How a $95 Packet Started My Journey Out of Homelessness and Into Real Estate Notes

I saw it in a faded magazine ad — printed months ago, long forgotten by most. Back then, in 1999, I was living in an office building, crashing where I could. When that fell apart, I moved into a wholesale retread warehouse, then finally landed in the W.O.W. building.

A few friends checked on me. I had no home, no money, and almost no hope. But I scraped together $95, mailed away for a book and a packet — and I waited.

Charter Financial Book

The Mysterious Beginning

The ad wasn’t flashy. It didn’t scream success or promise riches overnight. It simply said something like:
“Make money from real estate — even if you’re broke.”
That’s all it took to get my attention.

I mailed off my money, not even sure if I’d get anything back. But I was willing to risk it.

Back then, survival meant finding a warm place to sleep and praying my next small gig would cover groceries. But something about that ad stirred a deeper desire.
Not just to survive — but to rebuild.


A Life in Transition

The W.O.W. building was supposed to be temporary — just another stop in a string of places. I had already lived in an office and a tire warehouse.

But my body was giving out.

I had an undiagnosed liver condition. Every time I looked in the mirror, my skin had a strange green tint. I had lost my job, my wife, and my home. I felt sick, weak, and ashamed.

But underneath it all, something refused to quit.


The Turning Point

The packet arrived while I was doing odd jobs for Jay to help cover the rent. I didn’t open it right away. When I finally did, I found a well-bound book that looked promising.

But what caught my attention wasn’t the book — it was a single slip of paper:
Charter Financial.

I didn’t know it at the time, but that name would become a milestone in my journey into the world of real estate notes.


Lessons from the Journey

Jay paid me $430/month. Rent was $125. Heating was $24. Groceries? $75. That left me with just enough to put a few classified ads in the newspaper:
“I Buy Notes.”

I believed in what the book taught — how to help homeowners sell through owner financing.

But no one called. Not one.

Eventually, I ran out of money. But something had shifted:
For the first time in months, I had tried.

And in that trying, a seed had been planted. That’s what this business — and life — is about: planting seeds, even when you don’t see the harvest yet.


A Message to You

Whatever you’re going through, look forward.
What may feel like the hardest decision today could become tomorrow’s greatest blessing.

That little moment of courage — that small investment of belief — could be the spark that changes everything.

I didn’t know it then, but that one small decision to open the packet led me to you.
If you’re holding a note, maybe today’s your moment to open a new door too.


📞 Ready to Talk?

👉 Schedule a call here:
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