Michigan Landlord Magazine: Special Edition Conference Guide 2023

Thank You Boathouse Commercial Funding Group for Being This Year's Conference Underwriter!

IN THIS ISSUE

FEATURES

4 WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!

6 MEMBER-TO-MEMBER DISCOUNTS

56 UPCOMING COURSES AND EVENTS

ARTICLES

8 BILL COOK: HOW TO STRUCTURE SAFER DEALS

14 BILL NOLL: LLC’S HAVE GREAT LEGAL & TAX BENEFITS - FINALLY THAT IDEAL ENTITY FOR REAL ESTATE!

19 ISABELLE GUARINO-SMITH: REVOLUTIONIZING THE ASSISTED LIVING INDUSTRY

25 TOM KOETSIER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

HUGE thank you to our 2023 Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor Conference & Expo CONFERENCE

UNDERWRITER SPONSOR Boathouse

Commercial Funding Group! The conference is February 23-24 at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids. Register for the conference here.

Boathouse Commercial Funding Group specializes in providing business owners with alternative funding options. If you're interested in business loans to keep your operations running smoothly, they can help. Their team of experienced financial professionals have the knowledge, expertise, and passion to make your vision a reality so you can continue to grow your business.

To learn more about Boathouse Commercial Funding Group, visit their website at boathousecfg.com or call (269) 459-2530 for a free consultation!

26 JOHN BURLEY: WHY 2023 WILL BE THE YEAR OF THE SMALL REAL ESTATE INVESTOR

31 CONFERENCE PROGRAM GUIDE

39 JASON WOJO: THE NEW PROSPERITY?

42 TOM ZEEB: THE BASIC RULES & CONCEPTS OF NEGOTIATION

46 3 WAYS TO ATTRACT BUSINESS TRAVELERS TO YOUR SHORT-TERM RENTAL

VOLUME 59, ISSUE 2

www.rpoaonline.org

The MICHIGAN LANDLORD magazine's goal is to provide a forum for real estate investment and rental property ownership and management ideas and news. Our articles, columns, and other features should not be construed as investment advice, nor does their appearance imply an endorsement by the Rental Property Owners Association of Kent County or the Real Estate Investors of Michigan of any specific real estate investment or management strategy. An investor’s and manager’s best course of action must be based on individual circumstances.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!

Accruit

Berry Starnes

Brian Stenger

Bryan Johnson

Christopher Graves

In Front of the Farm LLC

Jeff Wills

Jennifer Polcyn

Kennedy Recreation Inc

Kenneth McLaughlin

Kitchen Tune-up

KMG Prestige

Koshy George

Lily Skeel

Madison Bronkan

Martin Medrano-Hernandez

Metro Properties

Maintenance Services

Michael Campbell

Michigan Screen and Window Repair, LLC

Mike Nachtegall

PTJ Properties LLC

Romano Giuseppe

Shyla Tailor

REAL ESTATE INVESTOR & LANDLORD

NETWORKING BREAKFAST

Join us every Friday morning at 8 am!

The Friday Morning REI breakfast is an open, informal networking session for vendors, lenders, landlords and investors who are invited to share their haves and wants.

Russ’ Restaurant 3966 Plainfield Ave NE Grand Rapids, MI 49525

RPOA Member-to-Member Discounts

GREAT LAKES ACE 10% discount on all purchases. Some restrictions apply. Offer valid at our two Grand Rapids stores, 1234 Michigan St. NE and 1205 Fulton St. West and our Walker store, 4300 Remembrance Rd.

BENDER MAINTENANCE & HOME IMPROVEMENT 10% off hourly rate for RPOA members. Property maintenance, general repairs; prepare property to rent at acquisition; inspection compliance for Section 8, City of Grand Rapids. General Contractor, Certified Lead Renovator, RPOA Member. (616) 885-0132.

BERGSMA PLUMBING is offering a 15% discount to RPOA members when they mention seeing this listing on the website. Members must provide their RPOA member number to receive this discount.

BOATHOUSE COMMERCIAL FUNDING GROUP offers a no-cost 10 page Property Valuation Report. This report is like Zillow on steroids. The report includes: House value, market rent value, sales and rental comparables, active listings, market analysis… everything you need to compare your property to others around you.

COMPASS REALTY RPOA exclusive discount! Free 1 hour real estate consultation. Call Allison Koetsier at 616-6339445.

CONSUMERS ENERGY AC Peak Cycling Program: Join the movement, choose clean and cut costs for you and your tenants. Enroll in Consumers Energy’s AC Peak Cycling program to save energy and receive $25 for each rental unit where a device is installed. (Ex.: 100 units is $2,500 for you!) Tenants also receive $25 in addition to earning up to $32 in bill credits each year from June to September.

DISCOUNT HOME IMPROVEMENT RPOA members receive 6% off your order. (616) 451-3600.

FOUNDATION SPECIALIST is offering to waive inspection fees and give free estimates for customers who mention they are a member of the RPOA when scheduling. (616) 4380551.

GRAND RAPIDS CARPET & FURNITURE CLEANERS RPOA members receive 4th room free! Call Dave at (616) 4535368.

HD RECOVERY is offering free impound service for abandoned vehicles. Call Jordan Morren at (616) 3255751 with questions!

THE HOME DEPOT Sign up for the Home Depot rebate program through the RPOA and receive a 2%* rebate on all your purchases—no matter how small or big. Call the RPOA office to get your rebate program started now! (616) 454-3385.

*2% OF TOTAL PURCHASES OVER $5,000 SEMI-ANNUALLY.

INDOOR CLIMATE SOLUTIONS is offering all RPOA members Grand Rapids heating inspection stickers for $50.00 each and a 5% discount on repair or replacement of any HVAC equipment. Over 40 years experience servicing and installing furnaces, boilers, air conditioning. (616) 891-HEAT (4328).

JB HARRISON INSURANCE AGENCY Independent agents repre senting several companies (Auto-Owners, AAA, Citizens, Hastings, Hartford, Pioneer State Mutual, Progressive). We do the shopping for you. Group discounts available for RPOA members. Call Mike Murphy at (616) 868-0050 for details.

J R MORTGAGE SERVICES LLC

Free appraisals for 1 to 4 family unit homes with closed loan application for RPOA members only. Call Jim Riley at (616) 292-4491.

KABINET With a Kabinet Business Plan, add one property to your account and get the second property free for the 1st year (a $39.99 savings) with code “RPOA”. Kabinet is a secure digital platform allowing you to keep track of your entire real estate portfolio in one place, anytime and anywhere. kabinethome. com

LAKE MICHIGAN CLEANING RPOA members receive $20

Take

off per vent. Contact Dudley Larson at (616) 240-0682 for more information.

LOCKER PROFESSIONAL CLEANING SERVICES offers full service deep cleaning, rental/ vacation property cleaning, move-out real estate cleaning, move-in full-service cleaning, commercial cleaning. RPOA members get $100 off deep clean discount or $50 off your first clean. Discounts available for long term contracts. Free estimates. Call 616-490-7894 for more information.

MODERNISTIC CLEANING & RESTORATION Protect your investment! RPOA members, call for special pricing. Need something other than carpet cleaning? We provide FREE ESTIMATES on all of our services: air duct and dryer vent cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, and flood/fire/mold restoration. Call the simple & quick cleaning and restoration experts! (616) 531-1666.

OFFICE MAX/OFFICE DEPOT offers special discounts on expensive supplies like ink cartridges. More than a vendor or a supplier…they’re your strategic partner, your ally, your advocate. To access this discount, contact the RPOA office. (616) 454-3385.

PRIORITY PAINTING LLC offering a 7% discount to RPOA members. Contact David at (616) 893-7932.

RENTAL HERO Accounting software for rental property

owners. RPOA members get the first year for only $79 then pay only $7.95/month, billed annually at $95 after that. Free 30-day trial. To sign up, visit rentalhero.io/rpoami

RMS LLC Towing of abandoned and improperly parked cars on your property. Offering to RPOA members at no cost. Free signage for RPOA members if required by State of Michigan laws. Call (616) 730-2058.

SHERWIN WILLIAMS offers a 30% discount on paint products and also offers a 30% discount on paint sundries. Applicators are discounted 35%. Other pricing is very competitive within the local market.

SIMPLIFYEM SimplifyEm is an easy-to-use property management software designed by real estate professionals. They are offering a 25% discount for a 1 year subscription and a 50% discount for a 3 year subscription. Contact Bert Foreman at (510) 876-7070 for more information.

