You are Dedicated to Listen on Xmas (LA 880)
You are Dedicated to Listen on Xmas (LA 880)
Transcript:
Steven Butala: Steve and Jill here.
Jill DeWit: Hello.
Steven Butala: Welcome to The Land Academy Show, entertaining land investment talk. I’m Steven Jack Butala.
Jill DeWit: And I’m Jill DeWit broadcasting from sunny Southern California on Christmas Day.
Steven Butala: What’s wrong, or what’s right?
Jill DeWit: What’s right?
Steven Butala: That someone’s listening to this on Christmas Day.
Jill DeWit: It’s-
Steven Butala: What’s wrong that we’re-
Jill DeWit: Maybe you’re right.
Steven Butala: Recording it.
Jill DeWit: Oh, it’s a good thing.
Steven Butala: It’s the greatest thing that ever was. You must be dedicated. Today’s topic Jill and I talk about, you must be dedicated if you’re listening on Christmas Day.
Jill DeWit: Yep, right.
Steven Butala: Before we get into it, let’s take a question posted by one of our members on LandInvestors.com online community, it’s free.
Jill DeWit: Okay. [Shabato] asks, “I spoke with a seller in Colorado who returned a signed offer. When I was able to get the person on the phone the next day, he said that he had some back taxes, but that he had already paid them off the day before. When I spoke to the county I learned that the county sold the tax lien and that my seller had come in earlier and paid it off. I got the seller to scan and email a copy of the receipt, and what he sent does show the tax lien certificate had been redeemed. On the same sheet of paper there was a notice to the company that bought that lien to surrender their certificate so they could collect their money. I guess my question is, is it safe for me to purchase this property at this point? Is there a reason for me to wait or any other concern I should be aware of?” This is a good situation.
Steven Butala: This is a great question.
Jill DeWit: Yeah.
Steven Butala: If everything’s true that you said in general, there’s no reason to wait.
Jill DeWit: Yeah.
Steven Butala: You can prepare the deed and send it just like we teach in Land Academy 1.0. But beware of this, when back taxes get this far back and there’s tax liens, there’s on for every year. You may have a certificate sitting there saying that 2014 tax lien was paid off. Oh, yippee ki-yay, I’m in the clear. Well, with their 2013, 2012, and 2010 you gotta check.
Jill DeWit: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Steven Butala: Colorado is very high tech in general, even the rural counties. You should be able to check online very quickly and see if all the tax liens have been paid off, or if you call the treasurer and say, “Look, I’ve got a receipt for 2000 and X,” 2015 let’s say it is, “Can you check to see if there’s any other back tax liens associated with the property on any different year?” One of our members who’s very successful, Luke Smith, just ran into this. He bought a property, had a certificate just like this, resold the property. This is in the 100s of thousands of dollars now, and found out later that there was a $30000 tax lien that’s was 8 years before that. You have to check to make sure that is all okay. But I think in general, this is probably okay.
Jill DeWit: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Steven Butala: I think this is just a situation where maybe you just hit the guy at the right time and –
Jill DeWit: That’s what it sounds like. I’m hoping it was just the one, and he got your offer and was all excited like, “This is better than giving it away, obviously. Let me run and pay off the taxes and here you go.” That’s great.
Steven Butala: The other thing I might do, I’m pulling a Jill here, is just have a conversation with the person. Say, “What happened? Why did the taxes get back this far?”
Jill DeWit: Right.
Steven Butala: Because it takes years to have a tax lien. It takes five years I think, to have a tax lien filed against the property.
Jill DeWit: Got it.
Steven Butala: I don’t know. You might just want to just really feel it, feel good about it or not good about it.
Jill DeWit: There you go.
Steven Butala: Would you do this deal?
Jill DeWit: After a lengthy conversation with the county and just make sure is there anything else, is there anything else? Is there anything else? That conversation, then I would just go right ahead. It’s good. You know what, the big thing is you got this guy excited now, you don’t want to back out. I hope it’s that good. I feel really bad if the guy got all excited, paid off the taxes, and then there was some other glaring thing that –
Steven Butala: That’s what I mean.
Jill DeWit: Made you didn’t want to buy the property. I’m really fingers crossed that it’s got all the other attributes and everything that you want, because you don’t want to be that person.
Steven Butala: Yeah, make sure you do all the rest of your due dilligence. Make sure the property is where you want it, it’s what you want. Make sure you pull a lien report. If you’re a member, you’ve got access to all this. Pull a lien report in Title Pro. Make sure you look up on personal fact.
