Business, Negotiations

That Was Way Easier Than I Thought It Would Be…

Have you noticed that the older you get, the less time you seem to have? Looking back, it seems like when I was younger, I had all the time in the world. Now, every year older I get, I struggle more and more to balance everything I need to attend to. Have you experienced this

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Marketing

Do They Love You This Much?

My youngest daughter Rebecca and her friend are serious Taylor Swift fans. Believe it or not, Taylor Swift can teach us a lesson about probate real estate. She’s 15 so that means I’m still her personal chauffeur carting her and her friends between daily activities. Honestly, it’s a lot of fun. We can’t go anywhere

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Business

Thrift Shop Payday

There’s a great story out of New Hampshire about a lady who bought a painting at a thrift shop for four bucks. She hung it on her wall for a while then stored it in a closet. But then something unexpected happened. Someone noticed it in the background in a picture she posted on facebook.

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Probate Niche, Probate Nugget

Life Insurance and Motivated Sellers

It’s a little known fact that estates do not have to end up in probate. You may already know this, but the vast majority of Americans do not. So how can someone avoid putting their heirs through the pains and struggles of probate? They need to be proactive and create a living trust before they

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Probate Niche

Get To the Point

You know, the probate niche just isn’t for everyone. I got a response from a guy names David from Monday’s email that I guess didn’t surprise me. Here’s what he sent: “What’s your point and please get to your main point within 2 or 3 lines of your email” Now to be fair, he might

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Probate Niche

So Gullible

Creating mass hysteria is nothing new for us in the 21st century. It seems like the mainstream media never stops trying to keep us all worked up so we don’t pay attention to the man behind the curtain. And with instant “news” and social media, it’s easy for them to manipulate us 24/7. Almost a

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Goal Setting, Mindset, Personal Story

It Only Took Eight Years

A few months ago, I shared about how my son, Ernie, became an Eagle Scout. Well, last week we got to celebrate Ernie and the other scouts in his troop who recently got their Eagle at his Eagle Scout Court of Honor. As a father, it was such an emotional experience to sit there and

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Marketing, Mindset

Another One of My Favorites…

This week I celebrated my daughter Victoria’s birthday at one of our all-time family-favorite restaurants. Luciano Ristorante is my family’s go-to restaurant for any special occasion. Luciano was born and raised in Rome and brought his family and his recipes to Los Angeles over 20 years ago. The Italian cuisine he serves up with his

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Business

Oops, Wrong Address!

Working probate, you run into all sorts of problems and obstacles you need to help your seller overcome. But there are some problems that are beyond what even I can help with. I read an article this weekend about a lady in Atlanta named Susan Hodgson. While she was out of town on vacation, a

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Business, Mindset, Negotiations, Personal Story, Probate Niche

The Easy Button

I told you earlier this week about my experience buying a new car. We’re loving our new Honda Pilot, but that meant we had to say goodbye to the Cadillac Escalade that has served us so well over the years. So when the time came to sell, I decided to check out CarMax. I wasn’t

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Personal Story

Drive It Till It Dies

Loyalty is important to me. I’m loyal to my family. I’m loyal to my friends. And apparently I’m loyal to my car. I’ve been driving our Cadillac Escalade ESV for years now. And I’m the kind of guy who will drive a car until it dies. Our Escalade is getting on in years now and

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Business, Personal Story

The Repo Man

Twenty some years ago when I took a leap of faith and became a real estate investor, I had no idea all of the different hats I’d have to wear. In the morning you might be working the phones calling leads. Later in the afternoon, you might have to be a contractor making sure a

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