Highlights from Your Three Favorite Episodes

Speaker 4

00:00

 Hey, everyone. Jamie Bateman here with the form adversity, to abundance podcast. We thought that for this week since we are almost a 30 episodes, which is exciting. We would look back at our top three most popular episodes by downloads and kind of give you an excerpt from each. So we're looking at, you know, part of the conversation that I had with three different guests that we're obviously very popular at episodes with the listeners and bringing those excerpts to you. So, the first one was Mark Owens, our very first episode, which Mark, Mark's episode that I had with him on the Good Deeds. Note investing podcast really led me to start this entire podcast from adversity, to abundance. Mark is a great Storyteller and his story is fantastic talks. A lot about prison and Drugs and crime and then how he turned his life around and used real estate to retire. Essentially, he's from Baltimore. Great guy drops a few f-bombs and so don't listen with kids around, but I love his story and his approach and his Outlook and phenomenal episode. So that makes sense that would be one of the most popular ones. The next one was the episode with my business partner, Chris 70, we have a note fund together the Integrity mortgage note fund, and then we also started a Loan Servicing Company together by Phi Loan Servicing. Chris is episode is relatable and just very you know, very moving. Chris is a good friend of mine. We have grown to know each other very well over the last 45 years. His episode is focused on his financial and marital and health struggles. That all kind of came to a head within a couple of months years ago and how he pivoted at that part in his life and how he got past those very serious. But like I said, relatable episodes in challenges dealing with some serious adversity of all different, several different kinds. Then the third one, Was the episode we did with David Dodge, David, his episode was really energetic and fun and I feel thoroughly enjoy talking to him. He's a real estate investor in the Missouri, believe St. Louis area of Missouri, and he is big on the Burr method, which is has become a popular method of real estate investing which we have done ourselves. Several times and, but he'd gone down a path of run into some trouble with the law. If you will, when he was younger, you can, you know, go back and listen to the details of that episode if you'd like, but kind of like Chris and Mark, he turned his life around and has used real estate, all three of those, those guests have used real estate to get to a place of financial abundance and I want to say David and his partner making twenty thousand dollars a month from their rental property. So it's super impressive. And like I said, very fun episode. He's got a lot of energy, he's a good guy. I really enjoyed that one. So far, those are the three most popular episodes. Granted the most recent episodes have not had a chance to catch up, but we will do this again in the future and I hope you enjoy this one. Thanks.

Speaker 2

04:01

 Inspiring stories of real people. Overcoming incredible odds to live life to the fullest. We are all guaranteed to face. Hardships, how will we handle the?

Speaker 3

04:11

 Adversity? Join us to be moved by every day, people who have turned poverty into prosperity and weakness into wealth Be Inspired as these relatable Heroes, get vulnerable and former counterintelligence investigator Jamie Bateman puts his interviewing skills to the test restore.

Speaker 4

04:29

 Faith in humanity as you.

Speaker 3

04:30

 Experience. True Cinderella stories of average people turning surreal struggle and deep.

Speaker 4

04:35

 Despair into booming, businesses and financial Fortune.

Speaker 3

04:39

 Take ownership of the life. You are destined to live and turn your adversity into abundance.

Speaker 4

04:56

 I am really excited about launching this podcast, and I am really excited about our guest today as well. So our guests is Mark Owens. Excuse me, Mark, how are you doing today?

Speaker 1

05:08

 Awesome, Jamie. Thank you.

Speaker 4

05:10

 Yeah. Mark, we had mark on The Good Deeds show. I think it was late, December about three months ago.

Speaker 1

05:18

 And.

Speaker 4

05:19

 I am not kidding. When I say Mark your episode really inspired me enough's enough so that I am We're launching this podcast, I would say largely because of that episode and episode similar to it. You know, we didn't dive into real estate too much you know. But it was more of a mindset and you know overcoming adversity type episode and it really did inspire me to kind of think bigger and launch this podcast. So I am really excited but This episode is not about me. It's about you. So for our listeners, Mark, if you could, it's about you and our listeners. But if you could want you tell us what your current situation, and then we will jump back to your backstory.

Speaker 1

06:06

 Sure, catches. The first thing I want to say is that I really, really am honored and appreciate the fact that you invited me on and it means a lot to me. It truly does because that's what I feel. Like my purpose is at this stage in my life is to Inspire other people and show them what's possible and help them to develop a life of their dreams, whatever their dreams are. And, so I really appreciate the opportunity to help solutely, you know, possibly, you know, positively influence people. So, yeah, I love it's forward as far as where I am at today. I am 56. That's turn. 57 years old married for 20. I think five years, my wife has trouble, keeping track to, so that's not really.

Speaker 4

06:49

 Good.