VREDEVOOGD-BRUMMEL RISK MANAGEMENT & INSURANCE

Independent insurance agency representing multiple insurance companies. Always providing home and auto insurance but specializing in rental and vacant property insurance. We do all the shopping for you and special RPOA member discounts are available. Call Joel Emerson at 616-797-9988 for more details.

WEST MICHIGAN AIR DUCT AND HVAC is offering all RPOA members an exclusive 10% discount on all service repairs, installs, and tune ups. They also offer a pricing tool on their website at quotemyhvac. com that gives immediate furnace, AC, and water heater replacement estimates. Call David Mellema at 616-4215610 to learn more.

THE WILLING VESSEL is offering 50% off first freight hauling within the city of Grand Rapids to RPOA members. Contact Nathaniel at 616-8242280.

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCOUNT PROGRAM SHOULD CALL THE RPOA OFFICE AT 616-454-3385.

"The promotion of offers, including discounts, rebates and other such benefits, goods, and services provided by the Rental Property Owners Association of Kent County (“RPOA”) members and advertisers within the Michigan Landlord magazine (collectively, the “Offers”), are for informational purposes only and are not an endorsement or recommendation. The Offers are not made by the RPOA or the Michigan Landlord magazine and the advertiser/member is solely responsible to you for the delivery of any goods or services. Your correspondence or business dealings with, or participation in the Offers or promotions of, advertisers/members found in the Michigan Landlord magazine, including payment and delivery of related goods or services, and any other terms, conditions, warranties or representations associated with such dealings, are solely between you and such advertiser/member. Neither the RPOA nor the Michigan Landlord magazine guarantees the existence or continued existence of any Offers, which may change from time to time. You agree to waive and release the RPOA and the Michigan Landlord magazine from and against any and all liability, loss or damage of any sort, incurred as the result of any such dealings with, or as the result of the presence of, any advertisement or promotion within the Michigan Landlord magazine.”

advantage of these great RPOA member-only discounts!

NATIONAL SPEAKER

BILL COOK

Door Knocking for Real Estate

Thursday, February 23rd 2023 @ 10:10am

How to Structure Safer Deals

Article By Bill Cook

When Kim and I were new investors, debt leverage didn’t bother us one bit. We didn’t consider many deals to be too risky. We were young. We were hard chargers.

That was nearly 30 years ago. Today, Kim and I are in our sixties. We’re focused on safety – we don’t want to lose all our gains. We seek to avoid bad decisions that can allow our little empire to be stolen from us.

There are a lot of gurus out there who sing the virtues of debt leverage. They rightly claim debt leverage magnifies growth, but they fail to tell the full story. Debt leverage is a double-edged sword. It cuts BOTH ways. Sure, debt leverage magnifies growth, but it also magnifies loss. Ask yourself this question: What’s the FIRST word in bankruptcy?

As you will learn at The Power of Pure Options, Options allow us to capture the same benefits most other investors capture, but we’re able to do it without using risky debt leverage.

Master Lease with Option vs. Debt Leveraged Purchase

Right about now you may be scratching your head wondering how Master Leases combined with Options can be a

NATIONAL SPEAKER: BILL COOK

safer way to structure a creative real estate investing deal. Well, seeing is believing.

Normal Purchase Structure

Due to relocation, a seller is selling her house. You agree to pay $250,000. You get a non-owner occupant mortgage. You put down $50,000 (20% down) and agreed to make 360 payments of $1,330.61 at 7% interest.

The property rents for $2,500. Your expenses (taxes, insurance, repairs, vacancies, management) run 40% of rents, which totals $1,120. After paying the mortgage payment and the expenses you net $349 in monthly cash flow.

Each month, no matter what, because you own the property, you’re responsible for all expenses and upkeep.

Master Lease with Option Structure

Same property, same situation.

The property owner bought the home five years ago for $150,000. She got an owner occupant mortgage. She put 10% down ($15,000) and agreed to make 360 payments of $561.91 per month at 2.9% interest.

Because you’re unsure which way the real estate market is headed, you choose to not be on the hook for ownership and a new mortgage.

Instead of buying the house, the owner agrees to rent you the house. Built into the lease is your right to lease the house to a tenant of your choosing. This is called a Master Lease (AKA Wrap Lease or Sandwich Lease).

The owner agrees to be paid a monthly rent of $1,562, giving her a gross monthly rental profit of $1,000.

The owner owns the home, she is responsible for making the mortgage payment, paying the property taxes, paying the insurance, and paying for repairs.

You rent the home to your tenant for $2,500 per month. From this you subtract your rent payment to the owner of $1,562. This gives you a monthly net cash flow of $938.

Comparing this to buying the property, which would you prefer to make each month, $938 or $349? This is a $589 difference in monthly cash flow!

NATIONAL SPEAKER: BILL COOK

Our deal does not stop there. The property owner also agrees to give you the right (Option) to buy her house anytime in the next 10 years for $250,000.

Do you see with this Option structure you’re able to capture all the property’s appreciation over the next 10 years without having the risk or ownership or market swings? Let’s say the property increases in value 3% per year. This would equate to an appreciation amount of $87,338.

With the Master Lease and Option, you were able to dramatically increase your monthly cash flow. In addition, instead of betting that appreciation will occur, you wait for it to occur and only then do you exercise your right to buy the property and pocket the profit.

If you were given the choice, which structure would you choose if you were the one doing this deal?

Listen carefully, can you hear Mr. Option singing, “How do you like me now?”

Bill Cook will be presenting at the 2023 Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor Conference & Expo in Downtown Grand Rapids on Thursday, February 23rd 2023 @ 10:10am at DeVos Place in River Overlook E - F. Register now!

With more than 32-years of face-to-face dealmaking experience, Bill is one of the most imaginative advanced creative deal structurers in the country. Whether you need to know how to creatively construct, or creatively fund, or creatively hold, or creatively sell a property, Bill is the person many experienced real estate investors call for advice.

When it comes to advanced creative deal structuring, Bill’s focus is on structure stacking—using multiple creative deal structuring tools to make a single real estate investing transaction succeed. In addition, Bill is one of a handful of real estate investors who has the know-how, skill, and experience to work with pure options.

Bill and Kim built their business square on the back of knocking on homeowners’ doors. Why? Because it’s the fastest, cheapest and most effective way to get face-to-face with homeowners and make written offers. For over 50 years, since 1972, Bill has made his living knocking on homeowners’ doors and being invited in.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in Materials and Logistics Management and playing varsity lacrosse at Michigan State University, Fred joined the US Army as an Infantry Officer. He was stationed in Fort Campbell KY where he was first an Infantry Platoon Leader, then he transitioned to Task Force 160th, the Army’s Special Operation Aviation Regiment. Where he was responsible for the training and combat support of this 350-person Special Operations Unit. After involvement in the Somalia battle often referred to as The Battle of Mogadishu (aka Blackhawk Down), Fred left the service after five-and-a-half years.

Fred acquired his master’s degree in Industrial Engineering, and in 1995 started his first mortgage company. He sold that company and then in 2001 he joined Option One Mortgage as a Senior Sales Account Executive. There in his ten years of tenure, he established long-term profitable business relationships with clients, and is still in contact with many of them today. He was appointed as Regional Sales Manager in the same company where he worked with C-level leaders to integrate strategies aligned with the overall enterprise mission.

In December 2009, Fred also began an academician journey as an Adjunct Professor in Operation Management at Davenport University. In 2011 Fred received another post-graduate degree in Strategic Planning from Davenport University to enhance his managerial knowledge. Currently, he is a Professor of Business Operations and Strategic Planning. He is also a member of the faculty Veteran Committee.

In 2010, he founded Boathouse Commercial Funding Group where he is still involved with the daily operation of the company and is an active member in RPOA and the Michigan Mortgage Lender’s Association. Fred enjoys playing a part in helping landlords and investors build their businesses and cash flow. Boathouse will be the underwriter sponsor for the RPOA’s 2023 Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor Conference & Expo where they will showcase their unique loan products tailored specifically for landlords and private investors.

From U.S. Army Ranger to a full-time finance executive.

Originally from West Bloomfield, Fred now resides in Hastings MI with his two sons. When he is not closing loans, networking, and growing his business, you can find Fred waterskiing in the summer and playing hockey in the winter.

HUGE thank you to our 2023 Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor Conference & Expo CONFERENCE UNDERWRITER SPONSOR Boathouse Commercial Funding Group! The conference is February 23-24 at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids. Register for the conference here

Boathouse Commercial Funding Group specializes in providing business owners with alternative funding options. If you're interested in business loans to keep your operations running smoothly, they can help. Their team of experienced financial professionals have the knowledge, expertise, and passion to make your vision a reality so you can continue to grow your business.

