Have you ever felt like giving up? I know I have. There have been times when I have comforted friends who wanted to give. And you have too. From the scriptures we can read how Elijah surely wanted to give up.

The Lord had just used him to show the nation of Israel that the Lord is God (1 Kings 18). Yet, the threats of Queen Jezebel so alarmed him that he ran to Beersheba, 100 miles south. Then he walked another 150 miles further south to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Twice God asked Elijah what he was doing there. Both times he answered with identical words—“I alone am left; and they seek to take my life”. Elijah had become so preoccupied with his own fears that he had forgotten what God had done through him at Mount Carmel. Despite his wonderful success, Elijah plunged into the depths of discouragement.

How easy it is for us to do the same as Elijah. Day by day, week by week, God is there for us. And the moment we feel threatened or unsure, we want to throw in the towel. Take a ten count. Give up!

Will, God did not accept Elijah’s notice that he was quitting. Neither will God accept your sorry unfaithful ways. Instead, God commissioned Elijah to handle three major tasks. And by the way, Elijah was wrong when he said he was the only faithful one left. God had 7,000 others who had not bowed to Baal. We are one of those Baal living today.

Perhaps, like Elijah, you are despairing at the circumstances in your life. Let the Father speak to you. Instead of allowing you to quit, He will show you what you can do through His strength. Lord knows I lean on His strength all the time. Come on and join me.

See you next Sunday.

MJ

PS When you’re working for Jesus, it’s always too soon to quit.

Today I have a few thoughts running through my head as I try to share a meaningful devotional with you. One of course is the people in Haiti. May the Father hear all our prayers. But also is the thought of doing the right thing at all times. When there is tragedy some see it as opportunity for unethical gain. The rest is food for our collective thoughts.

Some online dictionaries report each year on what words were looked up the most on their site. For 2005, some of the most popular words were refugee, pandemic, tsunami, and levee. Because of worldwide catastrophic events that year, we can readily understand why those words were checked.

The most popular lookup for the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary for 2005r was the word integrity. The definition given is: “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values.” It’s used to describe those who are unwilling to be bribed or morally corrupted. Why was that word on the top of the list? Could it be because integrity is so lacking that many don’t know what it looks like in someone’s life?

The word God gave us has an example of integrity in the life of Joseph. Potiphar had put Joseph in charge of overseeing “his house and all that he had” (Gen. 39:5). When he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife, Joseph refused, saying, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (v.9). Potiphar knew what God’s standards were, and he chose to stand for the right—at the cost of his freedom.

Integrity, look it up in Genesis 39. Then live it out in God’s strength. Consider, in what ways have you been a person of integrity when it was tough? When have you failed? Whose standards do you live by? What do you need to change?

I have asked my self these same questions. This sinner needs a lot of work. As the phrase goes, I fall short of the glory of God. Let’s all go live a life where our legacy is rich with integrity.

See you next Sunday,

MJ

You have found your perfect deal. Now you are looking for a government grant or program to help you out. This all requires a great team. Who is on your side? My most common response to many who ask that question is: make sure you have a lawyer and accountant who know more than you.

Don’t get into a position where you need to educate your vendors.

Having a quality lawyer can get your deal closed that much quicker, while having a quality accountant can make sure your finances are in order.

A few questions for your potential staff:

• Are you familiar with Government Financing?
• Have you closed any subsidized transactions?
• Do you know anyone from the allocating agency?

At least 2 of the three questions should be “yes” and should help you to make an informed decision. You may also want to inquire about the program you are seeking as well. Count that as a bonus question!

–

Sean Carpenter is the nation’s leading expert on Government Deal Funding for Real Estate Investors and Developers and has spent the last 12 years both consulting and getting funding for his own deals. I’ll be hosting a special interview with Sean coming up on Thursday (tomorrow), January 7th, 9:00 PM EST where I’ll be asking him about what’s involved in getting funding for your deals courtesy of Uncle Sam. Find out more and pre-register for the call by visiting:  Get Public Funding

By: Sean Carpenter

Are you finding deals are getting tougher to close with the new restrictions banks are pushing on applicants?

Is it taking longer to get a deal done? Have you stopped looking for new projects to acquire?

The last year has been a very difficult period in real estate history. Some markets have declined upwards of 50% in value with no light at the end of the tunnel. Not very good news if you started your “buy and hold” in 2007, but will certainly work better for you now in 2009 as you pick properties up for a fraction of their price two years ago.

Not to mention cap rates are heading into the two digits in larger metropolitan areas. For some, this is an area of the market they have never experienced.

So what can we do to get some of these declining assets?

The banks that were lending up to 125% a few years back have either left the market or cap an acquisition at 70% loan to value. The remaining 30% is up to the investor. But raising the 30% slows down transactions and your friends in Congress have attempted to help.

