Nine Ideas for the Next Nine Minutes/Days/Months

A Little Fun for the 09/09/09 Crowd
Real estate investing can be serious business, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make time for a little fun every once in a while. With all the fuss about 09/09/09 today, we thought we’d roll with the theme and try to offer a little advice at the same time.

Uvestor Opportunity:
1. Try to make nine new friends through social networking today. It’ll be fun, and the new contacts might lead to dividends later.
2. Find nine new properties for sale by owner in your local market listed on Craigslist.
3. Make a nine-month plan so that you have properties ready for show once the warm weather returns next year.
4. You now have nine fewer than 90 days for first-time buyers to take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit. Anyone involved needs to get cracking now because closing can take time. (Sorry, we couldn’t talk them into a $9,000 tax credit.)
5. Make a list of nine things you could do to improve the value of your property. Each item need not be expensive—just impactful.
6. If you’re planning on holding an open house a week from this coming Sunday, you have nine days to choreograph the first impression. Make sure the property is clean, tidy and inviting.
7. Thinking of buying investment property? Make sure you have at least nine months of income saved aside from what you plan to put into the property. Becoming house poor in a buyer’s environment is unnecessary.
8. Talk to nine friends in the business about whom they use for their home improvement services. You just might get the name of a new roofer, plumber or electrician that can help you out at a better price than what you currently pay.
9. Finally, take time to enjoy your real estate. Chances are it’s how you came to the business in the first place. If you’ve made a recent improvement, revisit it and take pride in a job well done.