Speaker 1

06:52

 Let me see, I have been a full time real estate investor for close to 20 years. Got a son, he's doing amazing. He's in his early 20s, he's living in Charlotte. North Carolina is working in an investment Bank. My wife is now a travel nurse who were traveling around the country.

Speaker 4

07:08

 If you could dive into your backstory for.

Speaker 1

07:10

 Us. Okay, so I was born in 1965 Baltimore city grew up in a blue-collar mostly white neighborhood working class. There was where I was growing up like the dream of like 10 11. 12 year old boys was to get a job driving a forklift at a factory. Like that's as far as we can see. The can if you can, if you get a job driving a forklift that knocks out or Pepsi like you're set, like you're set for life because then you can go buy your little row house. You know with like two maybe three bedrooms have a couple of kids and, you know, one car, is it back in the seventies, most families, just had.

Speaker 4

07:48

 One car and really. Yeah.

Speaker 1

07:50

 And you could live, you know, A happy middle class life and that was our dream and I never really felt like I just thought like there's got to be more than that. There's got to be more than just driving a forklift and but I was too young to really visualize that and my family structure. I was an only child mother had me when she was 17. Quit school work in a factory. Didn't meet my biological father. Do I be like 17 He was a junkie in and out of jail and, you know, just a bad guy. And I had another stepfather for a few years and that didn't work out. Then I get another stepfather. But him and I never really related because he was like, he went to college, and he was like, like, nobody in my neighborhood went to college, like, who is this guy? You know? Again, Senator really felt like I fit in. And, and so what happened was, you know, we had drug education in school like, in elementary school and, and you're there in your Looking at the pictures and you're hearing these stories and you know, you're thinking like, oh my God, I would never do that. There's people crazy. Like my God, why would you do that? And then I think I was like, 12 years old. And one of my friends asked me if I want to smoke some pot, and I was thinking like, this is a chance for me to fit in because I never really felt like I fit in try and heroin for the first time. So by the time I turned 18, I was already shooting Coke and heroin, and he is that give the shore? So worried, but over the next few years, you know, it was in and out of jails, rehabs living in the street, you know, an abandoned houses sleeping under bridges, you know, got stuck in California, had to hitchhike from California to Baltimore with no money. Got kicked out of a drug rehab nurse in Virginian, and it was like it was Winter and it's like violated my probation. I am gonna get a prison for four years for violating my probation. It's about choices either. Get back to Baltimore and go to jail, okay? Go somewhere else and my thoughts are. Well, if I am going to live outside, I am going to be homeless. I am going south. So I hitchhiked to Florida but.

Speaker 4

09:56

 Then and I don't mean to step on your toes here. If we can fast-forward a little bit because I know you hit on that on the Good Deeds episode, we hit several other stories that were critical. I remember several things where the, the attorney, when you were in jail, and I think I am into that cab driver. I am sorry Yet. Those were critical key points. And I don't want to, I don't want to miss.

Speaker 1

10:18

 Those sure. So, So what happened was at that point, I had kind of given up and I just thought well, I am just going to get high to add. I like I am just gonna I am going to rob stores every day or whatever. I will still different, you know, still different car every day. And I will just do this until I either get shot or overdose. Like there was now like jail was never an option. It's either. I am going to get shot, or I am going to OD like that's it. And I am just going to keep, this is what I am choosing to do. And After it was September, I think it was September 8th, September, 7th of 89. I decided that I was going to go out to Alaska. They had this Alaska out Valdez like oil spill, and they were hiring anybody to come out like white boil off, the dogs, rocks, and whatever. And I am just like, man, I will go hide in Alaska, I get a job and, you know, I thought I would just like I will just try this stolen cars out there and what I did you can't do this anymore, but you can go out and fill your tank with gas and just take off like now you got A first back then you know, and I was just full of tagging and take off and I mean that's how I got like I stole a car and Georgia made it to Pennsylvania just doing just that he's so wasn't a big deal. And I mean, it's a terrible thing to do but it was very, very simple, doing sure. And, so I just started robbing stores like every day. Yeah, it went a lot of money if you want a box here, if you want a box there. But, you know if you're a junkie and you're broke three hundred dollars is a lot of money and September 7th. I decided I am going to go out to California. And earn Alaska. And I talked to a girlfriend and I just told her what I was going to do her and I have been friends for years, and she was, you know, kind of Hardcore like I was and I said, well let us go hang out tonight, so I went and got a motel room. Adam, it's called Pulaski Highway in the Baltimore area and went out and that night, you know, I had some money from previous robberies, went bought, some drivers, got a hotel room or getting high and then I thought was, you know, Go rob something else. So we left the hotel remote. I will went Rob. Another store went bald some drawings on our way back to the motel, and I ran a red light in a stolen car and ended up. To make the long story short, I ended up getting call you know I got boxed in I couldn't escape there were cars in front of me it's like 2:00 in the morning, September 8th with the I would like I am thinking like the f*** are all these people going. I mean Jesus Christ the you know like I got no space to navigate and encourage stolen. It was like a 280Z or something, it was really fast and as far as I thought if I get an opening like I am out of here and so you know they got us boxed in and the cops are like jumping out with Guns out and the lights on and all this. The I asked Barbara said, hey barking and drugs. She gave him to me, and I am just thinking, like, look, I am not going out like this. Like, they're gonna have to shoot my ass, like, I am not just getting out and, and, like, turning myself in. So, I got out of open the door to put my arms off, and I looked around at the it for an opening. And then I just took off running. And I mean, I remember like gritting my teeth like just thinking, like, man, if they f****** shoot me, like, just keep f****** her. No matter what, just keep f****** running it because I am going to get a jail for the rest of my f****** life. That's what I am thinking. And it's like, I would write a rather bleed out in the street, right? And spend the next 50 years in jail.

