Are You an Underwater Homeowner or Investor?

Hi friends,

How did so many people end up with underwater houses?

If you are like many homeowners today, you feel overwhelmed by what is supposed to be the American dream – homeownership. We have this vision of what it is supposed to be like – cute house, white picket fence, a couple of kids, a dog in the back yard, summer barbeque's, family time, and so much more.

We find a house and fall in love with it. We then find a mortgage broker who offers us an amazing deal – zero down or a low down payment or low fixed payments for two-years or something along those lines. We buy the house, move in, and all is right with the world.


Soon, our two-year low monthly payment resets, the payment raises, then it resets again and the payment continues to rise. Now the stress of making our mortgage payment is all we think about and we become disillusioned with our American dream – homeownership.

The dream continues to crumble when you try to sell your house to get free of the payments only to find that property values have dropped nationwide and you now owe more than your house is worth. Sadly, there are hundreds of thousands of houses on the market that aren’t selling because folks, just like you, owe more than their house is worth.


If you have the time and money, you can wait out the market and sell your property when values come back up. If you are like most American’s, you don’t have the time to wait it out. You want to be relieved of the stress today.

The good news is that there are many solutions available that most people don’t know exist. We are going to talk about leases, subject to’s, rentals, short sales and much, much more. Did you know that you can negotiate with your bank to accept less than you currently owe as full payment? Are you aware that here are government programs that will allow you to rent out your house for three times the current market rents? Folks, no matter where you are in your property situation – there is a perfect solution for you.

Education is power. Once you read this you will begin to realize that you are not alone and that you are not stuck. Let us help you change your life. You will be able to sleep again, you’ll have less stress in your life, and the best part is - you can start fresh and own another home again and continue the American dream - homeownership with knowledge!

There are almost 2 million people in foreclosure with the numbers expected to rise! What is a nation to do when foreclosures are on the rise? We must ban together to help as many people as possible. We have completed over 1,800 personal transactions and coached thousands more through tough situations.


Our goal is to educate you on several different options – that you can do yourself - and to help you pick the option that best suits your needs. There is no reason for you to lie awake at night worrying what you will do, or how you will make your mortgage payment or when the market will change or anything else that is negative and sucks the life out of you.

Many of you reading this might be another type of homeowner - real estate investors disillusioned by their American dream – getting rich buying and selling real estate. There are so many late-night television shows that make real estate investing seem like a breeze. It can be, with the right instruction.

We want to share what is currently happening in our economy. Many of you reading this already recognize that you are in trouble. Some of you have yet to realize it. Either way, recognizing what happened to you, what is still happening to you, why it happened, and what you can do to get stop it from happening again is key to staying above water in the future.

Back in the late 1990’s and in the early part of the 2000’s banks had tougher guidelines to purchase a property when using conventional financing. Banks would lend you money based on your debt to income ratio and your credit score. Back then, a maximum of 30 percent (sometimes up to 40 percent) of your income could be used toward a mortgage payment. Meaning, if your PITI – principle, interest, taxes, and insurance. In some states, the bank collects the full payment and then pays your taxes and homeowners insurance each year. If your monthly income is $2,000, you could qualify for a mortgage payment around $600 PITI.

Most investment properties required a 20 percent down payment and proof that you could afford the investment mortgage payment in addition to your residential mortgage payment.

In some cases, the banks would stretch the loan amount allowing 40 percent of your income to be applied toward the mortgage payment. With 40 percent of your income going towards a mortgage payment, just look at what could or may have already happened to you …

TO BE CONTINUED...

Have a Blessed Day,

Dwan
http://www.theieu.com/

Are You Considering Bankruptcy?

Hi Friends,

As I have been watching the news this week, I see that bankruptcy is at an all time high. You may be a homeowner in distress or an investor who is upside down. You may be considering filing bankruptcy. Just know that bankruptcy is not the end of the world. Many people file and start fresh and become wildly successful.

