Passive Impact: Real Estate Investing & Special Needs Housing

What if Your Phone Could Solve Problems Just by Looking at Them?

Robert Season 2 Episode 41

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Ever found yourself drowning in jargon-filled documents or wasting hours on tasks that should take minutes? You're not alone. The digital age has given us unprecedented access to information but often buries crucial answers under mountains of complexity.

Seth Williams from Retipster YouTube channel is changing this dynamic by leveraging artificial intelligence as his secret weapon. Rather than viewing AI as futuristic tech or a tool just for content creators, Seth has integrated it into virtually every aspect of his work and personal life. He compares today's AI landscape to the internet in 1995 – a revolutionary force that many still don't fully grasp. Most surprisingly, he finds asking AI more efficient than consulting humans about 90% of the time.

The ChatGPT mobile app emerges as a particularly powerful ally, especially with its camera feature (available with the $20/month Plus subscription). Imagine pointing your phone at a confusing software interface or technical problem and receiving immediate, expert guidance based on what the AI sees. In real estate specifically, AI excels at generating compelling property descriptions and decoding dense regulatory documents in seconds rather than hours. Beyond specialized applications, it serves as an all-purpose translator for confusing emails, legal documents, or any text designed to be difficult to understand. Simply paste the text and ask it to "explain like I'm a five-year-old."

How much time and frustration could you save by letting AI tackle your information overload? Try asking it your next complex question and experience the difference yourself. Your productivity—and sanity—will thank you.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so do you ever just like hit a wall? You're trying to understand something really important, but the info is just buried in jargon, or you know these super dense documents.

Speaker 2:

Oh, absolutely, or you feel like you're just wasting time on tasks that feel like they should be simpler like chasing down answers.

Speaker 1:

Exactly, we've all been there, just kind of overwhelmed by it all.

Speaker 2:

It's definitely a modern problem wading through all that complex stuff especially when you need it to make you know actual decisions.

Speaker 1:

Well, today we're doing a deep dive into something that, honestly, a lot of people might still think is just for, like, writers or tech people, but, based on our source material, it's really becoming this fundamental superpower for pretty much everyone.

Speaker 2:

We're talking about AI, right.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Specifically tools like ChatGPT.

Speaker 1:

Exactly and how they're changing the game for handling information, getting tasks done, even in specific fields like real estate.

Speaker 2:

And our insights today. They come from a conversation with Seth Williams. He's from the Retipster YouTube channel.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And he's not just talking about AI. He's actually in the trenches using it constantly. He's got some really practical, frankly, kind of eye-opening takes on its power.

Speaker 1:

Right. So our mission here is basically to pull out the biggest takeaways from what Seth's learned. We want to understand how AI can actually give you back time and effort.

Speaker 2:

And maybe give you some specific things you can try, like right now.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, exactly. Since he's using it so much, let's unpack what he's found.

Speaker 2:

Okay, so one of the things that really jumped out was just how integrated AI is in his day to day. He said he uses tools like ChatGPT multiple times a day.

Speaker 1:

Multiple times Wow.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and get this. He finds that asking the AI is better or makes more sense than asking a human something like 90 percent of the time 90 percent.

Speaker 1:

Seriously, think about that. He gets a faster, maybe more direct answer from a machine than a person most of the time.

Speaker 2:

He sees it as this, like incredible resource that's got all this public knowledge packed into it.

Speaker 1:

And he finds it kind of puzzling when people haven't even tried it or maybe used it just once and gave up.

Speaker 2:

Right, it's like having this superpower sitting right there and just not using it.

Speaker 1:

That's where his analogy comes in, isn't it?

Speaker 2:

Exactly. He compares AI now to the internet back in 1995.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I remember 95 internet dial-up sounds.

Speaker 2:

Right. Some people kind of got it, saw the potential, but lots of others were like what is this? Even for? He sees AI the same way a massive opportunity to leverage things if you're willing to explore it.

Speaker 1:

And that really hits on a big misconception. He talks about which?

Speaker 2:

is.

Speaker 1:

That these AI tools like ChatGPT are just for content creators. You know, bloggers, podcasters, people writing stuff all day.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, but that's really not the full picture, is it? According to Seth's experience anyway?

Speaker 1:

Not at all. He's saying. It's genuinely for anyone. If you can type or even just talk to your phone, you can use these tools. Their power goes way beyond just you know writing paragraphs.

Speaker 2:

OK, so let's get into the specifics, though the mobile app sounds pretty key.

