Justin B. McClelland

I’ve spent some time tonight revamping my PDF for the Illinois Realtor Residential Sales Contract.  Using Adobe Acrobat, I was able to make some tweaks and make every desirable field fillable electronically.  I can even include a (electronic) signature that I’ve scanned and uploaded to my Adobe account.  Once finished, I should be able to pump out offers quite expeditiously and not have to shuffle tangible papers and initial and sign, after printing out contracts.  I will shortly be on the prowl for MLS deals.  All offers will be purely electronic…Game On!

I redrafted the offer for the lady landlord and also drafted a brief letter explaining myself.  I’m not going to send the offer FedEx after all, the good ole’ USPS snail mail will do just fine (it should only take 1 day anyway).  This is a shot in the dark, so we’ll see what happens.
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Real Estate Adobe Acrobat, Business, PDF

Today wraps up the end of day one of the Yellow Letter campaign.  I received 30 calls in total.  That’s already a 3.75% response rate.  However, there are only two leads (one warm and the other is semi-warm).  This technique is reported to yield a 10 to 15% response rate, so that means I should have another 50 responses or so.  Hopefully, I’ll get some more leads.  I could care less about responses.

Which brings me to my next topic.  I have about 7 voicemail messages that are utterly ridiculous.  These messages were left when my Realtor was occupied with other calls or after 6pm.  And I mean they are pure comedy!  I bet the callers would be infuriated more if they could hear me laughing when listening to their messages.  I’m choosing the top two to share for your listening pleasure.  I worked on my six-pack by listening to these.

“Like I didn’t already know this”

“I’m really tempted on this one…”

The last message really inspires me to make an offer.  He wouldn’t have received a letter if he had a house with a tax assessed value over $150K, in-case you couldn’t smell the sarcasm.

Perhaps I’ll FedEx this guy an offer tomorrow.  The offer would be an option to buy his house in 2 days for $500k.  I’ll include a $100,000 option-consideration check, however there would be an inspection contingency.  He must have heated marble floors throughout, even in the garage!  I would definitely do this if I could hide in the bushes and secretly video tape his reaction when he read the offer.  That would be sooo worth it!  You don’t even know!

I mean seriously…there were many people who called and spoke to my Realtor or left a message pissed-off that I mailed them about buying their house.  If you didn’t care, don’t pick up the phone and waste your breath and my time.  Some people just have way too much free time on their hands and want something to have an opinion about.  Some of these messages remind me of the Family Guy episode with the lonely old widow cut-away.  A few of these ladies got my letter today for sure and called in.

Seriously, these people just don’t know I was making it rain with their letters hours before I sent them. Kick rocks! I’m out.

P.S.
If my CraigsList ad gets flagged one more time, I’m whoopin some ass!

- Justin

Marketing, Real Estate Business, Comedy, Marketing, Real Estate, Realtor, Yellow Letter

It’s almost time to start my accountability posts again.  I said that I wouldn’t do so until I got my direct mail campaign launched.  As soon as I find one, preferably two, good phone receptionists and create a script for them, and create a lead sheet for them to complete, I’ll be good to go.  From the naked eye, it looks like I’m procrastinating on this marketing launch but I’m really not.  One of my freelance checks just came in, so now I have the capital to fund the postage for all 900 pieces of mail and it should also cover some of the labor paychecks.  I just need to make sure that I’m utilizing technology to work most efficiently to my advantage.  I think I’ll check into using Google docs for my assistants.  That way, I think I can share a document so that it is writable among multiple users.  They can enter in leads that way.  Or maybe I’ll just create a simple orphan webpage for them to use that has a form for them to submit the information.  I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do with this yet.  I need to decide immediately!  Time to get going!

Also, I just reminded myself by typing that first paragraph that I need to get some of my other marketing up and going to.  I was holding off on some things due to the fact that I’d need a phone receptionist (I never want anyone to call and reach a machine, there’s a good chance they won’t leave a message).  And I didn’t want to get a phone receptionist until there was a justifiable amount of incoming calls.  The direct mail campaign alone justifys the phone receptionist and the additional advertising responses will be covered.  The other marketing includes; what I’ve included here in this document that was created back on June 17th of this year.  So that I have somewhat of a strategic approach for my advertisement tracking, I will purchase some virtual numbers through Vonage.  I already have a Vonage account that I use for my office business line.  With additional virtual numbers assigned to specific advertisement mediums, I will be able to track who responded to what and what generates a better response rate and etcetera.