Speaker 4

13:54

 And I ain't seen. It sounds crazy to say, but it seems logical.

Speaker 1

13:58

 It did to me. I mean, it's a tough choice. It's like, you know if you want to go out tonight, or you want to spend the rest of your life in prison? I will die tonight, right? And you know, few minutes later I ended up getting called, you know, I kind of got trapped in this like little Oh, Warehouse complex where there was like nowhere to go. And I ended up I got call and went to jail, you know and I can I admitted to everything I think my bail was like six hundred thousand dollars like everybody. It would have been like a hundred guys going through that window. 100 skinny guys going through the window.

Speaker 4

14:32

 So the bad guys will be in.

Speaker 1

14:34

 Jail and they called us and you know so then I ended up getting put on lock up for six months, which means like you're locking us all by Of, you know, 23 hours a day, you get out an hour, to go take a shower and just walk around the two kind of match. And yeah. And that, that was really good for me, that it worked out like that. Because then the thing had happened, that began the change for me, was, I went and my attorney came in, and my parents stepped off. Got me an attorney, and he came in to see me, and we're sitting this little conference room. There's like a metal table between us. And I will never forget it. I mean, because he really made me feel stupid, he looked at me, and he said, man, what the f*** is wrong with you? Like can't you even stay out of trouble in jail, like you're already locked up, and then he said, don't you realize that if you do what you're supposed to do, you can be hung by the time, you're 30 years old, you will be young enough to start a whole new life. And I never I hadn't considered that you hadn't thought about it like that before. Right Five Years, start on your life, like really like, is that an option, huh? And I mean, I didn't say that to him at the time, but I right over the next course of the next couple days, I really thought about that. And I thought, okay, I am going to give this s*** a try and part of in part of the thing that really made a difference was my friend Barb. Who was with me when I got locked up. Yeah, she had managed to get like a few weeks clean like a maybe a month clean. I have to be at locked up. She started hanging out with the first guy I ever shot. Goat with that went to a drug rehab, and he had like two or three months clean. And now she's hanging out with him, and she's getting her stuff together and nobody done that. But I didn't know anybody who ever got clean, right? And, so I am seeing like, then it's possible. Like you can get off the drugs. Yeah. And young enough to start a whole new life and that's what's the mindset, started the chain. And then I found a book O'Reilly's called you can. If you think you can it was going to tear one table and I didn't like I didn't know they had self-help books. Like I don't know if it's a new industry or what but I didn't.

Speaker 4

16:43

 It happens. I think it's grown a lot. Yeah.

Speaker 1

16:45

 And I looked at it and if you think you can, I was like I got plenty of time. I am going to read, I think I have already read every Stephen King book in the jail. So, let me go ahead and read this thing and halfway through that book, something clicked in my head and I realized that I can take control of my life and become the person that I want to become, but I have to believe in myself and up into that point. I didn't believe in myself because I was always focusing on my failures and halfway through this book. I was smoking, cigarettes back, then you could smoke in jail back then. And halfway through the book, I am like, man. F*** this. I am taking control of my life, I am taking taken over, I am going to run this s***. Run, not the drugs, me and Ike. Right? Took my half pack of cigarettes out and I gave it to this guy. Frank Cortana, son, Frank. I am f****** gone changing my life.

Speaker 4

17:33

 What is a book or two that you'd recommend to my audience and why?

Speaker 1

17:38

 I would say assuming that they are not starting where I started Rich Dad, Poor Dad, nice heel of Italy number, probably number one. Yeah. If you're like a business-oriented entrepreneurial kind of person because that is going to just expose a lot of the BS that we have been brainwashed with since birth. In this country. So that's probably one of the that's probably the main one. I can probably in five others. That's the main one.

