Tom Karadza & Nick Karadza

Why 'Losing Your Mind' is Key To Success

Well......"Losing Your Mind' might be a bit extreme, but I had to get your attention somehow.

On my last post I promised you part 2 of  'The Grass is Not Always Greener" and it will come but something came that is very important for today.

Have you ever had those moments either personally or professionally when everything builds up to a boiling point and then it all comes shooting out.  Yes, kind of like a volcano but maybe not quite that dramatic.

I think we can all relate.  Let's take an example, pretend there are a couple little things that are bothering you at work.  And they have been this way for some time and have consistently nudged at you but then one day two more things come up that just don't fit with you.

And although these last couple of issues are relatively minor compounded with the initials things that have irked you for some time, they cause the volcano effect (again a bit dramatic but I kinda like it!)

You leave that day and you just can't believe it.  How could this happen?  Why don't things work this way?  Who would be so inconsiderate?  There are a hundred things racing through your mind.

THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!  This is your golden opportunity to take the passion and emotion you are feeling and use it to fuel the fire within.

This is the time when you are no longer complacent with the status quo and you have a chance to examine many different aspects from a totally different point of view.  Instead of things being 'all right' they finally aren't.  You should be looking at the underlying reason of the frustration.

It may be time to start making some changes.  Maybe you leave the job altogether or start building a business on the side to follow your passion.  At my first job out of college I went through something very similiar a couple of times and it led me to start my real estate investing career.  I did not want to be dependant on the things that caused stress in my life.

See....the thing is, unless we have that frustration point, unless we come to a point where we 'lose our mind' very few of us will ever make changes.  We become complacent with who and where we are in life.

You can and should leverage these opportunities to light the inner fire and KEEP IT BURNING!  Make some changes towards how you want things to be and make them stick.  Usually you can start seeing things from the outsiders point of view when you have the fire within.  You can start seeing the big picture and re-evaluating what works for you.

We can all get overwhelmed from time to time with issues.  But if we can leverage those instances and turn them into renewed focus, passion, and drive then the benefits can be ENORMOUS!  But if you just want to go home and complain about things and feel sorry for yourself, well then good luck with it (which most people will by the way).

You see most people are complacent and won't do anything to make changes.  That is also why most people I know will complain about the situation they are in to me.

This exact same thing happens to me.  And I have made a conscious decision to use it to examine what the real underlying causes of it are.  And then most importantly use it to my advantage.

Here are the three steps I use to reignite my fire within:

- Evaluate the situation - and I don't just mean the last thing that set you off.  I examine the whole situation.  What built up to this point?  Where are changes needed to make me more productive and effective?  Some days this can take me a couple of days alone!

- MAKE THE CHANGES NOW - How many times have you said "I'm going to start doing this"?  Don't start later.  START NOW!  Make the changes immediately.  Now is the time, not later.  Without implementation you have nothing.

- Make them stick - Don't lose the passion that brought you to this point?  Keep it inside let it fuel your fire.  Allow it to push you to the next level by making the changes stick.

If used properly any situation where you 'lose your mind' can send you on a whole new track and be one of the most successful things that can ever happen to you.

- Nick Karadza

p.s.  Remember, if you're looking for Real Estate Investing information, tips and guides straight from two Canadian brothers who work with Canadian Real Estate Investors investing in their own backyard sign up for the Renegade News Letter by clicking here!

"You Are A Business Athlete & Champion" - Gene Simmons

So how does Gene Simmons tie in with Canadian real estate investing?  Read on...

Since watching Gene on his TV Show, Family Jewels, on A&E I've come to learn that he's more of a business and marketing mastermind than I had previously given him credit for. 

Who would have thunk that the guy from KISS with "the tongue" was really a business mogul in disguise?  Not me.  So I had a chance to listen to him live a few weeks ago while at Dan Kennedy's marketing conference in Nashville and thought I'd summarize a few "Gene Simmons Truisms" with you...

1. If you work and give your best you must rise to the top of the mountain.

2. He focused building a business on America's #1 export at the time, Pop Culture.

3. People skills and language skills are his keys to success.  In front of the crowd he spoke German, Hungarian, Japanese and Hebrew and is now teaching himself Mandarin Chinese.

4. Gene started KISS because he felt it was the right business at the right time.  Combining rock and horror was a conscious decision.  Now he feels it's the right time to be investing in China and has real estate projects in the tens of millions with the Chinese government...also the reason he's learning to speak Mandarin.

5. Growing up he went to libraries and read literally everything he could get his hands on.

6. He went to Junior Achievement growing up and started a cookie business.  Highly recommends it for all kids.

7. He doesn't hide behind assistants or a desk because he feels direct connection with his audience and fans is how he gets feedback, learns and adjusts.

