Real Estate Networking and Charity Happy Hour with The Gilliard Group

We here at the Gilliard Group are very excited to announce the Real Estate Networking Happy Hour for Charity on November 13, 2009, 5:00pm! As the Gilliard Group grows, we are afforded the luxury of giving back more and more to our community, building a stronger Baltimore one day at a time. Please RSVP to Glinda at glinda@investgg.com and show your support for the Baltimore Station. Not only are we all working to support an outstanding cause, but we will get to have a lot of fun in the process! Mark your calendars NOW!

About the Charity:

The Baltimore Station’s mission is to provide rigorous self-help programs in a safe, caring residential setting to support men, most of whom are veterans, who are transitioning from the cycle of poverty, substance abuse and homelessness to self-sufficiency.

Because typical institutional treatment programs last for only 28 days, most participants relapse after leaving. At The Baltimore Station, they have the knowledge and real-life experience to know it takes months of living in a highly-structured, therapeutic environment to learn and practice a new way of living. And this program works!! At least 65% of the men who stay in our program for one month are still here six months later. After 18 months, most are living independently, gainfully employed and/or enrolled in college, and contributing members of the Baltimore community. Station graduates hold jobs at Baltimore businesses, nonprofits, museums, hospitals, and at BWI Airport.

About the Gilliard Group:
The Gilliard Group’s mission and the impetus for the daily growth and development of the Gilliard Group, is the desire to attain peace of mind; the peace of mind that comes with the knowledge that we are making a difference in communities. The Baltimore Station is a non-profit organization that shares a common interest with the Gilliard Group as we are both working to improve Baltimore City. So come out and help this great cause. All are welcome!!

In support of The Baltimore Station We will be accepting donations of $15 at the door

RSVP to glinda@investgg.com
Bring plenty of business cards to network - Door Prizes
WHEN-Friday, November 13th 5 P.M.
WHERE-George’s Mt. Vernon
101 W. Monument Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
WHY-To Help Homeless vets

RSVP to glinda@investgg.com
Happy Hour Specials
2-4-1 Bottle Beers
2-4-1 Rail Cocktails
2-4-1 House Wines
$5 Appetizers

Seeing ‘for sale’ signs up and down the street should be viewed as an opportunity for money to be made if you are an investor. Although there can be great investment opportunities in a struggling town, there are a few things to look for when deciding to invest in an area to ensure you are getting a good deal. 

If you want a sure fire way to help you choose the right neighborhoods to invest in and make the maximum profits – READ ON.

Here are some questions to ask before jumping into a low price market:

• Are the businesses solid and/or growing in the area?
• Are the surrounding properties in good condition?
• Is the neighborhood appealing?
• What’s the crime rate in the area?

Another thing to take into consideration is how far from conveniences the property is. Having to commute long distances to a job or shopping is unattractive to today’s homebuyer.

In many cases the massive foreclosures of the last few years have left a lot of once affluent neighborhoods struggling but still only in need of a little help. If the homes are in generally good condition and the area has much to offer, those are the values to look for when considering a real estate investment. Buying these properties is actually good for the area because growing numbers of vacant properties soon lures in a criminal element that runs down once beautiful towns.

Investors who come in and restore the equilibrium to such cities by providing a beautiful living area to those in need are a great asset to the city.

©Brenda Pugh

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”  - Winston Churchill

Would you call yourself a pessimist? An optimist? Or maybe even a” realist”? So many people today avoid these types of labels. It’s often far easier to disregard them, or to only use them socially when it helps a person “fit-in”, and therefore they are identifying more with their peers then with themselves. So now take a moment to be honest with yourself… Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Picture this: tomorrow is trash pick-up and you need to gather up all the garbage from your home and take it out to the curb.

What does your picture look like?

Reluctantly gathering bags of trash from all the different waste buckets in your home, touching the gross, smelly Chinese food from 4 nights ago, lugging the big bag out to the can, throwing off the lid, tossing in the trash, and dragging the can down all the way down to the corner in your socks stepping on every single pebble along the way… and then ahhh.. finally done. Thank God.

Or have you been looking forward to cleaning up this unsightly mess? You remember this is the perfect time to clean out your desk drawer and gain some organization, not to mention toss those silly knick-knacks lying around you can’t even remember why you bought. Maybe while your picking things up you will find that battery you have been meaning to replace in your favorite watch! If nothing else, you know you really don’t want all that trash lingering around for another week.

See the difference?

The path to becoming a real estate investor, or achieving whatever it is your picture of success looks like, is a long, windy, bumpy, and sometimes unforgiving road. You are guaranteed to meet many challenges and obstacles along the way. The question is, how will you meet those challenges? If you’re first deal doesn’t close, will you decide that maybe this isn’t really for you? That your dream isn’t “realistic”? Or will you take what you’ve learned and move forward with even greater confidence, knowing in your heart you will make it, somehow, someway? When you look at the world through pessimistic goggles, every step along the way is a pain in the butt. Something else you’d rather not do or don’t have the time to deal with. You will tend to procrastinate, or simply never accomplish anything. It will consume your attitude, drain your energy, and bring your negative emotions to the forefront of your thoughts. Every time you hit a bump, you lose ground.

When you see through optimistic lenses, your world can change entirely. Every problem has a solution. Every obstacle has a way over, under, around, or straight through. Each challenge provides you the opportunity to grow, and therefore takes you once step closer to achieving your dreams. So ask yourself again, “am I an optimist or a pessimist”? Are you bigger than your problems, or are your problems bigger than you?

Remember, defeat only becomes failure when you stop trying. Sometimes changing your perspective is just the push in the right direction you need.
Eric Penn (C)2009

ALSO – don’t read the bottom half of this article until you watch the video

Ok, so how did you like it? Yeah, pretty amazing. I knew before I watched it that it was going to be good but I didn’t think it was going to be that moving. For me it summed up what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Ok… I fibbed; this is about real estate. Qi Zang’s organ play is very similar to the emotional roller coaster we go through running a business and investing in real estate.

There are going to be ups, and there are going to be downs. When a deal comes together you are going to drive home and feel like you just conquered the world, then a deal that you have worked very hard on is going to fall apart and you are going to feel like your life is over. You must remain in control of your emotions. This will build your emotional intelligence.

Over time this will become easier to do, but in the short term just remember that many things will happen in your entrepreneurial journey. Be prepared mentally for the good and bad times. Don’t live up the good times too much don’t let the bad time discourage you. Always keep your mind on your goals.  

This should be a rule to live by for new investors and a reminder to myself and the experienced entrepreneurs out there. We can’t let our decisions be dictated by our emotions. 

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

I thought I would share this video with the you. You should definably watch it. Its about sustainable building in urban areas and Majora tells about it with great passion.  Let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

Majora Talks About:

-Leveraging a $10,000 seed grant into a $3,000,000 Park
-Green Roofs, Green Highway and Path Redevelopment
-Bottom Line Performing Green Redevelopment
-How Bogata Columbia Resurgence is a lesson for US Cities

and whole lot more… Watch Now.

Majora Carter: Greening the ghetto