Podcast: Ask The Guys – Finding Great Agents, Vetting Syndications, Starting Small

Posted by on October 15, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

In this series, we answer YOUR questions on the air.

Listen to our latest installment of Ask The Guys to get answers to questions like …

  • How do I find investment opportunities as a non-accredited investor?
  • Is it better to repair first or sell a property as-is?
  • How do I find deals as a new investor? How do I work with people who will help me educate myself?
  • How can I invest passively in residential assisted living?

And much, much more!

We handpick questions that apply to a wide variety of investors, so we guarantee you’ll learn something new … whether you’re just getting started in the wide world of real estate investing or you have a few deals under your belt.

A caution … although we love to dispense ideas, we are not legal or financial professionals. Please run these ideas by an expert before you put them into action.

Got questions? Listen in! Your question might be on the docket … and if you’re left hanging, we tell you how to ask us a question in the show.

More From The Real Estate Guys™…

The Real Estate Guys™ radio show and podcast provides real estate investing news, education, training, and resources to help real estate investors succeed.

Love the show?  Tell the world!  When you promote the show, you help us attract more great guests for your listening pleasure!

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Forming a real-world investment thesis …

Posted by on October 11, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

We all have beliefs that guide our investment decisions … even when we don’t put much thought into them.

Sometimes we don’t even know what we believe, until we’re sitting in a pile of rubble asking ourselves, “What the heck was I thinking?”

So sometimes it’s smart to slow down to go faster … investing time to form a more cogent investment thesis.

That’s why we do our annual goals retreat, and make it a high priority to get away together with other serious investors at conferences and summits.

Plus, you compress time frames by listening to and talking with others … especially those with different perspectives and experiences.

Honest investors will tell you some of their hypotheses proved true, while others didn’t.  We’ve never met anyone who’s ALWAYS right.

But if you can be right more than you’re wrong … you may lose a few battles along the way, but you’ll win the war.

That is as long as you NEVER risk it all on any ONE thesis or deal.

For example, before 2008, it could be said U.S. housing prices had never declined.

Sure, individual properties … even certain areas … had pulled back or dipped.

But across the United States, the average and median prices of homes had been on a 40-year upward trajectory.

So everyone from Wall Street to Main Street had investment strategies based on the premise that U.S. housing prices were highly stable.

Of course, in typical fashion, the wizards of Wall Street leveraged their investment thesis to the extreme … using multiple derivatives of mortgage-backed-securities …

… and by so doing changed one of the important dynamics of stability (sound loan underwriting) … with catastrophic results.

Some saw it coming.  Most didn’t.

So again, never bet the farm on one deal, one market, or one thesis.  We know … because we’ve done it.

Way back in pre-2008, Dallas Texas was one of the most boring major real estate markets in the nation. B-O-R-I-N-G.

But on the 2009 Investor Summit at Sea™, Robert Kiyosaki’s real estate advisor Ken McElroy … the master of simple brilliance … told us his investment thesis.

Ken said he thought that coming out of the recession, energy producing economies would create the most jobs, attract the most people, and lead to steady demand for working class housing.

He reasoned those jobs are linked to where the energy is … because you can’t move an oil field or huge refineries to China or Mexico to take advantage of cheap labor.

So any region heavily involved in energy would probably do well.

In the fullness of time, Ken’s thesis proved correct.  Texas led the nation in job creation and the energy sector was a big part of it.

Dallas … along with other energy markets … boomed.

We understood the concept and wondered what other industries are geographically linked?

We came up with distribution and healthcare.  After all, people need supplies … and those supplies need to be shipped.

People also need healthcare, especially as boomers age, and they’re not going to China for it.

And neither supplies or healthcare are highly discretionary either.  People need them in good times and bad.

So things that are necessary at all times, and linked to geography and/or extremely hard to build or move infrastructure …  are more likely to remain stable.

Based on that thesis, we took an interest in distribution markets like Memphis and Dallas (energy AND distribution) …

… which both turned out to be great residential real estate investment markets to this day.

This is just another real-world example of starting with a conversation with a smart investor … forming a simple investment thesis (focus on markets with geographically linked jobs) …

… doing some research, using common sense, and then stepping out and testing the thesis in the real world.