Speaker 4

18:02

 Got it. How about a movie? I don't know if you watch movies or anything. Any, good.

Speaker 1

18:05

 Movies. And you know.

Speaker 4

18:09

 How about this? I will give your movie or a podcast. You.

Speaker 1

18:11

 Pick one, one of my favorite movies. It's a fiction movie was called Starman with Jeff Bridges. Okay. And it's a tearjerker. So but that's like when people ask me what my favorite movie is that's always one that pops up. All right? The Jobs so you're the worst. One was.

Speaker 4

18:28

 Jaws. Yeah man. Yeah, I never yeah. I never got into that one. What's one question? You wish I would ask you but I haven't answered. I haven't asked.

Speaker 1

18:38

 Oh, man. You know, there's nothing really. I mean I wish I could give you like a real smart, you know. Yeah, clever answer. But yeah, I am open man. Would.

Speaker 4

18:51

 Love it. We have covered so much ground and I really do feel like, did you got so much to unpack with your story? It's incredible. There's no way we could cover it all in one episode here, but so, and then we have already touched on this somewhat. But how do you like to serve others? How are you adding value to others? These days?

Speaker 1

19:09

 One way is like this. Like doing that. So I mean I don't get paid for this. This is my most valuable asset is time. Sure. Exactly. It's a limited resource. Yeah. But if I can spend my time doing something like this where I might potentially reach you know, maybe hundreds or thousands of people that I will never me and it can have a positive effect on their lives. Yeah, like that's to me that's a gift for that. I can enable to actually do that as a gift for me, it's kind of selfish because it makes me feel good. Time is more valuable than the money. And so, I would say that, that's what I do is I just try to influence people and inspire people to live their best lives.

Speaker 4

19:56

 Welcome everybody, to another episode of the form adversity, to abundance podcast. I am joined. I am Jamie Bateman. And today I am joined by a special guest, Chris 70. Chris, how are you doing today?

Speaker 2

20:08

 I am doing wonderful. Jamie, how are you today?

Speaker 4

20:10

 Doing? Very well. Yeah, this is going to be fun. This is going to be pretty interesting for those who don't know. Chris and I are business partners and partners on a podcast together. The Chris started the Good Deeds note investing podcast, so we know each other quite well. So further audiences who are unfamiliar with you walk us through kind of just because give us a snapshot of who you are today with your you know, your occupation and what's going on today. Sure.

Speaker 2

20:42

 So today I work for a real estate developer in the Washington DC area. I have worked there for about six years. I have been in real estate for little over 25 years and also over the last decade, I have really started to build my personal portfolio with in real estate because that's what I know. That's what I am good at and I fall, I think I am good at, I am a father with an awesome wife and two, lovely children, who are awesome as well in Spare time, which is very limited. I do enjoy things that are probably sports-related either watching sports or doing something in team group activities.

Speaker 4

21:22

 We have covered that, you know, somewhat. But I think something that people don't get a lot as Y, and so I want to get into your backstory and kind of your why do you pursue these, you know, the businesses and investing. So walk us through your back story if you.

Speaker 2

21:38

 Would. Yeah. So my Story. I will start with 2008 and really the real estate crash. I was working for a, I left a company I work for 10 years in 2007, because I was just burnt out, and I just needed to slow down a little bit, and I went to go work for a smaller local developer, who was actually based in Washington DC, and they also we're out of Texas, and they need somebody to come in. I am kind of their multifamily Department, which I came on board, and I was there for about a year and then, you know, Layman Brothers happened and everything else happened in a lot of their money was coming from, I believe, from Wayne Manor, from one of those firms a week after Layman. I walk I get there I am usually I literally live like a mile from the office, and I was, I would go to the gym in the morning and then I would go into the office and I went to go to gym and I seen all the executive cars here that day. And I am like, you know, that was a lot. So I go to gym and the cars are there, nobody's there? When I get to the office in Saigon, 08 8:30 in the morning and also in around 9:00 my boss comes in and hands me a letter closes my door and says just so you know about 90% of the office is getting laid off today. The company shutting down, you have got an existing project you're working on, and we right now this is a letter. Basically, it says your employment still, thanks and of November, and it was on October. First and I basically had like seven days to review and sign off on the letter. And if I didn't, then basically didn't have a job. So I am like, oh yeah, I am like, oh boy. And like at this time, you know, 2007. So I was of what 32 ish years old and I never had to like, get a personal attorney involved or anything like this. So it's kind of like, you know, you're shaking your freaking out and so forth. So I kind of review it, you know, basically, Nobody that they got anything done who were still left and basically again attorney review it and I basically I kind of got a sign the letter, so I signed it which would give me employment. Till that Thanksgiving time frame about two weeks after that happens. I was calling my old company, and I was going talking to them about opportunities and have any in the Boston area, but they had some in d.c. In California. And, you know, my wife of time we're talking about it and also, and she basically looks much like I can't do this anymore like why me to can't do this anymore? She's like yeah the whole marriage thing you know basically she wanted a divorce, so I am like who this is a fun month. This was within two or three weeks, he said yeah I don't remember the exact time frame actually went and pulled out the letter a week ago that I still have and then on our divorce paperwork, you know it said sometime in October of 2008 is when, you know, you have to put in a date when things started kind of happening because of Massachusetts, there's we did have kids. Thankfully, there's a six-month window that you kind of have to wait. So it was basically that component, so I am like, wow.