To learn more about Boathouse Commercial Funding Group, visit their website at boathousecfg.com or call (269) 459-2530 for a free consultation! 30-year Fixed Rates, Starting At 3.42% (APR) Primary, Secondary And Investment Properties. Purchases And Cash-out Refinances Short-term And Long-term Rentals. Fix And Flips Up To 90% Or Purchase Price, With 100% Of Rehab Funds Prov ided.

NATIONAL SPEAKER

BILL NOLL

Asset Protection for Real Estate Investors

Thursday, February 23rd 2023 @ 1:10pm

LLC’s Have Great Legal & Tax BenefitsFinally That Ideal Entity For Real Estate!

Article By Bill Noll

LLC’s have all of the legal benefits of a corporation; yet all of the excellent tax advantages of a general partnership; yet avoid the legal disadvantages of a general partnership, yet avoid the tax disadvantages of C corps, S corps and LP’s, including avoiding the legal complications of LP’s and legal constraints of S-corps.

More specifically there are legal benefits:

• The LLC statutes of all 50 states and the District of Columbia all recognize LLC’s as legal entities separate and distinct from its member-owners, granting the corporate shield of limited liability for its members, based primarily on corporation law which has many decades of long-standing precedent in the US.

• LP type protection. Legally, LLC’s also have similarities to the long standing limited partnership (LP) with another form of protection called “charging order” protection (which is a way to thwart claimants from attaching your ownership shares).

• Limited liability protection for ALL of the members. LLC’s have the corporate characteristic of limited liability for all of the members. An LLC does not need an individual or entity (such as a general partner) who is personally

NATIONAL SPEAKER: BILL NOLL

liable for debts. NO LLC member is personally liable. This is unlike a limited partnership, where there must be at least one general partner personally liable for all debts. This causes the necessity of additional cost and paperwork to incorporate the general partner. This is not necessary with an LLC.

• Control with limited liability. Unlike a limited partner, any LLC member can exercise control over daily management decisions without the fear or actuality of losing their protected, limited liability status.

• Charging order protection like an LP. Yet without LP pitfalls.

• LLC’s are free from the qualification constraints imposed on S-corps. The members can be corporations, partnerships, estates, pension plans, IRA’s, and non-resident aliens. Unlike S-corps, an LLC can have more than one class of “membership interest” (similar to stock).

• LLC’s can be used for all types of real estate transactions. Residential rental, commercial, wholesaling, short sales, rehabbing, new construction, sub-divisions, condo conversations, etc.

AND Tax Benefits:

• Easy entity selection. Under simple IRS check-the- box rules, as a separate legal entity an LLC can be taxed as a sole proprietor, as a partnership or as a corporation. But for real estate ownership, an LLC should elect to be taxed as a partnership and thereby be governed by the favorable tax benefits of partnership tax law.

• The LLC-partnership is the only pure flow-through entity where the tax benefits still pass down to your 1040 even though the LLC-partnership is a separate legal and tax entity from you. One example is property tax losses which can be “paper” losses because of componentizing depreciation (a non-cash paper deduction). Such paper losses pass down to offset your other 1040 income saving you a bundle of taxes every year.

• Lower IRS audit risk than other forms of ownership such as corporations, Schedule C’s and E’s.

• No IRS controversy on corporate tax-prone issues of “reasonable compensation” or ”constructive dividends”; there are no issues of loans to partners as taxable dividends or salaries (as with corporations).

• No W-2 salaries. Unlike corporations, LLC-partnerships do not have to pay salaries to partners and thus avoid payroll recordkeeping, tax withholdings and filings. Optionally and without the bookkeeping of W-2 salaries, simple straight guaranteed payments could be paid to create earned income for valuable retirement plan contributions.

• No corporation limits for deducting property tax losses. Even S-corps have limits on deducting losses with leveraged real estate.

• Avoid IRS passive loss limits. Unlike limited partners, because LLC members can participate in management, they can side step passive loss limits and fully currently deduct property tax losses against other ordinary income by actively participating in property management under Code Section 469. This is huge!

• Tax-free distributions. Unlike corporations, distribution of funds (including borrowed money) from an LLC will not result in current tax (single or double); there is no gain recognized to a member upon the distribution of property to the member even if it is appreciated property (with built-in gains) where the value is higher than its adjusted basis.

• 1031 tax-free exchanges. Unlike corporations, LLC’s, with members splitting up, can much better accomplish a 1031 exchange to defer capital gains taxes on property sales.

• Special member P&L allocations. Can allocate profit or losses to the members in a manner that best suits the members’ tax needs. For example, a member in a high tax bracket, may want allocated to them less of any net income or more of any net losses; or vice versa for a low bracketed member. These special allocations can be done in compliance with special partnership provisions under code section 704(b). They do not at all apply to corporations and are more restricted with limited partnerships.

In a nutshell, the intended benefits of LLC’s offer the best of several worlds:

• The corporate shield of limited liability for all of the members

• Control over management decisions for all of the members

• Charging order protection

• All of the optimum real estate tax advantages of a partnership

• Ability to use for all types of real estate investing

A properly structured LLC should...

• Protect your personal assets

• Save you substantial amounts of taxes

• Defend you against IRS attacks

• Prevent legal disputes and save you legal fees and hassles

• Enable you to successfully operate your real estate business

NATIONAL SPEAKER: BILL NOLL

Bill Noll will be presenting at the 2023 Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor Conference & Expo in Downtown Grand Rapids on Thursday, February 23rd 2023 @ 1:10pm at DeVos Place in River Overlook E - F. Register now!

Bill is a lawyer and CPA currently working at Noll & Company CPAs and he operates a separate law practice focused on tax compliance and tax-related litigation. Bill has a breadth of experience, which gives him the ability to understand many different facets of business disputes and tax controversies. Bill’s practice focuses on tax consulting, tax compliance and complex tax litigation. Bill has a wealth of experience before the IRS at both the examination and the appeal level. He is also admitted to practice in the United States Tax Court.

Bill Noll will teach you how to easily protect your real estate assets without adverse tax consequences or risk of IRS audits… and without costing a fortune! Learn money-saving strategies and how to set up a powerfully-structured LLC to shield your real estate investing business from lawsuits.

Bill Noll will teach you how to:

• Set up the best legal entity for owners of real estate

• Save on taxes by avoiding the costly status of being a dealer or developer

• Take advantage of the magic power of depreciation

• Take deductions when you improve a property and avoid capitalization requirements

• Sell properties tax-free and keep all the profits

• Protect your assets for lawsuits

• Be your own bank and create a public record of your debt

• And more!

SAVING YOU TIME & MONEY

Do you know where your money is going, or how to stop the leaks? We let you focus on running your business, and we handle the numbers... saving you time and money.

NATIONAL SPEAKER

ISABELLE GUARINO-SMITH

Senior Housing: Residential Assisted Living

Friday, February 24th, 2023 @ 3:20pm

Revolutionizing the Assisted Living Industry

Article By Kurt Coleman, spotlighting Isabelle Guarino-Smith

Isabelle Guarino-Smith is the chief operating officer of the largest residential assisted living training organization in the country, Residential Assisted Living Academy.

In her role, she teaches thousands of real estate investors, medical professionals, and entrepreneurs how to build successful and sustainable businesses in the assisted living industry.

Using the RALAcadamy’s methods, investors turn single-family homes into assisted living homes for the elderly, creating significant cash flow and offering the preferred environment for seniors to thrive in their golden years.

Family Need Leads to New Venture

Gene Guarino, Guarino-Smith’s father, was on a quest to provide quality assisted living for his mother. After conducting an exhaustive search, the family realized there was a widespread lack of quality assisted living facilities locally and across the nation.

NATIONAL SPEAKER: ISABELLE GUARINO-SMITH

Looking at population projections, it was also evident the senior housing industry was about to face a major surge. With those in the massive baby boomer demographic nearing their elder years, there would be even more demand for assisted living facilities. This influx of seniors presented a potential crisis—and a huge opportunity.

The Guarino family set to work to create a new paradigm and business model. They conducted years of research, endured trial and error, and partnered with industry experts.

Throughout the process, they designed systems and procedures and catalogued countless business and real estate tips from their experiences, all culminating in what would become their RAL business model.

Putting the Model to Work

Following this replicable model for building successful, quality residential assisted living businesses, the Guarinos built three successful residential assisted living homes in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

But, they knew the problem wasn’t isolated to Phoenix and that it wasn’t enough to build a handful of RAL homes in

It pays to upgrade your properties!

With a FREE Home Energy Analysis from Consumers Energy, you’ll find ways to improve the energy efficiency of your properties, while enjoying free upgrades that may include:

• Programmable thermostats

• LED bulbs and nightlights

• Pipe wrap, aerators and showerheads*

*Electric water heater customers

Learn more about upgrading your properties and saving you and your tenants up to $150 yearly on energy costs in the process!