Over time the thesis is either proven or refuted.  In this case, so far so good!

Of course, the “geographically linked jobs” thesis is only about regional industry.

There’s also demographics and economics to consider …

Robert Kiyosaki has been warning for years about a shrinking middle class.

Robert’s a smart guy.  So we listened, we researched, and we reasoned.

And because it made sense to us, we rolled the premise of a shrinking middle class into an investment thesis described in this 2011 article.

Later, building further on our studies of the shrinking middle class, we found opportunity in something we call the dumbbell effect.

We won’t rehash those musing here, but they’re worth reviewing today … now that you have the benefit of hindsight.

Lastly, this very recent news article provides perspective supporting another long-held thesis we’ve had about affordable housing markets.

According to ATTOM Solutions, one of the industry’s biggest and most reputable data crunchers …

 “At the moment, demand for rental homes is strongest in less expensive housing markets, which serve households with lower incomes.”

“The weakest demand is in the high-end and the strongest demand is in the low-end …”

A “booming” economy might low unemployment and rising wages.

But it can also mean higher interest and energy expenses, which are cost components of EVERYTHING people need to buy.

So the national economy might be booming … but is it showing up for the working class folks on Main Street?  Maybe.

But when it comes to residential real estate, we still feel safer in affordable markets and property types … things like B-class apartments and mobile homes.

Right now, the data seems to support the thesis.

But what about going FORWARD?

Today, investors are facing a rising interest environment for the first time in decades.

At the same time, and perhaps related, the dollar is under attack with a global resistance led by China, Russia, Iran and other nations.

Mainstream financial news pays some attention to these things … but only from Wall Street’s perspective.

Yet these events all directly or indirectly roll down to Main Street investing … creating both challenges and opportunities.

While we’re still formulating our theses for today’s changing world, it seems likely that product classes and markets with higher-yields will become capital magnets …

… eventually driving the yields down, but also creating gobs of equity for people already in the space.

That means now could well be a land-grab opportunity in those key markets and product types.

There’s also the changing of the demographic guard as baby boomers sail off into their rest-home years and Millennials become the new pig in the python.

So paying attention to Millennial trends will become increasingly important.

That’s why we have an Investor Summit at Sea™ Young Adult Program to get more young people into our conversations.

Another developing trend is the current drive to rebuild America’s manufacturing capabilities.

As this leads to a revitalization of the rust belt, it could create a convergence of affordability, demographics, and capital attraction … with lots of opportunity.

The point of all this is the world is changing … as it always does.

Our experience is the most successful investors pay close attention, get lots of qualified input, and then make important adjustments to their core theses so they can stay ahead of the curve.

Until next time … good investing!

More From The Real Estate Guys™…

The Real Estate Guys™ radio show and podcast provides real estate investing news, education, training, and resources to help real estate investors succeed.

Love the show?  Tell the world!  When you promote the show, you help us attract more great guests for your listening pleasure!

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Podcast: Finding Opportunity in Comeback Markets

Posted by on October 10, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

“The real estate market is too crowded.”

“Real estate is overheated right now.”

We hear comments like these frequently from people who frankly aren’t familiar with the wide, wide world of real estate investing.

The truth is, real estate is NOT an asset class. It’s NOT a market.

It’s an investment category … that contains many different markets. And each individual market is at its own unique spot in the market cycle.

The trick is finding a market that makes sense for YOU as an investor

To do that, you have to look for clues, kick the dirt, and get to know people on the ground. It’s a lot of work!

To make your job a little easier, we picked the brain of an entrepreneur who has figured out how to get into markets that make sense.

In this episode, our guest discusses what makes a market great for investors … and spotlights an example of a stellar market.

PLUS, we chat about what makes markets recession-proof … and how to ride the up-wave in markets seeing new growth.

Looking for some market magic? Listen in!

More From The Real Estate Guys™…

The Real Estate Guys™ radio show and podcast provides real estate investing news, education, training, and resources to help real estate investors succeed.

Love the show?  Tell the world!  When you promote the show, you help us attract more great guests for your listening pleasure!

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Housing horror … or hallelujah?

