Category Archives: real estate

My biggest Competitor Is Me

This post has been a long time coming. I think I was just scared to write down how I felt about all this. First off let me say this, the people who talk the most do the least. The more they talk the less they do do. Action speaks louder than words. I consider myself a straight forward person, no bull shit just do what I say and that’s it. That being said I feel almost embarrassed not reaching financial goals I outlined in the last few months. When I said I wanted x amount of dollars it should have happened. Everyone has their ups and downs like it or not it is part of life. I’m not superman and negativity can get the better part of me, this is where MotionGroove.com always kicks in.

I have put up many posts regarding financial successes and goals that I have achieved and there have been big ones, from my point of view anyways. Considering I came from being a carpenter/ cabinet maker, I can hopefully give myself a pat on the back for what I have done with myself in the last 10 years of my life.

Things change and when that happens you need to go with the flow. I for one am surprisingly not happy when change comes, especially when it affects me in a negative fashion. I’m almost 40 now and I seem to get stuck in my ways. I need to push myself in order to move forward. My industry is ever changing, always evolving and I need to evolve with it. If I wanted to remain at a place with no change I should have stayed working as a cabinet maker making $17.27 per hour, I would be better off. Yeah right.

Focus is the key to success, you need to know what you want and you do not stop until you get what you want, NO MATTER WHAT! What the fuck is the point of wanting something if you don’t even get or achieve it? Wasted energy my friends. The question really is what do I want? I have had so many changes hit me this years it’s pretty amazing. Where do I go from here?

Personally for me, I’m a fighter. I hate giving up, I have too much pride to quit. It could be a reason I hate change. I am scared of the unknown, I am scared of failure. I am in it to win it, losing at anything gets me super pissed, sometimes depressed. These are things I have learned about myself. It’s time to get back on track.

Where to go from here:

  1. I have to set my alarm clock for 5:00 am wake up, every day people. This will give me ample time to finish what I need to get done.
  2. A daily goal list of things I want and need to get done.
  3. I need to continue pushing myself forward, try new things test various  projects out.
  4. Don’t be so hard on myself. I know when I have tried as hard as I could. I did everything I could and other shit gets in the way let it go, it’s not my fault.
  5. If I was making $3,000 profit per day, maybe today is different. You can only do as much as you can. Things change, find new ways to make that revenue. Think outside of your box, more money is waiting for you around the corner.
  6. Real estate time – Prices are slowing in Vancouver and I am planning on buying possibly 2 more condos this year in Vancouver.

This post seem to go all over but I needed to get my thoughts on the screen, so I can go from here. It’s my own way of clearing my head so I can make room in my mind for what is coming next. I may sound like things are falling off of a cliff but in reality anyone would dream to be in the position I am. I am hard on myself and this post proves it once again. Some people are happy with what they have but I want more, why? I have no clue but I am in a competition with myself to be the best that I can be. It’s a never ending competition and the only winner in this competition is me. Happiness and sadness are a fine line for me anyways. I need to push myself to be who I truly am.  If I’m not busting my ass I don’t feel good, I need to sweat to smile. This is how I live my life, 100% or nothing. Onward and upward.

This time around public, I need to make them happen privately. Focus, focus, focus, the law of attraction works. I am living proof, even though I talk myself out of  it sometimes, stupid me. Negativity will kill your inner self, my inner self. Here it to reaching my goals…

Giving Up Is Not An Option

I figured I better post these photos before  they become non relevant, since I am in Vancouver now. Well it was fun while it lasted. We stayed in Vegas for almost 6 sun filled weeks, it was awesome! We walked daily for about an hour, felt great with the sun in our faces, wearing shorts and t-shirts.  Buying that condo in Vegas was one of the best decisions I have ever made, it feels so good to be able to getaway anytime we want.

I’m back in Vancouver looking at the rain outside and wondering why the f*ck we even came back to the “most beautiful city on earth” (Vancouver?!). In any case now I can focus on the work tasks as hand with no distractions of nice weather, LOL. Driving wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, 20 hours to get there, with a night in Boise, Idaho in between Vancouver and Vegas.

