7 Ways Running Makes You A Better Real Estate Investor
By JD Esajian on July 17, 2015
As a real estate investor, running isn’t just about getting in shape; it can up your game in more ways than you may realize.
Far too many give up on their fitness habits and hobbies once they get into real estate. Neglecting your health and not taking care of your body can have a negative impact on your life, but it can also negatively impact your business. While it’s entirely possible to run a real estate business from a small cubicle in a business center, or from your couch; the savviest and most experience real estate pros will tell you that most deals aren’t done in the office. Running is a great way to get out, and once you realize the barrage of benefits it offers, you might find it a great habit to pick up – even if you’ve never tried it before.
Seven benefits of running for real estate investors include:
Learn Your Real Estate Markets
Failing to understand their local market is perhaps the biggest mistake an investor can make. The same can be said whether you are engaging in out of area investing, or investing in your own town. You need to know what you are investing in. Avoiding bankrupting mistakes and uncovering golden deals takes knowing markets on an intimate level. Running, or even walking, is a great way to master a local area. It’s far better than driving. You’ll get a real feel for neighborhoods, notice more features and amenities, and get a better feel for who lives there.
Find Real Estate Deals
Regular running, and even biking or walking, can help real estate investors uncover great deals. You’ll be right on top of new listings, brand new for sale by owners, and even see which listings haven’t sold that might be ripe for low ball offers. This can provide huge advantages over competitors that aren’t as tuned into the market.
New Contacts
It can’t be said enough: your success in real estate is directly connected to the number of new contacts that you make each and every day. Running can create new local contacts just as easily as an investor meeting. Acquaintances can even be made on the treadmill at the gym, or from your office treadmill via new social workouts. Becoming a runner also instantly connects you to a whole new group of like-minded contacts that you share something in common with. Once you get into a good rhythm, consider participating in 5k runs for charity, endurance races, marathons, and more. That’s thousands of new warm contacts, and the opportunity to explore more new areas.
Boost Your Social Networks
Building online social network followings and ‘going viral’ has become tougher and more expense in real estate, but runners and those that go participate in various events have another way to connect with others in a warm way. That can be great for increasing your follower numbers, posts with hashtags that get a lot of action, and building more engagement.
Good for Your Health
There is tons of scientific data on the health benefits of running exercise. A better immune system and more strength can help you avoid injury and sickness. That’s extra weeks and days you can spend making money or relaxing rather than in a hospital bed. It can help save big on hospital and doctor bills too; money you could be investing and earning a return on.
Increased Productivity
Many give up on exercise, even when they love it and know the above benefits because they think they don’t have time. That’s garbage. Exercise helps increase productivity, and often by high double digits. So run and get more done.
Boost Creative Thinking
Elite levels of creative thinking is one of the most prized and elusive resources for real estate investors, and running can help.
So are you one of the #RealEstateInvestorsThatRun, or will you join them and reap more of these rewards?