Field Trip to Washington DC – June 10-12, 2011

The Real Estate Guys™ have organized a wonderful weekend field trip to Washington DC! This is your chance to look at the nation’s capitol not only as a tourist, but as a real estate investor! Investor Summit at Sea™ faculty member Beth Clifford used this market as a case study in her Summit class on due diligence. We were so impressed we asked her if she would lead a tour patterned after our highly successful Dallas field trips. She agreed!

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Washington DC has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation and has been one of the hottest real estate markets in the last year. It’s always been strong, which is no surprise. After all, we always look for strong sustainable economic drivers that bring outside money into a particular geographic region. As home base to the U.S. federal government, it’s a safe bet that there will always be money funneling in and creating both first and second tier employment. And it’s unlikely the federal government will outsource to India or China!

But there’s more to Washington DC than the federal government. As a major metro, it has a big population and lots of infrastructure. And like every major metro, DC has a plethora of sub-markets and pockets of opportunity. There’s no way to understand the nuances of a market without visiting, which is why The Real Estate Guys™ love field trips!

Field Trip Logistics

When you arrive in Washington DC on Friday afternoon, arrive early enough to catch the shuttle and check into your hotel room. Your field trip tuition includes two night at the hotel we choose to serve as home base for the event.

Friday night, we’ll have a meet and greet, followed by a market overview presentation. Then out to dinner! In addition to seeing a market with your own eyes and meeting several potential members for your local team, one of the things people like best about our trips is the opportunity to interact with the tour guides and other “field trippers”. So we create lots of opportunities for interaction. No wallflowers! Developing relationships is one of the most important activities for a real estate investor.

Saturday morning we’re up and at ‘em early. We’ll grab a quick breakfast and hit the road to see the market. We’ll do our best to swing by several of the tourist attractions (also one of the economic drivers), but our main purpose is to compare and contrast the various sub-markets and property types. We want to understand where the best opportunities for cash flow, long term equity growth and/ or quick profits are. We probably won’t figure that out by standing in front of the Washington monument.

Remember, we believe real estate investing is best approached by choosing a market first, then building a team, and then looking for ideal properties. As a result, no properties are for sale on this trip. This isn’t a “fly ‘n buy” or “property tour” where salespeople are eagerly waiting to get you into contract before you fly out on Sunday. You’ll certainly meet some people that you can follow up with when you’re ready, so if you’re hot to buy DC, the trip is still valuable. But our field trips are about understanding the market and building relationships.

Saturday night, we cap off a long day with dinner and conversation before heading back to the hotel for some shut-eye.

Rise and shine on Sunday morning! We’ll have a lively interactive strategy session, some Q&A and our best ideas and action plans debrief. Depending on how much ground we covered on Saturday, we may sneak back out for some more touring. In any case, you’ll learn more about the Washington DC real estate market than most people who live and work there. And you’ll learn due diligence and critical thinking skills that will transfer to any market you decide to explore.

So what are you waiting for? Click here to download your registration form and come explore Washington DC with The Real Estate Guys™!

Explore Enchanting Belize with The Real Estate Guys!

Join Robert Helms, host of The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show for a memorable weekend discovery trip to the beautiful country of Belize!  Three great dates to choose from: Sep 15-18, Oct 6-9 or Nov 3-6, 2011

Why Belize?

Three words: Location, Location, Location (we’ve heard those are important for real estate).

Click here to download your registration form.

Belize is the former British Honduras and is located just under Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Mainland Belize features lush green tropical rain forests, while it’s Eastern border faces the Caribbean ocean safely nestled behind the world’s 2nd largest barrier reef. The islands are postcard perfect and attract vacationers, diving enthusiasts and celebrities alike. Harrison Ford, and more recently, Reese Witherspoon are known to visit Belize for private, relaxing getaways. Leonardo DiCaprio purchased a 110 acre island known as Blackadore Caye. We’ll show it to you when you attend this discovery trip!

But beyond beautiful, Belize has other unique attributes which make it attractive to investors and tourists alike. Belize is the ONLY country in Latin America whose official language is English. This, and the fact that its currency is pegged at a fixed 2:1 exchange rate with the U.S. dollar, make it a friendly place for Americans. Plus there are direct flights from several U.S. cities including Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Houston and many others. Belize is actually closer for most Americans, Canadians and Europeans than Hawaii!

The Real Estate Guys™ will show you Belize!