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Now it’s to get off my lazy ass and make some money!

I don’t like not making my goals and it seems the last time I blogged about getting back to my $1500 profit per day it didn’t happen. Why not?

  1. Part of it really has to do with me and my relaxed work ethic. Psychologically I think I am happy with the success I have achieved so I don’t work as hard as I should be or did in the past.
  2. I don’t push myself like I used, the end result is lower income.  Another reason is feeling sorry for myself because I’m not making as much (stupid I know…). Money screws with your head, when you making tons of it you want more, when it comes in less amounts you get pissed off, angry etc..  Human beings are strange creatures, always wanting more and more, never being satisfied or happy with what they have already.
  3. Lastly the internet is constantly evolving and changing and many opportunities that I made hundreds of thousands of dollars from in the past aren’t there. Competition comes in and pretty soon you aren’t making money. Google chances how the rank websites and your AdSense earning dry up and so on. Surprisingly I still make about $1,100 month from Ad Sense, from informational websites I built in 2003-2006. I haven’t touched them in years since at least least 2006. $1,1000 isn’t a ton of cash but I get check for doing nothing. Back to the changing Internet, I found loopholes in search engine like Google, Yahoo and MSN that allowed to get very cheap targeted traffic to my sites and made a killing for years. Most of those loopholes are now closed unfortunately, however the money I made from these tactics has been invested in real estate safe and sound.

I made at least 2-3 million dollar in revenue  from many, many loopholes that  I found that will be forever closed. I am very grateful for being in the right place at the right time in many situations for many years. I basically milked every idea I had as long as I could, and still milking some now as I write this. Being resourceful has helped to cement my financial freedom for as long as I am alive and my kids (and grand children) will be taken care of long after I am gone 50-60 years from now, for that I am so VERY grateful for! I feel like  I have done my duty as a provider, and it feels great to have achieved it.

Don’t count me out yet though, not even close. I still have some tricks up my sleeve I’m not going to slowdown and retire. I have too much energy to stop!

As for the local affiliate marketing I tried it with a local plumbing company, I made a website for them, I set up phone tracking so my client (plumber) knew that these calls were coming from me. So far from what I know he got 1 customer from it in about 1 month.

  1. The problem is this, he doesn’t answer the call every time because he is busy being a plumber, if he calls a few hours later then that potential customer may have gotten another plumber lined up for the job.
  2. I am paying for all the online advertising, so I get screwed because he isn’t on the ball!
  3. Also some plumbing  jobs are just too small for this plumber to do, for instance changing a leaking faucet isn’t really worth it to him. I get 10% of each job, but it hasn’t worked out too well.
  4. Traffic for local marketing campaigns is much lower than a dating site where you can target millions of people. For instance for this plumbing client, I get anywhere from 5-13 clicks a day. This is enough to get a job per day you would think but apparently lots of the phone calls are people asking questions more than booking jobs.
  5. He has poor communication skills and takes him forever to call me back (many days usually).

I’m not too bummed out on this because I knew there were be problems that I wouldn’t be able to foresee until I actually had a campaign running. Local affiliate marketing definitely does work, because I track the phone calls the plumber is receiving. He is getting the calls but a factor of a few things really isn’t making this deal work out for me. Currently I lost around $250 roughly on this test, you live and learn. I don’t regret doing this project at all, I learned lots and I can use what I have learned on other clients that will pop up. I will be pausing the phone tracking as well as all my online advertising for this client. I wasted enough of my own time and money to try this out. If the client doesn’t want to put in much  effort then I have no alternative. I don’t like chasing clients for their input or money. There are way too many other people who would love an opportunity to have a chance at expanding their client base and only pay for actual clients. Whatever, you live and learn…

Watch this video below it is very inspirational Will Smith is the man he is a driven man, so awesome!!! He never gives up he would rather “die on a treadmill”. This is how you achieve success, so simple but yet SOO POWERFUL. He understands the universe and a crazy work ethic. AWESOME. This video sums up how I feel…

heading out on the 20 hour drive from Vegas to Vancouver

stopping for gas in some Nevada desert gas station

through the Nevada desert..

cool rock formations in the Nevada desert..

