Ben Edsall

I got an email today from some SEO promoter telling me I had no ranking under the search term "Kansas City Real Estate" Seems this guy Gabe figures I'm willing to pay for ranking by that term.

So the question is; am I willing to pay someone who sent me an email for his efforts to improve my SEO score with a particular keyword? NO! I've done a lot of reading, and put in hundreds of hours building keywords that are relevant to me. While I am involved in Kansas City Real Estate, I have focused on having keyword success in more specific markets. For instance, if you Google terms like Kansas City Investment Property or Kansas City Property Management, I hold very high rankings and have worked hard to get them.

Here's the email:

I was looking at websites under the keyword Kansas City Real Estate and
came across your website http://www.turnkeyproperties.org/. I see that
you're not ranked on the first page of Google for a Kansas City Real
Estate search.

I'm not sure if you're aware of why you're ranked this low but more
importantly how easily correctable this is.

There's no reason you can't have a top three ranking for the keyword
Kansas City Real Estate based on your site structure and content. You
have a very nice site.

You need significantly more one way anchor text backlinks. If you're
interested I can help you with this...

I'm talking about getting you ranked for ALL your keywords. Adding new
backlinks on a steady and consistent basis from high PR quality
websites is what produces the rankings you are looking for
http://www.turnkeyproperties.org/.

The right kind of links are very critical in getting top ranking....and
I can hand deliver these quality links to you.

My partners and I own 1000's websites and offer private linking to
hundreds of website owners just like yourself.

I didn't send this email out to very many people but I am currently
reaching out to a list of your "keyword competitors" as well. But I do
favor your website because I can see your website monetizing the targeted
website traffic the keyword Kansas City Real Estate can deliver.

I have your contact information and phone number. Is it ok if I give
you a call?

I have a very simple way to prove that what I do works and it's risk
free for you to try. Nothing beats seeing the results with your own eyes

Is it ok if I give you a call? I would love to pursue this further over
the phone with you or should I go somewhere else?

Sincerely,


Gabe Sumpter
(480) 588-8900 ext. 600
ww.linkshog.com/

P.S - If the tables were turned and somebody I didn't know came to me
with a proposition, even one that was appealing, I would be hesitant
because I would be wondering - what's the catch? What does this guy know
that I don't.

But then I would think he does know something that I don't know. He
does have thousands of high PR websites, he does have hundreds of
thousands of pages indexed and ranking in Google Yahoo and MSN. Sites that can
deliver the quality anchor text backlinks. I would also think that I
need to get my website in the top rankings. And he is offering to turn
key top rankings for me...on all my keywords including Kansas City Real
Estate. Even keywords I'm not currently competing for. Keywords that
produce traffic that's potentially worth tens of thousands, hundreds of
thousands, millions of dollars.

I emailed you because It's a win -win for both of us. Think of it this
way - Who wouldn't be interested in buying money at a discount? Because
that's what I'll be able to do offer you...Money at a discount.

Is it Ok to give you a call? Or you can can call me anytime at the
number above?


To not receive future emails from Links Hog please reply to this email
or send a message to Links Hog, 14350 87th Street, Scottsdale, AZ
85054.

Any way, I figure this post should raise my rankings significantly for a time, although Kansas City Real Estate is more of a broad category than I have been working on.

Best of luck Gabe, I salute your entrepreneurial spirit!

Today I was driving to another appointment, leaving my office on Raytown Rd. I was traveling South on Blue Ridge when I spied a Google camera car. We've all heard about them, you may have even seen a few pictures, but I actually saw the real McCoy.

Here it is at the corner of 63rd and Blue Ridge in Raytown, MO.

I first noticed that they were working on Kansas City when I Googled my home address and was able to view my house from the street on "street view" . I checked then and they had not mapped my office.

This is a great tool for real estate investors, they can "drive through" a neighborhood and never leave their desk. I talk to investors from all over the world, they frequently ask about the neighborhood. As we all know I am very limited in what I can say, but with this service they can view the neighborhood without ever leaving their desk.

So soon you will be able to Google 6300 Blue Ridge cut off Kansas City, MO 64133 and see my ugly mug taking a picture of this car.

For those that don't know you can read about the Google street view here. http://maps.google.com/help/maps/streetview/index.html

Remember, Turn-Key Properties LLC is your source for Raytown Real Estate, Commercial and Investment Property for the Kansas City Metro Area.

Darn kids!

I was visiting a listing of mine today and I noticed this sign nearby. The first thing I thought was where the heck are the parents!

I often encouraged some of my neighbor kids to go play in the street, our city is now posting signs to warn us of the practice.

