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CLE

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I have spent the last 10 years selling products. The more I look around I realize there are so many products out there it's hard for people to even make a decision. I watch shark tank and people essentially keep rehashing similar ideas over and over. Some are good and some not so much but the point is there is a lot shit out there for sale. I am seriously leaning towards large scale real estate development that offers some big changes over what we currently trend with or building an RV park in a nature setting with a 9 hole course and plenty of ammenities for kids since so many people are living RV life these days.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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RV park in a nature setting with a 9 hole course and plenty of amenities for kids since so many people are living RV life these days.

I love this, think @WJK might own, or be affiliated with one? Not sure however about the golf course... people who use RV parks tend to be very affluent (the Class-A's) or lower-middle class while barely making ends meet. It's really an odd demographic... on your left you have a $1M class-A, and on the other, you have a 20 year old fifth wheel worth $5K towed by an old F150.
 

CLE

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I do think the price of admission to an RV park like that would weed out the lower end outfits. I have nothing against those less fortunate but the reality is low income folks with campers tend to fill up parking lots instead. We have lots of forest service property around here in the mountains but there are only a limited number of campsites so people get discouraged to go. Just about one in three driveways in my city of 70,000 has a camper sitting and I can count about 120 total campsites within a 75 mile radius.
 

Kung Fu Steve

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Couple folks here on the forum did the whole RV thing the last couple years and they raved about it. @GlobalWealth was one of them.

On a side note, I think the grass is greener. I have those days where if I have to deal with selling ANOTHER seminar ticket I might blow my brains out. Those are the days when I say "man, PRODUCTS are the way to go!" And then I watch biophase packing 8,000 boxes and I'm like ... naaahhhh
 
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WJK

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I love this, think @WJK might own, or be affiliated with one? Not sure however about the golf course... people who use RV parks tend to be very affluent (the Class-A's) or lower-middle class while barely making ends meet. It's really an odd demographic... on your left you have a $1M class-A, and on the other, you have a 20 year old fifth wheel worth $5K towed by an old F150.
I own a mobile home park that includes 40+ mobile homes that I rent out year-around, -- the only group of affordable housing; 8 full-hook-up RV spots -- the only ones in my community; the only dumping station for RVs; the only self-service Laundromat; I have 2 sleeping rooms in the back part of my office that I rent out by the night or the month. I have community members who come and get water from my wells for their dry cabins & to take their showers. I have built a community within our larger community,

(FYI -- For all of you who think that success is instant -- it's taken me over 20 years to build up this good fortune and build the improvements. It's become a productocracy. I have a long waiting list for my rentals. And yes, I work at my business interests every day. The income has increased to 7 times -- compared to when I became the property owner on 3/1/1999 -- it was losing a lot of money every month then -- but, it had potential...)

We only rent the RV spaces during the summer -- May 15th through October 15th. Our winter weather is too brutal for RVs. And we must protect my Small Community Water System from freezing. I have RVs that come to stay for the entire summer -- I already have one reservation who is coming this summer. I have workers who come and stay for a couple of months while they do a local job. I have a huge extended family who comes and rents 2 spaces every summer to fish for a couple of weeks.
 

BD64

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I own a mobile home park that includes 40+ mobile homes that I rent out year-around, -- the only group of affordable housing; 8 full-hook-up RV spots -- the only ones in my community; the only dumping station for RVs; the only self-service Laundromat; I have 2 sleeping rooms in the back part of my office that I rent out by the night or the month. I have community members who come and get water from my wells for their dry cabins & to take their showers. I have built a community within our larger community,

(FYI -- For all of you who think that success is instant -- it's taken me over 20 years to build up this good fortune and build the improvements. It's become a productocracy. I have a long waiting list for my rentals. And yes, I work at my business interests every day. The income has increased to 7 times -- compared to when I became the property owner on 3/1/1999 -- it was losing a lot of money every month then -- but, it had potential...)

