Whew, we made it through 2011, and now we start anew! Thank God we made it through! 2011 was truly an awesome year. But before we move on to 2012 I would like to look back at the year that was. May we not forget the challenges we faced, the lessons we have learned, the blessings that came our way, and all of the things we are thankful for in 2011. Let us look back at 2011 one last time…
My favorite articles from 2011
Here’s a list of just some of my favorite articles I wrote in 2011, just in case you missed any of them.
5 things real estate investors need to succeed and stay successful – I wrote this last May as a reaction to disturbing observations I had back then. I can still remember a lot of people asking me why I was writing about such things…
“The reason I must be rich is because I have kids” – a Father’s Day reflection – This one is very close to my heart. Yes, we all want to become successful real estate investors, but we should never forget that this should be for the right reasons and we should also stop playing the blame game.
7 questions you need to ask to avoid investment scams – My goal was to create an objective checklist and give some pointers to those who might be thinking of investing their hard earned money. I just wish I had written this sooner.
Are you violating the RESA Law? – This is an offshoot of one of the comments from the article above. It seems people are being asked to do things which might be illegal. This article aims to remind people to stay out of trouble.
The “aha!” moment that made me decide to take action towards financial freedom – Want to learn what pushed me to take action? Read this and don’t forget to read the comments as well, where other mentors of mine shared their own “aha!” moments!
“The greatest wealth is health” – I wrote this after I was reminded of a very important lesson. Sometimes we forget that all of this is pointless if we neglect something as important as our health.
My “dream” team was born
One of the highlights of 2011 was when my wife Cherry took the March 2011 real estate brokers exam. Not only did she pass, she also made it to the top 10 and ranked fourth place! Actually, I never thought she would ever be involved with real estate. I guess there really is a time for everything. Even with real estate, we are now a team! Yes, my “dream” team was born in 2011!
Real estate brokers exam results in a lot of frustrated examinees
Speaking of the March 2011 brokers exam, I believe it resulted in a lot of frustrated and disappointed examinees (even those who passed had these sentiments). The keyword here is “Ecology“. I just hope that the coming March 2012 real estate brokers exam results in a lot of happy new real estate brokers this time around!
We were a finalist in the 2011 Philippine Blog awards
Foreclosure Investing Philippines made it as one of the finalists in the Philippine Blog awards 2011, Business Category – National Level. Although we did not win, I it was still quite an honor to be included in the list of finalists that included Ready to be Rich, Business Tips Philippines, The Products Blog, and The Sagada Lemon Pie House. By the way, I would like to congratulate Fitz Villafuerte of Ready to be Rich for the much deserved win. I hope to reach the finals again next year!
Media exposure
2011 was also an exciting year because I got some unexpected exposure from various media. These really made 2011 more memorable for me:
- I became a studio guest at DZMM TeleRadyo’s Trabaho Panalo program last February 20 and August 7 where I discussed about blogging.
- I was interviewed by John Calub and Cheska San Diego for Success TV last March 25, 2011 and shared info about investing in foreclosed properties.
- I was invited by Liza Gaspar in Ka Mentong Laurel’s Radyo OpinYon show on 1098AM where I also met Ka Linggoy!
- My article on Low Home Loan Rates was featured in Philippine Star last September 21, 2011.
- I was also a guest speaker at a lot of seminars and workshops which includes the Money Summit and Wealth Expo 2011, Internet Marketing for Real Estate Agents Developers and Investors (IMREADI), the PayPal 101 workshop last November with Eireen Diokno-Bernardo, the Think Rich Pinoy Seminars conducted all throughout the year, and other real estate seminars.
Thanks a lot guys for having me!
2011 was also a time to move on…
It was a year when I finally disengaged from certain people I don’t want to do business with. Let’s just say it was all about principles which are very important for me. It seems some people don’t share this point of view. A good friend of mine said it was a moral responsibility for those who knew what was going on. She was right, and so I did what I had to do. Enough said, let us all move on.
