When you’re just getting into real estate investing, it’s really easy to get intimidated, especially when you see other investors who have a lot more experience than you. As you see them (online or in person), you might think, “How am I ever going to beat them out of a deal?”
Well, believe it or not, you don’t need to be a fully established real estate investor to make some really great house flip deals. I did it back in 2008, and you can do it today. And, if you want to feel more confident and present a more professional face to the real estate investing world, here are a few “fake it till you make it” tips that I used when we building a house flipping brand and reputation.
Don’t Use Your Name for Your Business
Unless people already know you and you’re a super established investor, don’t rely on your name to get you anywhere. Instead, choose a really catchy and memorable name for your real estate investing business.
And, when you represent your business on your website, on social media, and in other marketing efforts, use first-person plural pronouns. So, instead of saying something like, “I got a deal on a flip house,” you’d say, “We’re starting rehabs on our latest investment property this week.” See how much more professional the second sentence sounds?
When you talk about your business, people don’t have to know that you don’t have any employees yet. You still run a legitimate real estate investing business, even if you’re the owner, manager, and only employee.
Post about Your House Flips
When you make your first deal and start rehabbing, don’t be afraid to post about it on social media. In fact, the more before-and-after progress pictures you post, the more people will see how much work you’re doing and how great your results are. Post about every house flip you do, and you’ll soon build a portfolio of your rehab work, giving people a better idea of what you do and why they should trust you.
Don’t Be Available 24 Hours a Day
Whether you’re talking to sellers, buyers, or anyone else in the industry, when you set up meetings or appointments, don’t say, “I’m free whenever you are,” or anything like that. This tells them that you don’t have anything else going on and that you really aren’t running a legitimate house flipping business—at least, not yet.
Plus, if you structure your time so that you have specific brackets for hunting down leads and following up with motivated sellers, you’ll be more productive. The more productive you are, the more leads you’ll find, and the more deals you’ll make. That’ll help you establish your real estate investing faster than anything else.
Make Time for Branding and Marketing
Finally, in addition to all this, make time in your schedule to work on branding and marketing. While you’re posting pictures on social media, work on your brand voice. Use a consistent tone in all of your branded messages, both online and in print. Create a cool logo that’s recognizable, and always use the same brand colors.
The more you put into your brand and spreading the word about your real estate investing business, the more people will start to recognize your business. You’ll get more interest from other real estate professionals, and you’ll get more attention from motivated sellers and buyers, as well. Follow these tips, and see what a difference they can make for your house flipping career.