Click here to download your registration form.

Robert Helms and his team have been visiting and investing in Belize for several years. He’s led several investor field trips with as few as one couple and as many as forty-five. The feedback on every trip has been over the top positive! Robert will share his extensive market knowledge, introduce you to local market experts, and personally show you the mainland, the islands, and several different developments.

This is an EDUCATIONAL event. This is not one of those “fly n’ buy” sales trips where aggressive salespeople are waiting to pounce on you. We believe the right approach to real estate is to start with the market first, then build a team, and then select property that meets your personal and investment goals. This trip is about exploring the market and meeting people who may become part of your team down the road.

Discover the real estate, banking and lifestyle opportunities available to you in beautiful Belize during a semi-private tour led by The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show host Robert Helms.

Click here to download your registration form.

Trip Logistics

Once you’re enrolled, our registration team will contact you to help arrange your air travel. Your round trip airfare is not included in your tuition, but it’s very important that your arrival is coordinated through our team. While you’re in Belize, virtually all your trip expenses including transportation, hotel accommodations, speaker sessions, materials and most meals are included. Alcoholic beverages, souvenirs, extended stays and certain other incidental expenses are not included. Upon receipt of your completed registration form, we’ll provide you with information about what to wear, pack and expect.

The Opportunity is Now

There are lots of reasons to like a place like Belize (is there any other place like Belize?), but the opportunity today is better than ever!

Americans haven’t lost purchasing power in Belize because of the fixed exchange rate, while many other countries have gained purchasing power because of a soft U.S. dollar. Baby boomers in the U.S. still dream of warm weather, low tax, beautiful places to resort and retire, but many of the more established areas remain relatively expensive in a post recession economy.

Belize offers an English speaking, affordable, “non-touristy”, and reasonably nearby alternative. And popular TV shows like House Hunters International are helping a growing number of people discover Belize as a great option not just for retirement, but also full time residency for a growing new class of telecommuters and independent information workers. Think about it: would you rather sit in a corporate cubicle in Cleveland or a beautiful beach in Belize?

Additionally, Belize still enjoys a great reputation as a tax friendly jurisdiction with strong privacy banking and asset protection laws. As citizens of “developed” countries face increasing concerns about privacy, taxes and frivolous litigation, the affluent are seeking off-shore alternatives in greater numbers than ever.

All of these trends point to increasing demand, but the wave is still growing. Alert investors can position themselves in the market to provide the properties that tourists, retirees, remote workers and ex-pats will want to buy or rent. Besides, if the worst thing that happens is that you have to live or use your property for personal use, would you rather it be a duplex in Detroit or bungalow in Belize? Meanwhile (check with your own tax advisor), once you have investments in Belize, your trips to visit just might be tax deductible. Very cool.

A Visit is with Worth a Million Words

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a personal visit to paradise is worth at least a million. Come see it with your own eyes!

Click here to download your registration form now.

We look forward to seeing YOU in beautiful Belize!

3/27/11: Turnkey Rental Property Solutions for Busy Investors

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Sometimes people confuse real estate investing with running a real estate business – especially when everyone says you’re supposed to run your investments like a business.  Confusing isn’t it?  That’s why many people simply turn their money over to Wall Street.  It’s painless and easy.  Like a scalpel.  It’s all fun and games until someone loses their net worth.

Real estate attracts people who want to be closer to real tangible investments they can understand and have more direct control over.  But not everyone has the time, talent or temperament to find, fix up and rent out properties.  So before you pick up a hammer and plunger, you may want to look at turnkey rental property solutions as a great way to get in on all the amazing bargain inventory available today.

What is a turnkey property solution you ask? We wanted to know too, so after our wives had us scour the sink, they let us out to scour the country – and we found a guy who’s been in the turnkey rental property business for nearly 10 years.  He called in and our crack engineering crew patched him into the broadcast.

Lending their voices to this sparkling edition of The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show:

• Your host and shining star, Robert Helms
• Co-host and chief scrub, Russell Gray
• Turnkey Rental Property Purveyor, Practitioner and Pontificator, Terry Kerr

With all the talk about unemployment and real estate entrepreneurship, what if you’re one of the throwback investors who actually have a good job with good income and some investment capital you want to put to work?  That’s where a turnkey provider comes in real handy.  They’re in the business of buying, fixing up, renting out and handing over to you a plug n’ play cash flowing property – complete with long term property management in place.  Now doesn’t that just sound groovy?