It was also an overwhelming 2011…
2011 marked another year of growth for foreclosurephilippines.com in terms of traffic, as it grew be more than 54% compared to 2010. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining! In fact I’m very happy and grateful to all of the readers and subscribers of this blog. But it did cause some issues that I had to address.
I was worried that my web hosting account would be suspended for using more server resources than what was allowed. Because of that, I had to move this blog to a new web host last March, just to make sure the blog can withstand additional traffic. I moved from Hostgator to Dreamhost and things looked pretty okay at the start.
Later on however, I noticed that during peak hours, the blog became offline at times, and it was most probably because the site had already outgrown shared web hosting, and I had to upgrade to a Virtual Private Server (VPS) with more server resources. The VPS I got that could cope with the incoming traffic costs 6 times as much as my old hosting account, but it has been stable ever since and was well worth it. To offset the additional cost, I have also started to accept direct advertisements on this blog (Click here if you want to advertise at foreclosurephilippines.com!).
To avoid the need for additional upgrades, I also optimized the site by purchasing and installing Thesis which is a premium wordpress theme that not only gave the site a more professional look with far less coding (this saved a lot of my time!), it also enhanced search engine optimization (SEO), reduced loadtime, and consumed less server resources. I also changed my wordpress caching plugin to W3 Total Cache, and installed Disqus to enhance the comments section.
I hope these things I did behind the scenes will allow the site to withstand the growing incoming traffic by at least another year so I can focus on finishing our other projects.
Other projects?
Yes, I am working on 7 other websites that I have yet to complete, although some are already online. My wife wife and I also have a lot of plans with regard to growing our real estate business in 2012. The coming year is really something to look forward to!
Thank you to all of you!
Thank you to my family! Thank you to my friends! Thank you to my internet marketing and real estate investing mentors and colleagues! Thank you to my business partners, clients, and service providers! Thank you to my fellow real estate investors, real estate brokers, and other real estate professionals! Thank you to all our readers and subscribers! Thank you to all the banks and all our sources of our real estate listings! Thanks be to God Almighty for all the blessings and opportunities and for making all of this possible!
Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!
Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year!!!
~~~
To our success and financial freedom!
Jay Castillo
Real Estate Investor
PRC Real Estate Broker License No. 3194
Blog: https://www.foreclosurephilippines.com
Follow me in Twitter: http://twitter.com/jay_castillo
Find us in Facebook: Foreclosure Investing Philippines Facebook Page
Text by Jay Castillo and Cherry Castillo. Copyright © 2008 – 2012 All rights reserved.
Full disclosure: Nothing to disclose.
Jay, how are you. I just want to ask on how to invest on foreclosed property in an auction successfully. What are the step by step procedure because me and my wife are first timers on buying a house and lot.
Happy New Year, dream team Jay and Cherry! You were definitely one of the best parts of my real estate investing journey. The learning curve was steep but you were always generous with up-to-date information and sound technical advice. More importantly, you were never too busy to help this struggling newbie and to help sort out for me the garbage from the solid nuggets as i groped my way through this business. Best of all, you stood as an epitome of integrity in an industry marked by a culture of avarice and deceit. For these, I am ever thankful.
Is there a plan in 2012 to expand your dream team or organize a real estate investment club? I hope by then I would be qualified to run with you.
As Bryan said, it’s harvest time. Be all the more blessed and reap what you have so graciously and generously sown.
Cheers!
Hi Ms. Lynn! Glad to be of help! Let us keep moving forward and continue doing what is right not just for our own good but for the whole industry, even if some don’t. Let’s have coffee next week!
Hi Ms. Lynn! Glad to be of help! Let us keep moving forward and continue doing what is right not just for our own good but for the whole industry, even if some don’t.
Yes, we have plans to expand and I would appreciate hearing your inputs. Let’s have coffee next week?!
