You tried and failed....so freaking what!

I get the question on a frequent basis, "Jason, when did you buy your first investment property?" The answer I give takes us all the way back to 1996 on the day I graduated high school. You see, my investment career is unlike most of the late bloomers out there who bought into corporate America and are now trying to find another way to supplement their income, invest retirement money or even replace their job. I've never had an income to supplement, retirement money to invest or a job to replace. I have never had a boss or the security that comes with having a J.O.B. that I see holding back so many would-be investors.

I woke up on the morning of my high school graduation very excited. Yes, I was glad to finally be done with the last 14 years (I flunked the 1st grade) of organized education, but that's not why I was watching the second hand of my watch in anticipation. Oh, I despised formalized education like I did brussel sprouts. It made me sick to think about another day of the monotony and because of that, I had already made up my mind that college was not an option for me. Looking at the choices I had for a career that allowed me to bypass college and provided me the income I needed to have the freedoms I wanted, there was only one option. Real estate investing. I made this calculated decision my junior year of high school while everyone else was attending career day at the local community college. 

The only issue that I had was that I had no money or real understanding of real estate investing. So, I did what most clueless folks do who have an interest in real estate investing. I purchased one of those get rich quick programs that you see on late night tv designed for insomniacs. Only three installments of $99. I even paid the extra $19.99 for rushed delivery because I was serious about getting started. When I received the box that contained my well packaged program, I ripped it open like a 7 year old on Christmas. I locked myself in my room, told my family to leave me alone and started reading & listening. This reading and listening went on for nearly a month as I soaked in all the information that some guru packed into this "once in a lifetime opportunity." I began practicing the scripts, making the calls & even looking at properties. I wasn't necessarily sure why I was doing these things, but I assumed that the picture would get clearer as time went on. But it didn't! After 3 long months of following step-by-step directions, I realized that this was all....well....B.S. By this time, my junior year had ended and I was wasting my summer on this stupid program. I was upset and discouraged and I almost just quit on the idea of investing..... almost.

I took a step back and began to think about what a successful person does when they are facing failure. Ah, they fail forward! I also realized that most people do not do well with simply following instructions to achieving success. They need someone to show them how, not just tell them. So, I began racking my brain trying to think of anyone I knew who could point me in the direction of a local investor who might be able to show me the way. Well, I found them. Someone told me about this guy who is a very successful investor and buys and sells dozens of properties per month. And to top it off, he lived in the same town as I did. Now, to get the courage to pick up the phone and call this guy was what I was lacking at this point. What was I going to say to him? What if he tells me to bug off? So, I began to script out the "perfect" phone call. I wrote down everything I was going to say once he answered the phone. I was ready! After a few rings he answers, but it wasn't exactly a typical greeting. Instead of "hello", I hear "this better be good if you're going to interrupt my d%#n lunch!" I take a quick look at the clock, it's literally 12:07 in the afternoon. I freeze and then hear "who the he#% is this!?" In a high pitch voice designed to mask my real voice I answer, "sorry wrong #" and hang up. Now I'm sweating and pacing using expletives that are not normally in my vocabulary. I just blew my chance. But then I took a deep breath and thought....wait, maybe he didn't have caller I.D. I mean, it's 1996, so it wasn't as common as it is now. I decided to postpone my call until later. As I regained my confidence and put a fresh pair of Hanes, I prepared to make the call again. I waited until the evening after dinner time to avoid making the same mistake again and to give him enough time to hopefully forget about the call earlier. This time he answers halfway though the first ring and asks "wrong # again?" I held it together and apologized for interrupting his lunch earlier and said that I freaked out and didn't know what to do. I stumbled nervously through my phone call but managed to explain who I was and told him my ambitions to be a real estate investor. He laughed and asked me "why would you want to do that?" I confusingly asked, "that's what you do isn't it?" He said yes, but that he didn't understand why I would want to take on a career that has no guarantees of a paycheck, tons of stress & many sleepless nights. To this point, I guess I never really thought about the emotional & mental toll a business like investing could have on a person, but that's what he decided to point out to discourage me from it. As I became firmer with my tone of voice, I said I could handle it and that I just needed a little help to get started. He said, "Whoa, wait a minute! Help?" That's when I asked him if I could hang around him occasionally to watch him and see how he did things. He stopped me mid-sentence to say he doesn't have the time to babysit me. That's when things became a bit fuzzy for me. Out of frustration, I responded to him in a rant that went something like this. "I called you to ask you for some help and you want to just be rude to me! I don't need your help because I'm going to be successful investor with or without you. You're just a mean jerk who doesn't know how to be nice.!" And right before I was about to hang up the phone, he said "be at my house at 7am sharp and bring me coffee....black" and then he hung up. "Did that just happen?" I asked myself. I almost passed out after that emotional roller coaster ride of a day. But, here I was about to spend a day with the top real estate investor in the area. I showed up with his coffee that day and everyday after for 4 months. I went with him everywhere as he looked at properties, evicted tenants & negotiated deals. I watched live real estate investing first hand everyday until the new school year began. 

I entered my last year of high school with one goal, which was to graduate and start investing. I felt that I was ready to make a move and after several months of shopping potential investments, I decided to make an offer on a property. It was duplex that I was going to live in one half and rent out the other. I got my funding in place and negotiated the price and scheduled the closing date. Without thinking, I had scheduled the closing on the same day as my graduation ceremony. No big deal, the closing is at 9am and graduation is at 11am. Plenty of time to make it before it began. Well, something with the funding got delayed and it took a little longer and I didn't leave the title company until 5 minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to begin. It took 10 minutes to get there. I jumped in my car and put the pedal to the metal and headed towards the football stadium where the ceremony was being held. With the keys to my duplex in my hand and huge smile on my face, I parked my car and jolted towards the field as I threw on my cap & gown. This wouldn't have been so bad, except that I was the Salutatorian and was called to the stage immediately upon showing up. I was so caught up in closing on my first deal that I completely forgot to prepare a speech, but I didn't care. I got up there and excitedly told everyone that I just closed on my first investment deal and that if you are persistent & never allow failure to stop you, but rather cause it to push you to keep chasing your goals, then success is inevitable. Everyone applauded and I walked off the stage to pursue what has turned into a 19+ year real estate investing career.

My mentor was correct. I lost a ton of sleep and went weeks at a time without seeing a paycheck. I made mistakes and sometimes questioned my decision to become a real estate investor. I now very much enjoy brussel sprouts and spend each day doing the things I love with the people I love. 

Regardless of your age or where you come from, you can accomplish the things you set your mind to. But, in order to do so, you must never accept failure as an option and always continue to pursue your dreams in the midst of rejection & discouragement. Look at this way, most people that you know do not understand what it means to have true success. So, why would you listen to their discouraging words? Most people choose the path of least resistance & mediocrity simply because it's comfortable. What they don't realize is that we have no security, regardless of how comfortable we think we are. I would much rather be broke and in charge of my life than miserable with just enough money to survive taking orders from someone else. Real estate investing has allowed me to do that. 

To your success!

Jason Rose
www.SmartStartToday.com