Posted by on October 3, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

Regular readers know we follow the news pretty closely. Well, okay … we’re obsessive compulsive news junkies.  But for good reason!

The economy and underlying financial system (two VERY different things) form the environment all our money-making ventures exist in.

When the financial winds change, alert investors adjust their sails to put the wind at their back.

Today’s “booming” economy is creating asset price inflation … including stocks and real estate … depressing bond prices (which in turn, drive interest rates UP).

PLUS the Federal Reserve continues to tighten monetary policy by raising its target rate.

Unsurprisingly, as we discussed last time, mortgage rates are rising along with the 10-year Treasury … and this adds to downward pressure on rising real estate prices.

Mainstream headlines tell some of the story.  But we also watch trade publications for clues that don’t always make it to the mainstream.

So we opened up our news archive and scanned industry headlines for the last few months to see if there’s a discernible trend …

Worst home affordability in nearly 10 years – June 19, 2018

U.S. home prices appreciating at slowest pace in two-years – July 24, 2018

Foreclosure Starts Increase in 44 Percent of U.S. Markets in July 2018 – August 17, 2018

Home flipping returns drop to 4 nearly 4-year low  – September 4, 2018

Rent jumps cool in hot markets, but for how long? – September 11, 2018

Down payments rise with stiff competition for homes – September 20, 2018

Without digging into the weeds of each article (though they’re all interesting reads) …

… it seems like home prices have risen to a resistance point … slowing their upward trajectory … while marginal owners are getting pushed off the back of the bus.

Meanwhile, real estate “day traders” (flippers) are finding it harder to get in and out quickly because the rising-price gravy-train is tapering off.

Okay, let’s take a breath here and process …

If you’re buying real estate for short term passive equity growth, this is probably bad news.  The market isn’t just dumping generous portions of equity on to your balance sheet.

Also, if you’re in at the high end of hot markets, you may have to hold longer than you thought.  Hopefully, the cash flow is there to help you ride out this phase of the cycle.

Those who went into the high-end of hot markets with thin or negative cash flow … whether as an investor or a home-owner … could find themselves land-locked and bleeding for a while.  No fun.

We’d need to dig deeper, but these are often the source of increasing foreclosures.

BUT … if you’re in the middle price range of moderate priced markets, you may end up being the beneficiary of INCREASED demand …

… as folks from higher priced properties and markets, both as buyers and renters, crowd into your space.

Remember, when you’re at the top, there’s no one above you to move down in tough times to boost demand in a soft market.

That’s why we’re fans of middle markets … where there are people below you to move up in good times, and people above you to move down in bad times.

And when it comes to apartments, nearly all new builds add to the top of the market …. increasing competition and pushing down prices at that level.

But it’s not feasible to build new middle market inventory, so while it’s more competitive to buy those properties … there’s also good demand from renters once you have one.

Whether it’s rising mortgage rates, rising consumer interest rates, price inflation, or rising home prices …

… it seems the stars are aligned for strong demand for rental properties.

Just like the financial crisis, housing horror can be landlord hallelujah.

All that to say that the right properties in the right markets with the right financing, while harder to find, still make a lot of sense.

Just be SURE your underwriting is realistic … because right now, the market is saying the easy money gravy train is slowing down.

It’s also probably wise in any market, but especially now, to project growth ONLY on those things you can control (added value) … and not count on a rising tide to lift your boat.

And if you’ve got great properties with equity … and you want to keep them for the long haul … it might be a good time to look at liquefying some of that equity to keep as dry powder if prices soften.

With rising rates, you can probably lend out some of the proceeds on desirable properties for a high yield (first position with a good chunk of protective equity!) …

… or invest into high-yielding properties or pools (mobile homes, residential assisted living, etc.) where the income from only portion of your loan proceeds can cover the ENTIRE loan.

This lets you store the rest for picking up bargains when the falling tide flushes speculators who are out of position to make it to the next up cycle.

Bottom line is those who are great at managing cash flow will win.  Those who aren’t will get flushed.

Until next time … good investing!

More From The Real Estate Guys™…

The Real Estate Guys™ radio show and podcast provides real estate investing news, education, training, and resources to help real estate investors succeed.