We found the following information on this government website – http://www.uscourts.gov/ to be helpful. Check out the site yourself for more information…

United States Bankruptcy Courts
Each of the 94 federal judicial districts handles bankruptcy matters, and in almost all districts, bankruptcy cases are filed in the bankruptcy court – the Federal Courthouse. Bankruptcy cases cannot be filed in state or county court. Bankruptcy laws help people who can no longer pay their creditors get a fresh start by liquidating their assets to pay their debts, or by creating a repayment plan.

Bankruptcy laws also protect troubled businesses and provide for fair distributions to business creditors through reorganization or liquidation. These procedures are covered under Title 11 of the United States Code .


Filing for Bankruptcy
When you file bankruptcy your creditors, court personnel, the media, and general public are notified. An official notice will be placed in the legal section of your newspaper stating that you filed and giving other creditors a chance to join in. The court will set a 341 hearing and the process will begin.

In 2005, the Bankruptcy Code was amended to require that anyone filing bankruptcy complete an approved credit counseling program before they file bankruptcy. Most people can now do the class online. Again, go to the website to find a list of approved agencies and complete the course before you file. It only takes a few hours.

Filing for Bankruptcy without an Attorney
Corporations and partnerships must have an attorney to file a bankruptcy case. Individuals, however, may represent themselves in bankruptcy court. While individuals can file bankruptcy without an attorney. To represent yourself means to file “pro se.” To buy additional time, many homeowners will file bankruptcy themselves, hire an attorney afterwards, the attorney will ask for a dismissal of the case and then refile, often buying 90 days or more before the individual must appear in court. Bankruptcy is not something to toy with. If you do file yourself, hire an attorney as soon as possible. Bankruptcy has long-term financial and legal consequences - hiring a competent attorney is strongly recommended.

Debtors must list all property and debts in their bankruptcy paperwork. If a debt is not listed, it is possible the debt will not be discharged. The judge can also deny the discharge of all debts if a debtor does something dishonest in connection with the bankruptcy case, such as destroying or hiding property, falsifying records, or lying. Individual bankruptcy cases are randomly audited to determine the accuracy, truthfulness, and completeness of the information that the debtor is required to provide. Please be aware that bankruptcy fraud is a crime.

Credit Counseling
Individual debtors are generally required to obtain credit counseling from an approved provider within 180 days before filing a case, and to file a statement of compliance and a certificate of credit counseling furnished by the provider. Failure to do so may result in dismissal of the case, however; in most cases, if you file bankruptcy without completing the credit counseling, the court will require completion of the counseling before your first hearing giving you time to stay within the guidelines.

Finding an Attorney, including Free Legal Services
Debtors are strongly encouraged to obtain the services of competent legal counsel. Even if you cannot afford to pay an attorney, you may be able to qualify for free legal services. For information about hiring an attorney, or about free (also known as "pro bono") legal services, contact your state or local bar association. Many law schools have legal clinics that offer free legal services. Court web sites often have contact information for bar associations and pro bono legal service programs, as well as important procedural information.

For information about such legal resources, check the American Bar Association's Legal Help page, the Legal Services Corporation, or the web site of the bankruptcy court where you intend to file.

If you are filing or involved in a bankruptcy case and do not have an attorney, the web site of the bankruptcy court where the case has been or will be filed may be of assistance. The Bankruptcy Resources page may be of help as well.

Again....it is not the end of the world...Knowledge is power - so take time to research this before you make such a HUGE decision...

Have a Blessed Day,

Dwan
http://www.theieu.com/

Finally Home

Hi Friends,

We have been traveling everywhere this summer. We finally got home today. What a blast we had this summer! We went to Iowa, Ohio, Atlantic City, California, Tennessee, and every place in between. Traveling on the bus has been such a great experience. We take nieces, nephews, kids, cousins, and more. They all love it. We did so many things - I can't decide what my favorite was. I did so many things I never do namely- Bingo and Clogging. There is a whole different world out there:-). Who knew!