We only rent the RV spaces during the summer -- May 15th through October 15th. Our winter weather is too brutal for RVs. And we must protect my Small Community Water System from freezing. I have RVs that come to stay for the entire summer -- I already have one reservation who is coming this summer. I have workers who come and stay for a couple of months while they do a local job. I have a huge extended family who comes and rents 2 spaces every summer to fish for a couple of weeks.
Super cool. Do you have a thread where you go into more detail about this? Furthermore, I know that I've seen these REI nuggets from you in various posts but have never gotten the chance to go through them and jot down notes. Considering you have 2.2k posts, any chance you can point me in the right direction? =D
 

WJK

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Super cool. Do you have a thread where you go into more detail about this? Furthermore, I know that I've seen these REI nuggets from you in various posts but have never gotten the chance to go through them and jot down notes. Considering you have 2.2k posts, any chance you can point me in the right direction? =D
D, I've never really put the whole story together. I'll start with this:

My parents bought the park when they retired around 1987. Then they divorced in 1996 -- after 43 years of marriage. The park was in OK shape and was making a reasonable profit. I told dad not to sell the property to the young kid who bought it. Dad didn't listen to my advice. Mom was afraid of dad -- so she signed the papers. They carried the paper with almost no down payment. In a little bit over 2 years that kid owned it, he trashed it. And he leased the whole park out to a couple of different people to go around the "do not sell" clause in the note. None of them ever paid a dime of the property taxes. The space renters who could -- had moved away during the kid's ownership. The payments stopped and my parents had to take it back. I felt that I had to step in to save my mom's interest -- she had nothing else. (I was 6,000 miles away in Los Angeles with a pretty high-powered RE career. -- I was a Certified General and an expert witness/litigation support specialist in RE matters.) I finally cut a deal with dad concerning his interest and became mom's partner after they took title to the property. We got back the land, the broken infrastructure, about 20 trashed mobile homes, a pile of property tax bills, and a bunch of non-paying tenants who were almost all known criminals. I got all the bills, the negative cash flow, and all of my mom's personal bills to pay. It was "such a deal" for me. So, I came to Alaska for one week every other month to help to take care of the property and my mom. I did one tenant eviction every time I came to weed out the criminals. I had made a list -- the worst; the next worst; the next, next worst; the next, next, next worst... you get the idea. And for a few years, my life was all about working to pay the park bills and support my mom. Then mom had a major stroke one night that left her totally disabled.
It was then that my life became very complicated...
 
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BD64

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Thank you for sharing that start to the story. Considering the cliffhanger I'm looking forward to the day we get to hear more, regardless sounds like you are an amazing daughter, investor and person. I hope that you are absolutely killing it and living your best life now.
 

WJK

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Thank you for sharing that start to the story. Considering the cliffhanger I'm looking forward to the day we get to hear more, regardless sounds like you are an amazing daughter, investor and person. I hope that you are absolutely killing it and living your best life now.
It's not really "fastlane", but I've done better than I ever dreamed.

My life is a long story of a lot of work, hard-won successes, and some pretty spectacular failures. I was a country kid who had nothing but a dream. I moved to Los Angeles to make my fortune and go to school when I was a 19-year-old kid. It was a terrifying move. Over about 30 years, I got my education (4 college degrees including my Juris Doctorate -- earned at law school) and built a great career. Toward the end of that time period, I was able to give my mom a very happy life for several years before I lost her. I thought giving up my career and coming here to Alaska would prolong her life. I was wrong. I thought that I could quickly turn this property around -- like the flips I had done in LA. Wrong again. So I'm still here after all of these years, working my little program.

Thanks for asking. Being on this forum is my way of reaching out. I personally know how hard the journey can be. If it weren't for some really kind people who helped me along the way, I wouldn't be here. I just try to add some words of wisdom to others' struggles.
 

Sega Saph

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WJK, it was a really interesting story to know! Thank you so much for shareing! When did you read MJ's book the first time? Peace​

 
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WJK

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WJK, it was a really interesting story to know! Thank you so much for shareing! When did you read MJ's book the first time? Peace​

I read it in 2017. I'm an avid reader.

When I started my RE career in 1976. there was no training available for salesmen. I was lost. I was very shy and I looked like I was 16 years old. Everyone around me was middle-aged. I got my license and took it to my broker. He said, "There's your desk and your phone. Go to work." I arranged my pencils and my pen in my new desk drawer and looked around. Everyone else was working. I went back and tapped him on the shoulder. His desk was in the corner of the office, and his chair was turned to his back was to the office.
He turned around with his phone at his ear. He shouted, "What?" Studdering, I asked what I should do now. "Go knock on doors," was his only answer. He scooped up a pile of business cards that had a space for me to write in my name. He shoved them into my hand and he turned his back on me again. He continued his phone call.
I stood there for a minute to find my courage. Then I tapped on his should again as he hung up the phone. He whipped around facing me. He was visibly angry. "What do I say?" I asked timidly.
He dropped the phone into its cradle and explained, "Go ask them if they want to sell their house." I nodded and went to write my name on the business cards. That's what I did. I door knocked every day. I asked people if they wanted to sell their house.
Tommy Hawkins came out with sales training tapes about a year later. I memorized them. I bought the book, How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling, by Frank Bettger. I read it so much that the book fell apart. I bought another copy,
Yes, I became very successful at selling RE. I cried a lot. I struggled a lot. The reason I was so determined was that they had to pay me like a man. Women got paid very little during those days. In RE, when I sold a property, I got my commission.
 