Love the show?  Tell the world!  When you promote the show, you help us attract more great guests for your listening pleasure!

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Finding Opportunity in Comeback Markets

Posted by on October 1, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

Job creation is up. Even better news … the jobs being created are blue-collar jobs, many in the reviving manufacturing industry.

This means more wages, more workers … and more folks who can pay rent.

In this episode of The Real Estate Guys™ show, we talk to an entrepreneur who has built a real estate business in an off-the-radar market.

The truth is, the hot markets you always hear about … San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles … don’t make sense for investors.

On the other hand, markets with not-so-great reputations might get you the best bang for your buck, depending on where they’re at in the market cycle.

Our conversation today delves into what makes a market make sense … and what it takes to make a profit in sensible markets.

Listen in … you’ll hear from:

  • Your reputable host, Robert Helms
  • His bad-reputation co-host, Russell Gray
  • Bryce Keesee, founder of Great Lakes Capital Solutions

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Riding the market waves

Let’s start with a quick real estate investing lesson.

Many people generalize the entire real estate investment category. They think real estate is overheated … so there’s no opportunity anywhere, for anyone.

That’s just plain wrong.

Real estate is NOT and asset class. It’s NOT a market. It’s an investment category with MANY different markets, each of which is in its own unique place in the market cycle.

But smart investors don’t look at averages. They take the time to do research, look for clues, kick the dirt, and meet people in individual markets.

When you’re looking for great markets, one excellent option is the comeback market.

Markets go through phases …

  1. Growth.
  2. Stabilization.
  3. Deterioration.
  4. Revitalization.

Catching a market as it hits step four is the key to riding an up-wave.

You don’t want to get in before things have started looking up … but you do want to get into markets that are turning upwards before the crowd.

Case study: Cleveland

Our guest Bryce Keesee got into real estate in southern Florida 15 years ago … but he has since switched to a market in the midst of MAJOR revitalization.

The market? His hometown … Cleveland, Ohio.

You might not initially think of Cleveland as a great investment market. That’s part of what makes it so great.

Bryce says the market offers many benefits … good price points for properties and rents, a steady flow of dependable tenants, stable worker incomes, and best of all … high cash flow.

Let’s get into what makes Cleveland so great.

First of all, a revitalized manufacturing industry only adds to the wide variety of blue-collar companies in the city.

Steel manufacturers join other major employers like Lincoln Electric, Progressive Insurance, several Amazon warehouses, and the renowned Cleveland Clinic, just to name a few.

This variety offers stability … and provides blue-collar jobs that keep rent prices steady.

These jobs are one reason Cleveland has a reputation for affordability.

Bryce is a fan of blue-collar workers because they tend to be long-term tenants. Many of these workers don’t plan to buy a home. Purchasing a property is “off the list” of goals for many people.

Dive into the details

We asked Bryce to give us the low-down on his typical rental property.

Bryce says properties are slightly different depending on location.

The east side of Cleveland has been abandoned for many years, although it’s starting to see growth now. So price points are a bit lower.

Bryce says single-family homes on the east side sell for $60-65,000. Monthly cashflow is $750 a month, on average … well above one percent.

The west side, on the other hand, has slightly higher price points and rents. Homes sell for 70-75,000, and rents are in the $900 range.

It takes 30-60 days from closing to repair and refurbish properties so they’re ready to rent.

The rehab process doesn’t follow a cookie-cutter template. Bryce and his partners have standardized the contractors and materials used, but each property gets an individual evaluation.

He wants well-functioning, desirable rentals that will save the company time and maintenance costs in the long-term.

That keeps tenants happy. Bryce also works to keep tenants happy by building relationships with tenants via his property management company.

“Our tenants love us,” Bryce says. A big reason is great communication from his property management team, with whom he has a 10-year relationship.

What about the general atmosphere of the Cleveland market? Ohio is extremely landlord-friendly, says Bryce. The law allows for a 3-day notice to vacate for non-paying tenants. The eviction process is only 10 days.

That doesn’t mean Bryce follows those timelines … he says his response is to establish a relationship with tenants and make sure the lines of communication are open. Yet another reason why property management is so important!

