What do you do for a hobby?..."Um....I buy real estate." 😏
Hi Income Flipper,
"What do you do for a hobby"?
I get this question often and for many years I felt guilty about the answer.
I knew the person asking was looking for something fun and exciting like rock climbing or skydiving but the truth is, I love hunting for deals and creating cashflow.
But when I would give people that answer I could see the surprise and disappointment on their faces. They would often retort back and say something like, "yeah — but what do you do for fun"?
Somehow that comment made me feel like there was something wrong with me because...that was my fun!
So for a while, I gave people what they wanted to hear and say things like "camping, fishing, and hiking," all of which I love to do but don't consider my hobbies.
I had to look up the definition of a hobby to be sure...
The activity I most often do regularly in my leisure time for pleasure is looking at real estate deals.
Whether it's raw land for a glamping site or a house that is falling apart and in need of resurrection there is something about my imagination that is captivated during the hunt.
It's what treasure hunters must feel when they are looking for treasure.
You see, Monday through Friday I am helping my clients buy, sell, and invest in real estate—so on the weekends, I like the quiet time where I can focus on playing the game for myself.
I love playing the game, and as I get older I realize how lucky I am that my career matches the game I love to play.
I don't need to escape my life, I love what I do and I no longer feel the guilt or shame I once did when asked the question "What do you do for fun?"
So today when people ask me what I do for a hobby I tell them that I hunt for treasure.
Check out my latest treasure...
From this -
To this -
This property was part of an estate on 26 acres on the Shenandoah River. We purchased the land next door and added an additional 6 acres for a total of 32 acres.
People ask me all the time, "How do you find a deal?" so I will give you my 5 min framework on how I built a lead generation system that brings me deals.
I call it ZONE.
Z — Zero in on your target market. I picked Front Royal VA because I love the future growth opportunity of that market and it's only 1 hour away from where I live. (By the way, if you own a property there or have a deal I'm a cash buyer and can close in 7 days or less or at a time that is more convenient for you).
O — Own the mindshare of the market. I accomplish this by prospecting, networking, and marketing consistently in that area. I created a team that is calling pre-foreclosures, agents, and expired listings in that area. We are also doing direct mail and establishing a new real estate investment network there called GRID Shenandoah Valley.
N — Network with and nurture your database. We are building our database of investors, agents, and landlords that consistently see our message, "Your Front Royal Home Sold in 7 days or less - Guaranteed."
E — Empower and engage your community. We believe in giving back and we do that by educating local investors on how to build better business.
Implementing ZONE at a high level is like putting a magnifying glass on a leaf and focusing the sun's energy and light on one spot. Soon you start seeing smoke and eventually, the leaf catches fire.
This is how consistent and focused lead generation in your target ZONE works, at first nothing, then a little smoke, and eventually your business is on FIRE!
Download the ZONE Method Cheat Sheet
The problem is that most real estate entrepreneurs can't stay focused long enough on one thing. They keep moving the magnifying glass and nothing happens.
Don't make that mistake!
Ok, so you are probably saying, "Rob, that sounds like a lot of work how is it that you do all this in your leisure time"?
This truth is that I don't... I teach my team how to execute the plan and then let them run the playbook.
What I do is head to my river house, enjoy the outdoors, and when my team pings me about a potential deal, I use that as an opportunity to hunt for treasure with my trusty dog, Prim, as my sidekick.
Let freedom ring,
Rob Chevez
P.S. Interested in real estate investing? Join our free GRID Investor Facebook Community here.
P.S.S. Want to learn more about creating financial freedom through real estate investing and business ownership? Follow me on Youtube and Instagram.
