One simple trick to solve the obstacles that are holding you back from real estate investing

Do you want to be a real estate investor but haven't done your first deal yet? Maybe something is holding you back.

Here's an idea to figure out what it is (if you don't already know) and then solve it once and for all.

How The DM learned this trick

I'm pretty open about the fact that I barely graduated from high school and never went to college. I had goals for my life but I knew pretty early in life that I wasn't going to achieve those goals by becoming a rocket scientist or brain surgeon!

But real estate investing was a way for me to achieve the goals for my life. I started doing rehabs – either to flip or rent. The money was good and I was achieving my financial goals… but I didn't have the TIME freedom to enjoy life. I made the switch to virtual real estate investing to gain that time freedom as well.

I've been investing for over 16 years but I got my start the same way you did: By learning about it and then trying it and seeing what worked and what didn't. But when my students come to me with questions, they act as if I was born with an innate sense of how to invest in real estate.

News flash: The DM learned by reading, studying, listening to mentors, and taking massive action.

And there's something else I did that really helped me and I'm explaining it here (with some tweaks and refinements) because maybe it can help you, too. And this trick will work for you regardless of whether...

• You have never done real estate investing before and are trying to figure out how
• You have done a deal (or deals) and want to take your investing to the next level
• You are a seasoned real estate investor who wants to go virtual
• You are a wholesaler, rehabber, or whatever! This trick works for any kind of real estate investing!

The trick is...

You need a script

In most plays or TV shows or movies, the actors don't just show up and speak the lines that they think their character will say (unless it's an improv act, of course). In most stage and screen performances, the actors are given a script. The script contains dialogue but also stage direction such as where they should stand in the scene and what actions they need to take.

When an actor signs on to perform, they get the script and they can picture in their head what they'll be doing. So when they show up on the first day of the performance, they are ready to go. Of course there might be some adjustments – maybe there were script changes or maybe the actor pictured the set in their head differently than the way it was designed. But in general, the actors come equipped to the first day of performance with a pretty solid idea of exactly what they need to do.

The same is true for real estate investors. You need a script – a step-by-step list of the things you need to do.

Not only will this help to make real estate investing easy, it's going to help you overcome the hurdles and obstacles that might be keeping you from investing right now. (And keep reading because I'll show you how it can also make your real estate investing even more successful!)

How to write your real estate investing script

Creating a real estate investing script is easy. Just open a Word document (or whatever word processing program you use) and here's what you do...

Write a simple, big-picture list of the things you'll do as a real estate investor. For example, if you are planning to do virtual wholesaling, you might start with something like this:

1. Build a list of investor-buyers
2. Find a potential seller
3. Sign a Letter of Intent (LOI)
4. Do some due diligence on the property
5. Sign an Option to Purchase
6. Present the deal to investor-buyers
7. Collect the check and assign the option to an interested investor-buyer

This is a simple, straightforward, "big-picture" list of what you need to do as a wholesaler. (Of course it would be different if you are doing some other kind of real estate investing).

Next, fill in those big picture tasks with smaller actions. For example, "Build a list of investor-buyers" would probably include something like...

1. Invest in an email autoresponder system.
2. Invest in a website.
3. Post a ghost ad.
4. Create my autoresponders
5. Send out first email to investor-buyers.

Keep it simple, straightforward, and step-by-step. Just outline the things you're going to do as a real estate investor.

Here's why a script really helps if you've never done this kind of real estate investing before

Think of the last time you drove to the grocery store. You probably got into the car and drove without giving it a single thought. But that wasn't always the case. Think back to the very first time you got behind the wheel of a car. You were probably excited and nervous and maybe forgot to put the car in "Drive" after reversing out of your driveway. It's the same with real estate investing: The first time you do it can feel exciting and scary. So writing out these actions ahead of time helps you to get comfortable with the process first.

The other reason a script helps if you're new to real estate investing is: It can help you address obstacles. This was a big benefit when I first wrote out the early version of a script when I was learning to be a virtual wholesaler. As I wrote out the script, I would encounter areas that I just didn't know much about. I would include questions and then go research the answer.

For example, if you were filling out your script, you might write this, and add the questions...

1. Invest in an email autoresponder system.
2. Invest in a website.
3. Post a ghost ad.
4. QUESTION: Where should I post a ghost ad?
5. QUESTION: How do people's emails get from my website to my email autoresponder system?
6. Create my autoresponders
7. Send out first email to investor-buyers.
8. QUESTION: What should I say?

Each of these questions are personal obstacles that could keep you from investing in real estate. By listing your questions, you are focusing on the things you need to find out. Armed with these questions, you can do some research online or you can find a mentor and ask them for help. Maybe you need to find a copy of a form you don't have.

Eventually, you will answer the questions you've written and you'll have a step-by-step list of actions to take… meanwhile, you've eliminated every single obstacle that kept you from investing. Once you've answered all of your questions in your script, you just sit down and do the work… you'll have no challenges or "unknowns" that hold you back.

Here's how a script can make you even more successful

For brand new real estate investors, my advice is to get that first deal under your belt. Follow the steps in your script and get it done. Gain the experience. Don’t worry if it takes you longer than you expected (it always will by the way) or if you had a few false starts. Just go out there and do it.

But once you gain the experience, your script will continue to be helpful because it gives you a list of all the things you did, and you can start to delegate the actions. At first, you might hire one virtual assistant to take care of a lot of the activities. But as you get more advanced – and start to reach the level I work at – you can end up with a few virtual assistants doing different activities: One might do your ad postings, one might handle income calls from investor-buyers and sellers. Your script of activities gives you a way to delegate specific activities to the right people.

A few final tips about your script

• Don't make this a huge homework project. Keep it simple and straightforward. The purpose is to enable massive action, not to delay it.
• If you've answered all of the questions in your script but you're still struggling to get started then the obstacle is not your knowledge or lack of knowledge. The obstacle is your fear. Maybe there is an underlying fear that needs to be addressed first.
• Virtual wholesaling should be simple. As you write your script, always check to make sure you're not making it too complicated.
• Your script is a tool that can help you. But like all tools, it doesn't exist only JUST to exist. Rather, its value will only be realized when you deploy it and take massive action on each step.

If you're already investing, keep going! But if you're new to investing and something is holding you back, try scripting to identify where your obstacles are.

Your friend and mentor,

Mark Evans DM,DN

PS, I've just published a book entitled Virtual Real Estate Investing Made Easy. This book reveals all the steps you need to be a virtual real estate investor. So if you're scripting your real estate business, this book will probably answer many of the questions you identify. Check it out at www.virtualrealestatemadeeasy.com!

Click here to learn more about Virtual Real Estate Investing Made Easy