But (and as always it’s a big one), not all “turnkey” providers are the real deal.  With all the distressed inventory in the market, banks are dumping it wholesale.  That can be good, but just having a property flipped to you doesn’t mean it’s plug ‘n play.  It end up as “pull the plug”.  Not fun.

To help you avoid this terrible fate, Terry Kerr shares his tips for turnkey property investing – and gives us some local knowledge on a low cost, high cash flow market that you’ve probably heard of, but may not know that well.  And pay attention, because we persuaded Terry to produce a special report on this tantalizing topic so you don’t have to take too many notes.

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The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show podcast provides education, information, training and resources to help investors make money with their real estate investing.

Why Now May Be a Great Time To Invest in Dallas Real Estate

Finding a strong market to invest in is as simple as looking for population growth, job growth, and a diverse economy. That’s why some of the smartest minds in real estate are focused on the long term strength of Dallas, TX.

POPULATION GROWTH: The Dallas-Fort Worth area’s population has grown by nearly 1.3 million from 2000 -2009.  That is more than any other metropolitan area in the United States.  The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington MSA is the largest metropolitan area in Texas, the largest in the South, the fourth-largest in the United States (SOURCE: Wikipedia on DFW).

The Dallas, TX metro is forecasted to add 4 million new people from 2010 – 2040 according to the Texas Data Center  and the North Texas Water Board.   That’s one new person every 4 minutes!!! In 2009, the population of Texas grew by 231,539.  That is more growth than Florida, Arizona, California, Nevada and Colorado, combined.

A demographer at the Brookings Institution attributes the population growth to a more diversified economy in Texas and more conservative lending practices during the real estate boom. When combined with the state’s steady growth earlier in the decade, Texas is projected to receive three new seats in Congress.  (SOURCE: Recession Cuts Migration to Sun Belt, New Figures Show 
New York Times).

JOB GROWTH: “Diversified industry and relatively stable housing fundamentals have provided local residents with comparatively secure standards of living. Cities where home prices don’t fluctuate wildly are particularly well-positioned to ride out this recession, because they were spared the domino effect of foreclosures, lost jobs and lost productivity. Rather than chasing rising home prices or apparently plentiful jobs in one-industry towns, families looking for long-term economic stability should seek spots where industry is diverse and housing price shifts are benign.”  (America’s Fastest Recovering Cities
 – Forbes Magazine)  According to the US Bureau of Labor & Statistics, Dallas job growth is twice the national average.  An educated populace and a cost of living below the national average, make Dallas enticing to companies seeking a lower cost but highly qualified workforce.

DIVERSE ECONOMY: The Dallas economy is primarily based on banking, commerce, telecommunications, computer technology, energy, and transportation.  North Texas has 28% of the state’s workforce, employing more than 350,000 in healthcare, 225,000 in high-tech and 68,000 aviation-related jobs.  North Texas has 20 colleges and universities, 17 graduate schools, 3 medical/dental schools, 2 law schools and 20 community college campuses (SOURCE: North Texas Commission).  The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex is home to over 10,000 corporate headquarters making it the largest concentration of corporate headquarters in the United States.  The Dallas metro area is home to 25 FORTUNE 500 company headquarters and 7 FORTUNE Global 500 companies which bring more than $819 billion in revenue to North Texas. (Source: Fortune Magazine 2009)

• WORLD CENTER OF AVIATION
  • DFW International Airport is the third busiest airport in the world
  • There are more than 850 aviation-related businesses in North Texas – more than any other area of its size in the world
  • There are more than 68,000 documented aviation-related jobs in the region
• LOGISTICS HUB
  • DFW is a major logistics hub and has the lowest distribution costs to the top 50 U.S. consumer markets of any region
  • Since the passage of NAFTA, DFW trade to Mexico and Canada has more than doubled – in large part due to the proximity of Interstate 35 – the NAFTA Superhighway
• FINANCIAL AND BANKING CENTER
  • North Texas is a major financial center and is home to one of 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks, as well as several regional bank offices and corporate headquarters to Comerica
• HIGH TECHNOLOGY CENTER
  • North Texas is a national and global leader in the high-tech sector, and 8.3% of the region’s total 2.7 million labor force is employed in high-tech fields, according to the Metroplex Technology Business Council
  • North Texas’ 225,000 high-tech workers account for 52% of Texas’ total technology workforce, and North Texas boasts 6,215 high-tech firms
  • Although the high-tech industry employs 8.3% of the North Texas workforce, the high-tech sector accounts for nearly 13% of wages paid to North Texas workers – indicating the relatively high-paying nature of these sophisticated jobs
• RETAIL CENTER
  • North Texas is the 10th largest retail market in the country. Dallas Market Center, the world’s most complete wholesale marketplace, hosts approximately 50 markets each year attended by more than 200,000 retail buyers from all 50 states and 84 countries, and conducts more than $8 billion in wholesale sales annually
• HEALTH CARE EXCELLENCE
  • North Texas is known for its extensive state-of-the-art health care facilities with more than 90 major hospitals and two major medical schools
  • Health care is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the Dallas-Fort Worth region with more than 350,000 health care jobs

