Did You Know That the Biggest Fear for Investors When Making an Offer to a Seller Is the Fear That They Will Accept It?

By: Loreal Loftus

It sounds backward at first—but it’s true.
Many new investors aren’t afraid of rejection… they’re afraid of success. Afraid that the offer will be accepted and they’ll suddenly have to perform, decide, fund, and execute.

And that fear is one of the biggest invisible barriers holding new real estate investors back.

Every successful investor you admire today—every landlord, flipper, wholesaler, and developer—started in the same place you are right now: uncertainty. Not knowing everything. Feeling excited… and afraid.

Fear of failure is completely normal. Investing involves money, decisions, people, and risk. It matters. But what often goes unspoken is that fear, when understood correctly, is not a warning sign to stop—it’s a signal that you’re standing at the edge of growth.

Let’s talk about that fear, what it really means, and how to move forward anyway.

1. You’re Not Afraid of Investing—You’re Afraid of Making a Mistake

Most new investors don’t fear real estate itself. They fear:

• Buying the “wrong” property
• Overpaying
• Missing hidden repairs
• Losing money
• Looking foolish
• Letting family down

These fears aren’t signs you’re unqualified; they’re signs you care. And caring is one of the ... Read More…

If you're using AI tools in your real estate investing business—or thinking about it—you're not alone. Technology is reshaping how we analyze markets, screen tenants, and make investment decisions. But here's the thing: powerful tools require responsible use.

Why This Matters Now

AI can process mountains of data in seconds, spotting trends and opportunities we'd never catch manually. That's incredible. But AI also learns from historical data, and if that data reflects past discrimination or biased decision-making, your "smart" tool might be making unethical (and illegal) recommendations.

Three Quick Rules for Ethical AI Use

Keep humans in charge. AI should inform your decisions, not make them. Your market knowledge, gut instinct, and ethical compass still matter. When something feels off about an AI recommendation, dig deeper before acting.

Know what your tools are doing. If you can't explain how your AI screening tool selects tenants or values properties, that's a red flag. Black-box algorithms create liability. Choose transparent tools and verify their outputs.

Test for bias regularly. Run identical applications through your system with only protected characteristics changed. Different outcomes? You've got a problem that needs fixing before it harms someone or lands you in legal trouble.

The Bottom Line

Fair housing laws exist for good reasons, and AI doesn't give you a pass. In fact, using AI without proper oversight can multiply discrimination at scale ... Read More…

 Ohio has enacted Senate Bill 155, a landmark measure regulating real estate wholesaling, with strong bipartisan support and broad backing from industry and consumer groups. The law introduces mandatory disclosures, enforcement mechanisms, and new protections for property owners, reshaping how wholesalers operate in the state.

📜 Key Legislative Milestones

• Senate Bill 155 (SB 155) passed unanimously in both the Ohio Senate (June 2025) and House (October 2025).
• Sponsored by Senators Andy Brenner (R-Delaware) and Katherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati), with critical support from Representatives Marilyn John and Josh Williams.
• The bill has been signed by Governor DeWine and will take effect 90 days after.

🏠 Core Provisions of the Law

• Mandatory Disclosure Requirement: Wholesalers must provide a written disclosure to property owners before entering into a contract. This disclosure must:
• Identify the party as a wholesaler.
• Clarify that the wholesaler does not represent the homeowner.
• Advise the homeowner to seek legal or real estate professional guidance.
• Explain that contracts may be assigned to third parties for profit.
• Warn that the offer may be below market value.
• Homeowner Protections:
• If the disclosure is not signed, the homeowner can cancel the contract at any time before closing.
• Failure to comply constitutes an unfair or deceptive practice under the Consumer Sales Practices Act, enforceable by the Ohio Attorney General.

⚖️ Enforcement & Accountabi ... Read More…

Tax expert and investor Scott Ellsworth is joining us to share his best advice for year-end tax planning: what you can still do this year to lower your 2025 tax bill, what’s changed thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill, and what you might be missing if you haven’t talked to your CPA in a while. Listen in here

&ck=09ae8196-2c44-45f2-97a8-524764065b2b ... Read More…

Most investors treat taxes as something to worry about in April. They file, they pay, forget about it and then they get back to doing deals. Taxes are an afterthought, not the forethought, but the best investors I know think about taxes year-round. Tax strategies help guide their funding decisions — and nowhere is that more powerful than in how you use your retirement accounts.

The IRS Already Gave You a Framework

Congress designed retirement accounts to encourage savings. The contract is simple: you get tax deferral (Traditional IRA) or tax-free growth (Roth IRA), in exchange for leaving the money alone until retirement. But what most people don’t realize is that the investment options extend well beyond what Wall Street offers. With a self-directed IRA (SDIRA), you can invest in what you know — including real estate. You get to leverage your knowledge.

That means the property down the street, the private loan to a local rehabber, or even a share in a commercial partnership could all be held inside your IRA.

Why Real Estate Fits So Well

Real estate has always been attractive to investors for its tangible value, cash flow, and appreciation. Inside an IRA, those returns compound tax-advantaged. Rental income flows back to the IRA tax-deferred. Profits from a sale can be reinvested without immediate tax. And if you’re using a Roth, qualified distributions down the road could be completely tax-free.

For investors who already spend their weekends a ... Read More…

Do you realize that you can build your fortune through buying vacant land? 