Investors interested in the Cleveland market should listen in to get access to a special report by Bryce that includes even more details!

Ohio Field Trip

Bryce really loves Ohio, and he thinks other investors will too.

Cleveland has great sports teams and the second-largest performing arts district outside of New York City.

But it’s also experiencing a revitalization that you can only really understand by kicking the dirt.

That’s why we recommend the Cleveland Field Trip.

You’ll get a chance to tour Cleveland with Bryce. But you’ll also learn about the investment model Bryce uses … an excellent education even if Cleveland isn’t right for you.

We live in an era of over-saturated markets. It’s hard to find markets that make sense. But some markets are just starting to get hot.

The very best way to get in on these markets is to learn from someone who has boots on the ground. Because remember, you’re not looking for a property, or even just a market … you’re looking for a TEAM.

And a field trip is the best way to meet the people … who know the market … and can help YOU build your own brilliant team.

More From The Real Estate Guys™…

The Real Estate Guys™ radio show and podcast provides real estate investing news, education, training, and resources to help real estate investors succeed.

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Podcast: Creating Consistent Cashflow with Retail Real Estate

Posted by on October 1, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

Is retail dead?

In our latest show, we discuss the rapidly changing face of retail real estate. Believe it or not, the retail market still offers great opportunity to investors.

In fact, consumers are more willing than ever to spend money on the right kind of retail … all it takes is a savvy, nimble investor who can figure out the WHAT and the WHERE.

Listen in to this episode to get the facts about retail real estate from a 30-year veteran of the industry.

He explains how he creates consistent, month-to-month cashflow from retail properties … RIGHT NOW.

Our guest has extensive experience in property development, leasing, sales, management, and financing … and today, he’ll share some of his best techniques with YOU.

Whether you love shopping or loathe it, there’s a huge market of shoppers waiting for you.

Intrigued by the prospect of retail property profits? Listen in!

More From The Real Estate Guys™…

The Real Estate Guys™ radio show and podcast provides real estate investing news, education, training, and resources to help real estate investors succeed.

Love the show?  Tell the world!  When you promote the show, you help us attract more great guests for your listening pleasure!

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Is THIS what China and Russia are REALLY doing …

Posted by on September 27, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

It’s no secret the United States has been at odds with both China and Russia lately.

So what?  What does it mean to Main Street entrepreneurs and investors?

Maybe nothing. Or maybe a lot more than you think.

Just a few months ago, Russia dumped a majority of the Treasury holdings.

Three out of the last four months, China has reduced its Treasury holdings.

And now Market Watch reports … 10-year Treasury yield hits 4-month high as bond market sells off …

“ … investors fear China … could sell its Treasury holdings to push the U.S.’s borrowings costs higher.”

Not TWO days later, Market Watch reports … Mortgage rates jump to four-month high as housing hits a bump. 

That’s because, as any credible mortgage professional will tell you, mortgage rates track VERY tightly with 10-year Treasury yields.

So you don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to see …

… there’s a direct connection between what Russia and China are doing and YOUR Main Street real estate investing.

But it’s bigger than interest rates.  Interest rates are more a reflection of currency and bond markets.

The United States has enjoyed … and some might say abused … a privileged status because of the U.S. dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency.

China and Russia have both publicly proclaimed their upset over how the U.S. the dollar system … and they’re working to dethrone it.

Some people who are well-qualified to have opinions think …

… there’s a HUGE danger to dollar-denominated investors if the dollar LOSES reserve status.

According to Bloomberg, famed billionaire hedge fund manager Ray Dalio spells out America’s worst nightmare … warning the U.S. “not to take its reserve currency for granted.”

“The idea that the U.S. dollar would lose its status as the world’s reserve currency is an existential threat unlike just about any other to the U.S. government and financial markets as a whole.”

“ … for just about everyone’s sake, we should hope that he’s wrong.”

Last time we looked, hope is not a strategy.

We don’t make this stuff up.  We pull it right from the headlines.  In fact, we’ve been covering it closely for more than five years.

The good news is these things move S-L-O-W-L-Y.  The bad news is these things move S-L-O-W-L-Y.  It’s easy to fall asleep at the wheel.