LOW TAXES:

• No personal or corporate state income tax
• Maximum state and city sales tax of 8.25%

QUALITY OF LIFE:

• North Texas features world-class athletes, teams and sports facilities, including the new Cowboys Stadium, host of the 2010 NBA All Star Game, 2010 World Series, 2011 Super Bowl XLV, and the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2014
• The region is growing as an arts hub with 7.9 million people attending arts and culture events annually
• Low cost of living
• Affordable housing
• Plentiful water
• Public transportation and excellent highway system
• Strong k-12 schools and universities
• Centrally located
  (SOURCE: North Texas Commission)

David Campbell is a real estate developer, investor, author, educator and a regular contributor to The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show.
To contact David, click here.

Let’s Go to Beautiful Belize!

Quick!  Before you let your summer end, squeeze in just one more FUN trip! And to make sure you have no guilt about having going, let’s make it an EDUCATIONAL trip designed to ENHANCE YOUR INVESTMENT KNOWLEDGE.  Now that sounds like a REALLY GREAT IDEA!

Here are SEVEN REASONS to join The Real Estate Guys™ on the next FIELD TRIP TO BELIZE:

1. Belize is warm, beautiful, friendly and fun.  Much better than looking at fixer uppers in Detroit or Oakland.
2. Belize is still a largely undiscovered country.  Imagine getting to Hawaii or the Bahamas before the rest of the world figured it out.  But once you’re there, you don’t have to wait as long.  The pace of discovery is much shorter now.  There’s a reason Belize is one of fastest growing cruise destinations.
3. Robert has been studying Belize for three years.  He and his team have several dozen trips under their belt.  It’s always better to go exploring with an experienced guide. You’ll be amazed at how much you see and learn in just 3-1/2 days.
4. Did we mention Belize is warm, beautiful, friendly and fun?
5. Robert will introduce you to real estate developers, brokers, bankers and other important local contacts.  It’s power networking in your shorts.  You’ll be better connected in one weekend than most people are after several months.
6. It’s a GREAT ITINERARY!  You’ll see the mainland, the biggest cities, the #1 tourist destination,and the islands (including Leonardo DiCaprio’s) while you travel by bus, boat and plane throughout the country.
7. You’ll make new friends. Every field trip and investor summit, we not only get to know our guests, but they get to know each other.  And you never know who you’ll meet or what good thing may come from it.  But one thing is for sure: if you don’t go, it’s certain you won’t meet anyone.  So come join the fun!  Watch the video.

Still not convinced?  Check out these comments from some past attendees.

Click here to get all the details on our next field trip to Belize.  Or, download your registration form now.

Dallas Jobs are Up and Vacancy is Down

According to the latest monthly review of the Texas economy from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, Texas is leading the United States in economic recovery.    The Texas economy experienced its second month of positive annual employment growth up 0.9 percent from June 2009 to June 2010 compared with a negative rate of 0.1 percent for the nation.

Over the past 12 months the Dallas metro added 27,300 more jobs than it cut.  That is enough job growth to warrant the development of a mid sized city!!!   If a city needs 3 jobs to support every 5 people, 27,300 new jobs justifies a population increase of 45,500 people.  Kids and retired people don’t work but they need places to live. Assuming 2.5 people per household, 45,500 new people need 18,200 additional housing units.

Is the supply of Dallas housing keeping up with the demand?

In the past 12 months Dallas County added 5,351 apartment units and absorbed 7,596.  The numbers show people are absorbing apartments faster than they are being built.  The demand for housing is strong but apartment construction has dwindled because of the lack of construction financing.  This positive absorption is lowering vacancy rate substantially, however rental rates have remained steady.