Contact Erin Donnelly at 810-429-0627 or edonnelly@seelllc.com for more information!

NATIONAL SPEAKER: ISABELLE GUARINO-SMITH

their community. So, they set out to teach entrepreneurs from all walks of life how to replicate their success in other communities. As they branched out across the country, the RALAcademy mission of “Do Good and Do Well” was born.

It has been more than a decade since its inception, and the RAL organization is thriving under Guarino-Smith’s leadership. There have been many bumps along the way, including the unfortunate passing of her father, a true pioneer in the field of residential assisted living.

She draws inspiration from the life lessons that he taught, his passion for serving the elderly, and the desire to help improve the quality of senior housing for the millions who depend on it.

Entrepreneurial Drive

What sets Guarino-Smith apart as an entrepreneur is her drive, leadership style, and passion for the industry. She is a leader who genuinely cares and seeks opportunities daily to make those around her better.

Guarino-Smith is motivated by a passion to serve those in need. Whether seniors, the housing insecure, or entrepreneurs looking for a better life for their families, she seeks to recognize and understand the needs and goals of those around her—and then looks for the best ways to assist them. For Isabelle, her work is not a job. It is a chance to make a real difference in the lives of others and build a lasting legacy that would make any father proud.

In her latest book “Living Legacy,” available Jan. 10, she eloquently describes the journey that brought her family into the senior living business, how they were personally affected by it, the passion it forged, and the incredible solutions they came up with to address the inadequacies in the senior housing industry. “It’s all about honoring my father and carrying on his legacy,” she writes.

A sought-after coach and instructor, Guarino-Smith desires to put her experience and ideas to work with as many people as possible. She speaks at seminars and conventions across the country and has been featured in numerous magazines and articles nationally. She was named both Future Leader in the senior housing industry and Top Senior Housing Influencer under 30.

Before turning her focus to the senior living industry, Guarino-Smith honed her skills at Disney and American Airlines. She has extensive experience building brands and launching companies that have achieved national recognition, including the creation and success of RAL National Convention, RAL National Association, Recovery Housing Academy, Pitch Masters Academy, and many companies from the Impact Housing Group.

Guarino-Smith might be best known for her impact in the residential assisted living industry, but she’s really in the business of changing lives—the lives of the investors who pour their hearts and resources into senior housing and the lives of the seniors and their families who benefit from the comfort and safety the RAL model provides.

You can find more about Guarino-Smith and her organization at RALAcademy.com.

Isabelle Guarino-Smith will be presenting at the 2023 Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor Conference & Expo in Downtown Grand Rapids on Friday, February 24th 2023 @ 3:20pm at DeVos Place in River Overlook E - F. Register now!

Isabelle Guarino, the #1 educator on assisted living, will share with you what you need to know about this incredibly lucrative niche in the real estate business. Isabelle’s family has been in the RAL business for years, they’ve owned 3 RAL care homes. Her late father, Gene Guarino was known as the “Godfather of Assisted Living” and RALAcademy is responsible for students across the country that are cash-flowing through RAL, doing good and doing well.

You will learn how to:

• Generate mega-cash flow from a single-family home

• Get twice the market rent with long-term, low-impact tenants

• Get a secure ROI regardless of market cycles and fluctuations

The RPOA's membership in the National Real Estate Investors Association (NREIA) makes RPOA members eligible to receive this extremely valuable rebate. Sign up for The Home Depot rebate program through the RPOA and receive 2% back on all your purchases*— no matter how small or big. This rebate is on top of any other discount or sale price, including contractor rates! Call the RPOA today and start saving! 616-454-3385

Please note: If the credit/debit card for the HD Pro Account is changed, please make sure the NREIA code is also added to that account in order to continue to get the discounts. DO NOT delete the old card from the account.

* For semi-annual purchases over $5,000. Rebate checks are sent out semi-annually, usually in March and August.

Insurance for landlords and residential real estate investment properties

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• One monthly bill for your entire portfolio of insured properties

• Easy online access to your account to add, change and remove properties

• Insure multiple ownership entities on one schedule

• Replacement Cost or Actual Cash Value available

• Simple Property Reporting form and General Liability package

• Apartment buildings up to 20 units, vacant or occupied (no subsidized)

The Tenant Protector Plan

Protection for both you and your tenant

Add the Tenant Protector Plan (TPP) to your insurance package to avoid spending countless hours verifying your tenants renters insurance is in force. The TPP protects both parties in case of tenant-caused negligent losses with the following coverages:

• $50,000 limit of liability for covered peril losses your property carrier can recover by passing the responsibility of the claim onto the negligent party

• $10,000 of contents coverage for the tenant (subject to $1,000 deductible)

• $2,500 of contents coverage for tenants of non-negligent affected units (subject to a $7,500 max.)

• $1,000 of Skip Rent coverage to reimburse your for lost rental income due to unexpected vacancies

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS!

Open to anyone who has never been a member of the RPOA!

Tom Koetsier was an integral and invaluable part of the RPOA family for 20+ years. Tom always found time to help members with their personal real estate questions and to assist the RPOA staff by answering technical questions. Many investors in the community acknowledge Tom as their mentor and friend—responsible for, to some degree, their success in the business. In his honor, the RPOA has established the Tom Koetsier Memorial Scholarship.

Anyone who has never been a member of the RPOA is welcome to apply. The scholarship will cover one (1) year of RPOA membership as well as our Real Estate Investor Mastery courses for one (1) year.

Completed applications should be emailed to Kathy Bartnick at kathyb@rpoaonline.org. Please use the subject line: Tom Koetsier Memorial Scholarship. Applications must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023.

The scholarship recipient will be announced at the 2023 Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor Conference & Expo at DeVos Place on Friday, February 25th.

Please call the RPOA office at (616) 454-3385 with any questions you may have.

The application can be found here.

NATIONAL SPEAKER

JOHN BURLEY

The Secrets of Raising Private Money

Friday, February 24th 2023 @ 1:10pm

Why 2023 Will Be the Year of the Small Real Estate Investor

Article By John Burley

As we begin 2023, as a fellow real estate investor, I am extremely excited. Here is why: rising interest rates; prices dropping; increasing inventory; properties on the market longer; Wall St. and i-buyers on the sidelines (just taking a breath really); money supply drying up for wholesalers; investors with flawed models dropping out and quitting like crazy; and FEAR throughout the market, FEAR.

So, you may ask, why is this all good? Because these are the exact market conditions where the great investors make their money and more importantly, keep it! Most people like to do what everyone else is doing. Especially in RE investing. Just a year ago, how many people were flipping and wholesaling? How many people were clamoring to do hard money loans? How many people were lining up and over bidding for the privilege of paying more than ever before for properties? That’s right, lots…and lots…and lots.

Now, it has all changed, people are afraid of what the market and interest rates and the economy will do. So, many are paralyzed and stuck in fear. Yet now, is when the high-end professional investors are moving in. I have been doing this since the late 1970s. I have been through 5 full cycles of the markets moving up and then down. I have

JOHN BURLEY

invested with interest rates at 18%. There is very little I have not seen, nor done, while completing thousands of real estate transactions. And if there is one thing I have absolutely learned and integrated into my real estate investors soul, it is this: contrarian investing is the way to go!!!

Right now, we are at the precipice of one of the great real estate investing opportunities of your lifetime. The only question is what will you do with it? The great investors of history. The one’s who actually make money in not just up markets, not just flat markets, but also down markets, have one thing in common. For years, and then decades (I am over 40 years in the game now), is that they look at it from a contrarian point of view. When RE is in favor they are scaling down, paying off bad debt and building up a war chest, you know, like all real businesses that succeed for the long-term do.

When RE is out of favor they are jumping in with both feet. BUT they are not doing what everyone else is doing, nor are they running the traditional RE education models. No, they run it like a business. And for that they understand that by far (not even close) the most important thing in real estate is not real estate. It never has been, nor will it ever be. The most important thing in real estate investing is MONEY. With money and the ability to borrow, real estate is very easy. Without money and the ability to borrow, real estate is very hard. Yet almost every RE education program avoids the truth and spends all kinds of time trying to figure out how to do RE without money, even though everyone knows it take money.

We cut right through the noise. Rather than do what everyone else is doing, we address the big truth of real estate investing head on. We work on raising money, lots of money, first. We show you exactly how to raise It with all the details. And since my background is from the world of Wall St., I show you exactly how to raise the money, get paid to place it (we get paid $10,000 upfront on every property), How to buy it, how to maximize returns for the long-term and how to monetize to the point where realistic expectations are that you will earn back the price of the property in its entirety within 10 years. For example, on a $300,000 property, we make over $300,000 over 10 years.

