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Interview with a Distance Investor

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By Bruce Kellogg

Introducing Bruce Dinger

Bruce-HeadShot--610x869 Bruce Dinger is a long-time resident of Silicon Valley who earned an MBA degree in International Business from Regis University in 1997. Since then, he has spent 30 years as an investor, as well as an educator teaching those interested in becoming an investor. At the present time he has:

1) Completed over 200 real estate projects in the past 32 months all across the world.
2) Runs a hedge fund catering to ultra-wealthy clients.
3) Runs an educational practice that provides education related to investment financial literacy.
4) Serves as an angel investor and invests in technology-based start-up companies.

Here we will discuss his real estate investing at a distance.

Investing Philosophy

Bruce starts by explaining that in order to succeed in investing and, actually in life, it is necessary to “live in a world of abundance, not one of scarcity.” For everyone, including for himself, the best approach to self-optimization is to “invest in yourself.”

When it comes to real estate investing, Bruce is “ZIP code agnostic”. He invests based on potential cash flow wherever it is to be found. To him, “It’s a numbers game.” It’s also a long-term endeavor, “not a sprint, but a marathon.” He says,

“Anything can happen in a deal, so it’s important to buy right.” You “manage risk by buying right.”

Investing Practices

Bruce prospects for properties across the entire country with an in-house team and submissions by potential joint venture partners. His criteria includes: 1) liquid markets, 2) pre-foreclosures, 3) high-equity, absentee owners, and 4) quality school systems, among others. He maintains that he often does not see the properties he purchases. He will only go out to properties to help educate his children about the power of investing.

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Much of the time, Bruce collaborates with brokers and agents. Here, he insists on working with the best. These he selects based on their sales production awards and the number of sales they have closed in the past 24 months. As with himself, his standards are high.

A key element in Bruce’s investing model is to partner in joint ventures to create “boots on the ground” in each area. Some of these partners have no experience in which case Bruce educates them. He has created documents for every step of the system they use, which he calls “McDonaldsalizing” his system!

Bruce usually funds the project, often with money he has raised. Many of his projects sell before he is even finished with them, a benefit from choosing liquid markets. He states that if you buy right, it makes it very difficult to lose money on a deal.

The “Elite Real Estate Investing System”

Besides creating joint ventures with partners, Bruce coaches real estate investing students. He hand-selects students based on their desire to learn the real estate investing business. Not everyone qualifies. He is looking for students that not only want to learn how to build a real estate practice, but students that he can eventually treat as peers and do joint ventures together.

More Than Just a Real Estate Investing Business

Bruce has a huge passion for investing in real estate. He says it is not his love for real estate itself, but for what real estate allows him to do, which is to spend time with his family and do the things he wants to do.

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People often ask how to get into the business of real estate investing. Bruce says, “Easy. Have a passion for life. Be willing to do whatever it takes to get to where you want to go. And hire a Mentor that can get you there.”

Bruce is always looking for the right person to mentor in the game of REI. If you think you have what it takes, feel free to reach out to Bruce – [email protected].

BRUCE KELLOGG

Bruce-Kellogg-300x300Bruce Kellogg has been a Realtor® and investor for 40 years. He has transacted about 800 properties in 12 California counties. These include 1-4 units, 5+ apartments, offices, mixed-use buildings, land, lots, mobile homes, cabins, and churches.

He writes and edits copy for Realty411 and REI Wealth Monthly magazines.

Mr. Kellogg is a recipient of an Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, listed in Who’s Who in America – 2019.

Mr. Kellogg is available for consulting about syndication, “turnkey” investments, joint-ventures, and other property purchases nationally, and other consulting assignments. Reach him at [email protected], or (408) 489-0131.

Leading in Leads

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

By Bruce Kellogg

Got Leads?

Back in 1981, real estate agents in Silicon Valley agents gathered buyer and seller leads by open houses, door-knocking, “floor time” in the office as a receptionist, and some direct mail. None of this was sophisticated.
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Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay

Things got sophisticated around 2005, before the Great Recession, when computers started being used for “data mining” or “data scraping”. Sellers of leads were able to access local governmental data bases for such leads as: 1) pre-foreclosures, 2) evictions, 3) building code violations, 4) probate estates, 5) tax liens, and more They then sold the leads to agents/brokers and investors. Or else they licensed the software on a monthly subscription basis. This still goes on, but it’s less effective now because the software is sometimes “dueling” with other companies’ software. This is a mature market now. With the arrival of social media, another source of leads has emerged. This article presents Atman Real Estate, “The Premier Real Estate Marketing Lead Generation Service”, and Victoria Kennedy, its Chief-Executive Officer (CEO). They are leading in leads.