Speaker 4

24:51

 Just quitted was that were those related at all? I mean, or was it just timing in other?

Speaker 2

24:55

 Words? No timing. I think that kind of Yeah, I always more timing than anything. I think that kind of broke the camera. All the straw that broke the camel's back. I think, sure. But you don't help, I guess. Yeah. Things were not, you know, all, you know, sunshine and rainbows and unicorns, unicorns, whatever it is.

Speaker 4

25:18

 And how long have you been married for just curious?

Speaker 2

25:23

 Almost seven years. Okay, so, yeah, set Seven Year, Itch.

Speaker 4

25:28

 Yeah, well, you know, we were talking before about, you know, I with this show, I don't want necessarily want to get into, you know, comparing levels of adversity, but it's almost unavoidable but the end of the day I mean, that's some serious adversity that you are facing within one.

Speaker 2

25:44

 Month. Yeah and I kind of look back I mentioned this before we came on line. You know, I look adversity like my grandfather who lost his son in Vietnam. And then a few years later, his wife got ill with Ms. You know, lost the ability to walk and Entries to come to it, you know, within a decade. So you know, within basically 10 years, he lost his son, his wife, so that to me you know, becoming that's more adversity than hey, look, I can get a job, I can get another, you know, spouse which I did both so and you know how I move. Jamie, I move pretty.

Speaker 4

26:17

 Good. Yes you did.

Speaker 2

26:19

 So. So I literally got a job originally. It was going to come to Cal go to California because there's a project that was is a really awesome project that was. Let us just say a very famous professional football player and is very famous. Why for building a house in La that ended up not getting built, but that was possibly where I was going to go to. But instead, I ended up going down to DC and literally on like November 30th or December first. I packed everything I had into my car and drove down to DC. And the only thing I left over my two dogs that I come back and get once I found housing.

Speaker 4

26:59

 Wow. I mean so B it sounds like certainly with the employment. You didn't have much of a choice as far as the job ending. And then you know it sounds like you didn't have a whole lot of choice on either front as far as kind of fixing or changing things that were happening to you. But what I want to know is like, what was your, what was your mindset at that point?

Speaker 2

27:20

 Very anxious. I did have an opportunity to stay up in the Boston area for another company, but I was more comfortable going back to my old. The company even though it was in another region and to me it was like a fresh start, you know, basically everything that I just gone on getting away and probably running all, you know, part of me is probably like as running away possibly from everything was probably the benefit because, you know if I had to go, like I said, face my parents and stuff like that and my sisters, you know, I am not as nervous about their reaction because I viewed it as a major failure and I hate the fail. So, Part of me thinks that it was almost like I was running away from my problems come and going down to the DC area and now that I look back and reflect on it, that's I think what I was doing.

Speaker 4

28:09

 Interesting. Yeah I can't imagine haven't thankfully. I haven't had to deal with either thing but okay, so you were looking at different job opportunities and you wanted to relocate. It sounds like.

Speaker 2

28:23

 Yeah. So and literally, like I said, I just packed everything. My car drove down to DC area. Mia and was like, Hey, you know, fresh start, and that's what I did to found a place to rent after about a month or two after the new year. And then went back up the Massachusetts, got our dogs because in our divorce agreement, you know, I got possessed by God custody of the dogs, but one of the things I will just mention that I think was the benefit was like, I still got along with my ex-wife today and there was, of course, some rocky times during that divorce, but it actually was pretty Smooth sailing to resolve everything, and we came up there. Just one resolution at that time instead of dragging things on for years and so forth. So I think we're both very fair when it came to resolving things, which I got to give her credit for being fair in that aspect.

Speaker 4

29:15

 That's good. I mean and then the other one other thing you.

Speaker 2

29:17

 Mentioned before we hit record.

Speaker 4

29:19

 Was your financial situation at the time?