NATIONAL SPEAKER: JOHN BURLEY

But John, aren’t we going to have another big crash like the news and all the YouTube and podcast gurus are saying? The answer…an emphatic NO!

The 5 major reasons why we are NOT about to repeat 2008:

1) Big crashes only happen once every 60-90 years. They happen not because of wars, or great economic turmoil. They primarily happen, because the people who went through them last time are now dead. It is not that history, perse, repeats itself, rather it is that most people forget history and thus they repeat the mistakes of the past. And while there are charts that go back thousands of years that vet this out, here in the US, since 1765 we have had only 4 major crashes. They were in 1790, 1872, 1932 and 2008. Way too many people who have a major hand in the game still remember 2008 and its history. Thus, we are not set up for another depression, or Great Recession as the politicians liked to call it!

2) Wall St. Wall St. in modern history has bought and funded the good debt (government insured loans). This is good. In the early 2000s they got greedy and jumped in with all the other (fools?) and bought the bad debt, the results were catastrophic. This run, Wall St. got greedy again, but instead of buying debt, they bought the asset! Completely different, they are in, but now they are owners not lenders. This automatically adds stability and raises the bottom. The toxic loans, in large numbers that were commonplace in the 2000s simply no longer exist in any substantial number.

3) “Mom and pop” real estate investors. In 2006, it was normal for a small RE investor to have 5 properties in a place like Las Vegas. They had a total of $10,000 all in for 5 properties. High interest, high leverage, “liar” loans. A normal scenario was $1,400/mo. PITI and $1,200 rent and 3 were vacant! This was an easy walk away as they had no “skin in the game” and were losing money every month while being underwater. Today, that same Investor would have $400,000 real money as “skin in the game”.

Their payments are $1,200/mo. PITI and they rent for $1,800/mo. and they are all rented! A very different scenario. Like Wall St. long term positions the small RE investor is not walking away from their “skin in the game” cash and positive cash flow, just because the value goes down. They will sit and wait for the market to recover, while cash flowing. Again, nothing like 2008.

4) Supply. In the mid-2000s we had a glut of oversupply. Massive overbuilding and speculation by poorly trained institutions, investors and homeowners who let their emotions get carried away, led to such large inventory that it was not a question of if, rather when, it would all come tumbling down. Today, it is the exact opposite, most areas have a housing shortage and are vastly undersupplied. One of the big reasons why it took so many years for prices

NATIONAL SPEAKER: JOHN BURLEY

to correct after 2008 was the over supply of properties. There were simply not enough families to occupy the properties at any price.

5) Homeowners. This is the bedrock of the housing market. Well over 60% of all homes are owner occupied. As they go, so goes the housing market. Before the big crash of 2008 they were as a whole, overleveraged, many had “toxic loans”, interest rates, for most were in the 7-8 to 10 percent range. And many, many loans were made without proper due diligence or underwriting. The end result, families had financed far more than they could afford or pay for which of course resulted in the “tidal wave” of foreclosures and short sales in numbers never seen before or again.

Fast forward to 2023 and the homeowner, as a whole is in an entirely different position. Most are sitting on record levels of equity. Their loans are in the 2.5-4% range, with many paying them off on 15-year rather than 30-year models. Their payments are lower than rent, and they could not afford to buy today what they already own. Stable and secure would be the two words that best describe where most American homeowners are today in relation to their home, payment and debt situation.

Because of these 5 major reasons I do not believe we are even vaguely looking at a 2008 repeat. Equity markets, such as residential real estate have always trended upwards. However, they do it in a natural, repeatable cyclical manner that generally runs from 10-14 years. They go through growth, prosperity, recession and then depression (if a politician says the “R” word, it is probably a depression). Repeating over and over. The new highs are generally higher than the old highs, and the new lows are generally higher than the old lows.

This is why seasoned veterans, like me, who have not just been through the downturns and survived, but actually thrived, like we did in 2008-12 during the “great crash” look at this as a tremendous “window of opportunity.” Now is when we begin raise the money, earn the $10k placement fees, find the great deals and remarket for big profits.

John Burley will be presenting at the 2023 Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor Conference & Expo in Downtown Grand Rapids on Friday, February 24th 2023 @ 1:10pm at DeVos Place in River Overlook E - F. Register now!

John Burley has over 35 years of investing experience and has personally completed more than 2,000 real estate deals.

John will share his secrets of how he uses other people’s money to do his deals, and how you too, can become an expert in raising private money. He’ll reveal and the seven simple steps anyone can follow to get money in your pocket now. You’ll learn how to get paid up front, during, and at the end of the deal, and you’ll also learn techniques to help you take control of your financial future using real estate!

MICHIGAN LANDLORD & REAL ESTATE INVESTOR CONFERENCE & EXPO

DeVos Place | Downtown Grand Rapids, MI

February 23rd & February 24th, 2023

Make Connections With Like-Minded Investors and Other Professionals in the Real Estate Industry and Learn From Nationally-Known Experts at the 18th Annual Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor Conference & Expo

The Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor Conference & Expo is the must-attend event for all skill levels of investors, agents, brokers, lenders, vendors—anyone who wants to gain valuable knowledge to add their skillset to help maximize ROI and boost their success.

Spanning two full days days, the Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor Conference & Expo is the place to be to learn how to navigate the current housing and investment market, get insight into what's in store for the coming months and years and make connections that will have a lasting impact on your life and career.

You'll want to attend so you don't miss out on:

• 2 full days of learning, networking and connecting with some of the best in the real estate investing industry

• 7 nationally-known expert speakers teaching about topics including financing deals, investing in assisted living facilities, long-term rentals and more PLUS many additional engaging in-depth sessions filled with advice for taking your business to the next level

• Countless networking and professional development opportunities...with over 500 like-minded investor attendees expected and 50+ participating vendors, you'll make connections that matter

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2023

7:30 a.m. Registration Opens, River Overlook Area, Near Escalators

8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Exposition Open! Check out the offerings of over 50 exhibitors.

8:00 a.m. – 8:50 a.m. Breakout Sessions:

Successful Strategies in Short-Term Rentals Al Williamson, Kate Stoermer River Overlook C-D

Grand Rapids in the Next Decade Kristin Turkelson River Overlook E-F

9:10 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. 2023 Real Estate Economic Forecast Paul Isely, Economics Professor, GVSU River Overlook E-F

10:10 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. National Speaker, Bill Cook, Door Knocking for Real Estate River

Overlook E-F

12:10 p.m. – 1:10 p.m. Lunch & Visit Exhibitors! Concessions available near escalators.

12:10 p.m. – 1:10 p.m. Ask the Experts Bring Your Lunch, Justin Workman River Overlook C-D

12:30 p.m. – 1:10 p.m. City of Grand Rapids Lead Grant Program Kathy Bartnick River Overlook

A-B

1:10 p.m. – 3:10 p.m. National Speaker, Bill Noll, Asset Protection for Real Estate Investors

River Overlook E-F

3:10 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Meet & Greet Exhibitors & Sponsors!

3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. National Speaker, Tom Zeeb, Winning with the Negotiation STACK River

Overlook E-F

5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Dinner Concessions Available

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. National Speaker, Al Williamson, Extended Stay Rentals River Overlook

E-F

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2023

7:30 a.m. Registration Opens, River Overlook Area, Near Escalators

8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Exposition Open! Check out the offerings of over 50 exhibitors.

8:00 a.m. – 8:50 a.m. Breakout Sessions:

Where’s the Money: Creative Financing Options in a High Interest Environment John Burley, Anna Miller, Fred SaintAmour River Overlook C-D

Updates at the GR Housing Commission & the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan Lindsey

Reames, Liz Keegan River Overlook E-F

9:00 a.m. – 9:50 a.m. RPOA Annual Meeting River Overlook E-F

Annual Meeting Kevin Wright

Governmental Affairs – What to Expect with Party Leadership in 2023-2024 in Michigan Tabitha

Zimny

9:50 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. National Speaker, Jason Wojo, How To Make More, Work Less, And Create A Life And Business You Love River Overlook E-F

12:10 p.m. – 1:10 p.m. Lunch & Visit Exhibitors! Concessions available near escalators.

12:10 p.m. – 1:10 p.m. Deal Room Bring Your Lunch, Brian Hamrick & Justin Workman River

Overlook C-D

1:10 p.m. – 3:10 p.m. National Speaker, John Burley, The Secrets of Raising Private Money

River Overlook E-F

3:20 p.m. – 5:20 p.m. National Speaker, Isabelle Guarino-Smith, Senior Housing – Residential

Assisted Living River Overlook E-F

As of February 13th, 2023. The schedule is subject to change.