A few years ago an investor came into my office to ask me to manage an apartment complex in Grandview, MO he was buying. He was getting such a good deal that a few vacancies were not going to be a problem. I asked him for some details and we talked about the income potential for the property. The property was marketed as fully occupied and the rents were fantastic. The asking price was great considering the income potential.

Well, except that I knew the property, I knew the area and I knew the market would never support a 100% occupied property in that market at those rental rates. Not the first time I've seen this, investors call me all the time asking for information on specific properties, most of the time the numbers are simply BS.

I told this guy this is not what it appears to be, the numbers do not match my knowledge of the area. I told him that within six months the property would be at 50% occupancy and we would be marketing the property at a much lower rental rate, in fact the realistic rental rate was more than 20% lower than the advertised rent.

So, this guy goes ahead and buys the apartment complex, (he listened to his agent) hires me to manage it. On day one, after talking to the tenants I learn that none of them pay the higher rate, as a matter of fact most pay much less, even less than the rate I figured. The first month goes poorly, only a handful of tenants pay rent, the rest all have excuses or simply avoid me and refuse to pay. I chatted with the local police and they tell me that several of our tenants are drug dealers. The few leases the buyer was given were all bogus, his buyers agent told him that the owner was just really bad at keeping records.

We begin the eviction process and kick out nearly every tenant in the two buildings, the owner goes belly up and gives the property back to the bank. Then; as usual, he blames me and says nasty things. No problem, I'm a property manager, I'm used to that.

Two years later, today I get a call from a guy who is planning to buy the same buildings, the agent has shown him rent rolls from two years ago and is telling him that it's just been poorly managed and that the property can really get those higher rents. The property is currently less than 50% occupied and most are paying the exact amount I quoted the original buyer.

Fortunately this guy seemed to be interested in due diligence, he actually listened to what I was saying and told me that what I said confirmed what he had suspected.

I will not get to manage that apartment complex again, but I won't have to tell yet another investor that they got screwed! God I need to figure out a way to make a living killing deals, this just won't pay the bills!

So if you are looking to buy an apartment complex in the Kansas City area, or this one in Grandview, MO call me first. I won't make any money but I can save you quite a lot.

Ole Snidely is one of my all-time heroes, he had a simple motto.... But You Must Pay The Rent!

But you must pay the rent!

I am amazed at the number of times I have encountered landlords and even property managers who accept partial rent or even no rent. Tenants are like children they will try to get away with anything you let them get away with.

I remember one tenant who was responsible for $1 a month, Section-8 paid the rest. It never failed, come the fifth of the month I was knocking on her door looking for my $1.

Often we would take over the management of a property and find that the tenants had been allowed to pay whatever the felt like paying. Our system of collection usually comes as quite a surprise to those tenants.

I don't care if it is $1 or $1,000, my job is to collect the damn rent!

Don't get me wrong, I have a heart. It is not uncommon for us to work with a tenant to get "caught up" but it requires effort on their part. Having been a property manager for nearly 25 years, I'm pretty sure there are few excuses I haven't heard.

So how do we collect rent so effectively?

The single most important thing you can do is invoice each tenant monthly for the amount they owe!

We send a rent account statement to each tenant every month with a self addressed return envelope. No other system has more effect than a billing system! Just like receiving your electric bill, your phone bill or your credit card bill. They can't say they simply forgot, they have a statement and a return envelope for payment.

I first started this system back in the early 90's while managing apartment complexes. I would go out on the first and place notes on every door in the complex. Now we send out the notices by mail on or around the 25th of the month. The response is tremendous! We actually collect most of our rent on or before the first of the month.

Non payment is met with phone calls, demand letters and tenacity. It takes someone who will not back down, not take no for an answer and demand rent.

For years that was me, but we have an employees on our staff who may be a bit more tactful than I am. While if the situation requires a personal visit, that still falls to me, the frequency of that is almost Zero!

Late fees, penalties and full payment are not options, pay your rent or get out, I'm not here to run a charity. If you have circumstances that prevented you from paying your rent, we will negotiate a payment plan. We will even give you a list of charitable organizations that might assist you in getting your rent caught up.

I do not own any investment property, I work for the owners of each property we manage. The mortgage companies & insurance companies don't take no for an answer. So our job is to collect the rent so the owner can pay them.

That tenant who paid $1 a month..... The third time I went to her house I told her to dig in the couch and find me $5.00 in change because I was not driving there every damn month for $1.00.

She managed to come up with the $5.00!

Kansas City Property Management

Kansas City Investment Property