Dallas hasn’t experienced a boom in rental rates because while demographics are headed in the right direction, Dallas is still burning off a small amount of excess housing that was built during the easy credit building boom from 2001-2007.   Current apartment vacancy rates are around 9%, however if you look at the rate of vacancy for properties that are less than 15 years old and the residential occupancy rate is MUCH better.

Many people forecast a housing boom in Dallas because the job market is forecasted to bring more people to Dallas than the housing market can keep up with.  Land near Dallas job centers is scarce and people are starting to pay substantial rental premiums to live closer to work. Dallas commute times are increasing as people are choosing to live farther into the affordable suburbs rather than pay the higher cost of living associated with living near the city center.  While Texas still has amazing expanses of inexpensive land, none of that land is close to jobs.

Get ready for a Texas sized real estate boom!!!

The Dallas population is growing rapidly as a result of relative economic prosperity while developable land near job centers is scarce.  As traffic commute times increase over the next decade, it will become more desirable and more economical to pay a larger and larger housing premium to live closer to your job.

Statistics for this blog were taken from the real estate research center at Texas A&M University http://recenter.tamu.edu/mreports/

David Campbell is a real estate developer, investor, author, educator and a regular contributor to The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show.
To contact David, click here.

7/25/10: Entrepreneurs in the New Economy – Getting Paid to Solve Problems

Do you remember the old “new” economy? That was the one where technology companies could go public without profit.  In some cases, they didn’t even need revenue. Ahhhh, those were the days.

The new “new” economy (the Great Recession one) hasn’t been nearly as fun – unless you’re an old school entrepreneur.  That’s the kind who looks at problems as opportunities.  Guys (and gals) like that are having a lot of fun right now because there are opportunities galore coming out of the Great Recession.

The Real Estate Guys™ headed off to Freedom Fest in Las Vegas a few weeks back.  We heard that money manager / economist / author / Senate candidate Peter Schiff would be there (among many other people with very strong opinions about the U.S. economy) and we wanted to do some interviews.  We’re happy to report we got lots of great stuff, including Mr. Schiff and the CEO of Forbes Magazine, Steve Forbes.  Watch for those interviews in future broadcasts.

So we fly into Las Vegas in our private jet (the one operated by Southwest Airlines), and get to the convention venue and start setting up our booth.  Before the event had even started, a man stops by and sees our banner for Belize (we were promoting our upcoming field trip to Belize) and asks a few questions.  The short of it is that we find out he’s working on a very exciting project in the Caribbean – one that solves a problem we’ve been trying to figure out too.  Russ gets so excited that he hugs the guy. Very weird.

After the appropriate apologies and some follow up male bonding, our new friend agrees to do a radio interview.  And that’s what this broadcast is all about.

Manning the microphones for this edition of The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show:

• Your host, the Larry King of real estate radio, Robert Helms
• Co-host, our “I love you, man” booth babe, Russell Gray
• Special Guest, Investment Banker, Entrepreneur and assault victim, Jeff Villwock

Any time we get around smart people, we jump on the opportunity to talk with them. In this case, Russ literally jumped on Jeff.  When Jeff recovered, we got him on the mic, so you can listen to what he’s doing, where he’s doing it and why.  There’s lots of lessons to be gleaned!

Freedom Fest is an event that attracts people with strong political opinions.  In many of the interviews we did there, those opinions come out.  Great!  We think the world works better when people respectfully debate important issues.  Sharing ideas is among the most sacred of our freedoms, especially if you’re radio guys.

We also realize that the U.S. (the bulk of our audience) is pretty polarized right now.  Now, we love our entire audience and our show isn’t political.  However, policies affect economics and economics affects real estate. There shouldn’t be a serious student of real estate who can look at the last several years and deny that.  So politics are going to get into the discourse from time to time, which is a very good thing.

We think these Freedom Fest interviews are great.  If you disagree with the political views of our guests, don’t let that get in the way of hearing what’s being said.  Here’s why:  a big part of real estate investing is understanding demographics and human nature. How people think and believe affects where they (and their money) will be moving.  Even if you disagree with them, if they believe it, it will affect their actions. So YOU need to understand them (even if you disagree) if you want to anticipate their behavior.

