If you weren’t on last week’s call, here’s the summary so you can get a glimpse of what went on.  To join the call, go to www.sellercalls.com and get in on the action! Can’t wait to help YOU with your deals!!

April 14th, 2010

The Setup

Student: Sue

Agent: Roger

Location: Ontario, near the U.S.-Canada border

So here’s the scenario: Roger’s client, who owns one of the largest helicopter businesses in the world and several restaurants, wants to sell fast. But is he motivated enough?

The property is listed at $7.9 million and sits on 28 acres with some waterfront. Roger says it’s absolutely magnificent. Built by Italian builders. In-ground heated pool. New horse-rail fence along property. Beautiful entryway. Bottom line? He wants $6.8 million. Roger says he doesn’t need to sell it.

I tell Roger what I tell all sellers and agents. When we buy, we have to buy at the right number and be conscious of our costs to resell the property. No doubt the location —between Toronto and Montreal is a good one, and, yep, I tell him, there is a market for the property. But the numbers just have to make sense. We don’t make a lot on every property, but we’ve got to make a little on each.

So on this one, I’m not sure if there’s enough upside for us. We’re not vulture buyers, but we’ve got to pay closing costs twice and we spend a lot on marketing. So Roger tells us about another property listed for $1.3 million that he’d be willing to sell for $950,000. Sounds goods. He also has one marked down for $600K that sounds intriguing.

I tell him to circle back with Sue on the details.

That, kids, is how you talk to agents. We’re in the helping people business, but we have to find numbers that work for everyone. Otherwise — as I tell Roger — we’ll end up upside down. We don’t want that. So we have to be patient.

This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon, and we don’t want to waste time chasing sellers who aren’t motivated.

***********************************************************************

The Setup

Student: Caroline

Seller: Deborah (pronounced Deb-BOOR-ah)

Location: Boulder, Colorado

The scenario: Caroline says Deborah, who was originally asking $1.6 million, has said she’ll take $975,000 for the unique, curvy property. Not a straight wall in the joint. Feng shui. Comps run between $800,000 and $2.5 million. Unfortunately, as we get into the call, it becomes apparent she wants a little more than $975,000.

When we get on the phone with Deborah, I tell her that we’re ultimately looking for a good deal for both of us. I ask what her situation is and her time frame so we can structure a deal that works. This is important, gang, because until we know what motivates sellers, we can’t talk solutions and we can’t get to a bottom line on price. Caroline loves the house, but has to sell because she’s a mortgage broker, her husband is a remodeling contractor, and with the current market, “We’re up against it,” she tells me.

She listed the house last fall for $1.6 and had showings, but that’s about it. No offers. Bathrooms need updating, but otherwise the house is good to go, she says. She’s planning to list again, this time for $1.2. She’d sell to us for $1.1.

For around $1.2, you could get a cabana downtown or something a little roomier a little further out, she says. Her time frame for selling is ASAP. But I tell her if I bought for $1.1, just with closing costs twice, we’d be upside down. I add that if that’s her bottom line, I totally respect that. You’ll hear me say that often. Why? Because I want people to get the price they want. We’re in the helping people business. Of course, that doesn’t mean we’re a non-profit. So if people want more than we can give, we just wish them the best. If they’re willing to come back to the table with a number that works better for us, even better.

I explain to Caroline the movie-style launch and aggressive marketing. She fishes for our bottom line. Per the usual, we don’t give it. But I tell her to consider a number she’d be happy with, that she could sleep on and get back to us.

That’s how it’s done. Patience. Let the seller come back to us. Right now she doesn’t seem that motivated, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t. We’ll find out soon enough.

Orlando, Fla. – March 29, 2010 – Marco Kozlowski, expert in buying and selling luxury homes, is offering a free special report on his website, http://www.MarcoKozlowski.com.  This special report is called “31 Reasons Luxury Real Estate is the Way to Go in a Down Market.”  When visitors to the site sign up for the free report, they will receive a new luxury home investing tip every day for 31 days.

In the special report, Marco discusses many topics spanning many areas of luxury real estate, luxury home investing, making money with foreclosures and general real estate investing.  Some of the titles of the individual emails include:

• You just made $2500 out of thin air
• Rich sellers need you now more than ever. Profit from it now.
• Others WANT to make you rich. NO KIDDING.
• Lets Get BIG FAT Checks together
• You don’t need a license to make 100k per deal
• 30 Reasons to Play with Luxury Homes
• Why most agents are ineffective at selling
• Secrets revealed
• Job security – bull

Marco’s website is the go-to place online to learn about luxury home investing, Marco’s real estate course and how to buy and sell luxury homes and foreclosures.  You can also learn how Marco went from being a broke musician to a multi-millionaire by utilizing systems that he created to flip luxury homes and make money with foreclosures.