Speaker 2

29:22

 Oh yeah. She likes about money. You know, we had Lexi. I mean, we had a Porsche Cayenne was one of our vehicles. I think the other one was an Audi TT at the time. You know, we had a house, she would go out a lot with her sister, whose husband was very well off. So, I think she was trying to live up to that. I walked out of it. Probably about 250 thousand in debt.

Speaker 4

29:53

 There anything else you want to cover?

Speaker 2

29:53

 Is.

Speaker 4

29:55

 Where can our listeners reach out to you?

Speaker 2

29:57

 Sure they can, Reach out to me, my email is chris@chrisderose.com even the letter e Investments.com that is our investment company which is the number seven letter e, 7, e, Investments.com kind of shorten my last name a little bit there, put a little number in front of it. That's probably the best way to reach out to me. If you're interested in more about note investing, you can listen to The Good Deeds, note investing podcast as well.

Speaker 4

30:25

 And your website is 70 Investments.com.

Speaker 2

30:29

 Yep. Okay.

Speaker 4

30:30

 Now you have gotta you always have different fund offerings. And you have got your, we have our Facebook group, and then you have got a membership group and things like that. So.

Speaker 2

30:41

 What one of the things that I will mention too is, as part of the known investing space and you do, this is why Jamie is we like to give back, you know, very few things I physically charge with. I mean, I have membership group that you know, I spend an hour a week with plus what people and stuff and has minimal cost of everything else. Information. Now I give it away, you know it's there's no hidden secrets in this space. I am not out there to make millions on all these training programs and so forth. I like to educate people just be better for themselves and try and grow their grow, their businesses.

Speaker 4

31:17

 Awesome. Well thank you sir.

Speaker 2

31:19

 This is Bank. You.

Speaker 4

31:20

 Said no, I know this is going to be very popular episode so you have added a ton of value. Like I said, it's something we haven't dived into too much as far as on are on the Good Deeds show, you know, your background and your y. So I think it's really motivating for the listeners and you know, everyone's got a story and like you have definitely faced some serious adversity and now you're definitely living in an In abundance, so I appreciate you sharing your story.

Speaker 2

31:50

 Yeah. Thanks for having me on. And, you know, for people who have adversity, don't be embarrassed by it. You know. That was one of the things that I will my last little note is, you know, learn from it, Grow from it but don't be embarrassed from it. Your friends and family or their support, you.

Speaker 4

32:04

 Welcome everybody to another episode of the form adversity to abundance podcast. I am your host Jamie Bateman, and I am very excited today to be joined by David the discount property, investor Dodge if I said that correctly. Actually David, Badge of St. Louis, Missouri, David. How you do today, man? I am doing fantastic.

Speaker 3

32:22

 Jamie, thanks for having me. I am excited to get this opportunity to share some value with your audience this morning. So I am really, really grateful to be.

Speaker 4

32:30

 Here. Awesome. So I know your name is out there already a good bit in the real estate space and, you know, entrepreneurial world if you will. But for those listeners who are not familiar with you, who are you? And why should we listen to you?

Speaker 3

32:45

 Yeah. A question, man. Why should you guys care, right? So, my name is David Dodge. I am the discount property investor, that's the name of my entity, just can't property investor. I have been buying real estate for about 18 years. Done about a thousand transactions, but the thing is, is the first 10 years? I did it wrong, and over the first 10 years, I basically bought a house. I say year and I bought rental properties. That was kind of what I wanted to do when I first started and at the end of 10 years Jamie I had 12 Rentals. So I got lucky two of those. 10 years was I was able to buy two houses in a year versus one house in a year. Right. And you know the way I was going about doing it for the first 10 years again very passively was I would locate an agent first and then the agent would help me find a property. I was getting ready to say a deal, but they're not deals. Help me locate a property and then I would, you know, make an offer on that property and, you know, maybe get a thousand or two or three or five discount. But like, that's nothing, you know, like basically paying full retail for these properties. And then I would walk into a bank and I get a bank loan. And the bank would say, hey Dave, we're going to give you 80% of what the purchase price is assuming that the appraisal is at or above that number. But at the end of the day it was an 80% loan, that's it, right? So the average house I was buying in the first 10 years is still about the average house price that I am buying today which is about 150,000 here in the Midwest, 20% of 150 is 30k. So I had to put down 30k 12 times over the first 10 years. That's three hundred and sixty thousand dollars that I either had to save up to put down or in the very, very beginning for the first two or three that I did. Borrowed the 30 grand, and then got a bank loan and then I paid the 30 grand back over the course of a year or two or three, right? So the way I said, slow process very slow. So the reason I say that it was the wrong way is because it's slow, like you said, and it requires you to have 30 grand to put down on a hundred and fifty thousand dollar property. So if you're in a market where you can't find a hundred fifty thousand dollar properties in the properties are 300 Grand. You need 60,000 to put down. That's very difficult. Yeah, so about Seven, eight years ago, I went full time in the business. I had 12 Rentals already and I decided that I just wanted to be a full-time real estate investor and I didn't want to be an agent or a broker. I didn't really feel like doing that kind of job. So I just kind of, you know, started reading books and taking courses in hiring, excuse me, hiring coaches. And I essentially learned and taught myself wholesaling and for the next three to four years. Jamie, I did that exclusively. I just Wholesale like crazy and in the last seven years I have done 750 wholesale deals so don't quite a few wholesale deals in just the last, you know, seven eight.

