People in Real Estate are different from most people. Whether you call yourself an Investor, Landlord, Rehabber, Speculator, Developer, Realtor or House Flipper there is something different about the way you perceive reality. Some may say that it is a result of rigorous training. Some say it is the battle scars left by the wounds of experience. My personal belief is that it is a combination of both experience and training along with a predisposition or genetic defect that modifies your perception of the world.
I wrote my notes for this article sitting by the Kayak Launch at the beach on a sleepy Sunday morning. As an example of the defect I mentioned, most people would have noticed the sea birds wading nearby and the fish breaking the surface of the water. They would have enjoyed the mild breeze and the sound of the waves. But I, the Real Estate Investor noticed the erosion on the bank that could have been corrected with a backhoe and an hour’s worth of work and the picnic table in need of repair under the pole light that had been vandalized. It’s not that I look for the bad in my surroundings. It’s that I look for a way to improve and add value. I'm convinced it's a genetic defect.
I’ve compiled a list of examples that may help you determine whether or not you are defective as well. They are in no particular order and are written from a man’s point of view so you ladies may need to reword things a little (or not) to have them apply to you.
You are unable to visit the Home Depot or Lowes without someone recognizing you and engaging you in a conversation about the property you are currently working on.
You notice a beautiful woman in a white cotton dress sitting at an outdoor café. She’s wearing sunglasses that hide her eyes but not her smile. She’s sipping coffee and glancing at a newspaper. The SECOND thought that crosses your mind is, “I wonder if she’s reading the classifieds looking for a place?”
You can’t stop yourself from slowing your car down when you drive past the garbage placed out at the curb on trash day while looking for something you can repurpose for your current rehab project.
You like the taste of antacid tablets and have an emergency supply of them in your car, your desk, your toolbox and your medicine cabinet.
You are tenacious! You’re playing golf with your buddies and after a great approach shot to the green where your ball has landed a mere 18 inches from the cup one of them says, “That’s a Gimme”, you ignore them, you take your shot, and miss.
You classify people you meet for the first time as “Contacts & Prospects”.
Many years ago you mastered the art of losing money in the stock market.
You have a definite opinion on which “Home Shows” on TV are good and which ones are garbage.
You know the names of more Realtors than you do the names of NFL Wide Receivers, MLB Shortstops and NBA Centers combined.
It is impossible for you to park a car in your garage because you must have all that crap for your Real Estate Business and you know that as soon as you throw any of it away, YOU’LL NEED IT!
You have the phone numbers for your Local Newspaper, your Chiropractor, your CPA and your Attorney on speed dial in your cell phone.
You admit that you have excused yourself momentarily from a phone conversation with a potential tenant just long enough to scream at the driver ahead of you stopped at the green light “Hey Jackass… HANG UP AND DRIVE!!!”
You’re always too busy cleaning and fixing other people’s houses to find the time and the energy to clean and fix your own.
When everyone else is scurrying to buy food and water for the approaching Hurricane, you’re in the garage gassing up and testing your chainsaw. (I’ll work for food)
You will actually talk to a Jehovah’s Witness on the remote chance that he may be looking for a house to rent or buy.
You have the uncanny ability to identify a person walking down the street as a “Renter” just by looking at the Pit-bull on the end of his leash.
You have the ability to notice, and occasionally identify correctly, paperwork taped to the door of a house while driving by at 35 mph. Many times you will also slam on the brakes, back up and stop to read said paperwork.
He is also a real estate author, landlord and developer. He is a founding partner of
RealEstateInvestorsOnline.com and an amateur webmaster and online business developer.
Steve can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