Jill DeWit: Right.
Steven Butala: That will give you a ton of information inside of 15 seconds.
Jill DeWit: Exactly.
Steven Butala: Not exaggerating, it’s that fast.
Jill DeWit: Yeah.
Steven Butala: Today’s topic, man you must be dedicated if you’re listening on Christmas Day, it’s the meat of the show.
Jill DeWit: Merry Christmas Steven.
Steven Butala: Thank you Jill.
Jill DeWit: I was thinking about this and all right, if you’re really listening on Christmas Day that means a couple things.
Steven Butala: This can go both ways.
Jill DeWit: That’s right, that’s why I said that like that. Number one, boy you’re sick of your family.
Steven Butala: I got some stories.
Jill DeWit: Sweetheart I got to go, it’s 3:00, it’s Podcast time you know that. You know at 3:00 sweetheart, I have to go. I know, come on hurry up, eat everyone. Wrap it up here, wrap it up, we got to eat faster.
Steven Butala: Eat faster kids.
Jill DeWit: That’s right because we got to go. There’s a show I got to listen to. You know what time it is, this is dad’s time. No, I hope that’s not what’s going on. But what I’m saying is, if you really are this dedicated, man you are in it-
Steven Butala: That’s what I think.
Jill DeWit: I’d hate to say, “In it to win it,” but I just said it, but that’s it. You’re in it, you’re all in man. This is your life, and that was reminding me too, that was what Joe said. Joe Martin, who I had on my live show last week on Wednesday, he’s like, “I’m all in man. This is my thing.”
Steven Butala: Yeah.
Jill DeWit: He’s like, “I love it.” He’s like, “I really do get up in the morning and I’m excited.” It used to, when he had the job he would sneak away and do calls and get home and do to it because he was excited.
Steven Butala: Yeah.
Jill DeWit: I think that’s awesome. I’m hoping that the reason you’re listening today is because you are that excited, you are loving it, and boy that attitude is gonna bring a lot. I have two more things to say. Do you want me to say?
Steven Butala: Yeah, for sure.
Jill DeWit: Okay. My other thing is, I love that you’re all in it too, but please don’t go a little too far. Be sure and do spend that quality time with your family. The last thing I want is for you to get burned out on land. It’s one thing to be available and –
Steven Butala: That’s not possible.
Jill DeWit: Another thing to get burned out. Okay.
Steven Butala: I don’t think.
Jill DeWit: I just want to make sure, and make sure that you’re aware that you’re spending time. Maybe you’re not getting burned out, but you don’t want your family to get sick of you because you’re never available. Just not happy because of that, because that can happen.
Steven Butala: One of my best friends, our lawyer in Scottsdale, goes to his office on Christmas Day every year, and cleans it out and rearranges it. Every single year.
Jill DeWit: I’m –
Steven Butala: I call him sometimes at 4:00 –
Jill DeWit: That’s funny. Because that’s his alone –
Steven Butala: On Christmas Day.
Jill DeWit: Time?
Steven Butala: I call the direct number right at his desk and he knows that I’m gonna call.
Jill DeWit: Yeah.
Steven Butala: No, because he just can’t take it anymore.
Jill DeWit: Yeah, exactly. That’s so funny. You know my –
Steven Butala: As time goes on, it’s just more and more okay to tell truth. I think the internet is the real positive effect. One of the positive effects of the internet is that people just –
Jill DeWit: It’s true.
Steven Butala: They go on YouTube or wherever. This is what we do.
Jill DeWit: Yeah.
Steven Butala: We sit here and tell the truth and people listen to it. You can finally say, “Christmas Day sucks for most people.”
Jill DeWit: I love it.
Steven Butala: I know.
Jill DeWit: I’m sorry.
Steven Butala: I think we’re –
Jill DeWit: I love it. I –
Steven Butala: I’ve learned to –
Jill DeWit: You know what I miss?
Steven Butala: I’ve learned to love it because of you.
Jill DeWit: Do you know what I miss? I miss the days, I’ll tell you honestly about Christmas, I miss the days of sitting on the floor and being lost for two hours in Legos. Because I loved that. I kind of –
Steven Butala: Well everybody loves Christmas below the age of 13.
Jill DeWit: Kids are a little older now, but I might actually just throw some Legos out there just for me and make everybody sit down and do Legos with me.