Nevada highway patrol

creepy little town in Nowhereville, Nevada USA

ditto

Once you get to Western Idaho, it all changes and looks like Vancouver…

cool looking winding road…

Almost home!!

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Cash Flow Properties Everywhere You Look In las Vegas

I mentioned in another post that I bought 1 condo in Las Vegas to rent. The condo was a 1300 sq ft 2 bedroom with 1 car private garage. I have a property management company that is taking care of it for me. Since I am down here in Vegas I wanted to see the condo before it gets rented out and see the upgrades that the management company did. Overall they did a nice job of touching it up before it is rented out. From what the management company has told me they have 2 people wanting to rent the place, I will found out shortly. As for rental rates they are pretty decent, this condo is going to get rented  for either $795  (with no dog) or $825 (with 2 dogs). Considering I bought the place for $64,000, that is pretty damn good cash flow. I know friends in Vancouver who bought a new 1 bedroom in Surrey for $200,000 and are renting it for around $8-$9o0. That is horrible cash flow honestly, but better to invest in something that nothing at all. However you cannot purchase too many condos with negative cash flow, because they can’t cover themselves. Your properties always should cover themselves…

This condo is located just down the hill  (literally 20 second drive ) from my own vacation om here in Las Vegas. which is kinda nice in a way. If you’re thinking of investing in Las Vegas the timing  could not be better, with the Canadian dollar worth more than the US dollar (last time I checked), and such low prices combined with people looking to rent because they have lots their homes it’s a win, win, win situation, for real estate investors.

This is an opportunity that will not be around forever, and then you will kick yourself when you didn’t do it. Easier said than done, I know however you need to push yourself if you want to get ahead. Nothing comes by watching TV, go out and make your life happen.

Action = $$$$

sincerely,
Cosimo

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the entrance is located on the side of the building. My rental condo is right across from the clubhouse that has a full gym as well as an outside pool

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living room

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dining area

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view of kitchen from outdoor deck area…
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view from patio of Lone mountain…
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view from patio of parking area…

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view of kitchen area…

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view of wrap around kitchen area (the stove is gone, need to buy one)

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view of closet

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view of bathroom in master bedroom

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view of tub in master bedroom

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view of the washroom in the master bedroom

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This condo cost me $64,000, is that insane I think so!! Every time I think of Vancouver real estate I just shake my head (still doing it now)….

What The Hell Is Going On With Me?

I did it again! With the prices so low in Nevada did you really think I would buy just one condo LOL? I put an offer on a 2 bedroom (with den) 1250 square foot condo with one car garage for $64,000, it was accepted 2 days later wayyyy back in December.  I don’t have any photos, sorry folks! This property was not a foreclosure, instead it was a short sale. A short sale is when a home owner cannot pay the mortgage so he basically sells his or her property for a loss. A foreclosure on the other hand is when the home owners have  lost their home already and it is owned by a bank.

Since there are so many foreclosures and short sales in Vegas it can and has taken me months to finally close on this condo.The banks are swamped with work.  So now I have possession and I have gotten a local property manager in Las Vegas to rent out the place for. I’m hoping this doesn’t turn out to be another Winnipeg… I’m pretty certain this is the beginning of more condo purchases down in Vegas, it’s hard to resist when you can get such amazing deals. Rents should be between $750 – $900US a month, so it’s all cash flow baby, according to Jeremy (my property manager). I am not buying anymore places down there until I see how this first rental in Vegas does. I sure don’t want to buy  a bunch of condos and have them all sittingempty, so this one is the test. I have a great feeling and I have done my homework so  I’m certain it will be awesome but just to make sure I won’t buy anymore until I see results.

The Secret

I have been watching The Secret DVD over and over to help me get back to my healthy self and I can say it has worked once again! I feel great and I am working harder than ever to get my sales back up and they are showings signs of life again, HAHA.

Always remember, what you focus and think about always come to life, so focus on what you want and not what you don’t want! That is the best advice I can give anyone, who is feeling lost or depressed. The law of attraction!