Speaker 1:

It does. He really pushes the ChatGPT mobile app. Apparently, you need the paid plus membership for the best features. It's about $20 a month right now.

Speaker 2:

And he called that price.

Speaker 1:

Laughably inexpensive his words because of the value you get.

Speaker 2:

So what does that $20 get you on the app.

Speaker 1:

Well, the big one seems to be the camera feature. This sounds wild. Okay, you can literally point your phone's camera at stuff like a leaky pipe under the sink or maybe a confusing software screen on your computer. He mentioned Zapier as an example.

Speaker 2:

And the AI analyzes the picture.

Speaker 1:

Or even the live video feed, and it gives you instructions or tells you what's going on, based on what it sees.

Speaker 2:

Whoa.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, he gave this great example, pointing his phone at his computer screen when he was stuck trying to connect two different software tools. The AI apparently looked at it, understood the visual context and just told him exactly what to click, what steps to take. He said it potentially saved him hiring an expensive consultant.

Speaker 2:

Okay, that is impressive Visual interpretation. It's like having an expert just instantly looking over your shoulder.

Speaker 1:

Total game changer. Yeah, and you know, the source material mentions this other thing people are apparently doing and look, we're just reporting what the source said, not saying go do this, but some folks are apparently using it almost like a therapist.

Speaker 2:

Seriously.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, because it's available 24-7 and obviously way cheaper than traditional therapy sessions. Just shows the versatility, I guess.

Speaker 2:

That's certainly versatile, wow, okay. So let's bring this back to something more business-focused real estate. That's Seth Williams' area, right?

Speaker 1:

Right. So if you're in real estate, maybe you've heard the AI buzz, but haven't dipped your toes in what's the very first thing. The source says you should try.

Speaker 2:

Property descriptions writing those listings.

Speaker 1:

Oh, okay, makes sense.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you take the basic facts a number of beds, baths, location, maybe some key features. You feed that raw info into the AI.

Speaker 1:

And just ask it to write a description.

Speaker 2:

Pretty much, yeah. Ask it to generate a beautiful, compelling lifting description. He mentioned that sometimes, even if he knows a property inside and out, finding the right words can be tough.

Speaker 1:

We've all been there.

Speaker 2:

Exactly the AI, given the facts, can often whip up something that really makes people interested, and he stressed this point. When you give it the details, it doesn't miss anything important.

Speaker 1:

That's huge. So you don't forget to mention the new roof or whatever. Great starting point Sades time probably sounds more polished.

Speaker 2:

For sure. But it goes deeper, especially when you hit those really dense documents you find in real estate. Oh, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Municipal regulations, zoning rules, HOA covenants, walls of text.

Speaker 2:

Right Pages and pages of complicated PDFs full of jargon.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

How do you find the one specific thing you need quickly?

Speaker 1:

Good question.

Speaker 2:

AI seems tailor-made for this. Seth gave an example from his land business trying to figure out exempt subdivides.

Speaker 1:

Okay, what are those?

Speaker 2:

Basically properties over a certain size that you could divide up without needing tons of local government hoops to jump through.

Speaker 1:

Ah right, but finding that size threshold?

Speaker 2:

Exactly. It's buried in county or city guidelines somewhere, probably written in legalese. The source mentioned Texas, where it's like 10.01 acres or more, or similar rules in Michigan.

Speaker 1:

So how does AI help?

Speaker 2:

You find the relevant PDF online, the guidelines, you upload it to chat, GPT or Claude or another AI tool that can read PDFs, and then you just ask it a plain English question Like what? Like hey, according to this document, how big does a property need to be? So I don't have to follow the standard subdivision rules and it just tells you In seconds. Usually it scans the whole thing, finds the answer and often even points you to the exact section of the document. Compare that to a human reading through trying to figure it out.

Speaker 1:

Monumental time saver, wow. You know speaking of complex documents and real estate challenges, especially in those niche areas. It makes me think about the kind of detailed work needed in fields like special needs housing. Robert Flowers has talked to us about that before. I can see how decoding regulations fast would be critical there.

Speaker 2:

That's a really good point. The precision needed there is immense.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. And you know, while we're on the topic of real estate particularly specialized areas needing that deep understanding and efficiency it feels like a good moment to mention our sponsor, go ahead Flowers and Associates Property Rentals. They actually specialize in special needs housing, so if that's a market you're involved in or looking into, they have that specific expertise. You can reach them at 901-621-3544.