It’s also easy to ignore or dismiss the people who keep sounding the alarm.

But if you earn dollars, borrow dollars, measure asset values in dollars, or use credit markets in any way … the future of the dollar impacts YOU.

Most Main Street investors aren’t paying any attention at all … 

They don’t study history.  They don’t recognize the warning signs … even though there are clues in the news every day.

They won’t see a dollar crisis coming and won’t know what to do if it happens.  It will strike them like a thief in the night.

But it doesn’t have to happen.  In fact, the more people who are aware and prepared, the less likely it will happen.  And the less severe it will be if it does.

Of course, warnings are only useful if understood and heeded.

Otherwise, you wake up one day and credit markets seize up … asset prices collapse … and all those TRILLIONS in paper wealth everyone is celebrating is WIPED OUT.

Think about how hard you work and study to create profits in your business and investing.

How much time do you invest in studying how to avoid LOSING it all?

If you’re like most investors, it’s not very much.

Riding an uptrend is an easy way to FEEL like a genius … but TRUE investing genius is revealed in the BAD times.

Warren Buffet’s famous quote sums it up …

“Rule #1:  Don’t lose money.  Rule #2:  Remember rule #1.” 

Okay, so you’ve read this far.  Now what?

Well, you probably know we can’t possibly give you a useful answer in just a few hundred words.

If you REALLY want to know, you’ll need to dig in … and invest some time and money in getting up to speed.

It starts with getting your mind around the situation.

If guys like Ray Dalio are paying attention to the future of the dollar … maybe YOU should too.

When it comes to China and Russia’s attack in the dollar, we created a VERY affordable 48-minute video and two downloadable PDFs which many people have found helpful …

Click here for info about The Dollar Under Attack video and two related special reports.

The video features the opening presentation from our 2018 Investor Summit at Sea™ … which kicked off with two full days focused on the Future of Money and Wealth.

Not only has nothing changed since the original presentation, but the news continues to indicate things are picking up speed.

So it’s not surprising savvy investors like Ray Dalio are concerned and making contingency plans.

Perhaps you should too.  After all, better to be prepared and not have a dollar crisis than to have a dollar crisis and not be prepared.

Until next time … good investing!

More From The Real Estate Guys™…

The Real Estate Guys™ radio show and podcast provides real estate investing news, education, training, and resources to help real estate investors succeed.

Love the show?  Tell the world!  When you promote the show, you help us attract more great guests for your listening pleasure!

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Creating Consistent Cashflow with Retail Real Estate

Posted by on September 24, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

Most people in the real estate investing world tend to gravitate toward a specialty … a market about which they know ALL the ins and outs.

On our latest show, we’ll talk to someone who has made a particular market his bread and butter … the retail market.

Wait … isn’t retail dead? No!

In this episode we’ll talk with a 30-year veteran of the retail investment industry about WHY the retail market is still completely viable … and HOW you can get started in the wide world of retail.

In this episode of The Real Estate Guys™ show you’ll hear from:

  • Your seasoned host, Robert Helms
  • His senior co-host, Russell Gray
  • Retail investor and developer Michael Flight

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Why retail?

Michael Flight has been involved in shopping center development since 1986. His business, Concordia Realty has been adding value to shopping centers since 1990.

In his 30-year career, Michael has seen the retail industry change a lot. Change is one constant in the industry, he says.

Several decades ago, the Sears catalogue made a big splash and replaced the business of many local merchants. Today, Sears is going downhill quickly … due to the popularity of online shopping sites like Amazon.

But smart investors have found ways to make brick-and-mortar retail thrive.

Retail facilities have evolved from single-purpose buildings to multi-function facilities (think shopping malls with restaurants, entertainment, and a wide variety of stores).

Businesses like Amazon need space to store and fill orders … another place where real estate folks come in.

Michael calls his specialty “de-mall-ing” … that is, taking a struggling mall and changing out the tenants and revitalizing the complex for modern shoppers.