              You’re saying:  “No way!!” 

              I am saying:  “Yes…WAY!” 

There are lots of great ways to make a lot of money in real estate, not the least of which is buying and selling vacant land. This is an effective way to do real estate deals with no hassle, no rehab, no insurance and no worries of vandalism and theft. Plus, there is virtually no competition for these properties since many investors are simply not going after this incredibly lucrative portion of the marketplace. I was actually in the real estate business for several years before I discovered this very profitable part of the market. In addition, in this current market buying and selling vacant land is another good strategy to continue making money in the real estate business. 

              If you live in an area that is particularly rural, then buying and selling vacant land is a more lucrative means of doing real estate deals. Since it can be more difficult to find homes to purchase in more rural areas, vacant land is definitely the way to go.  There are several different ways to find vacant land deals. 

One is to simply drive around and look for ... Read More…

 Cincinnati, OH — October 30 – November 2, 2025

This year’s National Real Estate Investing Summit brought together the best minds in real estate at the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio — and it didn’t disappoint. For four packed days, investors from across the country came ready to learn, adapt, and make the deals that will shape the next wave of real estate success.

Hosted by OREIA (Ohio Real Estate Investors Association), this 40-year tradition remains the Midwest’s biggest and most respected investor gathering. From high-level keynotes to hands-on workshops, it offered one clear message: what worked two years ago won’t work tomorrow — but the right strategies still win big.

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The Market Has Changed — and So Have the Rules

Interest rates, insurance costs, and property taxes are all up. Margins are tighter. But this year’s Summit made one thing clear: there’s opportunity everywhere for those willing to adjust.
Sessions focused on:

• Creative deal structures — seller financing, sub-to, lease options, and partnerships.

• Emerging asset types — shared housing, mid-term rentals, and notes.

• Tax-smart investing — strategies for keeping more of what you earn.

• AI and automation tools — streamlining lead generation, property analysis, and marketing.

For Greater Dayton REIA members, these sessions hit home. The conversations around co-living and mid-term rentals are e ... Read More…

Ask any really successful real estate entrepreneur what resource has made them the most money, and if they’re answering truthfully, they’re going to say, “The people I’ve met.”

In fact, if you’re not making it a priority to spend time creating, growing, and nurturing your network of colleagues and financial friends, you’re making a big mistake.

I’m not a natural networker—I would, on any given evening, rather be curled up in front of a fire with a good book than at the hottest party in town.

In fact, if you’re ever AT a party with me, and you’re looking for me, I’m probably the one behind the potted plant playing with the host’s cat.

But, at the same time, I am very aware of how many millions of dollars my network has earned me in the past 2+ decades, and I’ve seen the nearly tragic consequences that NOT having a network when you need one can have.

Early on in my career, it was more experienced real estate association members who served as my backstop, confirming (or, in some cases, totally trashing) my evaluation of deals I was considering buying . Without them, I’d have made a lot of mistakes that I didn’t make and passed up a lot of opportunities I didn’t pass up.

Later in my business, when I started wholesaling, I rarely had to advertise my deals at all. And  I don’t just sell 90% of the deals I wholesale to members of my local REIA; I sell them to memb ... Read More…

“Cash is King.” That statement is as true now in this market as ever. With cutthroat competition on any wholesale deal posted in the local Facebook group, the best deals are only available to cash buyers. As real estate investors we need access to cash quickly with low cost and flexibility in terms. The answer is Private Money. 

The term Private Money gets thrown around a lot lately muddying its true meaning. It is not the same as Hard Money where professional lenders charge large upfront fees and high interest rates for short term loans. It is also not personal money or access to personal equity like a line of credit. Private Money refers to individuals, often who we know personally, that loan us money for real estate deals. They are not equity partners but receive interest on their money which is secured by real estate - just like the bank. 

They could be your friends, family, or business associates. They may be members at your church or parents of your child’s soccer teammate. They typically have money placed in investments other than real estate such as the stock market, mutual funds, CDs, etc. They may even have their money in an IRA or old 401k from a past job. 

There are potential lenders in so many areas of our lives and frankly they are frustrated. They are frustrated by the risk involved in the stock market. Did anyone follow the GameStop stock manipulation? They are also frustrated by the low returns they get on other investmen ... Read More…

For whatever reason, a lot of real estate investor have this idea that a career path in real estate is strategy-based; we’re all supposed to start with wholesaling, move on to the bigger checks (and bigger complications) of retailing, then buy single family rentals, and then, we we’re really knowledgeable, wealthy and experienced, end up in apartments or notes.

In real life, there’s no such prescribed life cycle; lots of people start out in rentals, or even note-buying; I myself discovered wholesaling only after nearly 5 years in the lease/option business.

But there IS a path that we should all recognize and be on that has nothing to do with our age at entry, or our favorite asset class or exit strategy, and that’s the journey from trading our hours for (highly-taxed) dollars to having our lifestyles completely paid for by our assets.

This metamorphosis takes place in 3 stages, the terms for which were coined by the great Pete Fortunato.

     Starters are folks who are still learning and exploring the trade. They’re willing to do what it takes to get educated and to do the hard work of finding deals, which means that, in a sense, they’re still trading hours (spend finding, constructing, and managing properties) for dollars. If they’re smart, they’re doing all this work to set the stage for the next step in their evolution, where they can produce more of their income from more tax-efficient, less strenuo ... Read More…