Flip and Grow Rich | Can It Really Happen?

Look before you leap, flipping can be a risky business as we've talked about in the past. With 1,294 foreclosures in the OC alone, people have jumped into a bad market. Can this be turned into an opportunity for flipping? Sure, looking for people who need an out and making them an offer can result in a deep discount for anything faced with default. A little bit of research, networking, and legwork may give you the leg up in a market which seems to be taking a dive (at least in California). Just remember to look before you leap, do your homework, and make sure any risk is mitigated in some form or another. Don't risk money you can't afford to loose, and don't pass up an opportunity to flip the state of the market and tip it in your favor. Resources OC Register: Mortgage Insider

Where have the super hot real estate markets gone? In 2005, Las Vegas, Miami, and Orange County were the place to be dropping some serious cash. Looking at Orange County today for instance, doesn't look so obvious. There are lots of properties for sale, and not a lot of buyers. I'm sure there are deals to be had... is competition making flipping difficult? Florida and Arizona seem to still offer good values for the flip, with median home prices floating around 130k to 170k. Now, the big question... is it worth the effort? I challenge you to look at the time involved in the flip process. For example, how much time do you spend on purchase, upgrade, and sale of the property? Break it down to an hourly wage, if you have multiple flips, try and divide the time up evenly between your properties. Once you've got your flip down to a simple formula, you can begin to examine how your workflow is structured. Maybe its time to outsource or increase the number of people you work with.

Dionysos , the Greek god of wine, pleasure and festivity is said to have shared his knowledge of wine making with Ikarios , a mortal who then took the drink to townspeople for an early wine tasting. When I think of wine, I think back to time spent in Europe drinking local home made wines in countries like Greece. Truly a drink of the Gods, wine has it's place deep in Greek culture. Many may think of France or Napa , but I always think of Greece. Notice how wine can trigger such imagery? Some may envision sipping a glass of wine at their favorite restaurant, others may think back to vacations. Food seems to trigger such a deep emotional response in us, doesn't it? When you market a product, how can you figure emotion into the equation? As we target a more global market, how do you overcome challenges faced by products which do not translate well? Wine is a good example of a product which knows no bounds, most cultures drink wine and have some connection to this ambrosia. Could

Sure, it can be done. Many have made a lucrative career buying and selling property. At a time when the price of a US home has hit an all time low since 1991, you must do your research and take care to not enter a market where competition is fierce, and profits low. Examine market trends , do your research. Most of this information is free and available online. Many flippers in Silicon Valley bought expensive property to flip, only to be left with a saturated real estate market . Before you swim with the big fish, make sure you've got the proper equipment and can afford to swallow a few gallons of sea water. You never know, if you can put up with the cold blue water, the taste of the salt, and the jelly fish stings, you just might find that sunken treasure you've been looking for. Real Estate Market Research Suqare Feet: The Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog Real Estate Journal (WSJ Property Guide) Realtor.com

I love YouTube , and so do millions of others around the world. The concept has been proven time and time again. It's a terrific marketing strategy, for the low price of producing a video. How much would someone pay to have a video potentially viewed by the entire world? But wait, its essentially free? When have we as individuals ever had that type of opportunity? Mix in someone in Hilary's position, a US Senator running for President, and you've now got the power to make a difference in your campaign for less than it costs to have a meeting with your staff. Sen. Hilary Clinton has used YouTube and other such oportunities to talk to the voters. Be it searching for a campaign song or reviewing the song entries , videos give her a direct way to promote indirectly, while entertaining those who watch the video. In her latest video, the Senator and President Bill Clinton are spoofing the last episode of the Sopranos . So not only are we talking about marketing to the fans of

Why pay high advertising for your services or product when you can take advantage of existing waves? Periodically government departments issue game and fish reports which lead to hunting and fishing trips, equipment sales, and let's not forget content for media outlets. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish has released their weekly report and the Internet is a buzz in game and fish activity. You can see some of the buzz in the news , blogs , and Game and Fish Department's website . Sure you can flip real estate, but there's always risk as discussed in the Real Estate Journal article on Real Estate Flipping . The Real Estate Journal is Wall Street Journal's Property Guide, and offers some excellent information to anyone in the property market. Bottom line is, do your homework ! Enough about real estate, what if you love to fish? Maybe you know everything there is to know about fishing. Maybe your real market is fishing! Flip fishing trips, travel agencies, air

People all over the world are traveling to Dorset and East Devon (in the UK) to walk with the dinosaurs . Thirsty? Have a pint of real ale at the Square and Compass Pub while you look at Pliosaur fossils in the pub's museum. Beer and Bones! What a concept! This just reiterates our previous discussion on using Anthropology to discover untapped products, ideas, or services. In this case, Archeology, (a sub-discipline of Anthropology) offers a unique experience to anyone interested in the past (and a bonus for those who like Ale). By tapping into this global market, the townspeople and local businesses have created a niche for themselves in the world. All they need is some advertising! It's a good thing that newspaper articles (free advertising) can offer tantalizing escapes for those in the busy world of 9 to 5 and living in the sea of ugly gray cubicles. It might not be our vision of Jurassic Park as we've seen in the movie by Steven Spielberg , but it sure beats meeti

I don't actually watch The View , but read about guests and such through blogs. It appears Star Parker was to debate politics. Coincidentally, Tony Keith and Michael Moore were also on. It seems Michael Moore is really good at promoting his controversial films. His latest flick, Sicko , looks at government run health care. Toby, on the other hand is promoting his (not so controversial) new album. (why do we say album when we mean CD? does anyone actually buy vinyl or tape anymore?) Can good marketing skills help you spread your message? Obviously, Michael Moore would not be able to make the films he does, and have people watch them if he was unable to promote and market those bodies of work. Does he do it to change the world or make a buck? Does it matter? If your goal is to get a product to the masses (be it information or tangible), then your methods might be similar. In negotiating the sale (acceptance of his film), someone like Michael Moore, must have trust with his fans a

This morning, I read through the Tim Ferriss 4-Hour Work Week Blog on creating a paperless life. As many of you know, I'm a subscriber to the Dave Allen GTD school of thought, and because of this, my life is about 80% digital/20% paper. The article covers a few questions to help you with your paperless goals. Mail, checks, cash, are all paper and bind us to certain places or things. Once you let go of these and go virtual (completely virtual) you are free to move about the cabin as you wish. Everyday, when I check for mail (paper mail), I get about a pound of adverts, catalogs, and fliers. The bills? Mostly automatic, direct deposit, automatic withdrawls, you get the picture. This way you can keep an eye on things using electronic statements and (if you enjoy pain) the phone. My goal has been to eliminate all important mail, then I can just sign up for vacation mail permenantly and pick up my box of junk mail from the post office everytime I go camping and need some kindling to st

Flipping products, information, or real estate can be lucrative, but is it an unintentional prison? Do you long for the days when you can leave it all behind to jump on a plane to Paris? Think strongly about automating your income , not only does it simplify life, but it can serve to free you from some of the things which keep you from making those life changing memories for you (and your family). Some of my best vacations have been those last minute jaunts, where you just drop everything and take off. There's no better feeling in the world to leave everything behind and on autopilot. Pay your bills online, outsource chores, make friends with your neighbors (so they can watch your house while you are away). Most important, get rid of some of your stuff! Less stuff means less to worry about while you are living life, if its that important, lock it away in a safe deposit box.