Bill Cook: Door Knocking for Real Estate | Thursday, February 23rd 2023 @ 10:10am

With more than 32-years of face-to-face dealmaking experience, Bill is one of the most imaginative advanced creative deal structurers in the country. Whether you need to know how to creatively construct, or creatively fund, or creatively hold, or creatively sell a property, Bill is the person many experienced real estate investors call for advice. When it comes to advanced creative deal structuring, Bill’s focus is on structure stacking—using multiple creative deal structuring tools to make a single real estate investing transaction succeed. In addition, Bill is one of a handful of real estate investors who has the know-how, skill, and experience to work with pure options.

Bill and his wife Kim built their business square on the back of knocking on homeowners’ doors. Why? Because it’s the fastest, cheapest and most effective way to get face-to-face with homeowners and make written offers. For over 50 years, since 1972, Bill has made his living knocking on homeowners’ doors and being invited in.

Bill Noll: Asset Protection for Real Estate Investors | Thursday, February 23rd 2023 @ 1:10pm

Bill is a lawyer and CPA currently working at Noll & Company CPAs and he operates a separate law practice focused on tax compliance and tax-related litigation.

Bill has a breadth of experience, which gives him the ability to understand many different facets of business disputes and tax controversies. Bill’s practice focuses on tax consulting, tax compliance and complex tax litigation. Bill has a wealth of experience before the IRS at both the examination and the appeal level. He is also admitted to practice in the United States Tax Court.

Bill Noll will teach you how to easily protect your real estate assets without adverse tax consequences or risk of IRS audits…and without costing a fortune! Learn money-saving strategies and how to set up a powerfully-structured LLC to shield your real estate investing business from lawsuits.

Tom Zeeb: Winning with the Negotiation Stack™ | Thursday, February 23rd 2023 @ 3:30pm

Tom Zeeb has been an active real estate investor since 2001. He is also a published author and president of the Traction Real Estate Investors Association. Tom teaches across the country to help investors master negotiations. It’s a super competitive real estate market. You want the best of the best deals. And those who can connect the best with the sellers will get the deals. Tom Zeeb will help you brush up on your negotiation skills and show you how to connect with those sellers. In his presentation you’ll learn:

• 8 negotiation techniques you can use now

• How (and why) to put negotiation techniques into your own "voice"

• The "flow" of a typical negotiation

• The three categories needed to get the price and terms you want

• Using a straightforward approach to correctly build your business

• And more!

Al Williamson: Incorporating Mid-Term Rentals into Your Short-Term Rental Strategy | Thursday, February 23rd 2023 @ 7:00pm

As the traveling workforce grows and Airbnb competition tightens, you can create a lucrative “shelter from the storm” by serving travelers looking for month-long stays. Al Williamson will reveal the wide range of workers in need of extended stays and show you some marketing strategies to attract them. Al will teach you:

• How to set up extended stay rentals that create 3x profits in "non-touristy" areas

• A secret way of running an Airbnb without breaking any laws

• How to compete against local extended stay hotels so you can reach your financial goals

• A twist on Airbnb that helps you earn twice as much as what 90% of other investors are doing

• A simple 6-step process for making a boatload of cash from rentals—whether you own them or not

Jason Wojo: Make More, Work Less and Create a Life and Business You Love | Friday, February 24th 2023 @ 9:50am

Jason Wojo, CEO of Lifeonaire, has coached, consulted for, and worked alongside some of the country’s most successful and smartest small business owners and investors and his passion is helping people create amazing lives and profitable businesses they love. Jason is going to share with you a proven, step-by-step formula to create a business you love that makes a full-time income with only part-time effort. You’ll learn:

• Secrets to running a scalable business that doesn't require you to wear all the hats so you can finally get your life (and sanity!) back

• The single deadly mistake people make in setting up their business that virtually guarantees they'll never have the freedom–or profits–they desire

• A proprietary process that will allow you to go from owner operator to TRUE business owne

• And more!

John Burley: The Secrets of Raising Private Money | Friday, February 24th, 2023 @ 1:10pm

John Burley has over 40 years of investing experience, has personally completed more than 2,000 real estate deals and has raised hundreds millions of dollars.

John has been through 4 downturns in the U.S. and a 5th internationally. He knows exactly how to navigate and profit from this market, because he has done it before.

He'll share his secrets of how he uses other people’s money to do his deals, and how you too, can become an expert in raising private money.

He’ll reveal and the seven simple steps anyone can follow to get money in your pocket now. You’ll learn how to get paid up front, during, and at the end of the deal, and you’ll also learn techniques to help you take control of your financial future using real estate!

Isabelle Guarino-Smith: Senior Housing: Residential Assisted Living | Friday, February 24th, 2023 @ 3:20pm

Isabelle Guarino, the #1 educator on assisted living, will share with you what you need to know about this incredibly lucrative niche in the real estate business. Isabelle’s family has been in the RAL business for years, they’ve owned 3 RAL care homes. Her late father, Gene Guarino was known as the “Godfather of Assisted Living” and RALAcademy is responsible for students across the country that are cash-flowing through RAL, doing good and doing well.

You will learn how to:

• Generate mega-cash flow from a single-family home

• Get twice the market rent with long-term, low-impact tenants

• Get a secure ROI regardless of market cycles and fluctuations

• And more!

NATIONAL SPEAKER

JASON WOJO

Make More, Work Less and Create a Life and Business You Love

Friday, February 24th 2023 @ 9:50am

The New Prosperity?

Article By Jason Wojo

Think back for a moment. Do you remember why you first became interested in real estate investing? Maybe you were sick of working for “The Man” and letting someone else control your schedule and paycheck. Maybe you were tired of office politics or glass ceilings. Or maybe real estate just sounded more exciting and rewarding. The list could be a country mile long, but underlying all those reasons was likely the belief that being your own boss would give you freedom, financial security, and control of your time and schedule. Ring a bell? It should.

That’s the thought most investors have when they decide to make the jump and go out on their own. Unfortunately, reality looks very different for the vast majority once they get into the business. Instead of quitting the nine-to-five, 40-hour work week and cutting back on work, most find themselves working longer and harder than they ever did when they had an employer. Business and work now consumes their thoughts, time, and attention and the very thing that was supposed to provide freedom now enslaves them.

And it kinda makes sense. This thing is our baby. It’s on us if it sinks or swims. No one cares about our business or success like us. But here’s the tragedy - there’s consequences to our actions, obsession with work, and tunnel vision. We argue more with our spouse. We miss our kids’ dance recitals and soccer games. We haven’t been to the gym in 4 months. We stop at the drive-thru every day because we don’t have time to prepare food. God knows

NATIONAL SPEAKER: JASON WOJO

the last time we hung out with our friends...if we even have any left. And to top it off, we feel guilty about all of it so we spend money and buy things to make ourselves (and those we hurt along the way) feel better and so financial stress is added to the mix. This is the reality for a lot of people.

But it doesn’t have to be that way - not by a long shot, says Jason Wojo, CEO of Lifeonaire who will be our special guest speaker for our meeting on DAY AND DATE HERE. If you’ve never heard of Lifeonaire, they are a company dedicated to helping people create and live abundant, prosperous lives. But in this case prosperity isn’t just defined by top line revenue - it’s a combination of many overlapping factors that Wojo will discuss our our meeting. He says “You can have both a life and business you love. You don’t have to choose just one. That’s a lie. You just need to know how to do it and it’s a lot simpler than you think.”

Here’s just some of the things I'm going to cover at our meeting:

• The one mistake that people make in setting up their businesses that almost guarantees they’ll eventually become slaves to it.

• The 4 Stages of Financial Prosperity you absolutely must follow if you want to avoid the mistakes and traps that so many people fall into and never get out. Do these steps out of order (or not at all) and you’re destined for failure.

• How to create a simple, actionable, and realistic roadmap to get you from where you are now to where you want to be - as quickly and easily as possible.

• And more!

Jason Wojo will be presenting at the 2023 Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor Conference & Expo in Downtown Grand Rapids on Friday, February 24th 2023 @ 9:50am at DeVos Place in River Overlook E - F. Register now!

Jason Wojo, CEO of Lifeonaire, has coached, consulted for, and worked alongside some of the country’s most successful and smartest small business owners and investors and his passion is helping people create amazing lives and profitable businesses they love.

Jason is going to share with you a proven, step-by-step formula to create a business you love that makes a full-time income with only part-time effort.

