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He Knows the Way that I Take (part 8)

My miracle-working property manager Amie had a quick answer to my loan problem. She said, “I have used Jim to get my ten loans. Here is his number. Give him a call.” This was the ray of hope that I needed to keep going. 

I sent an email to Jim, a loan officer at a local company, and within seconds, we talked about new possibilities. Jim was amazing. If I had a question, he would answer within minutes or seconds if possible. Then, for the next several weeks, he would guide me through seemingly impossible hurdles and hoops, each time his encouraging words kept me hopeful. 


If you have never been through a loan process, it is quite an experience. Underwriters want to know everything about you, including the number of hairs on your head. Well, not really, but they do require a lot of information. After months of failed attempts, we were finally getting somewhere. But, when all was finished, we had ... $133,000 to work with!


By this time, the houses that Jonathan had found for me months earlier were long gone. Those houses were in, Chattanooga TN, of all places. Since I had a few connections in Chatt town, I decided to try and focus on that market. I did that even before I knew what concentrate on a market meant. 


Michael Zuber tells his students that they need to “Do the work.” By that, he means that they need to look at a ZIP code location every day for at least 20 minutes. Then, concentrate on single-family, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a basement, and a garage. 


When you put all of these details into your MLS search, it helps you see trends in the market. Zuber says that it usually takes around ninety days to see these subtle changes in the market, but it changes your real estate world when you can recognize them. You will know a good deal from a bad one. 

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