Of course, none of us can be everywhere at the same time (at least no one I have ever met). So many people see Real Estate through their own single portal and only those deals that they see come by can they act on. This is very limiting and restricts many investors. The message in this article is a bit mixed. You have to see enough promise or profits to choose the path you like and therefore are more likely to learn and stick with.

I once heard someone speak of stepping over thousand dollar bills as an analogy to people who could not see a deal staring them in the face. At least that is what I thought he meant. At the time, I didn't think too much of it other than it was a cute way to look at the inexperience of many investors. As my investing career grew, I realized just how right this was. The ground, so to speak, is littered with thousand dollar bills and the dilemma becomes just which bills to pick up.

If you are new to the business, you probably cannot wait to see more thousand dollar bills than you can pick up, but they are out there. Ask anyone who is really looking.

Early in my investing career I tried just about every type of real estate investment you could buy a book or a course on. I tried each one once or twice and tried to make as few mistakes as possible. I did a few foreclosures, short sales, rehabs, flips, rentals, waterfront condos, mobile homes, commercial and residential land, and an RV Park. I even tried to buy a golf course one time but couldn't raise the capital in time. There was a lot of frustration as I worked through many of the unique issues to each strategy.

Man, I figured there had to be one of these strategies that appealed to me. The thing was, I liked them all a little bit, but not one a lot. So what to do? Keep trying other deals until you figure something out right? Well, let me just say that I spent a whole lot of time stepping over thousand dollar bills.

If I had actually sat down and listed some of the skills I had and matched them up to some of the things I liked doing, I probably could have had a 5 year head start on myself. I am cursed with being as curious as a cat and interested in nearly everything. My wife of 15 years has long since given up on some of the conversations in which I try to engage her. I can't really blame her. If our roles were reversed, she would constantly be telling me how a new type of thread was made especially for wedding dresses in the color of purple. She would go on and on about the number of twists in the thread per inch and how that affected the strength when a particularly stressful moment for the dress occurred such as laughing or pumping iron. I probably sound that crazy to her.

Today I work toward another model entirely. I am a visual person and realize that it is impossible to be good at everything and you will usually end up being just plain dangerous if you try.

So I pick a few lanes that interest me and try not to leave them. Here is what happens visually. The field is littered with thousand dollar bills. One row seems to have a few more on it and you head down that row. You find that the farther you go, the more bills you see in the distance until you focus completely on vacuuming up everyone in sight. As your skills in this lane or row expand, so does your ability to 'see' these bills that are there for the taking. In short, you are no longer stepping over what you cannot see.

I suppose I could have abandoned all the chit chat in this article and stated 'don't get too spread out, stay focused on what you like and are good at.?

That is a bit cliché though. I prefer my visual model. I remember the days when every course or book I read was the next great path to financial freedom. People will attempt to lure you down these paths with promises and do you know what? Most of them are true! If you really became engrossed and took action in the niche you were studying, you would very likely be very successful.

So what is my favorite type of investment? Well let's see what I like and don't like.

I like the technical, mechanical, and creative side to investing.
I dislike the repetition, doing the books, filling out forms, and the tedious stuff.

Others folks are just the exact opposite.

Well, I threw all my efforts at mobile homes'surprised? I used my technical skills to develop a database that made investing very simple. It is very rare that a contractor pulls the wool over my eyes especially with air conditioning or electricity. I was able to structure deals creatively using only 20% and usually less of my own money.

Like any business it has its ups and downs but I am in my comfort zone and can do many more deals in a shorter period of time. I collect most of my leads over the Internet, there is little competition, and I can spend time outdoors.

I 'see' the thousand dollar bills in my niche because I am good at it. I don't see the thousand dollar bills in tax lien certificates for example although I am sure they are there.

This business has hundreds of niches and sub-niches that are growing all the time with some of the great creative minds out there. Do yourself a favor and learn a little about yourself while you are attacking that latest course. It will pay huge dividends down the road and put you on the right track. Don't forget to come back from time to time and re-examine some of the niches that you thought you would not like. Above all do not be intimidated by people who are really cranking it up in their own niches. It does not mean it is a right fit for you as well.

Only you can choose the path that fits with your personality and style. Once you find it, watch those bills start to appear right before your eyes!

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