Speaker 4

35:55

 Years. That's incredible. It's pretty neat.

Speaker 3

35:58

 Yeah. Yeah but here's the thing man I started out with Reynolds passively for 10 years got 12 and then I went full time and for the next let us say three and a half to four years. All I did was wholesaling. I like lost sight. I lost track of the reason I got into real estate. I got into real estate. 84 for two or three reasons. Number one, I wanted to have passive income. Yeah. Right. Because I wanted Financial Freedom and I knew that having passive income would allow me to have both Financial Freedom but also time Freedom, right? So, I.

Speaker 4

36:31

 Wanted to stop trading your time.

Speaker 3

36:33

 For my want to stop treating my time for money, right? And then number two, I am terrible at saving money like the worst, the worst, right? So you know, whenever I go buy a rental property and I put money into it or I borrow money. Get it to get it and then I pay that money back. It's like a forced savings account. Sure. So I have always been terrible with money. I am still not that great at saving it. Yeah, you know, but when I buy rentals it, like forces me to save it.

Speaker 4

37:00

 It's not very liquid. It's out of sight, out of.

Speaker 3

37:02

 Mind liquid, but not very correct. Correct. Yes, right. We're on the.

Speaker 4

37:07

 Same. Not like it, not like a savings account. Like.

Speaker 3

37:09

 Not like a savings account, right? So you know about oh I don't know. Like I guess you know another three. Let us just say three and a half years. I did that volt. Time. So then the, the following three and a half years I like, you know, had the Epiphany, I woke up, and I am like man I got into real estate to like be my own boss and do like save money and do like build wealth and to create passive income, and I am not doing any of that. I am just wholesaling. I am making a good living. But like, man. So I pivoted back into buying rentals but this time I decided to try to figure out and learn a way to do it, that didn't require me to put down 20% or in my case because I am buying A Thousand dollar properties, 30 grand. And I stumbled across the bird method and I didn't create the method. I didn't invent it. I have written a book on it because other books written on the topic. I am not the only guy, by any.

Speaker 4

38:00

 Means Brandon. Turner likes to take credit for.

Speaker 3

38:02

 The and that's fine. Yeah, I will give Brandon the credit. I know Brandon, I have met, Brandon is a great guy, love brandable. So if you are brand-new and you're listening, understand that this is a marketing business before it's an investing business. Yes, and then number three is as you make your money, when you buy, you get paid when you sell.

Speaker 4

38:21

 Really, really good. All right, we're going to fly through a few questions, do it. Wrap it up. What's something that people misunderstand about you?

Speaker 3

38:30

 Oh man, I am a clown. I like to laugh and have jokes and you know, I like to love, you know, love life. So I think sometimes people, they think I am a jokester of the gate and it's just like I just want to make people laugh.

Speaker 4

38:42

 Right? So that's good. All right, if you could have coffee with any historical, Who would it be?

Speaker 3

38:48

 Meaning that they have already passed away?

Speaker 4

38:49

 They could be alive, anybody?

Speaker 3

38:52

 I would say male, and he lands the best we got on the planet, he's the best. So I would love to be able to meet him. That would be cool.

Speaker 4

39:00

 I just saw it. You see his ending? The work from home thing the other.

Speaker 3

39:04

 Day? Yeah, I think it's amazing. Yeah, if.

Speaker 4

39:07

 You don't come here, if you're not here, physically will just assume you're not.

Speaker 3

39:10

 Work. Just assume you're not working. Yeah, I love it. I think he boarded it perfectly.

Speaker 4

39:14

 He is incredible, it's amazing. Doing. All right. If you were given, let us say 20 million dollars tomorrow. What would you do with?

Speaker 3

39:21

 It? Oh, I would park it because I am terrible at saving. I will tell you that. So, here's the thing, I would much rather have income coming in monthly, or quarterly, then a big nest egg, because the nest egg, you can spin, you can blow it shut the income if it comes in routinely, like, for instance, our rental portfolio. Pays us about 20 grand, my partner, Mike and I we can go blow every nickel of that. And then on the first of the month, and next month, we got 20 grand more coming in. So Awesome. What I would do with that money as I would buy real estate, I would park it and I would try to get my passive income up to you know 800 Grand a million five, whatever would equate to. Because then it's impossible to go broke every month you get more money coming in. So to me, it's never the big, the big number it, which is most people's goal or, and you return that.