Steven Butala: Everybody in our house is getting a new computer on Christmas Day. I know this for a fact because I’m involved in the Santa operation.
Jill DeWit: Right.
Steven Butala: Including Jill, so, I think that’s what it is now, it’s not Legos, it’s
Jill DeWit: Yeah.
Steven Butala: Just getting a new computer and setting it all up, and –
Jill DeWit: That is fun.
Steven Butala: Installing all the stuff that you want. You can get lost in that.
Jill DeWit: That’s true. I still like the Legos though, that was fun. Okay, I got to ask, when the kids were little, what was the favorite … We all have a favorite toy that we liked to play with. What was your favorite with them?
Steven Butala: Oh, Legos.
Jill DeWit: Pick one kid –
Steven Butala: Legos.
Jill DeWit: Oh, was it Legos too?
Steven Butala: Yeah, hands down.
Jill DeWit: Oh –
Steven Butala: Yeah.
Jill DeWit: That’s good. I do have another one that I like. This is a long time ago, Easy Bake Oven time, that’s pretty fun because I have a total sweet tooth. Cracking open the little Easy Bake Oven and helping kid number one do the little batter and the things –
Steven Butala: Yeah.
Jill DeWit: And push them through. I still am shocked that a light bulb can cook a cake.
Steven Butala: Yeah.
Jill DeWit: I don’t know how that’s possible.
Steven Butala: Did you have to use that batter that it came with, or could you use your own batter?
Jill DeWit: You can use your own batter, but we always just had the little …
Steven Butala: A light bulb will cook a cake then?
Jill DeWit: Yes.
Steven Butala: It could –
Jill DeWit: Whatever is going on in there, maybe there’s –
Steven Butala: No, it’s a light bulb. My sister had one, right?
Jill DeWit: Yeah.
Steven Butala: I took it all apart when she was done with it –
Jill DeWit: How does a light bulb cook a cake?
Steven Butala: Absolutely –
Jill DeWit: I don’t know.
Steven Butala: A light bulb.
Jill DeWit: It’s so funny. It only cooks one, this size, this round, and a half inch thick.
Steven Butala: That’s what cake should be. It should be a –
Jill DeWit: That’s why I liked it.
Steven Butala: The size of a small pancake.
Jill DeWit: Exactly, a Easy Bake Oven cake is a pancake, so you should eat four. Because I want four.
Steven Butala: I know what I’m getting this year, it’s a bunch of fishing stuff.
Jill DeWit: Yes.
Steven Butala: Pulling out the stops fishing stuff.
Jill DeWit: Yeah.
Steven Butala: That will get used on Christmas Day.
Jill DeWit: I know.
Steven Butala: We’re –
Jill DeWit: Well, it is Christmas Day.
Steven Butala: It’s breaking everyone’s heart on the east coast that yes we are –
Jill DeWit: Oh.
Steven Butala: We are going out on the boat.
Jill DeWit: Yeah, that we can do that today, and the rest of this week.
Steven Butala: Yeah.
Jill DeWit: Do that.
Steven Butala: Oh, that’s so good.
Jill DeWit: That’s very true.
Steven Butala: It just makes my heart warm just even thinking about that.
Jill DeWit: Yeah. That’s very true.
Steven Butala: You know what, you’re right. You got to take time off.
Jill DeWit: Yeah.
Steven Butala: You have to.
Jill DeWit: Have some fun.
Steven Butala: This whole time of year, I said it yesterday, I just love the planning part of it. Planning for 2019.
Jill DeWit: Yep.
Steven Butala: We’re going to dramatically uptick our house buying operation in 2019 and infill lot operation because we are in a beginning of a mild recession similar to the 90s, the early 90s in my opinion. Even Alan Greenspan did a whole press release, not that he’s got anything to release, but I think it was two or three days ago, last week anyway. He said, “Yeah, it’s coming.”
Jill DeWit: It’s coming.
Steven Butala: Because we’re in that time where Feds are going to either increase interest rates or not.
Jill DeWit: Yeah.
Steven Butala: He had a lot to say about that. If there’s any expert on that, I don’t mean to make a weird change here over Christmas, but –
Jill DeWit: Yeah, I was talking about gifts and you took it into interest rates.
Steven Butala: 2019 –
Jill DeWit: That’s not a Christmas gift.
Steven Butala: There’s gonna be a real estate slow down.
Jill DeWit: I don’t want that under the tree.