Did we mention that Jeff’s project is in St. Kitts?  It just so happens that St. Kitts is one of the stops on our upcoming 9th Annual Summit at Sea!  So we ask Jeff if we can visit his project as part of our already planned real estate shore excursion in St. Kitts. Not only does Jeff agree to allow us to visit, he says he’ll meet us there and show us around.  Awesome!

Once again, we’re reminded of the importance of getting out of our cubicles and into the world where real people are. No doubt that virtual networking is powerful, but just as phones did not replace face to face meetings, neither will social media replace conventions as a great place to make important connections.  This is one of the reasons we attend trade shows and promote our field trips and the Summit at Sea™.  It’s a great way to get to know great people in the real world.  We hope to see YOU at one very soon!

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Real Estate Field Trip to Dallas Texas!

Why has Dallas become one of our favorite US real estate markets?

1. Texas is ranked the #1 business friendly state in the US. Last time we looked, tenants have an easier time paying the rent when they have a job.  And landlords have an easier time paying the mortgage when tenants pay the rent.  Jobs are good.
2. Dallas is the nation’s 5th largest media market. Hey, we are radio guys.
3. Dallas is in the top 10 big US cities where it makes more financial sense to rent rather than own.  That means tenants stay tenants longer.  Less turnover means less expenses.  Less expenses means better cash flow.  Cash flow is good.
4. Dallas real estate values have held up very well throughout the mortgage meltdown and the resulting unprecedented drop in real estate values across the US.  After the last two years of “Drop Zone”, a Merry-Go-Round sounds exciting enough.
5. Dallas is only 2-1/2 hours from Belize. Does that count?
6. The Real Estate Guys™ TV show is taped in Dallas (Addison actually, but it’s close enough).
7. Most rental residential real estate prices are well within the FHA / Fannie / Freddie conforming guidelines. That means it’s easier to get loans.  It’s also easier for resale buyers to get loans.  Life is easier when you can get loans.
8. Our friend, Ken McElroy, says Dallas is one of his favorite markets for the next 5-10 years.  And we think he’s well qualified to have an opinion.
9. Infrastructure! Centrally located in the US, a huge airport, a great freeway system, on the path from Mexico to the North and Northeast, a big labor force and good higher education.  Plus they have an amazing $1.2 billion football stadium.  That’s infrastructure, isn’t it?
10. Big and diverse economy. Dallas is home to lots of huge companies.  But for every huge company, there are lots of little ones that support them.

We could go on, but you get the idea.  But why take our word for it?  Come to Dallas and check it out for yourself! Reading blogs and looking at stats on the internet is interesting in “student mode”.  To get to “investor mode” (where you actually buy, own and manage real estate), you need to visit the market.  How long does it take to learn a new market?  A lot longer if you go it alone!

Invest a weekend with us in Dallas and we’ll help you compress time frames. We’ll help you get the lay of the land (literally!), explore various sub-markets, meet local experts and service providers; plus we’ll introduce you to some of our key contacts.  One of them is David Campbell, author of the very popular  Hassle Free Cash Flow Investing report and our guest for one of our most popular shows: Shifting Gears – True Confessions of a Reborn Real Estate Investor.

Also, no one is going to ask (or pressure) you to buy anything including the next “boot camp” or any specific property.  That’s not the way we roll.  But if you find something or someone that interests you, you can follow up when you’re ready.  Sound fair?

For more information, about the next field trip to Dallas, click here.

5/9/10: Shifting Gears – True Confessions of a Reborn Real Estate Investor

A bend in the road is not the end of the road – unless you fail to make the turn! Your ability to adjust to a rapidly changing landscape can be the difference between staying on the road to riches or flying off a cliff.

For many investors, the last three years have been a total wreck.  For others, it’s been a challenging off-road excursion.  For some, it’s been a real test of their abilities to operate their investment vehicle under the most extreme conditions.  In any case, there are great lessons to be learned from everyone’s experiences.

So we decided to catch up with one investor who’s gone from rags to riches to rags and is coming back bigger and better than ever!

At track side for this episode:

• Ace Driver and Show Host, Robert Helms
• Crew Chief and Co-Host, Russell Gray
• The Godfather of Real Estate, Bob Helms
• Special Guest, the Comeback Kid, David Campbell

From Donald Trump to Walter Sanford to Robert Kiyosaki to Wayne Palmer, we never get tired of hearing the riches to rags to riches stories.  Successful people are successful – even when they’re failing – because they know how to manage their fears, analyze their failures, get the lessons and take effective action to come back bigger and better than before.