Speaker 2:

Good connection. That expertise is definitely key in niches like that. Ok, so back to AI's ability to decode complexity. It's not just for regulations, right?

Speaker 1:

No, not at all. It's great for any kind of jargon or even just badly written stuff. Seth mentioned legal writing. Feels like it's deliberately hard to grasp, sometimes, Probably by design. He joked.

Speaker 2:

I think we've all felt that.

Speaker 1:

Right and he shared this great little story. Super relatable, getting emails that are just hard to understand, like from an electrician using tons of trade slang.

Speaker 2:

Okay, yeah, what do you do?

Speaker 1:

Instead of writing back confused or getting frustrated, he just copies the email text.

Speaker 2:

Paces it into chat GPT.

Speaker 1:

Yep and asks explain this like I'm a five-year-old.

Speaker 2:

Ah, does it work.

Speaker 1:

He says it works every single time. Instantly clarifies what the person meant, no back and forth needed. That is so practical, just cutting through the noise Exactly and that really gets to the core benefit. That keeps coming up in the source material Efficiency.

Speaker 2:

Saving you time. It saves time for you getting the answer instantly, but also, potentially, for the person you might have otherwise had to bug.

Speaker 1:

Good point. You're not interrupting their flow. You're not waiting for a reply.

Speaker 2:

Right Seth calls AI a big 80-20 lever. You know the idea that you can get way more done by using this tool instead of just relying on human limits, how fast someone can reply or if they're even available.

Speaker 1:

And that time you save that efficiency it frees you up right For other things, maybe building things like passive income streams.

Speaker 2:

That actually connects back to Robert Flowers too, doesn't it? His book the Joy of Helping Others talks about creating passive income, specifically through special needs housing.

Speaker 1:

It does. It's available on Amazon and, yeah, the efficiency AI offers could definitely free up headspace and time for ventures like that.

Speaker 2:

Makes sense. Okay, so AI is powerful, saves time, but there are so many tools now it feels like a new one pops up every week.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, the source mentioned that Explosion ChatGPT Quad Gemini Grok it's a lot.

Speaker 2:

So if you're just starting, where do you begin? Does the source give any guidance?

Speaker 1:

The general recommendation mostly based on Seth's experience, it seems is to start with ChatGPT.

Speaker 2:

Why ChatGPT?

Speaker 1:

Well, partly just familiarity. It's been around a bit longer, Lots of people know it and they seem to be adding features really quickly.

Speaker 2:

And remind us about the free versus paid again.

Speaker 1:

Right, there's a free version which is pretty capable for basic stuff, but that $20 a month plus version is what unlocks the really powerful things, like that camera feature we talked about and often better performance.

Speaker 2:

Gotcha Any mention of what the others are good at.

Speaker 1:

Briefly. It mentioned Claude is maybe particularly good if you want help writing like stories or more creative text.

Speaker 2:

Okay, so different tools might have different strengths, but ChatGPT is a good all-rounder. To start.

Speaker 1:

Seems to be the takeaway, and you can see AI becoming more mainstream anyway, right?

Speaker 2:

Like those AI summaries popping up at the top of Google searches. Now, yeah, it's definitely weaving itself into everything.

Speaker 1:

It's moving fast. So, OK, let's try and pull this all together, this deep dive into Seth Williams's perspective. It really makes one thing crystal clear what is. Ai isn't some like sci-fi thing for the future or just for tech geeks or writers?

Speaker 2:

No, it's practical, it's here now and it's powerful. It can genuinely change how you deal with information day to day.

Speaker 1:

Saving you serious time and effort, whether it's writing a property description or digging through complex legal stuff or just understanding a confusing email.

Speaker 2:

It helps you find solutions or information you might just miss otherwise.

Speaker 1:

So think back to those frustrations we mentioned at the start. You know being stuck on jargon, waiting for answers, getting lost in text. Ai seems to offer a really direct way to cut through all that.

Speaker 2:

And this is really just scratching the surface. The source material even hinted. There's a part two to their conversation.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah, about what?

Speaker 2:

About using AI specifically to summarize long YouTube videos and pull out the main points Another efficiency hack, basically.

Speaker 1:

Interesting. So, considering all this AI's ability to process complex stuff super fast, spot details humans might miss in dense text or even images it leaves us with a final thought for you, the listener.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, where else in your own life, in your work, maybe personal projects, where might you be missing simple solutions or key info just because it's presented in a really difficult way?

Speaker 1:

And how could a tool like AI maybe help you unlock those hidden answers and just move forward. Something to think about.

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