Today, I just mailed out 6 letters to properties located outside of SW Champaign that I found when “biking for dollars“.  One of the properties that I found (the one that looked abandoned) is tax delinquent.  I found this out after running a search on it at the County Assessor website.  When I was at the property, I spoke to the neighbor’s about it.  They said that the guy hasn’t lived there for at least two years and they don’t know where he’s gone.  The bad thing is that the mailing address for the property is the same as the physical address.  So unless his mail is forwarded somewhere, the piece of mail I sent isn’t going to get to him.  I’ll wait a week or two and then get a Skip-Trace on the guy.  By the way, is there anyone reading this that knows of a good Skip-Trace software?  I know I can hire someone to Skip-Trace, but I’d rather do this myself if I can find a comprehensive and affordable software to work with.  Also, while I’m thinking about it who knows of where Divorce data is stored per county?  I’m looking for names and dates of divorce cases, I know this has got to be public somewhere on the web, suggestions?

And speaking of tax delinquency, the Champaign tax sale is coming up at the end of October.  I failed to do so last year, but this year I’m going to go and round up some property buyers.  I did some research today at the County Clerks office on the tax lien sales of 2008.  I looked in this big-ass book called the “judgement book”, it was basically a ledger that showed the property address, the property owner, the date they did/didn’t pay their real estate taxes, and if they didn’t WHO did.  That lame office closes at 4:30pm every weekday and I got off of work at 4 so I didn’t have much time, but I was able to record a few names of individuals and companies.  I don’t have any contact information on them but I plan to do some digging (you’d be surprised what I can find about any one person on the internet, maybe I should become a Skip-Tracer).  I bet some of them will be good wholesale buyer candidates.

Also, I’m currently doing some research regarding municipal code violators.  Specific municipal codes that are violated would indicate to me that the property owner may be in distress.  Like say, if a fallen tree laid unattended for too long (maybe can’t afford removal and perhaps the mortgage too…pre-foreclosure), or if a property’s grass and shrubs are overgrown (maybe the property is vacant…absentee landlord, probate, etc.).

Got some other stuff going on, but I need to get back to work so I’ll report more later.

- Justin

Marketing, Real Estate Advertising, Business, Google Docs, Mail, Real Estate, skiptrace, Tax, Vonage

I met with the broker today to discuss the possibilities about his new website.  The meeting went fairly well overall.  However, it seemed to lack focus, we were all over the place with our meeting topics.  I like structure and agenda, I’m organized like that.  So when we were discussing things at random, I felt like we were wasting effort that would be better spent focused.  But despite that fact, I think we were able to gain an understanding of each other.  He basically wants a website that has all of the bells and whistles a site that the largest Champaign Property Management company should have.  And I think I was able to successfully convey that I could provide that for him.  I didn’t sleep last-night as the hours were spent drafting a plan for his new website complete with new ideas, comparisons of the competition, etc. Now, I just need to submit a formal bid to get the gig.  I need that gig for mo’ marketing money!

I’m starting to doubt my original plan concerning diversification.  Because I don’t think any of my non-related real estate ventures have even close to the ROI that real estate wholesaling does.  I may be focusing too much of my time in other areas.  However, I need marketing money so that I can focus on real estate.  Kind of a catch-22 I guess.

After the meeting I slept from 10am to 3pm (some of the best sleep I ever had), I had a meeting with my assistant at 3:30pm at the library to pick-up my yellow letters.  On a side-note, what’s with assistants and tardiness!?  We clearly discussed in an email last night that we were to meet at 3:30pm today, apparently somehow she interpreted that as 4:00pm.  But even if she did, she was late for that too as she showed at about 4:15pm!  Stee-rike ONE!

Image via Wikipedia

Hopefully, it was just a mixup on her part.  But if it happens again…”on to the next one”.

I got the letters now, there all stuffed and hand-addressed and ready to go.  All I need to do is buy the stamps for them and send them off.  And wait for the flood of calls.  In a box of 900 letters, surely there is at least 10k floating around in there somewhere.

