The Power of a Negative Mind

by Dario Hernandez
Charlotte, NC

Like many people that have come and gone and like some that still post on the mobile home forum every now and then, I bought Deals on Wheels and Making Money with Mobile Homes over a year and a half ago. I read them once; they made a lot of sense; but they went right back onto the bookshelf.

Last July, while reading some of the posts on the mobile home forum, I emailed Ryan Needler to get the "scoop"--his sincere take on this whole mobile home investing gig.

And without flinching an ear lobe, Ryan challenged me to drive up to his playground and have a look-see. He spent several hours showing me around and talking about "Lonnie" deals.

When I left Ryan's place, I was ready to set the world on fire. I came home, re-read Deals on Wheels and Making Money with Mobile Homes two more times and...nothing.

"I'll never be able to do this. What if I lose what little money I have by investing in these mobile things? What if I don't have all the paper work? What if I screw it up?" The mind (especially a negative one) can have a staggering effect on a person.

Self-fulfilling prophecies are the result of what we feed our mind.

• If I believe I can do it by giving it my all, even if the results are not exactly what I want, chances are I will probably accomplish it.





• If I believe I can't, it's over; pack it up. I believe a negative mind has a more drastic effect than a positive one.

At a recent event in Florida, where I got meet Lonnie Scruggs for the first time (to me, it was like meeting a movie star but much better because he is 100% real), I saw Ryan again and met a lot of new and good people who are always ready to meet you half way, at anyone's level, with a word of encouragement and positive influence.

It took several kicks to the butt and some deep, VERY deep soul searching that when I came back from the event I not only GOTC (Got Off The Couch), I actually threw it away! Yes, I have been hearing GOTC for so long, I actually dropped it off at the Goodwill spot near my house.

Exactly thirty days ago, I went out to EVERY park in my area on a mission to find that first mobile home deal. I placed an ad in a local classified newspaper that I was looking for a nice, used mobile home, already set up in a family park, and that I was willing to pay cash. Two days after placing the ad, I got a call from a man that HAD to sell yesterday.

He was asking $9,000 for the home. I drove out to look at the home and after looking it over, I felt the home was in pretty good shape (except for a couple of soft spots on the floor, some minor cracks on the masonite, and a horrific stench coming from the carpet). The home is a 14 x 70, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, 1985 Parkway.

It came with a shed, all appliances, and a deck. It was very clean, for the most part, and the inside looks impeccable. I told him I couldn't afford to pay him his asking price, but if he could see a way to lower his price, I might consider buying the home. He said he'd think about it and he MIGHT call me back.

The very next day, he called saying he could let it go for $5,000. I told him the most I could pay was $4,000. He accepted it. I wanted to kill myself! He accepted way too quickly, and I violated Lonnie’s rule of letting him name the price. But it was done, and this was my first "Lonnie" deal.

We closed, and I immediately put an ad in two local newspapers and put up signs which read:

For sale - Owner will finance - No banks
Small down payment - Flexible terms

Lonnie must also be a prophet because just as he "predicted," my phone was ringing off the hook. At first I was getting some tire kickers it seemed. Two weeks and still nothing. "I knew I shouldn't have bought that thing! My dad was right. I lost $4,000 that I didn't have." All the negative mind games were haunting me again.

I called Ryan Needler and Mike Nelson for advice. They both told me to hang in there. It was now three whole weeks and nothing! "Woe is me! I screwed up. I knew this was going to happen." Just as I was putting the "whine" bottle down to answer my cell, I found myself speaking to seven different people who wanted to come out on Saturday to see the home.

Subconsciously, I had scheduled seven people at the same time to look at the home. When Saturday came, five people showed up, and they ALL loved home! I sold it for $10,000 to a guy (carpenter) and his wife with two kids with $1,000 down and a note for $9,000 for 48 months at 15% interest, payments of $250.48.

I paid $4,000 plus just under $500 expenses minus their $1,000 down, so I had $3,500 in it. My yield on this first "Lonnie" deal (with all my negative energy working against it), is 82.32%.

Not too shabby huh? I had this home just under four weeks and sold it at a great yield. Where else can you "screw up" as much as I did and still make 82%?

I could have made this a five-line Success Story, but I felt a more real point of view, especially from a newbie and for other newbies, would be more appreciated. I am the king of procrastination...or so I was. If I can do it, anybody with his brain tied behind his back can do it.

It's all about the mind and what you feed it. If it's negative, forget about it; pack it up. If it's positive with a little dose of perseverance and common sense, there are no limits!

I hope this testimony can motivate someone who was doubting the business to GOTC like I did and make it happen. Thanks to Ryan Needler, again, for being there when I needed it most with a ready and honest answer and to Mike Nelson, for help and support. Thanks a lot guys!