To sign up for Marco’s free special report, visit http://www.marcokozlowski.com/free-special-report

To learn more about Marco Kozlowski, please visit http://www.MarcoKozlowski.com

About Marco Kozlowski:

Marco Kozlowski, was a struggling musician, under constant pressure to make ends meet and virtually bankrupt before a late night infomercial led him to real estate. The promise of wealth intrigued him, but it came with a steep learning curve. After buying 119 houses in his first year he found himself upside down — paying more out than he got back in rent. But in his zest to move a luxury property no one could sell, he witnessed firsthand the power of auctions. It was then that he began to unravel the secrets that would make him millions. That was more than 10 years ago. Now he focuses exclusively on finding, controlling and selling luxury property without risk. Best of all, he’s created and perfected a system that allows others to do the same.

Learn more at http://www.MarcoKozlowski.com

Orlando, Fla. – March 23, 2010 – Marco Kozlowski, luxury home investment expert, recently finished one if his popular 4-day real estate courses, held in Calgary, Canada. This 4-day real estate class was held for people who want to develop their natural money making by learning secrets of real estate wealth creation. It’s for people who are prepared to acquire the tools necessary to secure their financial future.

The “4-Day Live Real Estate Training Course” was held from January 28th – 31st in Calgary, Canada. The approximately 45 attendees were treated to 4 days of up-close and personal real estate training with renowned luxury home investor, Marco Kozlowski. Marco spoke about “How to buy luxury properties with $100.00.” Marco taught the attendees to buy multi-million dollar properties with $100.00 and no credit. Specifically, Marco focused on how to build a team of motivated people who will help make you money. Marco also invited other prestigious guests to contribute to the course. Among these included, J.T. Foxx, real estate investor and internationally syndicated radio show host, delivering a lecture titled “Get Rich or Die Broke.”

Marco will be holding the next “4-Day Live Real Estate Training Course” at the Universal Sheraton in Los Angeles, Calif. from March 25-28, 2010.

Marco’s website is the go-to place online to learn about luxury home investing, Marco’s real estate course and how to buy and sell luxury homes and foreclosures. You can also learn how Marco went from being a broke musician to a multi-millionaire by utilizing systems that he created to flip luxury homes and make money with foreclosures.

For more information on Marco Kozlowski and his real estate classes and seminars visit http://www.marcokozlowski.com

About Marco Kozlowski:

Marco Kozlowski, was a struggling musician, under constant pressure to make ends meet and virtually bankrupt before a late night infomercial led him to real estate. The promise of wealth intrigued him, but it came with a steep learning curve. After buying 119 houses in his first year he found himself upside down — paying more out than he got back in rent. But in his zest to move a luxury property no one could sell, he witnessed firsthand the power of auctions. It was then that he began to unravel the secrets that would make him millions. That was more than 10 years ago. Now he focuses exclusively on finding, controlling and selling luxury property without risk. Best of all, he’s created and perfected a system that allows others to do the same.

Learn more at http://www.MarcoKozlowski.com

Orlando, Fla. – March 22, 2010 – Marco Kozlowski, luxury home investment expert, is offering a free webinar on his website, http://www.MarcoKozlowski.com. This webinar was created for people who want to develop their natural money making by learning secrets of real estate wealth creation. It’s for people who are prepared to acquire the tools necessary to secure their financial future.

In the free webinar, Marco discusses these topics along with many others:

• Where the Big Money is hidden in real estate… and how you can cash in with No cash, No credit and No risk on your part.
• Discover how you can make $50,000 and more per deal, in as little as 10 days
• The 5 crucial steps to success in real estate or any business!
• Seven Magic Words to use in negotiations that would get you what you want in any real estate deal…And how to increase the odds of getting your offer accepted by 316%
• Learn the secrets that the most successful real estate investors use to get armies of agents looking for smoking hot deals for you…Leverage the power of the Internet to skyrocket your real estate investing business in 2010 and beyond with these cutting-edge strategies.
• Tap into the power of Auctions and discover how to liquidate properties quickly for more than you control them for

According to real estate investor, James Ryder, “Marco found a segment of the real estate market that is outrageously profitable, yet is almost totally ignored by most real estate investors!”

About the free webinar, Marco Kozlowski said, “I don’t want a bunch of misinformed people out there who don’t understand this marketplace, screwing things up for those of us who know what we’re doing. An investor has to hear my presentation to understand how this special marketplace works.”

To register for this free webinar visit http://www.marcokozlowski.com/register

Marco’s website is the go-to place online to learn about luxury home investing, Marco’s real estate course and how to buy and sell luxury homes and foreclosures. You can also learn how Marco went from being a broke musician to a multi-millionaire by utilizing systems that he created to flip luxury homes and make money with foreclosures.