You’ll learn:

• Secrets to running a scalable business that doesn't require you to wear all the hats so you can finally get your life (and sanity!) back

• The single deadly mistake people make in setting up their business that virtually guarantees they'll never have the freedom–or profits–they desire

• A proprietary process that will allow you to go from owner operator to TRUE business owner so that you can put your business on autopilot and it can make money without you

• And more!

The RPOA invites all current members to attend the annual membership meeting at the annual conference on Friday, February 24th at 9:00am at DeVos Place, River Overlook E - F.

We will provide an update on the RPOA's financial statement as well as give and overview of 2022 and what we have coming up in 2023.

Hope to see you there!

TOM ZEEB

Winning with the Negotiation Stack™

Thursday, February 23rd 2023 @ 3:30pm

The Basic Rules & Concepts of Negotiation

Article By Tom Zeeb

There are some basic rules and concepts to remember when you are negotiating. I will describe these rules and concepts so that you can get a clear idea of what negotiating is and what things you need to be aware of.

Remember that you are negotiating all the time. This is true for many aspects of your life. Therefore, even if you are not using a specific technique, keep these basic rules and concepts in mind. They are the starting point and framework for any negotiation.

The right state of mind is important. As is learning the skills necessary to success and improve. Like anything else, there are things that you can do to improve your mindset and skill set.

Consider these five things that make a good negotiator:

1.) Understanding that the other side has pressure on them to do the deal as well.

Both sides are under pressure to do the deal. So don’t feel too intimidated. Don’t think it is just you that needs to perform. If you start approaching someone like you desperately need to buy, don’t forget that they need to sell.

NATIONAL SPEAKER: TOM ZEEB

Some need to sell more than others. And some really need to sell fast. Understand that there is pressure on them as well. There is time pressure on them. There is money pressure on them. There are other situational pressures on them. Don’t forget that.

Don’t always feel that there is just pressure on you. Stop and breath, take a step back, and look at the situation calmly. A lot of this is about going around the other side of the table and thinking like them, feeling like them and recognizing what is going on there. Just don’t forget that they have pressure on them to close the deal as well.

2.) Wanting to learn negotiating skills.

You have to want to learn this stuff. That sounds basic and obvious, but many people think to themselves, “I am a good businessman. I am a good negotiator.” Yes, maybe. But there is a lot you can learn and it is going to take practice. Commit to wanting to learn about negotiation.

3.) The desire to practice.

You need to be willing to practice these skills.

I have a friend whom I told to study these techniques. I recommended a course to him and he said to me, “I am a good negotiator already. I know all that. I don’t need help.” I said, “Just humor me on this one. You are starting a new job and I think these techniques will really do you good.” I had once thought the same thing myself, that I couldn’t get any better, etc. That’s nonsense! Everyone can get better if they study and practice the right things.

He did actually study the techniques. I got an email from him a couple of weeks later and he said, “That stuff was awesome. I am doing so well now.”

He negotiated 25% discounts across the board from all the vendors he was dealing with. He said his boss is thrilled beyond belief and can’t believe what a great

choice they made hiring him. He applied these techniques and totally changed the dynamics of the way that his company is doing business with other companies.

He said some of the stuff sounded basic but you just don’t always think about it, especially in a big picture perspective that ties it all together. Commit to practicing the skills it takes to be a successful negotiator.

4.) Understanding negotiating skills.

Start to think about negotiating as an art and as a science. It is something coherent that you can learn and it just takes some practice. Be wanting to learn negotiation skills and become a better negotiator. Practice the negotiating skills that you learn. You will only get better through practice.

5.) Wanting to create "win/win" negotiating situations.

I know you hear the term “win-win” a lot and it might sound a little cheesy, however it really does make all the difference in the world.

Not viewing someone as the winner and someone as the loser is one of the major things that separate negotiation from high-pressure sales techniques. High pressure sales techniques sometimes make you feel like a loser. Especially if you are the one who forked over a lot of money for something you maybe didn’t need or really want.

In a win-win situation, you would say “I think I got a good deal. I got some of value out of that”. That will make a difference in the way you are perceived by the other party and by the business community in general. It will make people want to refer you to others.

Tom Zeeb will be presenting at the 2023 Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor Conference & Expo in Downtown Grand Rapids on Thursday, February 23rd 2023 @ 3:30pm at DeVos Place in River Overlook E - F. Register now!

Tom Zeeb has been an active real estate investor since 2001. He is also a published author and president of the Traction Real Estate Investors Association. Tom teaches across the country to help investors master negotiations. It’s a super competitive real estate market. You want the best of the best deals. And those who can connect the best with the sellers will get the deals.

Tom Zeeb will help you brush up on your negotiation skills and show you how to connect with those sellers. In his presentation you’ll learn:

• 8 negotiation techniques you can use now

• How (and why) to put negotiation techniques into your own "voice"

• The "flow" of a typical negotiation

• And much more!

AL WILLIAMSON

Incorporating Mid-Term Rentals into Your Short-Term Rental Strategy

Thursday, February 23rd 2023 @ 7:00pm

3 Ways to Attract Business Travelers to Your Short-Term Rental

Article By Al Williamson

One of the biggest mysteries in the world of short-term rentals is how to market to business travelers who are on long-term assignments. If you can nab them, you can earn hotel-size rents for an extended period. And that means more money with less work.

Sweet!

Since I see the demand for extended-stay rentals trending higher with no end in sight, I’ve changed my mind about being so tight-lipped. The time has come to share some lessons learned regarding the mobile workforce.

What Is the Mobile Workforce?

As Extended Stay America’s former CEO said, there’s a growing trend in people who “live in one place and work in another.” And based on my observations from operating 22 extended-stay rentals, he’s spot on!

With the advancements in cloud storage and mobile computing, you can turn any place with high speed internet into your office. This adds fuel to a growing mobile workforce, one that has an increasing appetite for living in furnished rentals for months at a time.

Members of the mobile workforce, whether they’re project managers, insurance adjusters, doctors, campaign organizers, or fiber-optic installers, all are happy to save money by spending less than they’d pay at a hotel.

They’re thrilled to live in your furnished rentals— especially if you offer them more space, privacy, and a full kitchen.

Here are three of my favorite strategies that you can use to attract extended-stay business travelers to your furnished rental.

Use the Breadcrumb Strategy to Find the Influencer

Using online travel agencies (like Airbnb) to fish for extended-stay guests is a great idea. However, you should think of your online efforts as just the first step in your marketing funnel. After you successfully attract a business traveler, if you want mare guests like them, then ask which company brought them to town.

To use the breadcrumb strategy, you follow the trail of recommendations backward to uncover the influencers who are able to recommend your rental to incoming travelers. Then, go introduce yourself.

Real-Life Example

NATIONAL SPEAKER: AL WILLIAMSON

That’s exactly what Chad did to separate himself from the crowd. Chad had no clue how to connect with business travelers. But he optimized his Airbnb listing to attract longer-stay travelers to his furnished rental in Oklahoma City. When he told me he had booked a family of one of the Oklahoma City Dodgers, I told him to go introduce himself to their back office.

And what’s amazing—the thing that did wonders—is that Chad took action.He took a gift basket with him and introduced himself. Because of it, he now stays booked regularly with professional baseball players traveling with their families. This allows Chad to clear over $1,000 of net income per month from a property that would’ve barely broken even as a traditional rental.

So, you can “get lucky” and attract business travelers if you make online marketing the first tactic in your multi-step marketing plan.

Use a Hyperlocal Strategy to Serve Your Community

When you act “hyperlocally,” you touch base with the businesses closest to your short-term rental. The purpose of this is to create strategic relationships with local companies of your choosing.

Simply ask them if they have any extended-stay housing needs. And when you do, it’s important to encourage them to contact you directly or visit your company’s website. Don’t send them to your Airbnb listing, where they’ll see other listings for consideration.

Real-Life Example

That’s what worked for Ruben.

After two months of complaining he couldn’t attract traveling nurses, he reluctantly went to a small airport near his furnished rental. He asked the people who operated the flight safety training school if they had any housing needs.

To Ruben’s surprise, the owner of the school followed him back to his furnished rental and signed a lease.

The owner rented Ruben’s place for two of his students. Then, on the way out, the owner said with a sigh, “We need 60 more of these [units]!”

Wait… what?! Yes, he said 60 more! Because of this newfound success, Ruben isn’t focused on travel nurses

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anymore. He’s too busy trying to fulfill the demand he uncovered. Now, before you ask, the answer is no. I won’t rat out where in Florida Ruben is located… but don’t miss the point.

The point is to offer a money-saving hotel alternative to the businesses that surround your rental. By attempting to save them money, you may uncover a treasure chest in your own backyard.