Victoria Kennedy

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Victoria Kennedy
Victoria Kennedy is the CEO of Atman Real Estate, a lead-generation agency that is committed to providing more leads and closings for real estate professionals. She is a highly in-demand speaker on all things digital marketing, and has helped many clients boost their visibility and revenue. Because of her expertise in real estate, she has been a trusted speaker and contributor to such organizations as the National Association of Real Estate Brokers and Inman Connect.
In addition to running a successful marketing agency, she also has given talks, workshops, and has worked as a trusted consultant for Realtors®, title companies, investors, and top-producing agents.
She has a degree summa cum laude from the University of Southern California (USC) and is located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Atman Real Estate

With a staff of five, Atman finds and cultivates buyer and seller leads for brokers and agents using the client’s social media, primarily Facebook and Instagram. They pre-qualify each lead to determine their needs and motivation. They then actually set the initial appointment for their client and the already-qualified lead. This saves their client a tremendous amount of time and rejection. Plus, some Realtors® do not prospect as much as they should to realize their aspirations. Atman advertises “an additional 2-4 closings per month” for its clients.
After the Atman client meets with a new lead, there might not be an immediate agency buy or sell transaction. Then Atman uses its Contact Relationship Manager (CRM) to text and email the lead up to 12 months on behalf of their client. This reminds the lead of the client’s continuing interest and support. This helps keep the lead from wandering off! (How many agents follow up as thoroughly as this? Just saying!)
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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

The messages that Atman sends to a client’s leads are customized for the client. These are not generalized and copies as some lead services do. Atman nurtures the leads for its clients. Additionally, Atman’s leads are exclusive. They accept one client per city based on a 25 mile radius, and they NEVER sell leads multiple times.

Atman’s “Unique Selling Proposition” (USP)

To be successful, an enterprise needs to adopt a Unique Selling Proposition that distinguishes and distances it from its competition. There is a lot of competition in the “lead purveyor industry!” Atman leads the pack by cultivating leads for its clients to the actual appointment, then following up for 12 months, if necessary. Find out more about Atman and their ROI guarantee here: atmanrealestate.com.
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Bruce Kellogg

Bruce Kellogg has been a Realtor® and investor for 38 years. He has transacted about 800 properties in 12 California counties. These include 1-4 units, 5+ apartments, offices, mixed-use buildings, land, lots, mobile homes, cabins, and churches. Mr. Kellogg is a contributor and copy editor for two national real estate wealth-building magazines: Realty411, and REI Wealth Monthly. He is a recipient of an Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, listed in Who’s Who in America – 2019. He is available for consulting with syndication, turnkey, joint-venture, and other property purchasers and note investors nationally, and other consulting assignments. Reach him at [email protected], or (408) 489-0131.

Successful Turnkey Real Estate Investing

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By Bruce Kellogg

Evaluating Turnkey Rentals

A major trend in real estate has developed where investors around the nation seek distressed properties in key markets regardless of distance. They purchase dilapidated assets to rehab, add value, and build wealth. Experienced investors tend to discover the hard way that it’s one thing to rehab locally, yet an entirely different experience to do so long distance.

For those who cannot afford to purchase nearby, the risks in rehabbing in a new area with few contacts increase tremendously.

Norada Real Estate Investments

The other approach an investor can take is to select a high-quality turnkey provider and invest with their help. Norada Real Estate Investments is one of the longest-running nationwide providers with a great industry reputation.

Meet Marco Santarelli

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Marco Santarelli made his first real estate investment at age 18, and he founded Norada Real Estate Investments in 2003. This means that he progressed through the Great Recession of 2008, unlike many turnkey property providers. He has become a nationwide provider of turnkey cash flow investment properties. He says his mission “is to help one million people create wealth and passive income and put them on the path to financial freedom with real estate.”

Mr. Santarelli is a licensed California real estate broker. For over five years he has been the host of the Passive Real Estate Investing Show with over 250 episodes to-date. The show airs weekly and can be found on every podcast platform including iTunes, Google Podcast, iHeart Radio, as well as www.PassiveRealEstateInvesting.com. This format allows the listener to learn, then jump off if they aren’t ready to invest at the time.

Other podcasters often persist with a blaring selling message, but Mr. Santarelli is more respectful of his listeners’ time.

Guide-to-Passive-Real-Estate-Investing-1Mr. Santarelli has also produced the 40-page e-book, The Ultimate Guide to Passive Real Estate Investing, which covers the subject very well and makes a great primer for new and seasoned real estate investors.

Norada Real Estate Investments

The Norada website features over 25 markets where Norada offers investment properties. Surely, readers would like to know which markets Norada favors for the second half of 2020, and why. They publish regular updates on their website on the best markets to invest in today.

Norada’s website has 13 frequently-asked-questions (FAQ’s) that are as comprehensive and clear as the author has seen. Additionally, the properties presented on the website contain all of the important items that an investor needs for successful decision-making. Many turnkey vendors leave out a vacancy factor, or maintenance expense, or post unrealistically low amounts to pump up the cash flow results, and this is done intentionally. (See my article in the second paragraph for details) Norada strives for accuracy in their property presentations.

Risk and Reward

In the end, when you buy a turnkey, you get a like-new property with a paying tenant, hundreds of miles from where you are. That’s why it is crucially important to deal with a long-term, successful turnkey provider who looks forward to earning your repeat business.

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BRUCE KELLOGG

Bruce Kellogg has been a REALTOR® and investor for 38 years. He has transacted about 800 properties in 12 California counties. These include 1-4 units, 5+ apartments, offices, mixed-use buildings, land, lots, mobile homes, cabins, and churches.

Mr. Kellogg is a contributor and copy editor for two national real estate wealth-building magazines: Realty411 and REI Wealth. He is a recipient of an Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, listed in Who’s Who in America – 2019.

He is available for consulting with syndication, turnkey, joint-venture, and other property purchasers and note investors nationally, and other consulting assignments. Reach him at [email protected] or (408) 489-0131.