Welcome to The Seven Seat...

Can't talk now, I'm headed for the casino.

Making Moves

I've continued to make contacts in Vegas. The most recent was with Martha Chiriboga, a mortgage broker and investor. She responded to a job placement ad I posted in CraigsList. I'll add her to my network list.

I've got to look at my finances and plan my budget. I can get to Vegas with no problem, but I need enough in savings to live three months or so. This will be the biggest challenge. I've got to have enough money to live on until I get my business established.

As a writer and real estate investor, I've made a good living in the past. But this last year I paid off some debts and went through my savings (what littile I had). I unloaded a house I could no longer afford to live in, and moved to the small country town of Gainesville in north Texas to escape the big city. I also needed some time to recover from a two-year period of death, misery, financial loss, and other minor problems. I went into a self-imposed "rehab", moving into a cheap apartment and placing most of my belongings in storage. I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs. The kind of rehab I needed was more internal and spiritual than physical.

So now the time has come to look forward, not back. One day I was sitting at Starbucks and writing in my journal and I realized that I'm at the point in my life when I can do anything I want and live anywhere I want. "So why not move to Vegas and invest in real estate, become a freelance writer and work on that first novel, and play cards?"

Welcome to Writefinger

Just a minute...I'll be right back.

Making First Contacts...Building a Network

It's all about networking and developing relationships with people. Real estate investing success is dependent on knowing people, meeting strangers, developing working friendships. It's about team work. My success in this business is directly related to my success in building my alliances, my network.

One reason I chose "FreedomTree" as my business name is because a tree has branches, roots, and must continue to grow or it will die. Networking will keep FreedomTree growing, providing a healthy root structure, with branches reaching out to all kinds of things.

A major component of my move to the West is making contacts with people already living there. I need a network of working friendships to help me make the transition to a new life. So far, I've contacted:

1. Bill Guerra, an investor I met via the REIPLACE.com forums. He lives in Vegas and has been successful at it. We are in contact now, as he is beginning to seek investment opportunities in Texas since the Vegas market is in a downturn. His web site is WillBuyAnyHouse.com .

2. I emailed Trish at Century 21 Aadvantage Gold in Las Vegas. They are a large and successful franchise with numerous offices around the Vegas area. I could see working with them, especially in the early going while I'm getting settled. They will help me obtain my license in Nevada. They have a real estate school.

3. I emailed Pasha Rafat, a professor of art and photography at UNLV, and asked him about the graduate programs they offer. I'm interested in doing some studies at UNLV, either in photography or writing.

I'll continue to look for contacts, and seek those who might be willing to help a Texan make a move out West. I need a job, and a place to live. Should be easy enough.

Getting my Nevada real estate license...

I found the following information at a real estate school web site (Academy for Real Estate Professionals):

"If you completed the required pre-license courses in any of these states, you do not need to take any license courses for Nevada: AZ, DE, ID, KY, LA, OH, TX, UT, WV.

You can simply take the Nevada license exam and then mail in your license application. In fact, youonly need to take the state law portion of the license exam (40 questions on Nevada statutes). We still suggest you take the Nevada Law course we offer to study from since you will probably fail the state portion of the license exam if you do not study."

This particular school offers a 45 hour course on Nevada real estate law and ethics, for $230. I wonder if I can buy a book and study myself without going to a school? It seems all I have to do is pass the Nevada state portion of the exam, and then mail in my application. I need to find an updated Nevada real estate law and ethics textbook and begin to study it. I don't want to attend a course if I don't have to.
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At the Century 21 school I found the law course they teach, and it costs $300. See below:

Real Estate Law (45 Hours)
"This course meets the educational requirements for those license applicants who have had their educational requirements partially met with course work in other states and need only take Real Estate Law (45 hours) to complete Nevada educational requirements."

Topics covered: Property Ownership, Transfer and Use; Applied Practices; and Nevada Real Estate Law

Real Estate Law – 45 hours (Includes Nevada Real Estate Law)Classroom & Correspondence / Tuition $175 + Texts $100 + Admin Fee $25 = Total Cost $300.00

First Things First

Any move requires some research, so that's what I've been doing today.

I've been Googling a lot of stuff, including: real estate schools, Century 21 brokers, job searches, and Nevada real estate licensing requirements. I'll begin adding links here, to help me keep things straight.

I've been thinking about making a change for some time. I'm going to continue to make a living doing those things I'm passionate about: writing, teaching, real estate investing, and playing cards. I'm ready to begin my retirement years doing what I want to do, having fun, taking each day as it comes.

Why am I moving? When it came down to it, I realized I could go anywhere and do anything. I have nothing to keep me here in north Texas. I can just pick up and go. So, I decided Las Vegas would be a nice change. I may not be there long. I could be there until the rest of my life. But I'll always be a Texan no matter where I live, so it really doen't matter.

I chose Las Vegas for a number of reasons, not to mention:
1. the opportunity to grow in real estate investing
2. the weather
3. the job market
4. the card rooms
5. the opportunity to experience life in the world's biggest playground, with all of its evil and grace...a great place for a writer.

This blog will be my journey to Vegas.