Santorini Greece is stunning. The air is warm (but not scorching hot – it's cooled by winds off of the Aegean Sea) and the water is a perfect shade of blue and all the houses are blindingly white. It's an ancient place with a history dating back nearly 5,000 years!
It was one of my favorite places to visit during my last 5 year world tour. While I was there, Deena and I explored the city, we took a cruise around the islands, and enjoyed the sights and sounds... all the while I ran my real estate investing business in the US.
I wasn't on the phone. I didn't spend a fortune in faxed contracts. I made money with minimal effort while I wondered the ancient streets of Santorini. Want to know how I did it? Keep reading and I'll tell you...
Here's Deena and The DM in Santorini
A quick lesson in economics (don't skip this! It's important)
When you go to the store to buy something (I'm talking about anything, whether fast food or a new car), what happens when you make that "deal" with the salesperson?
You hand over the money you've worked hard to get and, in exchange they give you whatever it is you want to buy. You trade your money for an item of value.
That's basic stuff: People who have money tend to only trade it for things that they value. If they don’t see a value in something, they don't buy it.
Why I can do deals from Santorini Greece (or anywhere else)
Now, here is why it's important to you... AND why I can make deals from the ancient streets of Santorini Greece (or anywhere else).
Most "newbie" real estate investors approach investing with the idea that they have to fight scour the earth for potential buyers... and once they've found them, they have to pry money away from those reluctant buyers.
If that describes how you feel about the challenges you face in real estate investing, you're approaching real estate investing all wrong.
You have to change your mindset
Instead of feeling like I have to pry money from the reluctant fingers of buyers, I take a different approach and this approach is one reason that I'm called The Deal Maker.
I understand that people will only trade their money for things that have value to them. (Just like you would do if you buy fast food or a car – the principle is the same). So I find deals that offer value to everyone (me, sellers, buyers, etc.) and I make sure everyone can see the potential value that they can get out of the deal.
I make sure that every buyer goes into a deal with me because they see the value potential and I do everything in my power to make sure that everyone goes away happy at the end.
Sometimes I hear about deals from investors who are anxious to succeed in real estate investing and they are trying to maximize their own profit... at the expense of helping other people get some value out of the deal. With that kind of mindset, they'll have a hard time finding buyers and their buyers won't stick around because they don't feel that there's value, sure you can make a deal or more like this but I don’t feel it is everlasting.
On the other hand, I take slightly less on every deal (compared to the above investor who tries to keep everything for themselves) to make sure that everyone in a deal wins… and guess what: By taking slightly less on every deal, I have buyers flocking to me who want to do deals and once we've done a deal, they stick around to do more.
So, to answer my own question: What's the real reason I run a successful real estate investing company from Santorini (or anywhere else)? It's simple... I put together deals where everyone can benefit generously. As a result, buyers willingly hand over their money because they see value in doing deals with me. And THAT is the real reason I can run a successful real estate investing business from Santorini Greece (or anywhere else).
And I’ve set my business up to run without me... more on that in a future blog post (so check back regularly)
Your value-focused friend and mentor,
Mark Evans DM, DN