David shares his humble beginning as a high school band teacher with big dreams but small means.  He then talks about his road to riches and the challenges he faced when his California Dream was taken down by the meltdown.

The faster you’re going, the quicker you need to react to changes in the landscape.  David takes us through his thought process as he shifted his investment philosophy, strategy and tactics.  Today, he invests very differently than when he started and is enjoying great success.

David reveals the markets, property types and investment objectives he is pursuing today.  Plus, he shares one specific technique he used to acquire property – even though he didn’t have much cash or credit to work with.  This is one of our favorite shows!   We think you’ll like it too.

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May 14-16, 2010: Field Trip to Dallas, TX

We just got back from our 8th Annual Investor Summit at Sea where we got to hang out with some of the biggest brains in real estate.  One of our special guest faculty members was Robert Kiyiosaki’s Rich Dad Real Estate Advisor Ken McElroy.  Ken has over 10,000 rental units and is adding more each month!  We’re not sure how many you have, but we’re guessing Ken’s a little ahead of most folks.

Market Selection Matters
Since we’re big believers in picking the market first and the finding the best deal in the right market, we naturally asked Ken which markets he likes best and why.  One of his favorites is North Texas and the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  That made us feel really smart, since we’ve been fans of Dallas for the last couple of years.  Ken’s always been a die hard cash flow investor (even though he loves to force equity through re-hab), so no surprise he likes Dallas.  The GRMs / cap rates have always been pretty attractive there (if you don’t know what we just said, see Equity Happens pages 312 to 315).  But, good rents relative to purchase price is only one part of the market selection process.

One of Ken’s keys to successful market selection is jobs.  How may are there?  What kind are they?  How much do they pay?  How stable are they?  Inquiring minds want to know!  Texas is the top ranked stated for ease of doing business and has strong track record of job creation and preservation – even during the latest recession!  That alone should warrant a closer look.

Whenever we hear enough of the right people saying a market is worth looking at, we pack our bags and head to the airport to go check it out.  After we get to know some folks and do a little business, if we like the market, we invite our inner circle to join us for a field trip.  Since we’re broadcasters, our circle is pretty big.  And guess what?  You’re in it!

YOU’RE INVITED to The Real Estate Guys™ Field Trip to Dallas Texas on May 14-16, 2010!

Can’t make that one?  That’s okay!  We got so excited we decided to schedule not one, but TWO MORE dates:  June 11-13 and July 9-11. Now, you don’t have any excuse.

But, we only take one (small) bus load at a time, so SPACE IS LIMITED.  Our accountant says that’s stupid because if we did one trip with hundreds of people it would be more economical.  Maybe.  But it’s hard to see out the window with another field tripper in your lap.  And if we had more than one vehicle, someone is sure to feel left out.  Who gets to ride with the tour guide and who has to ride in the other van and read lips from across the traffic lane?  So, the accountant is overruled and we’re doing three cozy trips instead of one giant trip.  Plus we made it really affordable!

For only $699 per person (double occupancy), you get:

• Ground transportation
• Hotel accommodations
• Meals and snacks
• Notebook with market information
• All educational sessions
• A guided tour of several sub-markets and properties
• Introduction to local market experts and service providers

These items are NOT included:

• Airfare or other transportation from where you are to the Dallas airport
• Any investment properties you decide you want
• Uncomfortable, high pressure, hard-sell from desperate real estate agents.  This is an EDUCATIONAL event.
• An autographed Tony Romo Dallas Cowboys jersey (we have to draw the line somewhere)

Not sure it’ll be worthwhile?  Check out these comments from some folks who attended previously:

“I definitely recommend this. The trip gave me different insights when evaluating a market. Really enjoyed spending time with other investors and the general real estate conversations.” – Leslye S., Mission Viejo, CA

“I likely will invest in this market soon. The field trip is absolutely a must if you are interested in Dallas and have not been there. – Markus M., Detroit MI

“It is great to actually see an area that is growing and makes sense to invest in.  Also, I got a better understanding of how a property manager thinks and sees things.” – Jerry B., Turlock, CA

“As a real estate agent and regular listener of The Real Estate Guys, I learned many points when assessing an area. I would recommend this trip very strongly.” – Kathy B., Maui, HI

“Excellent source of information. Amazing! After this weekend, I have decided to go on the cruise!!!” – Peter E., Austin, TX

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