It is good to try new things...it keep us young:-).

We are starting the "Fall Series" training calls in two weeks. These calls will focus on homeowners and how to help them. It is important in this market to be able to help as many homeowners as possible. Unfortunatly, scumballs come out of the word work in these markets...that is why we are going to focus on homeowners and their needs...

Make sure to open the emails from our office to register for the series. You'll be glad you did.

Talk to you soon.

Have a Blessed Evening,

Dwan
www.theieu.com

Mindset of a Distressed Homeowner

Hi Friends,

Ever wonder why homeowners act like they do? This will help you to understand where they are coming from...

The Typical Mindset of People in Distress

 As an investor it is important to learn which mindset a homeowner is in, in order for you to help them.

 As a homeowner it is important to recognize what mindset you are in, in order for you to move on.

 As an investor in trouble it is important to recognize where you might be and what other investors are thinking when they offer to help you.

Denial is probably the hardest to overcome. When people (or investors who saw your name in the foreclosure filings) ask you what is going on, how they can help, is everything okay because you seem tense, why you are moving, you say things like:

 I’ve already taken care of it
 I’m listing my house with a Realtor
 I hired an attorney
 I’m going to re-finance and pull out some cash
 I’m working with a mortgage broker
 It’s already taken care of
 I made up the back payments
 The bank has the wrong house
 Don’t worry about it, we’re fine
 I have no idea what you are talking about

When people ask you how you got into trouble, you blame everyone else or deny the problem altogether. It is normal to feel denial. It takes time to process what is happening. We believe that investors have a harder time with denial than homeowners do because they are supposed to be buying and selling houses for a profit. They are supposed to be helping other people in distress, not be in it themselves.

When the market was going crazy and property values were going up at record speed, many people decided to try their hand at investing. Unfortunately, most people didn’t get the proper investing education and ended up in trouble while trying to gain wealth. It can be very difficult to come back from that. You might be skittish next time around or decide to give up. Remember, Henry Ford went bankrupt seven times. Never quit!

Anger is typically the next emotion. You have accepted the fact that you are facing financial hardship and are mad at the world because of it.

When people (or investors who saw your name in the foreclosure files) ask you what is going on or what they can do to help, you say things like:

 Get off my property
 Stay away from here
 I’ll call the cops
 You’re such a jerk coming to my house
 Stop bothering me
 Who do you think you are getting into my personal business
 What makes you so different
 I’m a good person, why is this happening to me
 I didn’t do anything to deserve this

Typically with anger, you respond in an argumentive manner whenever anyone tries to find out what is happening. Deep inside you are mad at the world as well as being terribly embarrassed over things. As with denial, it is common to go from one emotion to the next. You may feel anger for a while, you figure out a possible solution, it falls apart and - bam - the anger comes back.

You see neighbors or family members who seem to have everything going in their direction and you feel angry about it – “why are you having all these problems and they aren’t, you’re a good person, why is this happening to you” - it is completely normal to have these feelings. That’s why they call it anger.

Take comfort in knowing that this too shall pass.

Fear might be the next emotion you experience. You lay awake at night wondering what you will do, where you will go, what will happen to your credit, will your marriage survive, why you bought those properties in the first place, if only you could take it back, and many more fearful worries.

When people ask you what happened (or an investor shows up at your door because of the foreclosure notice) you say things like:

 I’m in so much trouble
 The impact of this foreclosure is just killing me
 I don’t know what I’m going to do
 Thank God you’re here
 Thank you for working with me
 I can’t sleep at night
 I don‘t know what will happen to my kids
 How will I ever buy another house

While you are in the fearful mode, life may seem scary. As with all the other emotions, this one will pass as well. The great things about dealing with all your feelings is that once you accept them, you can start working toward a solution.