8. KISS was made to be a BRAND not a BAND.

9.  When he got his first $10,000,000 cheque his Mom said, "OK great, now what?".  At that point he decided to keep learning, growing and earning.

There's a few other points I'll keep squirreled away for a rainy day :) but there's one last one that really got my attention.  It's this,

He kept multiple jobs growing up (a paper route and his first rock band) because he wanted to reduce his risk.

That blew me away.  Over the last few months every single self made millionaire I know personally or have met briefly has mentioned that they have held multiple jobs to spread their risk.  If he lost income from one job he had another one already running.  Brilliant.

Most professionals I know who die if their friends found out the where a chiropractor by day and were holding down another job "part time".  They would feel people would question their success.  It wouldn't jive with the image they were trying to promote. 

When it comes to real estate investing in Canada I strongly believe and encourage the same practice.  When you have one investment property if the tenant goes AWOL you are left with nothing.  If you have two properties and you lose a tenant in one of them then you still have 50% of the income coming in.

If you have three properties and you lose one you still have 2/3rds of the income coming in.

Such a simple concept that so many people ignore.  If you have a single source of income right now what are you doing to spread your risk?  Have you researched how a single real estate investment can begin building your wealth and act as a second income stream? 

Maybe it's time to spread your risk just like Gene.  Who knows, if you act fast, one day you may be sipping cocktails with him somewhere in China speaking Mandarin to each other.

- Tom Karadza

p.s.  Remember, if you're looking for Real Estate Investing information, tips and guides straight from two Canadian brothers who work with Canadian Real Estate Investors investing in their own backyard sign up for the Renegade News Letter by clicking here!

The Grass Is Not Always Greener Elsewhere Part 1

One of the most common topics people want to talk to me about lately is the downturn in the US market.  It has been splashed all over TV, radio, newspapers, and countless online articles.  This combined with the strong Canadian dollar has many people chomping at the bit to start investing in Amercian real estate, and they are asking my opinion.....

I am a strong believer that there is real estate investment opportunity in countless places throughout Canada and the US and I don't want to discourage anyone from taking the plunge into such a proven vehicle to wealth.  However there are some things to think about.

When investing outside of your local area you have to take into account that you will need contacts that you CAN TRUST.  If you wanted to start investing into Florida right now and have a great deal all lined up, that's great!  But who is going to take care of it for you?  What is your plan with the property (Remember a vacant property with you paying the bills doesn't make you money)?  Who are the people in Florida that you can lean on to help you?

These are the pieces that need to be in place when you are going to jump into the market, unless of course you are going to be flying down there when an issue arises, ouch!.  (And from taking 5 trips in the last three months airfare isn't on its way down, but that's a different story)

These are some simple questions that often get overlooked because of the shiny dollar signs that are promoted by many US companies selling in the Toronto area.  Not I am not saying there is not opportunity but there is more to it than listening to a pitch and signing the documents (which I have seen many people do).  You may want to stop and think, "Is there a reason that someone is selling real estate that is a plane ride away in another country for 'dirt cheap' with guaranteed returns in a relatively short period of time, in a down market, with strict lending regulations?"

I'm not sure about you but I definitely think there is some due diligence to be done.

Back to opportunity........

IT EXISTS EVERYWHERE!

With the right pieces in place you can be a multinational investor and be successful but those pieces are the key.  It is important not to lose sight of that.

It is common to get caught up in opportunity elsewhere.  I think we have all been guilty of "The Grass is Greener Over There" mentality at one time or another, while overlooking some opportunity under our noses.

My times up but let's continue this point in a couple days because its a big one especially for the many beginners started to invest in real esate.

- Nick Karadza

Let's Get This Party Started!

Well Nick and I have decided to get wild and start a blog!  We'll continue to regularly contribute to www.TheRealEstateRenegades.com where we write articles on Canadian Real Estate Investing. 

And we'll use this blog to share quick updates on related themes and to share more personal stories while somehow trying to tie it all back to real estate investing.

I'm typing this first post around 2:30am because I crashed early this evening while trying to get my daughter to sleep in her brand new bed (she graduated from her crib today) and now I'm wide awake!  Time management has become an art since the kids arrived on the scene!  Who knew.

Anyway, in an attempt to bring this back to real estate let me set some ground rules that we'll attempt to follow.  We don't claim to have all the answers when it comes to real estate investing (I figure Trump may still have an edge on us) but we are 100% committed to finding accurate information that we can all benefit from. 

For far too long real estate investing, especially in Canada, has been treated as some sort of intimidating "black magic" that the popular media, family and friends seem to distort to no end.  So enough is enough, here we are and let's get going.  We'll start posting shortly.

If you'd like to get a more of a feel on what we're all about visit www.TheRealEstateRenegades.com and poke around.

Alright, enough for now....I'm off for a snack and then for some shut eye before the kids get up!