To learn more about Marco Kozlowski, please visit http://www.MarcoKozlowski.com

About Marco Kozlowski:

Marco Kozlowski, was a struggling musician, under constant pressure to make ends meet and virtually bankrupt before a late night infomercial led him to real estate. The promise of wealth intrigued him, but it came with a steep learning curve. After buying 119 houses in his first year he found himself upside down — paying more out than he got back in rent. But in his zest to move a luxury property no one could sell, he witnessed firsthand the power of auctions. It was then that he began to unravel the secrets that would make him millions. That was more than 10 years ago. Now he focuses exclusively on finding, controlling and selling luxury property without risk. Best of all, he’s created and perfected a system that allows others to do the same.

Learn more at http://www.MarcoKozlowski.com

Orlando, Fla. – February 23, 2010 – Marco Kozlowski, luxury home investment expert, is one of only a handful of participants selected for America’s PremierExperts® class of 2009-2010 and participating in The Ultimate Celebrity Branding Experience®.  Marco focuses exclusively on finding, controlling and selling luxury property without risk – and has created and perfected a system that allows others to do the same.

America’s PremierExperts® LLC is an organization that honors an exclusive group of celebrity experts who are dedicated to spreading knowledge and awareness in their field of expertise and making significant contributions to their industry and the marketplace as a whole.  Upon acceptance into America’s PremiereExperts®, members are invited to apply to participate in a 12-month innovative and extremely exclusive program, The Ultimate Celebrity Branding Experience®, for highly motivated entrepreneurs and professionals, launched by Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Lawyer and J.W. Dicks, Esq., The Business Growth Lawyer, authors of the book, “Celebrity Branding You®.”

The participants selected to participate in this year’s program are forward-thinking business owners, authors, speakers, entrepreneurs and corporate CEOs looking to separate their brand, increase revenues, lock out their competition and capture a distinct advantage over competitors in their market.

To learn more about Marco Kozlowski, please visit http://www.MarcoKozlowski.com

For more information about America’s PremierExperts® please visit http://www.AmericasPremierExperts.com

About Marco Kozlowski:

Marco Kozlowski, was a struggling musician, under constant pressure to make ends meet and virtually bankrupt before a late night infomercial led him to real estate. The promise of wealth intrigued him, but it came with a steep learning curve. After buying 119 houses in his first year he found himself upside down — paying more out than he got back in rent. But in his zest to move a luxury property no one could sell, he witnessed firsthand the power of auctions. It was then that he began to unravel the secrets that would make him millions. That was more than 10 years ago. Now he focuses exclusively on finding, controlling and selling luxury property without risk. Best of all, he’s created and perfected a system that allows others to do the same.

Learn more at http://www.MarcoKozlowski.com

About America’s PremierExperts® LLC:

America’s PremierExperts® is an organization that recognizes business experts for their willingness to promote free expert content in their field of expertise to consumers and journalists alike, while offering business owners, entrepreneurs, professional speakers, authors, professionals and corporate CEOs exclusive, invitation-only, opportunities for further exposure and growth in the marketplace.  JW Dicks, Esq. and Nick Nanton, Esq., attorneys by trade and entrepreneurs by choice, founded America’s PremierExperts® and The Ultimate Celebrity Branding Experience™ to honor entrepreneurs, CEOs, authors, professional speakers and businesspeople who are dedicated to spreading knowledge and awareness in their field of expertise and making significant contributions to their industry and the marketplace as a whole.  For more information about America’s PremierExperts® LLC visit http://www.AmericasPremierExperts.com

I assume that when you sit down to a nice steak dinner, you eat it with a knife and fork instead of your hands.  You hopefully shower and brush your teeth at least semi-regularly.  And when you want something, I’m relatively sure you ask for it – rather than club somebody over the head and grab it.

Yeah, you’re civilized.  You have manners.  You know how to play nice.  So it might surprise you to know that, deep down inside, you’re a caveman.

At least when it comes to competition.

As human beings, we’re hardwired to compete.  Blame it on our ancestors, who had to beat the living crap out of each other just to get some food, or shelter, or a mate.  Or our more recent ancestors, who decimated entire populations just to get more land, or more resources…or mates.

We all went to school, so we learned exactly why we were so uncouth back then.  It was necessity.  We didn’t know better.  We didn’t have modern conveniences like running water and Target.  The problem is, we have that stuff now, but that inner need to fight, to compete, to win is still there.  Somehow it became part of our DNA.  Which means it’s still there, right now, inside of you.

Yes, even you, Ms. Civilized.

You may not feel it, sitting at your desk job, or sprawled out on the couch watching “Deal or No Deal.”

But believe me, it’s there.  That need to compete – scratch that, the need to win — is a massive part of the human experience.  How else can you explain war?  Or politics?  Or the New York Yankees?

