In this instructional YouTube video, hosts (Speaker A and Speaker B) walk viewers through the five most common mistakes that keep new real‑estate investors from closing their first deal and provide concrete, action‑oriented remedies. The first mistake is "perfection paralysis" – waiting until you feel 100 % ready, which never happens, so the hosts urge investors to act at about 80 % confidence and make the first offer. The second mistake is the "money myth," the belief that you need a large cash reserve or perfect credit before you can start; the hosts explain that creative financing tools such as subject‑to, owner‑financing, and lease‑purchases let you acquire properties with little or no money. The third mistake is insufficient seller outreach; new investors often avoid talking to enough sellers for fear of sounding inexperienced, yet each conversation builds confidence and uncovers opportunities. The fourth mistake is over‑analysis – building massive spreadsheets and seeking endless opinions instead of simply making offers; the hosts stress that you get paid for making offers, not for analyzing. The fifth mistake is confusing busywork (building websites, setting up LLCs, designing cards) with real progress; the hosts recommend focusing daily on three core actions: find sellers, talk to sellers, and structure offers. The video ends with a challenge to pick one mistake to fix over the next seven days and a call‑to‑action to visit smartrealestatecoach.com/getgoing for free resources.
Chapters
This is probably the biggest mistake that I see. Someone tells me, Zach, I'm almost ready. And I ask them what's left. And they tell me that they just want to understand subject-to a little better. Right? A month later, they're studying lease purchases. Then it's owner financing. Then it's multifamily. Then it's tax strategies. The finish line just keeps moving. Sound familiar? So here's the truth. You're never going to feel 100% ready. And if you wait until you do, you're never going to get started.
I'll tell students all the time that when you're about 80% confident, it's time to move. Make the call, write the offer, talk to the seller. You'll learn more from one real estate conversation with a motivated seller than you will by studying hours and hours and hours of YouTube videos.
At some point, you have to stop preparing and start doing. See, the second reason investors never get to their first deal is because they think they need money. The myth keeps so many talented people sitting on the sidelines. They tell me that they're not able to get started until they've saved $50,000 or Once their credit score improves, or once they're able to go ahead and find investors that are willing to invest in their deals. But that's not what creative real estate is about. See, subject-to allows you to take over existing financing. Owner financing lets you negotiate terms directly with the seller. Lease purchases often allow you to control the property without going to a bank.
The real question isn't Where am I going to get money? See, the better question is, how do I structure this deal so I don't need much money?
That's a completely different mindset. See, some of our best students, our associates, started with a regular job, kids at home, credit card debt, no investors. What they did have was the willingness to solve problems for these motivated sellers. Now, once they found great deals, the money followed. Remember this: money follows deals. Deals rarely follow money. The third reason is that you're simply not talking to enough sellers. See, I believe this is where most investors actually lose before they ever even have a chance to win. They're afraid that they'll say the wrong thing. They're afraid that they'll sound inexperienced.
They're afraid Of hearing the word no. So they make 3 calls, they get rejected 3 times, and their confidence in themselves starts to wane. The confidence that they can execute creative financing starts to wane. See, here's what you want to understand.
The first 50 conversations aren't there to make you rich. They're there to make you better. Every objection you hear makes you more confident on the next call.
Every awkward conversation teaches you something you couldn't have learned from a book. See, confidence doesn't come before action. Confidence comes because of action.
So this week, don't focus on getting a deal.
Focus on having 10 conversations. Good conversations, bad conversations, hangups, voicemails. They all count because every conversation gets you one step closer to the seller who is ready to say yes. Which brings me to the 4th reason, right? The 4th reason is that you overthink every deal.
I've seen investors build spreadsheets with 40 tabs for a deal that might make them $40,000. They spend weeks analyzing, running scenarios, asking everyone in Facebook groups for their opinion and trying to eliminate every ounce of risk. Meanwhile, another investor simply makes the offer and gets the deal. Here's the reality. You don't get paid to analyze deals.
You get paid to make offers.
I like to keep this simple. Can I solve the seller's problem? Do the numbers work?
Do I have a clear exit strategy?
If the answer is yes, then make the offer. You don't need certainty. You need movement.
The 5th and final reason is that you're confusing being busy with making progress. This one probably hits home for a lot of people. They spend weeks building a website, designing business cards, creating an LLC, setting up a CRM, organizing spreadsheets, and making everything look professional. Then at the end of the month, they realize that they haven't talked to a single seller. None of these activities are bad, but they don't actually produce revenue.
Every morning, I want you to ask yourself 3 simple questions. Did I find sellers today? Did I talk to sellers today? Did I structure offers today?
Those 3 activities build your business.
Everything else simply supports your business.
Don't confuse preparation with progress.
Not sure where to get started? Go to smartrealestatecoach.com/getgoing for free books, strategy calls, and a whole bunch more. We're going to help you get going the wicked smart way. We've been after this for over a decade doing exactly that.
As we wrap up, here's what I hope you remember.
None of these 5 mistakes have anything to do with your intelligence, the market, or luck.
They all come down to one thing.
Action.
The investors getting deals today aren't smarter than you.
They're simply willing to move before they feel comfortable.
So here's my challenge for you. Don't try to fix all 5 mistakes this week.
Pick one that's holding you back the most and commit to changing it over the next 7 days.
Then come back and let me know how it went with the comments. I'd love to hear what changed.
And if you're serious about learning on how to find motivated sellers, structure creative deals, and build a real estate business the right way, go ahead and click the link below and schedule a strategy call with our team at Smart Real Estate Coach. And I'd love to help you take your next step. Towards finding your first creative financing deal. See you next week.