Escalade

Also I am without my beloved Escalade, as the body shop fixes a few scratches on the front and rear bumper. They are installing new factory fog lights since the lens cover fell off both of the ones on the truck in the last year (don’t ask). Any my Cadillac emblem on my rear tailgate look like hell so I bought a new one that they are installing as well. That should make my SUV look brand newish again! I’m am driving down to Vegas (instead of flying) next month and I want it to look nice and new. I did the calculations and I should save at least $1500 each time I go, if I don’t fly and don’t rent a car when I’m down there.  I thought about buying a car but if I did it would have to be some minivan, and I don’t feel like paying $10,000 or whatever to have a minivan sitting in my garage in Las Vegas. This way I can have my own car down there and save big $$.

Yes’ the drive isn’t short, it’s roughly 20 hours but whatever. It’s the best idea I could come up with. Ok, that’s all for now, it’s 11:38 pm and it’s time to get to bed.

This beauty eyesore was caught in the underground parking lots Planet Hollywood hotel in Vegas, ugh.

I like my booze what can i say??

False Creek and the Granville Street Bridge

False Creek and the Granville Street Bridge

Cooking our food at The Stone Grill. They supply the raw meat and veggies and the super HOT stone seen here and you cook it. It’s kinda expensive at $45 a person for this type of dining.  I would rather just go to Cactus Club instead…

Do The Opposite Of The Crowd

As with life change is part of it, the affiliate marketing industry is no different unfortunately. Personally I want to get into niches that are STABLE, so I can increase traffic to my niches and build from there. Some of the niches I am going to do include auto insurance and dating.

I have some ideas on how to promote auto insurance and everyone wants cheaper car insurance so I think the possibilities can be pretty much endless. I always try to think outside of the box, it’s the only way to get into many of the niches that are saturated with competition. There is always a way to get into any niche, you just have to be creative and NOT doing what everyone else is doing.

It’s pretty easy to follow everyone else, it requires little thinking, it’s comfortable and it is less stressful .Here is the problem,  you will never live up to your full potential if you never let yourself take chances. Being stuck at the same shitty job, might feel comfortable but every minute of it sucks I know all about it!

Ever since I pushed myself to take chances I have grown as a person. Being complacent comes naturally to most of us, taking chances and getting out of our shell and thinking outside of the “box” is hard. The funny thing is this once you started taking calculated “risks”, it’s like a rush you want to do it again and again.

Here is an example:

Real estate – I love real estate because it is passive income. Vancouver’s real estate went up at least 17% in 2009, when were in a  “recession”. Was it really a recession? Umm no. Nothing can go up year after fucking year, can it? Las Vegas is in a recession, Vancouver is not. While the prices dropped in  late 2008 I scooped up 3 condos in Vancouver, totalling just over $600,000 in total. A 17% increase on $600,000 is $51,000. I increased my real estate portfolio value by $51,000 just on those 3 condos!!!! If I listened to the news about the bullshit recession I would have scared myself shitless and not bought like most people. Think outside the box! In total my real estate portfolio is up around $250,000-$300,00o  (I’m too lazy to do the exact math), just from last year!!

Do yourself a favor, do your own thing. Don’t worry about everyone else, you are not them. You are your own person so think for yourself. Most people are sheep, it’s easy  and stress free. If everyone is doing it can’t be wrong, right? LOL wrong. If everyone is doing it , then it’s probably wrong!! Don’t let someone else do the thinking for you! I did that for the first 30 years of my life, and I got stuck at a shitty job as a result of not taking control and responsibility for my own life, never again! Being scared and complacent is the mistake everyone makes, and they suffer because of it, unfulfilled and unhappy.

This goes back to my first point, think outside of the box. In my business (marketing), it’s all about being creative and   thinking outside of the box! This week I’m not working too hard since my parents are here in Vegas visiting me, but I am returning to Vancouver on Friday and then it’s on!  I just reminded myself I need to write down my goals as well, so I can see what type of goals I want to achieve this year. Maybe that will be my next post…

If this post doesn’t make any sense to you don’t worry about it, this post is more for me than it is for you.