An investors day
I’m often asked what a typical day looks like for a full-time real estate investor.
For me, the answer is that there’s not a typical day. And, for me, that’s part of the appeal of this profession. You see, I like variety in my workday. It keeps my mind stimulated and staves off boredom.
Take yesterday for instance. I wake up at 4:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday. I start my mornings out with some Wim Hoff breathing exercises before heading to the gym at 5:30 for an hour workout that combines strength training and cardio. Yesterday’s workout was tough because one of members turned 47, and our trainer designed our session to include exercises that had 47 reps — things like box jumps and burpees.
Once I picked myself up off the floor — literally and figuratively — I headed over to Home Depot for the first stop of the day. I like going there early. There are very few shoppers, and I can get in and out quickly. This morning, I was buying some 3/4inch plywood for a special project. You see, we bought a bus — not a school bus but a transit-type bus that had been converted to a camper. We plan to use it to ride all over the U.S. and pull our 32-foot bumper pull camper.
The idea is that the bus is for riding and the camper is for living. Right now, the inside is being rehabbed. We have custom futons and cabinets being built, the wiring being reconfigured, a bathroom being designed and a new side door being installed. And we are using almost the same materials as we do on our houses all the way down to the same flooring, which I think is kind of cool.
I got the plywood and dropped it off at the bus before 7 a.m. and headed home to have morning coffee with Ashley. I love this time with her. She and I can just be with each other and talk for an hour uninterrupted … as long as the kiddos stay asleep. This morning they did, and we enjoyed an hour.
One of the topics that morning had to do with tenant selection. We are in the final phase of choosing a tenant for a property we have on market. Applications have been vetted and in-home interviews completed. We have two very good applicants to choose from, and I was having a hard time making a decision. But after talking things through with Ashley, we made our choice and made a note for the office to schedule the lease up for tomorrow.
After breakfast, I headed back over to Home Depot to buy the finishes for a flip we hope to have listed next week in Calhoun. This house was a shave-and-haircut-type rehab, meaning everything was cosmetic. It was basically paint and floor coverings.
We haven’t had a light rehab like this in a while, and it was a welcome change from the big rehabs we’ve been doing for the past few years. As matter of fact, I had to pull the guys from a big rehab we have in Resaca to finish this one up because it went so fast. I had to go pick out the last bit of finishes and the kitchen appliances and get them over to the property. While there, I was able to project when we would be done so I could schedule the cleaner and give my agent a timeframe so she could schedule the photographer.
After lunch, I got a call from a seller I’m working with on buying a house in Dalton. The seller is out of state, and we are having to do a FedEx closing. What that means is that my attorney prepared all the closing docs and then sent them to a mobile notary. The mobile notary takes the documents to the seller and notarizes things as the seller signs. They then FedEx the original docs back to the attorney overnight. Then I come and complete the sale a few days later once everything has been verified.
Today was the day the seller was signing, and we were trying to figure out how best to get me the keys to the house. I suggested they just put the keys in with the documents and I could pick them up from the attorney. That was the easiest plan, and that’s what we did.
I had a few more stops throughout the day, but I got home by 5:30 p.m. to have some quality time with the kids while Ashley had a mom’s night out with some friends. And that is how my not-so-typical day looked.