Depression is one of the toughest to overcome. Depression can cause people to take drastic measures – we have even seen people try to commit suicide. Remember, this is only a house … not a family member who is dying and you must start losing the emotional attachment to it. Once the emotional attachment is gone, life will get easy again and start going in the right direction. There is life after foreclosure, after losing something that was important to you, after losing a business, after all things – there is a new life waiting for you.

While feeling depressed you might say and think things like:

 I’m in a hopeless situation
 I’ve tried everything and nothing works
 What do you think you can do to help, nothing is working
 Other investors have tried
 My life and family are ruined
 I’m so screwed up
 I’m such a loser
 How will I ever face people again

Embarrassment is common to have throughout the entire process. You might feel anger for a while, then you’ll be embarrassed again, then in denial, then embarrassed again, then angry and then back to embarrassment.

We have both been in embarrassing situations before and no matter how many people help or how you resolve the situation, the fact that you were in it is embarrassing forever. We still get embarrassed (to a much smaller scale) talking about it and now we are sharing our personal situation with the world by writing this book. Talk about embarrassing! It’s kinda scary to know that your personal secrets are going to be exposed and for sale is every book store in America.

We’re sure that some people will judge us while others will look at what we have been through and who and what we have become today and it will give them hope. God has placed it on both of our hearts to share and help others to make a difference in their lives. Many of you don’t have family or resources, so we hope to be that person who helps you start over and begin a new, better, more exciting life.

Here are some of the feelings you might experience and some of the things you may say or think during the embarrassment phase:

 My kids will have to change schools and people might figure out why we moved
 Hope my neighbors don’t find out about this
 How did you find this out
 Who else knows
 Please don’t park your car with those “I Buy Houses Signs” on it in front of my house
 Please come in … hurry
 What do you mean this is public record
 What if my boss/family/friends find out
 Every investor in town knows I am in trouble and I won’t be able to get back into the business later
 What will people think of me as a person, mom, dad, or provider

As with the rest of the feelings, embarrassment will soon fade and that is when you can start dealing with what is happening to you and move on.

It is important to understand that harboring any type of negative feelings can result in many physical symptoms – lack of sleep, short temperedness, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, anxiety attacks, break outs, loss of hair, and so many more things. Please don’t let stress and anger get the best of you. Trust us, someday you will look back on this as a learning experience. Maybe not for a while, but someday … what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Besides that, God says He won’t give you more than you can handle. NO matter how tough things are – you can handle it and start over.

Acceptance is the emotion to work toward. Once you have fully accepted your situation, you can really make things happen. You know you are in acceptance when you stop losing sleep, work diligently toward a solution, aren’t so mortified to talk about your situation, are beginning to accept advice and help from others, actually look forward to moving and starting over, begin to realize that you can invest again, know that people aren’t judging you and talking about you, you stop being paranoid and so on. It is a great day when acceptance sets in.

When acceptance sets it, don’t become complacent. Keep the ball rolling in the right direction.

Hope this helps to understand why homeowners act like they do...good luck.

Have a Blessed Evening,

Dwan
www.theieu.com

Mortgage Debt Relief

Morning Friends,

Here is some information to help you if you are struggling to pay your mortgage payment.

Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act

In order to see what exemptions you qualify for, if any, check out the following sites:

 www.irs.gov
 www.whitehouse.gov
 www.govtrack.us
 www.sccgov.org

The following information is from the www.irs.gov website:

What is the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007?
The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 was enacted on December 20, 2007 (see News Release IR-2008-17). Generally, the Act allows exclusion of income realized as a result of modification of the terms of the mortgage, or foreclosure on your principal residence.

What does that mean?
Usually, debt that is forgiven or cancelled by a lender must be included as income on your tax return and is taxable. The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 allows you to exclude certain cancelled debt on your principal residence from income.