- Justin

Marketing, Real Estate, Web Development Business, Marketing, Real Estate, Services, website

I received some news today that upset me a bit and to be quite honest, it kinda effed up my whole day.  Basically, without going into too much detail, I performed a service for a client, a service that I don’t typically offer.  I told him this and specifically stated, “you can pay me what you feel is fair”.  I left the ball in his court.  The next time I saw him, he told me to “invoice” him.  Now, I interpreted that as a counter to my original statement that subliminally meant, “just invoice me as I don’t want to overbid on the project”.  So that’s what I did.  Then today, I hear from a mutual acquaintance that the client feels that I price-gouged him.  The mutual acquaintance then gave me a mini-lecture about building relationships and networking, saying that I shouldn’t have charged so much.

Now I’m a humble and nonchalant individual by nature, I get that from my Mother.  However, I do have a “I don’t give a shit” type-A side that I get from my late father.  You see, my father was an entrepreneur as well, he owned multiple businesses.  He was a Pharmacist and owned two pharmacies as well as other real estate in

Saint Louis, Missouri (my hometown).  Many times, I am way too nice and deep-down I know that trait doesn’t mix well with business.  I’ve been trying to pave a new path in that respect, but it’s not working out well.  It seems that the aggressor/shark always is the victor in business.

So, I give that background information, to say…”I officially, am going to change the way I conduct my business”.  I can be a grade-A asshole when I want to be.  Just ask some of my friends.  I just don’t enjoy being “that guy”.  You may never expect that of me by the way I portray myself in my YouTube videos and the way I blog.

So back to the subject at hand.  When I heard this “price-gouge” reaction through the grape-vine, it kind of set me back.  The truth is, I don’t want to hear it, because I gave this guy the chance to pay me whatever he felt.  Then he had the nerve to not tell me, but a mutual acquaintance that I “gouged” him!?  What a puss!  He could have said spoke-up like and effing man when I gave him the invoice!  When I first heard the news, I was ready to give this guy his money back  and just say “fuck it” because I’m a person who prides himself on honesty and integrity.  Bad-blood is just not worth it.  I would never take advantage of anyone, nor do I want to be perceived as someone who would.

I had a good talk with my good friend Kandace and she set me straight.  She is a soon to be attorney and is very good at providing arguments in or against my favor, whatever the situation.  After speaking with her, I just don’t see where I went wrong with this arrangement.  I think, I was just way too informal at the beginning when discussing the costs and that’s were I went wrong.  So I’ll chalk it up to a learning experience. Never again!

I’m posting some pics below, just to show you what I was accustomed growing up.  And you should see that I’m destined for greatness!

The BMW 80-something 528 and a Porsche 911 ‘76 owned by my Dad.

2 German automobiles in front of our 4/2.5/2 house in a nice Saint Louis suburb.

I love this pic of my Dad in front of his 911, I think this was shortly after he bought it brand-new in ‘76. I was born in 1980, by the way.

This is me, I think I’m about 5 years old in this pic.  I can hear my Dad now saying, “stay away from my car boy, I paid big-money for that shit!”  A verbatim quote.  And I don’t exaggerate.  My Dad always kept it real!

My Dad’s friend, my Dad, and I at a Clark Terry Jazz concert.  My Father had much class.

My sisters, Mom, Dad, and I before my college graduation in 2004.  He passed away in 2005.

These pics remind me that life is short, do whatever you like and how you like it.  Eff what other people think/say!  I can’t wait until I can take a pic in front of the classic, Porsche 1976 911, that I inherited, and my 2010 Porsche or whatever sports-car.  When I do that, I’ll post a comparison pic with the same exact-same pose my Dad had and I’ll know that “I’ve arrived”.

- Justin

P.S.

I’ll blog tomorrow in a non-rant like fashion.  I do have alot of things going on to update y’all on.  Peace and hair-grease.

Random, Real Estate Automobile, BMW, Business, Entrepreneur, Kids and Teens, Porsche, St. Louis Missouri, United States

As I mentioned a this morning, I planned to create a quick tutorial on Windows Movie Maker.  Since, I was bored and didn’t have enough time to work on my offers, I threw it together this morning.  It is an extremely quick run-through, but I hope at least one person finds it helpful.  I actually learned something, I actually like the wipe-away transition, I may start using it.

The tutorial was made up of some random footage that I took with my Flip Mino HD.  I didn’t preview the whole clip prior to publishing it, I have to admit I was cracking up after hearing some of my in-car footage.  Anyway, here is the tutorial:

Okay, so I lied.  I realized the video was already 13 minutes long, so I didn’t feel the need to comeback and continue the video.  So I posted the end result to YouTube as well so here it is:

Tutorials Business, Flip Mino, Flip Mino HD, Tutorial, Windows Movie Maker