In July 2008, the President signed the Housing & Economic Recovery Act (HERA), which among other things, provided $4.5B to all 50 states, some territories like Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia, to combat neighborhood declination by foreclosure.

These funds, known as the Neighborhood Stabilization program, were supposed to help investors, both for and non-profits, buy and rehabilitate foreclosed buildings in order to prevent the stable households from losing too much value. In February 2009, Congress added an additional $4.5B to the program, now known as NSP II, to further carry out the NSP mission.

This is nothing new. The federal government has been investing in real estate for years, at least since HUD was conceived during the Johnson administration in 1965 as part of the Great Society initiative.

HUD allocates through the individual States and territories upwards of $20B per year to facilitate economic development and housing activities. Additionally, many states have programs of their own that can match federal funds in addition to over $5B in tax credit programs available to stimulate acquisition, rehabilitation and new construction of real estate projects.

Buying and holding certainly isn’t what it used to be, but now the government wants to help you out more than ever. You just have to know WHERE to find the money and HOW to get the funds.

–

Sean Carpenter is the nation’s leading expert on Government Deal Funding for Real Estate Investors and Developers and has spent the last 12 years both consulting and getting funding for his own deals. I’ll be hosting a special interview with Sean coming up on Thursday, Jan 7th, 9:00 PM EST. Find out more and pre-register for the call by visiting: Get Public Funding

How then, can you get a realistic idea of your property’s value to prepare to sell quickly and for the best profit? Using real estate comps of course.

First, recognize that the median value of existing homes nationwide dropped 4.6 percent nationwide between January 2008 and January 2009. That’s according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). One major reason for this decline is a slowdown in sales in high-cost markets.

On the other hand, year-over-year median prices rose in roughly half of U.S.metro areas, NAR said. The group’s chief economist, Lawrence Yun, speculated that some markets where home values had been weakening are turning the corner.

Always check with InvestorCompsOnline.com to review resent sales activity in your area before listing or advertising your properties for sale.  Researching prior to purchasing is always the best bet, but after you have purchased your property, you should run a report again to ensure that the property is priced right and in line with any changes your neighborhood may have undergone since purchase date.

Searching real estate listings and visiting open houses in your neighborhood can also help you get a feel for your local real estate market. Pay attention to what happens to those listings. Homes that stay on the market more than a few weeks might be priced too high.

Remember, InvestorCompsOnline.com recommends comparing your property to current sales of similar age, square footage, and room count.  The key word here is “current.” If nothing else, recent housing market fluctuations have shown that property can be worth one amount one day and something else the next.

All the best,

MJ

In order for Investors to fully understand the outlook of 2010 real estate market, InvestorCompsOnline feels it is necessary to understand issues relating to the lead up to the real estate market downturn. How these issues have affected the market will assist in understanding the coming year’s ideal investment opportunities.  So, we have done that research for you and come up with ideas of what the coming year will bring.

Following the past 2 years of decline, a full market recovery is highly unlikely during 2010. The strongest developments towards recovery will be experienced in markets where controls existed for avoiding excessive lending, speculative buying and instability. Regions that have been hardest hit during the downfall of the real estate market have taken strong steps to avoid continued excessive decline. Control strategies will begin to show their results throughout 2010, with the hardest hit markets beginning to stabilize, while growth patterns emerge in the markets least affected by the downturn.

Our Investors should consider for the upcoming year to evolve from excessive speculative buying into strategies with improved stability and market demand. Long term investments are expected to be the strongest growth areas, with fewer risks involved and excellent gains potential due to the exceptionally low priced investment options available with REO investing.

At InvestorCompsOnline, we are constantly researching and evaluating the market and its changes to keep our members informed and advised.  Our research has indicated that 2010 will continue to be an optimum buyer’s market, where those in a position to purchase will continue to receive and negotiate optimum deals. Equity enabled investors or investors that are using some of our creative suggestions for financing, are facing the ideal market conditions to access the best deals expected to be available for many years.  Even if you are investing for long term benefits, you may also be in positions to once again benefit from a future turnaround into ‘seller’s market’ conditions.

Whatever 2010 may bring, InvestorCompsOnline is committed to providing you with the data and the training necessary to help you position yourself accurately to take advantage of all the opportunities of today’s real estate market.

All the best,
MJ

For many neophyte investors, paying too much for their first investment property usually proves to be a very costly and fatal mistake, and marks the beginning of the end of their foray into real estate. That’s why it’s imperative that you learn how to accurately estimate the current market value of potential investment properties! As far as I’m concerned, it’s the single most important aspect of the entire real estate investment business!

InvestorCompsOnline knows having an accurate estimate as to how much a property is worth in its current condition, is the best way to negotiate a below market purchase price that is based on the property’s condition, and not on how much it might have been worth after it had been cleaned up. This is what we teach our members.