Sega Saph

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WJK, man thank you again! Really interesting path of your life i can see in this thread! Interesting stories! Hope you share the other one with us! Peace man​

 

WJK

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WJK, man thank you again! Really interesting path of your life i can see in this thread! Interesting stories! Hope you share the other one with us! Peace man​

Just remember that success only looks easy from the outside. The real struggles are deeply personal and painful!
 
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Walter Hay

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When I started my RE career in 1976. there was no training available for salesmen. I was lost. I was very shy and I looked like I was 16 years old.
You didn't need training - you had determination and the ability to communicate, together with a need to succeed. Congratulations! You did it.

Looking young is a decided disadvantage in most areas of employment. I know because I suffered from that same problem. In my motorcycling days I was pulled over by highway patrols because my size and facial appearance made them think I was a child. Even today at 83 years of age I meet people who can't believe that I am so old.

Selling while appearing to be a juvenile was a challenge, because, as I am sure you experienced, people don't respect the opinions or knowledge of a junior.

I always read your posts with interest because of your fortitude and what I also see as a big heart. Thank you so much for telling your story. It holds valuable lessons.

Walter
P.S. Under-age appearance had its benefits in the form of paying children's admission fees and transport fares rather than adult rates, even until I was well past the age that qualified for children's rates.
 

WJK

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You didn't need training - you had determination and the ability to communicate, together with a need to succeed. Congratulations! You did it.

Looking young is a decided disadvantage in most areas of employment. I know because I suffered from that same problem. In my motorcycling days I was pulled over by highway patrols because my size and facial appearance made them think I was a child. Even today at 83 years of age I meet people who can't believe that I am so old.

Selling while appearing to be a juvenile was a challenge, because, as I am sure you experienced, people don't respect the opinions or knowledge of a junior.

I always read your posts with interest because of your fortitude and what I also see as a big heart. Thank you so much for telling your story. It holds valuable lessons.

Walter
P.S. Under-age appearance had its benefits in the form of paying children's admission fees and transport fares rather than adult rates, even until I was well past the age that qualified for children's rates.
Walter, You're right. I was doggedly determined to make it work. My mentor, Alice, told me to try and I did whatever she said. She believed in me and that was enough. I watched her being successful in her life and I wanted to follow in her footsteps. At that time, I was married to my childhood sweetheart and I had earned my first college degree. My young, uneducated husband made more as a common laborer than I made with my degree. I didn't think that was fair. Alice was an accounting college professor who invested in real estate on the side. If she could do it, I could too. I am so grateful to that woman and her kind guidance. She's been gone for years and she's still on my "grateful" list.
 

Sega Saph

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Just remember that success only looks easy from the outside. The real struggles are deeply personal and painful!
I'll remember that, sir! Thank you so much for this word of wisdom! I gonna try it soon, because ready for working hard! It' s a huge expirience what you share with us. Grats!

WJK.​

 
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Sega Saph

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You didn't need training - you had determination and the ability to communicate, together with a need to succeed. Congratulations! You did it.

Looking young is a decided disadvantage in most areas of employment. I know because I suffered from that same problem. In my motorcycling days I was pulled over by highway patrols because my size and facial appearance made them think I was a child. Even today at 83 years of age I meet people who can't believe that I am so old.

Selling while appearing to be a juvenile was a challenge, because, as I am sure you experienced, people don't respect the opinions or knowledge of a junior.

I always read your posts with interest because of your fortitude and what I also see as a big heart. Thank you so much for telling your story. It holds valuable lessons.

Walter
P.S. Under-age appearance had its benefits in the form of paying children's admission fees and transport fares rather than adult rates, even until I was well past the age that qualified for children's rates.
Walter Thank you! It's soo nice to see a guy like you, who is the eldest one on this forum i think, and continue to educate ppl who want to be sucssed. Do you have your own story thread on forum? Wish you a long live further and good luck!
 

Walter Hay

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