you have a niche and market, you can begin to develop your investment criteria even further. Let’s take multifamily apartments in Texas and Oklahoma for example. This is our niche and markets. This is still relatively broad, and can be defined more. We need to consider things like: Size of the property Markets and submarkets Property type Property age How you find and buy the deal (direct to owner or through brokers) Returns Once these criteria are defined, we now have a specific set of criteria that we can filter all deals through. If the property doesn’t fit these criteria, then think long and hard about pursuing it. Just because something looks like a deal, doesn’t mean it’s a deal for you. Underwrite the deal. Once you have a deal that fits your investment criteria, it’s time to analyze the numbers further. This process is called underwriting and is an iterative process. You’ll look at the property’s past performance, project it’s future performance, and model out your business plan. During you’re underwriting you’ll be making assumptions and modelling different scenarios. Having some sort of underwriting tool is a must. Most people use excel or google sheets spreadsheets. You can build you own, or find one from someone who has already built one. Either way, an underwriting tool is a must. Due Diligence. Due Diligence is the process of confirming all the details of the deal, from your underwriting assumptions to property inspections and anything specific to the deal you’re qualifying. During due diligence you’ll dive into all the minute details of the deal, making sure once last time that you understand everything there is to know about the deal. You’ll confirm things like: Rent comparisons Sales comparisons Renovation Scopes or Work Property inspections Lease audits Expense details Quotes from vendors and contractors Much more From those early days and all that investment into yourself to the final phases of due diligence on your investment deal, you have gone from 0 to real estate investor! Congrats! Crossing the finish line and closing the deal is a huge milestone. It’s the end of one chapter and the start of the next! Do this repeatedly and consistently and you’ll be well on your way to building wealth and achieving financial freedom. This is a journey, so enjoy the process. It won’t happen overnight, and it will take a lot of work and effort. But remember, if it were easy then everyone would do it and the rewards wouldn’t be quite as nice.

23 OCT 2020 · Our world is rapidly changing. It’s uncommon that we would see megatrends unfold so quickly, like we’re seeing today – social distancing, remote working environments, etc. But something interesting is happening due to this new normal – people are still living their lives, the world is still turning, and we’ve figured out how to adapt to these new trends. Who knows if these will be permanent or how long they’ll last, but one thing I predict is there will be lasting impacts, mostly good I’ll add, that will affect each and every one of us. Some of these trends that macroeconomists and others predict include things like: The rise of telemedicine Remote work environments becoming permanent De-urbanization of large cities More focus on space and social distancing With these trends impacting our entire world, it’s important to have a forward thinking perspective as a real estate investor and make sure we’re keeping up with these trends. Now maybe you once invested primarily in the market you live in. Chances are though, either you or your residents have the opportunity to move to a new location, a new city, or even a new state. This may be a huge disruption to your real estate investing business, or just a minor hurdle you have to overcome. Let’s look at 5 tips for long distance investing.   Systems and Processes – these will help you automate your business and bring some structure to the way you do things. Systems are the things that help you – software, tools, online resources etc. Processes are the things you do, the way do them, and the order in which you do them, often with the help of systems. Here’s an example of a way I use systems and processes in my business. Let’s look at how I screen new residents. The systems that help me most is the online screening and application software called Cozy.co. This software allows me to advertise my available rental units, collect rental applications, and screen prospective residents. That’s the system. The process looks more like creating a profile for each of my rental properties, uploading lease documents, applications, etc., and activating the listing when I have upcoming availability. People – real estate is a people and relationship business. While much of the processes of managing a rental property can be done virtually, you still need to have a solid team of people to help you. Relationships with property managers, contractors, realtors, attorneys, accountants, and others are key. With the right people in place, you can outsource tasks to the people who are best and most efficient at carrying them out. The best part is you don’t have to have these people full-time, on staff sitting in an office. In today’s day and age, you can simply hire these team members on a contract basis, using their services when you need them. Local knowledge – Data is great, but nothing beats local knowledge sometimes. You can research online all the data you want – migration trends, job growth, etc. Sometimes you just can’t beat local knowledge. Every market has its quirks and nuances. Having local knowledge will help you make better decisions. Whether this is knowledge you already have, or knowledge you may have to leverage from local relationships, it’s important to understand the details of the market you’re investing in. Ability to hire property management – you really should be able to outsource possibly the most important role on your team, property management. Without a property manager, you’ll be self-managing and will eventually be the bottleneck in your own process. Whether you self-manage or use third party management now, make sure you have the ability to outsource this role if/when the time comes. Pick the right market for the right reasons – you’ve heard the 3 most important things about real estate are location, location, location. This is because you can change quite a bit about your real estate. You can fix it up, paint it, change it’s use entirely, but you...