Does the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 apply to all forgiven or cancelled debts?
No, the Act applies only to forgiven or cancelled debt used to buy, build or substantially improve your principal residence, or to refinance debt incurred for those purposes.

What about refinanced homes?
Debt used to refinance your home qualifies for this exclusion, but only up to the extent that the principal balance of the old mortgage, immediately before the refinancing, would have qualified.

Does this provision apply for the 2007 tax year only?
It applies to qualified debt forgiven in 2007, 2008 or 2009.

If the forgiven debt is excluded from income, do I have to report it on my tax return?
Yes. The amount of debt forgiven must be reported on Form 982 and the Form 982 must be attached to your tax return.

Do I have to complete the entire Form 982?
Form 982, Reduction of Tax Attributes Due to Discharge of Indebtedness (and Section 1082 Adjustment), is used for other purposes in addition to reporting the exclusion of forgiveness of qualified principal residence indebtedness. If you are using the form only to report the exclusion of forgiveness of qualified principal residence indebtedness as the result of foreclosure on your principal residence, you only need to complete lines 1e and 2. If you kept ownership of your home and modification of the terms of your mortgage resulted in the forgiveness of qualified principal residence indebtedness, complete lines 1e, 2, and 10b. Attach the Form 982 to your tax return.

Where can I get this form?
You can download the form at IRS.gov, or call 1-800-829-3676. If you call to order, please allow 7-10 days for delivery.

How do I know or find out how much was forgiven?
Your lender should send a Form 1099-C, Cancellation of Debt, by January 31, 2008. The amount of debt forgiven or cancelled will be shown in box 2. If this debt is all qualified principal residence indebtedness, the amount shown in box 2 will generally be the amount that you enter on lines 2 and 10b, if applicable, on Form 982.

Can I exclude debt forgiven on my second home, credit card or car loans?
Not under this provision. Only cancelled debt used to buy, build or improve your principal residence or refinance debt incurred for those purposes qualifies for this exclusion.

If part of the forgiven debt doesn't qualify for exclusion from income under this provision, is it possible that it may qualify for exclusion under a different provision?

Yes. The forgiven debt may qualify under the "insolvency" exclusion. Normally, a taxpayer is not required to include forgiven debts in income to the extent that the taxpayer is insolvent. A taxpayer is insolvent when his or her total liabilities exceed his or her total assets. The forgiven debt may also qualify for exclusion if the debt was discharged in a Title 11 bankruptcy proceeding or if the debt is qualified farm indebtedness or qualified real property business indebtedness. If you believe you qualify for any of these exceptions, see the instructions for Form 982.

Is there a limit on the amount of forgiven qualified principal residence indebtedness that can be excluded from income?
There is no dollar limit if the principal balance of the loan was less than $2 million ($1 million if married filing separately for the tax year) at the time the loan was forgiven. If the balance was greater, see the instructions to Form 982, page 4.

Is there anything else I need to know before filing?
Yes. Because the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 was passed so late in the year, the software systems used by tax preparers and at the Internal Revenue Service need to be updated to accept the revised Form 982. The IRS expects to be able to process the new Form 982 electronically on March 3, 2008.

Hope this helps...

Have a Blessed Day,

Dwan
www.theieu.com

Scratch and Dent - YOU MUST READ!

Good Morning Friends,

I have some good news and some bad news. Because of our growing business, we started our own product development and shipping department – that’s the good news. Thanks for helping us grow. We are loving the fact that we have so many successful students.

In fact, take a minute after you read this, to look at a few videos of some successful students and some greats deals at our You Tube page. I am going to post a really funny video of Bill today – he doesn’t know it yet. You’ll laugh your butt off. www.youtube.com/dwanbenttwyford

Back to the point - We then called our current shipping company and asked to have all our products shipped to us so we could handle our own products. They weren’t as happy as one would think. The bad news – many of the products came in less than perfect condition.