Sadly, there’s no Kelly Blue Book equivalent for real estate investors to lookup used property prices in, this is where InvestorCompsOnline is necessary to learn for yourself how to estimate the current market value of potential investment properties.

The most common method used by property appraisers to estimate property values is the Comparison Sales Method. This method uses the same concept and data InvestorCompsOnline provides. This method bases a property’s value on the recent sale prices of properties that are within the same area and comparable in size, quality, amenities and features.

Members of InvestorCompsOnlinecan log onto the downloads section in the support desk and access our most widely downloaded teleclass “ICO Seven secrets” to get more detailed information on valuating property. This is truly “appraiser’s secrets for investors.”

All the best,
MJ 

At all of our InvestorCompsOnline conventions, boot camps, or seminars the issue of marketing comes up at least once if not a hundred times. Someone will mention Facebook (which is a whole different story) and this is always closely followed by a comment about Twitter. So, we at InvestorCompsOnline decided to do the research for you to determine is Twitter worth it? If it IS worth it, how can investors best use it for profitable results? First, let’s look at just what Twitter is and what it can do for your advertising efforts.

Twitter.com is a site where an investor can create a profile and become a “micro-blogger” Twitter is like a typical blog (aka web-log) in that it lets you say anything you want to say to anyone and everyone who will view it - with one exception. Twitter only allows a subscriber to express themselves 140 characters at a time. So it’s a kind of like using you cell phone to send the world a brief text message. When you locate a profile of someone whose “tweets” you are interested in, you can “follow” them - whenever they post anything new, it will be visible on your Twitter home page. If anyone finds YOUR profile and follows YOU, then you will be alerted that someone is “following” you. Now that you are aware of the basics, let’s discuss making this a powerful and PROFITABLE tool for you.

Because the old saying “Out of sight, out of mind” is absolutely true, you’ll need to remain active with your “tweeting”.  InvestorCompsOnline suggest you should be posting at a minimum, once a day. Find something to “tweet” specific to real estate - something that your “followers” will find useful. If you just start sending info about homes you have for sale, it probably will not get you as far as you planned. Think about it this way - when was the last time you opened and really read an email from someone attempting to sell you something?

If you give your followers information they can use or information they find interesting (even if it ISN’T about real estate) then you’ll have an opportunity to keep their attention. When you gain their trust, they’ll be more willing to consider what you have to say when you do offer them a property you have listed.

Twitter, like other social networking sites, is a wonderful way to network and connect with people - just keep in mind that they are real people and desire to be respected and treated like real people. They aren’t dollar signs. So connect when someone follows you, send them a short personal “tweet” letting them feel you appreciate them.

Remember that being real with others and giving thoughtful content is what Twitter is made for - the profit will follow if you treat people like people and post routinely so that your Twitter marketing is constantly on the radar! The more you “Tweet”, the larger your following will become - and the larger your following, the better your opportunities of communicating with a person who is interested in making a deal - which, of course, means a greater opportunity for you to profit! 

This morning I called my wife’s cell phone with no answer and left a message. I then called our home phone. To make both calls I used Skype the internet phone service. Skype is a very important tool as I am presently in Europe for several weeks.

Back to my call home. We use a privacy service to avoid unwanted calls. Thus, as I called our home line it was necessary for me to state my name and wait for my wife to accept the call from an unknown number. My wife did accept and I was able to greet her briefly as she and my son left for worship service. I really only wanted to let them know I was thinking about them on Sunday morning. I know it wasn’t an important or urgent call, just one from a guy who misses his family. I admit it, I am pitiful.

Contrast this brief series of events about calling my wife with how I woke up this morning. Immediately I was able to say to the Father, Good morning Lord, thank you for rising me up another day. Let me do your will not mine and I thank you for being clothed in my right mind. Never did I doubt the Father instantly heard me or my call wouldn’t get through or would be screened. 

We always have instant access to our Father in heaven. There’s no phone service to screen His calls. No need for a decision on whether or not we should bother Him. No need to leave a message so that He can get back to us later. The psalmist reminds us, “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry” (Ps. 34:15).

Dear Father, thank You that we can talk with You at any time for any reason. We are grateful for that privilege. Through prayer, we have instant access to you Father. Go now and give Him a call. There is no calling waiting.

See you next Sunday,

MJ

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Dan Stojadinovic has helped over 3000 entrepreneurs make the transition online and fully understand all the ins and outs of being a successful internet presence.  Now, we have got him to spend a few minutes of his valuable time with us, to help you transform your business and give you your life back.

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Whatever you do, you need to be there. Cancel your other plans, because they are not going to put money in your pocket and Dan will. People have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of frustration trying (and never succeeding) to do what Dan will teach you.  After you attend this webinar you will be able to do what they couldn’t in just one week!

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