The question is, how does the average Joe the Businessman satisfy this primal need to kick some ass without going all Fight Club on the next-door-neighbor?

Simple.  He kicks his own ass.

(And maybe a little bit of the asses of his friends and colleagues.)

It might sound like a joke, but I’m being completely serious right now.  Every morning when I wake up, I know that my biggest competition is me.  And if I’m on track, I’m going to spend the day trying to top myself, to keep pushing and keep building, to do better than I did last week, last month, last year.  And I’m not just taking about the business of real estate investing.  I’m talking about my life.  I want to work harder, play harder and live better today than I lived yesterday.

And tomorrow, I hope I have such an amazing day that what I did today actually embarrasses me.

Pushing myself hard isn’t always easy – and let’s face it – there are days when I spend hours in my shorts watching ESPN and eating Froot Loops out of the box.  But it’s something I normally look at as a win-win.  Not only do I satisfy that inner, totally human urge to compete and win, but I also get the rewards only winning can bring – the reputation of a guy who knows what he’s doing, the money to do what I want, the kind of life I want to live.

So my advice to all you Average Joes and JoAnne’s is – step up and challenge yourself.  Try to top yourself.  And keep working at it. You’ll feel better, you’ll accomplish more, and you’ll satisfy one of your most primal, innermost needs.

Unless you’d rather go beat up your neighbor.

Which I guess is why we called them Bad Words.

Let a Bad Word slip at the wrong time, in front of the wrong person, and something bad was bound to happen – to YOU. So you learned – at least I assume you did – to use those words very, very carefully
Unless you were practicing to become a stand-up comic.

Well, as I’ve grown up (crap, did I?) and gone out into the world to make it to the top in the luxury home investing biz, I’ve run across one single word that is even worse than those Bad Words you weren’t supposed to say. In fact, I would call it the Worst Word in the English Language.

This is a word so powerful, and so completely and totally horrible, that if you let it slip from your lips it at the wrong time, or in the wrong circumstance, it can literally mess up your entire life.

Have any idea what it is?

It’s FEAR.

FEAR is the one word in the English (not to mention Spanish) language that’s guaranteed to bring whatever you’re doing, whatever progress you’re making, to an immediate, grinding stop.

FEAR means closing the door on opportunity, on possibility, on anything and everything that can get you from where you are to someplace bigger and better.

When you stop yourself because of FEAR, you say, “I’m not going to try. I’m not taking the risk. I’m not putting myself out there.”

Which means you stay exactly where you are.

Of course, most of the time, when we say no to ourselves due to fear, that’s exactly why we do it. We’re comfortable where we are. We like knowing what to expect from each and every day. We feel safe and secure in our little boxes where we don’t put anything on the line and we don’t risk facing rejection or failure.

The problem with that school of thought is, you’re also not going to find much success.

Keep doing what you are doing – you’ll get what you got.

I was a victim of the same thing…then I realized that “You can afford anything that moves your dream forward”

And this doesn’t just apply to luxury property investing field. Wherever and however you’re trying to make your fortune, the four-letter word, FEAR, is the ultimate party foul, buzz-kill and dream stealer.

Are you going to let FEAR stop you from reaching your dreams??

While, on the other hand, the word ACTION is almost guaranteed to get the party started.

Start working through the FEAR and start saying YES to ACTION

Say YES where you might otherwise say NO, and a whole new world of possibilities opens up. You meet new people. You try new things. You stretch your boundaries. And the possibilities and opportunities available to you grow and grow.

No, don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying that you should never, ever say NO. For example, if someone offers to give you a bright orange Mohawk haircut, I would highly recommend it.

But if you’re looking to get the most out of your career – and your life – there’s generally only one thing you should say NO to. And that’s the word NO.

Well, that and drugs.

Was on the same flight last week and there wasn’t a soul in sight. Funny how that works out.

Despite the hullaballoo, Do we stop traveling because of long-ass-kid-screaming lines? Nope.

Do we stop traveling if the food has a slightly better flavor than a Michelin tire after running over a skunk? No.

Do we even stop traveling because you MUST remove most of your clothes, shoes, have “randoms” sift through your tidy whiteys and wonder suspiciously why you carry on 2 laptops?

You see as a frequent traveler, I do what needs to be done and endure the discomforts regardless of what happens along the way as it’s simply part of the journey.

Yeah, things go wrong. I deal with it.

Isn’t that JUST like success? Things go wrong, you work around the kinks and the consistent bursts of discomfort and humiliation because we KNOW it’s worth it.

Do you?

Do you do what it takes to get to where you not only WANT to go, but NEED to go.

Stop sweating the people who are smelling your tidy whiteys and get to where you’re destined to go…

Once you get here, it takes your breath away.

See you soon I hope.

Marco Kozlowski

“It was the best investment I ever made…”