Since we speak publicly, we can’t sell products with chipped binder corners or wrinkled plastic wrap or anything that is in less than perfect condition.
So – the great news for you…we are going to have our first ever “scratch and dent sale.”

If you have been waiting to invest in more training programs, but money has been tight, now is your chance. As long as you don’t mind a chipped corner – take advantage of our loss. All the products have the CD’s, forms discs, the contents are in perfect condition…the wear and tear is on the binders. The shipping company did not take the usual care and use bubble wrap (or at least not enough of it) and we have lots of chipped corners.

Here is how I am going to do this. Since I don’t want to create a lot of extra work for my staff by having them prepare a sales page, take a bunch of calls, and answer a ton of emails, I am going to have you fax your order to my personal fax number that rings in my house. I’ll take the orders to the office later today so we can ship tomorrow. I haven’t told my staff I am doing this and I’m sure they will flip when they see all the work I am creating for them. This is one advantage of being the boss.
 
Fill out this form and fax it to 303-838-5504:
Name: _________________________________________________________________________
Email: _________________________________________________________________________

Products: Investment:
1. _____________________________________ ___________________
2. _____________________________________ ___________________
3. _____________________________________ ___________________
4. _____________________________________ ___________________
5. _____________________________________ ___________________

TOTAL INVESTMENT: ___________________

FREE PROGRAM: ______________________________________________________________

Credit Card Number: ____________________________________________________________
Expiration Date: ____________________________________________________________

I UNDERSTAND THESE PRODUCTS HAVE SLIGHT DAMAGE. THIS ORDER IS NON-REFUNDABLE. I WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO CANCEL THIS ORDER OR RETURN THE PRODUCTS. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT I MAY NOT GET MY FREE PRODUCT OF CHOICE. FLASH CARDS WILL BE INCLUDED.

Signature (you MUST sign this):______________________________________________________

Here are the conditions for these killer prices. Please don’t call the office asking questions (seriously, they won’t know what you are talking about); please don’t email asking questions; please don’t ask for a discount; please don’t ask for FREE products; and please don’t complain if you just bought something for less at an event. I am losing money here and am willing to pass my misfortune on to you because you are a loyal student.

This is what I have:

17 Short Sale Secrets – retail $1,497. Your price - $249

22 Fast Cash Forms – retail $997. Your price - $179
(all the legal forms we use including Land Trusts)

16 Foreclosure Fortunes (deal finding) – retail $997. Your price - $179

19 Rehab Riches – retail $897. Your price - $149

14 Shut Up! Stick to the Script - retail $1,497. Your price - $249

22 Communication Mastery (Bill’s NLP program) – retail $997. Your price - $179

31 Mastering Your Phone Skills – retail $997. Your price - $179

29 Short Sale Case Studies – retail $997. Your price - $179

12 Advanced Concepts –retail $897. Your price - $149

7 Fast Track (28 CD’s, 4 training manuals (500 pages), document discs) $1,497
This one actually made me mad – I mean, how hard it is to use bubble wrap.
Fast Track is a 12-week live training program that sells for $7,495

We also have 1,500 sets of Flash Cards in stock. Since they are not in binders, they are actually in great shape. As an extra way of saying “Thanks for Helping”, I’m going to throw in ONE set of FREE Flash Cards with each order. As you know, they sell for $799.

I am going to limit the number of products to five. For each person who orders five programs – I’ll throw in ONE FREE program in addition to the Flash Cards – (Fast Track excluded). Please list the program you’d like to get free and I’ll do my best to give it to you; however, I’ll send whatever I have left.

This offer is good until the products are gone. Don’t delay … Fax your order to 303-838-5504 right now.

Don’t forget to take a look at You Tube – I have some great stuff on there. – www.youtube.com/dwanbenttwyford

If you know anything about me, you know that I don’t use sales ploys and fake sales pitches to get your business. This is not a sales pitch - this is a real situation. My office is in the process of making hundreds of new products, I hired four full-time people in product development, I bought equipment, and – honestly - I need the space for the new inventory. I really want you to take advantage of this opportunity and get whatever you don’t already own.