Master the Blitz and Pivot to Become Recession-Proof

The “blitz and pivot” is one of my favorite tactics. It helps you to see how large your extended-stay housing opportunities are and gives you an entire marketing strategy at the same time.

There are at least eight large categories of short-term rentals: vacation, military, corporate, student, insurance, medical, temporary, and international. And each category has its own set of best marketing practices.

By thinking about the uniqueness of each category, you can direct your marketing efforts to attract the class of

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traveler that best suits your rental.

Sending out customized messages that resonate with your ideal guest is far more important than knowing all the websites to post on. By knowing your target, you can show up exactly where they’re shopping.

Real-Life Example

Andy found quick success marketing to travel nurses until he started bragging about it.

Soon his friends and “students” began providing housing for nurses, as well. This led to a local over-supply of travel nurse housing, and Andy started having difficulties filling his rentals. When he told me about his “loose lips sink ships” issue, I suggested he pivot.

So, Andy changed his focus to temporary housing. He reached out to Realtors and was able to fill his furnished rental with “in-betweeners,” families waiting to move into their new homes.

This was a boon to his bottom line! Temp housing might be a little harder to get into, but if you form solid relationships with Realtors, you can do really well.

This will work for you, too. Consider serving people in one of the eight categories, and when you see the demand slowing, pivot into another category.

Takeaway: The Mobile Workforce Presents a Great Opportunity

You might be thinking, ”All of this is silly. I can keep my vacation rentals filled simply by using Airbnb.” If that’s the case, then enjoy the good times while they last. Everyone’s market is changing as more newbies become Airbnb hosts.

However, if you want to optimize your net income by serving business travelers who are on extended assignments, then you’ll want to pay close attention.

The furnished rental market is seeing lots of innovation and change. Hotels are attempting to look more like shortterm rentals. And more traditional landlords are realizing they should furnish some of their rentals and join the hospitality industry.

Yup, change is in the air. But you need not worry if you use the breadcrumb, hyperlocal, and blitz-pivot strategies

NATIONAL SPEAKER: AL WILLIAMSON

to stay ahead of the crowd.

So, go make some money with extended stay rentals. Add some offline marketing tactics while you’re at it. And whatever you do… buckle up. It’s going to be a fun ride.

Al Williamson will be presenting at the 2023 Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor Conference & Expo in Downtown Grand Rapids on Thursday, February 23rd 2023 @ 7:00pm at DeVos Place in River Overlook E - F. Register now!

As the traveling workforce grows and Airbnb competition tightens, you can create a lucrative “shelter from the storm” by serving travelers looking for month-long stays. Al Williamson will reveal the wide range of workers in need of extended stays and show you some marketing strategies to attract them.

Al will teach you:

• How to set up extended stay rentals that create 3x profits in "non-touristy" areas

• A secret way of running an Airbnb without breaking any laws

• How to compete against local extended stay hotels so you can reach your financial goals

• A twist on Airbnb that helps you earn twice as much as what 90% of other investors are doing

• A simple 6-step process for making a boatload of cash off rentals whether you own them or not

SESSION

Grassroots Activism for Short-Term Rental Property Rights • Incorporating

• Panel Discussion: Defending Short-Term Rentals Through Lobbying

Vacation Rentals • Panel Discussion: Management

Grand Rapids, MI

SESSION TOPICS

Incorporating Extended Stays into Your Short-Term Rental Strategy

Lobbying & Grassroots Efforts • Generating Massive Wealth with Management Styles for Short-Term Rentals

UPCOMING COURSES & EVENTS

REAL ESTATE INVESTOR & LANDLORD NETWORKING BREAKFAST

Every Friday Morning (except holidays) @ 8:00 am - 9:00 am

The Friday morning REI investors roundtable is an open, informal networking session for vendors, lenders, landlords and investors who are invited to share their haves and wants. Attendance is usually 30-45 investors and vendors.

SHORT TERM RENTAL ASSOCIATION MEETUP

March 1 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Are you interested in learning more about short-term and vacation rentals? Have you wondered about the success of Airbnb and similar rental marketplaces and how you can incorporate that into your income? Join hosts Kim Post, Ed Bodman and Gary Hall as they discuss Airbnb-style rentals, short-term and vacation rentals and more.

Click here to register!

LUNCH & LEARN: GRAND RAPIDS FREE WINDOWS. FREE DOORS. FREE SIDING.

March 9 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Join us for a FREE lunch and find out how you can receive free replacement doors and windows and free siding and more. If you own a rental property in Grand Rapids built before 1978, you may be eligible to receive a grant from the City of Grand Rapids of up to $20,000 per unit. RPOA Outreach Coordinator, Kathy Bartnick, will provide information on eligibility and other grant program provisions. Don’t miss out! Registration is required.

Click here to register!

RPOA MONTHLY NETWORKING

BREAKFAST (VIRTUAL NETWORKING)

March 10 @ 8:00 am - 9:00 am

In addition to our weekly in-person Friday morning breakfast networking events, the RPOA has decided to add a monthly virtual networking breakfast on the second Friday of each month for those who are either unable to attend the weekly in-person event or just prefer to network remotely.

Click here to register!

FORECLOSURES & HUD BUYING & SELLING

March 16 @ 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

3 Hours CE Credit for Licensed Real Estate Professionals

This class includes current HUD changes and updates as well as:

• About HUD homes—FAQs

• Bidding and submitting offers

• Sales contracts

• Special programs & incentives

• Broker registration process

• Questions & answers

Taught by experienced real estate broker Mike Childress.

Click here to register!

REI ANALYSIS USING AN APOD

March 16 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

2 Hours CE Credit for Licensed Real Estate Professionals

This course will help landlords, real estate investors and licensed real estate professionals understand and analyze

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the intricate numbers that make a deal cash flow and return a profit. This course will also help sellers or their agents establish a realistic selling price. Learn how to use an annual property operating data (APOD) spreadsheet to analyze your real estate deals. Presented by Russ VandenToorn.

Click here to register!

EPA RRP CERTIFICATION TRAININGBLENDED COURSE

March 21 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Earn EPA RRP Renovator Certifications

The EPA requires all contractors, landlords and property managers performing RRP activities on pre-1978 rental properties to use lead-safe work practices and be certified under the new RRP rules. In this EPA-approved certification course, a certified lead-safe work practices trainer will teach lead-safe work practices in a comprehensive session.

Click here to register!

EPA RRP REFRESHER COURSE BLENDED COURSE

March 21 @ 12:30 pm - 1:00 pm

Take part of this 4-hour refresher course online and part in person on how to work safely in housing with lead-based paint and comply with EPA’s Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule and HUD’s Lead-Safe Housing Rule in order to maintain your RRP certification.

Click here to register!

EVICTIONS IN MICHIGAN

March 23 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Learn how to deal with the number one problem facing landlords: how to evict a non-paying or otherwise problem tenant. Knowing how to do an eviction before you ever have to do one is critical to understanding when and how to begin one and why you should. There are several steps necessary to carry out an eviction in Michigan and, if skipped, can result in lost money and time.

Join Matthew Stout, Stout Law, PLLC, as he discusses:

• What an eviction is—and isn’t

• Different types of evictions

• The legal eviction process in Michigan

Click here to register!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Justin Workman, President

Kevin Wright, President-Elect

Kim Post, Past-President

Mark Troy, Secretary

Gary Hall, Treasurer

Haley Clough

Joel Emerson

Jeremy Garcia

Brian Hamrick

Bert Heyboer

James Loftus

Rob Minch

Sharon Olson

Jon Smith

Nick Wyma

RPOA STAFF: (616) 454-3385

Clay Powell, Director Email: clayp@rpoaonline.org

Heather VandenBos Email: heatherv@rpoaonline.org

Kathy Bartnick Email: kathyb@rpoaonline.org

Kristina Kyle Email: kristinak@rpoaonline.org

MAGAZINE EDITOR

Clay Powell

(616) 454-3385 Email: clayp@rpoaonline.org

MAGAZINE DESIGN & LAYOUT

Kristina Kyle

(616) 454-3385 Email: kristinak@rpoaonline.org

AD SALES

Kathy Bartnick

(616) 318-3503 Email: kvallie@aol.com

Each week we discuss topics, tips and techniques designed to make you a more confident and successful rental property owner and real estate investor. Our guests include buy and hold investors, flippers, wholesalers, property managers, brokers, legal advisors, insurance providers, mortgage brokers— you name it; we’re talking to some of the top names in the real estate investing business in Michigan.

Our host, Brian Hamrick from Hamrick Investment Group, is a successful investor in apartments, self-storage, and non-performing notes. He has bought and sold over 450 units in West Michigan.