Steven Butala: There’s gonna be a real estate slow down in 2019 and that’s a really good thing for people in the business. Not real estate agents, it’s a really bad thing for them, but you’re not a real estate agent, that’s why you listen to this show.
Jill DeWit: Exactly.
Steven Butala: You by and sell real estate, to make some dough.
Jill DeWit: I’ve got to say one last thing about being available in your land business on Christmas. If you haven’t had it yet, be ready for it because invariably around the holidays you will get the funniest phone calls from usually buyers, it’s sometimes buyers, sometimes sellers, but I think it’s usually buyers. Remember, we’ve all had them so if you want to share them with us, please do. Put them in the comment section here because the drunk, weird, phone call. I’m not kidding.
Steven Butala: Oh, from the letters?
Jill DeWit: The holidays brings them out, right?
Steven Butala: Yeah.
Jill DeWit: It’s so –
Steven Butala: I forgot about that.
Jill DeWit: Darn funny. I get excited for it every year. I’m like, “Who’s it gonna be this time, and what’s it gonna be because these guys are …” It’s almost like a guy will call you three days in a row drunk, buying the same property.
Steven Butala: Oh.
Jill DeWit: They’re like, “Oh, we talked yesterday,” and they forget. Kind of thing so it’s always gonna be there’s gonna be something funny.
Steven Butala: Please record that stuff and share it with us.
Jill DeWit: Please record it, please share it with us, and be ready.
Steven Butala: That’s the –
Jill DeWit: That’s half the fun.
Steven Butala: It is, that’s the treat of being in this business, it’s like the lollipop. I just think when people get, and sellers too, “Why did you send me this letter?”
Jill DeWit: Exactly. My favorite is –
Steven Butala: “Who do you think -”
Jill DeWit: We have voicemails that are recorded at 1:15 in the morning –
Steven Butala: Yeah.
Jill DeWit: You’re like, “Oh, this is gonna be a good one. Everybody gather around,” that’s what we do. Like I said, “The holidays, then it’s times 10.” Save them, share them, they’re awesome.
Steven Butala: You could do a whole show just listening to those recording of laughing.
Jill DeWit: Oh, yeah. That’s really true. Maybe we’ll do that. If you send us enough of them, we’ll put them together and share them with everybody. That’s good.
Steven Butala: Well you’ve done it again, you spent another 15 minutes or so listening to the Land Academy Show. Join us next time for 2019 planning during the down turn.
Jill DeWit: We answer your questions posted at our online community, LandInvestors.com. It’s free.
Steven Butala: You are not alone in your real estate ambition.
Jill DeWit: Tell me, what is your favorite gift or favorite story from Christmas time when you were a child? Do you have anything funny that happened –
Steven Butala: Yeah.
Jill DeWit: Or a gift that you just remember? What’s your favorite Christmas story?
Steven Butala: Yeah. When I was a kid we would go over to my grandparent’s house on Christmas Eve night for dinner and the whole thing. My sister applied to Michigan State University. This is college graduation, I don’t know, for whatever reason it coincided with the holiday season and she got a letter. I got the mail that day, and she got a letter of acceptance because her whole thing was delayed and deferred, and there was a whole big thing with her about getting into Michigan State. I could see through it that she’d got accepted.
Jill DeWit: Oh.
Steven Butala: Back then it was, you get a little envelope, a number 10 envelope like we send out, you’re a goner, but if you get a package that’s a bigger envelope then it tells you what … We all knew this.
Jill DeWit: Right.
Steven Butala: Well she got the big package, so I wrapped it all up and gave it to her in front of our whole extended family. Everyone was crying and she was crying. I was already in college, I was home for college.
Jill DeWit: That’s good.
Steven Butala: Yeah.
Jill DeWit: That’s a really, really good gift.
Steven Butala: At this age it’s all about giving. Even back then it’s not even –
Jill DeWit: Oh yeah.
Steven Butala: I’ve always been a giver not so much a receiver.
Jill DeWit: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Steven Butala: God knows it’s the truth with you.
Jill DeWit: Big giver and a lover.
Steven Butala: What’s that?
Jill DeWit: I don’t know. You’re just a lover and a giver, that’s it.
Steven Butala: My God. That’s not what you were saying yesterday.
Jill DeWit: Or this morning. Hey, wherever you’re watching or listening, please rate us there.
Steven Butala: We are Steve and Jill.
Jill DeWit: We are Steve and Jill.
Steven Butala: Information –
Jill DeWit: And inspiration.
Steven Butala: To buy under-valued property.
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