The Fireplace Fallacy: Why You Aren’t Getting “Heat”
Imagine standing in front of a cold, empty fireplace and screaming at it to keep you warm. It sounds ridiculous, yet this is exactly how the majority of aspiring real estate investors approach the business. They stand before the marketplace with a sense of entitlement, believing they’re just going to find a deal for sale that is profitable at the list price.
Don’t Mistake Movement for Progress
Even those who are willing to put in effort often fall into the trap of dragging heavy stones into the hearth. They exhaust themselves carrying the dead weight of busy work—perfecting logos or organizing desks—genuinely confused why their backbreaking labor yields no sparks. In this business, rocks might feel heavy like work, but they will never burn like wood; effort alone is useless if it is applied to the wrong materials.
The Skill is Knowing Where to Dig
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Real success comes from venturing out into the snow-covered field of the market to find the hidden logs. The “magic” isn’t in how hard you carry the fuel, but in knowing exactly where to dig to find the deals that others overlook. Experienced investors work smarter, not harder, gathering high-quality wood that ignites easily, realizing that you must provide specific value to the fire before it will ever provide heat to you.
Proverbs 25:2 “It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them”
Anyone I’ve studied who built lasting success has built in this manner. Discovering the nuanced & effective actions and then repeating them over and over. It’s actually simple, but not easy.
Stones: Heavy Lifting, No Heat (Busy Work)
These tasks feel like work because they consume time and energy, but they do not generate revenue. They are heavy to carry but will never catch fire.
- Organizing the CRM: Endlessly color-coding your database or shuffling old, cold leads instead of generating new ones.
- Endlessly Touring Property: You can see all the properties you want, but without an offer made, you have nothing.
- Doom Scrolling the MLS, Zillow, Loopnet, Etc: Daydreaming over listed property might feel good, but you have to take action!
Wood: The Fuel for Profit (Revenue Generating Activities)
These tasks often require digging through the “snow” (rejection), but they are the only things that create heat (money).
- Making Offers: Putting a specific price and terms in writing and presenting it to a decision-maker.
- Follow-Up: relentless contact with warm leads who aren’t ready to sell today but will be ready tomorrow.
- Live Conversations: Speaking directly with property owners about their motivation to sell.
Personally, I’m ALWAYS on the hunt for Heat, those good, profitable deals. If you have one, I am ALWAYS buying, open to Joint Ventures, and write many checks throughout the year into Private Placement deals. Feel free to email me back. (You sign up for this newsletter to get my personal email address)
Additionally, I’m ALWAYS on the hunt for our next Acquisition Manager. Ideal Ac Man’s have made $70K-$100K per year in a sales job before, want to double that, and know the cost, in effort, to create that result. Find me if this is you. Convince me of your “heat” with more than a resume.
Have a Value Add Deal For Sale? Here’s our Buy Box:
- Industrial & Commercial Property, 10K sq. ft. – 250K sq. ft.
- Mobile Home Communities (50 pad minimum)
- Well located Retail Development Sites
- Residential MFR & SFR
- Ideally long term rented asset with below market rents