Speaker 4

40:07

 Entire turn that into cash.

Speaker 3

40:09

 Flow, it turned into cash flow. Yeah. Having a big, a big number in one spot, scares the hell out of me, you know, it's gonna be gone.

Speaker 4

40:16

 So, what is, what's a challenge that you're facing in your business right.

Speaker 3

40:20

 Now? Find a good deals man. Inventories.

Speaker 4

40:22

 Light. Yeah, got it in your opinion, you have already covered some of this, but in your opinion, what's one of the most important personality traits for someone? Who's someone to be successful in your?

Speaker 3

40:34

 Industry? Okay? So any industry.

Speaker 4

40:37

 My eyes are feeling is you're, you're, you're saying.

Speaker 3

40:40

 Yeah. So I am actually going to build on that Connie industry. Got it right? My definition of success. Down to three words, consistent, persistent action. And I literally interviewed a seventeen-year-old last night. He's one of my coaching students, and he just got his first wholesale deal. He made 11 Grand and I said, what was the main thing that you took away from my coaching? And he said, you got to be a persistent SOB. If you want to do deals and I said, yep. And I asked him. I said, how many times did you touch that? Cellar with a phone call a text message. You know, an email, just a touch, and he said, oh, at least 40 I go, you know what, a newbie would do two or three and then stop sure that persistence allowed you to do a deal. So in real estate to answer your question persistence in anything in life. Yeah, sure, it's persistence, guys, you can't be. That's great week. Got to be persistent.

Speaker 4

41:39

 And consistent. Like you said, and, and an action taker.

Speaker 3

41:42

 So, all the above is consistent, persistent action is the Asian that equals success guys. It is no matter what you want to do. You can't quit got to be consistent. You got to be persistent about. Yeah.

Speaker 4

41:55

 And it doesn't mean you never pivot, you talked about several pivots you made with.

Speaker 3

41:58

 Your, oh, yeah. We pivot all the time. Especially with marketing if Market is not working. Then we stopped, and we find another thing to do all the time.

Speaker 4

42:06

 All right? What's the movie that you'd recommend? Never watch.

Speaker 3

42:09

 Movies. Yeah, I love movies, man. I would say that. Just saw the new Top Gun. It was amazing. Love that ice. Yeah, check that out.

Speaker 4

42:18

 What other podcasts do you like? You have your own, right?

Speaker 3

42:20

 So I host the discount property, investor show, and I also host wholesaling inks podcast one day. Okay? I love both of those. I would recommend those. So that's.

Speaker 4

42:31

 How is through Brent who interviewed me on that show last? Yeah.

Speaker 3

42:36

 It's not a great team of people over there. Great team. So I would say those two would be my two, faves? Because I spent a lot of time working on both of them. Perfect.

Speaker 4

42:45

 Two more. How do you like to serve others?

Speaker 3

42:49

 I like to serve others by showing them that they have more value than they think they have, or they know that they have and I like to make them laugh because it just brings joy to their.

Speaker 4

42:58

 Life. Love it. All right. Last one and you touched on this but where can our listeners find you online?

Speaker 3

43:04

 Yeah. Yeah. So discount property investor.com is my main website. That host, my podcast, if you guys are looking to learn more about the Burr method, that's really my passion. At this point, I do have a program that you can learn more about it and that you can find that at wholesaling inc.com forward slash rentals. Again, that's wholesaling. Inc.com, forward slash rentals. You can learn more about me, you can learn more about the Burr method. And if you're curious book, a call with my team, and we can, you know, kind of put together some of your goals and wants. Put together a plan to help you achieve them.

Speaker 1

43:41

 Awesome.

Speaker 4

43:43

 Cool. This has been really good David. You have a ton of energy and you just, did you bring?

Speaker 3

43:49

 It? Hey, thank you so much for having me. Jamie, like I said, in the beginning, I am honored to be here. I am grateful for this opportunity to, you know, serve and provide value to your audience. So I couldn't be happier this morning. So again, thank you so much for including me.

Speaker 4

44:04

 Appreciate that. And to the listeners out there, we appreciate you spending your As valuable resource with us and that is your time. Thanks, everyone. Take care.

Speaker 3

44:15

 Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of the form adversity to abundance podcast. If you're enjoying the show, please feel free to rate, subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen to your podcast that helps others find the show, and we greatly appreciate it. Thanks again for listening, and we will catch you in the next episode.