Have a Blessed Day,

Dwan
www.theieu.com

New Tips From Mr. Landlord - great info!

Morning Friends,

I recieved some more great tips from my friend, Jeffery Taylor - aka Mr. Landlord. He is the nations foemost expert on landlording and offers great weeky tips. I'll post a few here and there...

CONTINUALLY LEARN FROM OTHER LANDLORDS
Study other successful landlords to find the good traits and practices they use. This is one of the best benefits of joining a local landlord association. In addition, always look for ways to improve various aspects of your rental operation by discussing various topics with other landlords including: rental criteria for selecting residents, rental application questions, maintenance tricks of the trades and favorite lease clauses.

STAY ABREAST OF THE POLITICAL WINDS
Be aware that the city, the state department of health, and other agencies all can begin to target communities where your rental properties are, and this can be true for even well-maintained properties in good condition. Especially for aging communities and properties, areas where you have rentals, may soon become a target if it they have not already in the current political/socio-climate of the day. I think it would pay all landlords to stay abreast of coming changes, political winds (lead, mold, etc.) and not grow complacent that your cities and communities will not be affected. This is another big reason to stay actively involved in a local association, where landlords can show their strength in numbers and stay informed of what's happening with any potential changes with legislation, zoning, housing enforcement and otherwise in your area. You can do all you can to maintain your properties in a professional manner but still get caught if you aren't aware of how the future is going for your investment property. Be it mold, lead, asbestos, or even off-gassing of chemicals from NEW construction. Stay abreast!

GO TO COURT BEFORE YOU HAVE TO
This advice is especially important if you will soon have to take a tenant to court and have never had to take a tenant to court before. Before your actual scheduled court date, go and simply sit in on landlord/tenant court cases (stay a few hours if necessary) so that you have a good grasp of how the judge operates and what they are looking for from the landlord to prove their case. In my area, eviction cases happen once a week. In larger cities, it might be every day, However it works, you need to see not only how the Judge operates, but what makes him mad, how do successful people speak to him, and how do they present. The Judge does not care about your story, he wants to make a good decision, get you out of his face, and move to the next case so he can go home. Also, very important, you want to see what defenses are presented by tenants or their attorneys and which defenses cause the judge to rule in favor of the tenant or give the tenant more time. Watching all this is very valuable education for any landlord.

ADVANTAGE OF REQUIRING RENTER'S INSURANCE
I require tenants to have renter's coverage. It's up to them to continue coverage that is as agreed in the lease. For myself, I have an umbrella policy with adequate coverage. I had one occasion where there was flooding in the basement of a house where they had things stored. When they asked me if I had insurance to cover their things, I said of course not! Just file on the renters insurance you're required to have as part of the rental agreement. There were no more questions on their part.

LOVING YOUR FAMILY
I got a wonderful piece of advice a few months ago about creating an "I love you" drawer. The advice was to have in this drawer a collection of all important documents (insurance policies, mortgage papers, bank accounts, will and testament, etc) that you compile for your heirs and family members in case "the worst" should happen. A grieving loved one should not have to hassle with trying to find papers at a time of tragedy. We show how we love them by how we care for them before tragedy strikes. Though this is a subject many rental owners don't stop to think about, because landlords have such a wide range of documents connected to potentially valuable assets, it is important not to let a lot of what you have worked so hard for become a burden and not a blessing for the next generation.

These tips are from tips shared on MrLandlord.com website and in the Mr. Landlord newsletter. To receive a free sample of the newsletter visit Jeffery's website at MrLandlord.com and register to win a free landlording book.

Hope you all have a great day. We are back in Iowa working on our new training center...we are so excited to have training classes here. I can't wait for you to see what we have in store for you...

Have a Blessed Day,

Dwan
www.theieu.com