Happy New Year, dream team Jay and Cherry! You were definitely one of the best parts of my real estate investing journey. The learning curve was steep but you were always generous with up-to-date information and sound technical advice. More importantly, you were never too busy to help this struggling newbie and to help sort out for me the garbage from the solid nuggets as i groped my way through this business. Best of all, you stood as an epitome of integrity in an industry marked by a culture of avarice and deceit. For these, I am ever thankful.
Is there a plan in 2012 to expand your dream team or organize a real estate investment club? I hope by then I would be qualified to run with you.
As Bryan said, it’s harvest time. Be all the more blessed and reap what you have so graciously and generously sown.
Cheers!
Hi Ms. Lynn! Glad to be of help! Let us keep moving forward and continue doing what is right not just for our own good but for the whole industry, even if some don’t. Let’s have coffee next week!
Happy New Year Jay. We would like to ask from you , your kind assistance regarding the approval of our application fro registration without examination in accordance with Sec. 20 of R.A. 9646 which we applied at PRC Region 8 last June 2, 2011 and subsequently forwarded to PRC Main-Mla the following week. We are holder of a valid Real Estate Broker’s Licence as of Dec. 31, 2011. Do we still have to wait another 6 months in the Year 2012? YOUR KIND ASSISTANCE IN THIS REGARD IS HIGHLY APPRECIATED. Thanks. E. S. de Veyra, Dr. L. V. Abejuela, Eng’r J. Espinazo, N. A. Lastrilla, C. Mirasol, G. Dumain, G. Daa
Happy New Year Mr. Eduardo. However, I am not connected in anyway with the PRC, I am just a PRC licensed real estate broker. I can only suggest you follow-up with the PRC main office by calling them directly, prior to visiting them.
I will also post updates with regard to newly approved applications for registration without examination. I have a friend whose application is yet to be approved and he also applied last June at PRC Manila.
Happy New Year Bro! Truly 2011 was a wonderful year for foreclosurephilippines and I know there are better things for you come 2012. It’s harvest time@jay_castillo:disqus God bless you bro as you continue to bless others. Thanks much for all the help!
Bryan Uy
Thanks a lot my friend! Happy new year to you and your family, more blessings to come!
Thanks a lot my friend! Happy new year to you and your family, more blessings to come!
What a great 2011 story. Congrats to your wife, I’m so happy for you. You look handsome on those photos my friend. I know that every visitor who are coming on your blog will find very useful and comprehensive articles and stories. There will be no other blog like yours in this whole planet. I wish you all the great results this 2012… and more media exposures too. Hehe
Thanks a lot Vic for the kind words! Happy New Year!
Thanks a lot Vic for the kind words. Happy New Year! By the way, were you there at the Philippine Blog awards? I thought I saw you but I’m not really sure.
Thanks a lot Vic for the kind words. Happy New Year! By the way, were you there at the Philippine Blog awards? I thought I saw you but I’m not really sure.
Happy New Year Sir Jay.
I believe 2012 will be a very exciting year for me.
I attended the TRP seminar at Philamlife. I am very much interested in Real Estate Investing however I don’t know where and how to start. I would like to ask help from your team. Thank you very much. Looking forward to a prosperous year ahead.
Hi Rochelle, I’m glad to see a TRP attendee here. I hope my recent post would give you tips on how to start ( https://www.foreclosurephilippines.com/2012/01/7-tips-to-start-real-estate-investing.html )
I plan to make a follow-up through a series of posts about getting started and I really hope it helps… your feedback would also be appreciated. Happy New Year!
Happy new year Sir Jay! 2011 was also the start of the BIG change for us. Looking forward for a much wonderful 2012.
God bless us all! 🙂
Happy new year to you too Glaiza!
Cheers to more wealth this 2012 Jay!
Happy new year bro! Wishing you overflowing abundance and blessings in all areas of your life!
Happy new year! 2011 was also the year my wife and I got involved in a project together. Indeed, our dream team was also born last year. All the best and more power to your blog. Cheers!
Thanks Carlos, glad to know you and your wife are now also working as a “dream team”! Happy New Year and I wish you all the best!!!