We’ll explore the nitty gritty of how to get into the retail market, but first, a few great reasons investors should consider retail as part of their investment strategy:

  • One of America’s favorite pastimes is shopping … in person. Although online shopping is increasing in popularity, it’s still only 10 percent of the retail market. And customers flock to big-box stores for necessities like clothes and shoes that are harder to buy online.
  • Investors don’t have to deal with two of the major problems of apartment investing … vacancy and turnover. Tenants typically sign long-term leases ranging from 5 to 40 years to very stable tenants. Michael says many tenants will be national brands who offer lots of equity and will advertise FOR you.
  • Low day-to-day involvement … tenants are responsible for their own maintenance and sometimes even build their own stores. With a triple-net lease, tenants are responsible for real estate taxes, insurance (both property and liability, plus the contents of their store), and maintenance, including common-area maintenance like plowing snow and maintaining lighting.

How does the retail market work?

What does it take to purchase a small shopping center? Michael says potential investors must answer a few questions first …

  • What’s the neighborhood like? Is the property located in a good location?
  • Is there an adequate local population to support retail stores?
  • Is there a good travel path? That is, is the center accessible to cars and located near homes and other businesses?

Once you’ve made sure those criteria are satisfied, you have to look at what kind of tenants are already there … and what kind of tenants you need.

Shopping centers should have an anchor tenant … a grocery store or drug store or other big brand that will draw customers to the shopping complex.

When you’re negotiating, anchor tenants often have a lot of power to negotiate terms. But if you have a really great location, that gives YOU more leverage.

And you have to make sure customers are going to come.

The threat from online retail is real, but that doesn’t mean brick-and-mortar retail stores are failing … it just means investors have to get creative.

That might mean integrating omni-channel options … warehouses that provide last-mile delivery and stores that offer online order pick-up, for example.

But the big question investors have to look at is how can we get more people here … and keep them here longer?

For example, don’t build a shopping center without integrating great places to eat and rest … you’ll get more customers who stick around, and a more successful investment.

Michael emphasizes that investors need to know about retail itself, from how retailers do business and which retailers sell what, to merchandising … putting the right tenants in the right spots.

That means making sure tenants are complimentary. Have a couple clothing stores? Make sure you look for a shoe store as well.

The fine details of retail investing

We asked Michael what he looks for when he is figuring out finances.

He said he wants the loan-to-square-foot amount to be $100 or less.

After that part is figured out, he does underwriting based on a 10-year lease.

Lenders range from big lenders to banks or private loans for turnaround situations.

“We really like to play in the 1 to 20 million dollar range,” says Michael. This puts him below big institutional facilities … but above the mom-and-pop shops.

How long does it usually take to rehab a distressed retail asset? Nothing ever goes as planned, Michael says, but three years is typical to execute a solid business plan.

Retail is a LOT different than single-family homes and apartment complexes, so we asked Michael to explain some of the big differences.

In retail, tenants typically get a retail improvement allowance.

Owners will offer a white box … drywall, drop ceilings, concrete floors, and bathrooms. They often offer an allowance to build out the store to the tenant’s specifications.

When tenants have very specific construction specifications, Michael says a good option is offering money or free rent so the tenant can deal with construction on their own.

Why should the investor pay for modifications to the retail space? It’s the standard … and investors want to draw in tenants that will stay for 5 or 10 years, or longer.

Remember, if you’re not ready yet to take on an entire shopping mall, working with a syndicator is always an excellent way to dip your toes into retail.

To dive into ALL the details, listen in for access to Michael’s special report on retail investing. He covers the HOW and WHY of retail real estate in depth.

Listen to experts!

You can’t fake 30 years of expertise.

Our mission is to find subject matter guides who know what they’re talking about and can educate our audience … YOU.

Michael Flight is a great example of someone who walks the talk. He is an expert in this area … and we hope your curiosity about the retail market has been piqued.

For more wisdom from experts, check out our Future of Money and Wealth video series … or meet some of the best minds in the investing world at our annual Summit at Sea™.

More From The Real Estate Guys™…

The Real Estate Guys™ radio show and podcast provides real estate investing news, education, training, and resources to help real estate investors succeed.

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Podcast: Tariffs, Trade Wars, and Crash Talk with Jim Rogers and Peter Schiff

Posted by on September 19, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

In our most recent episode of The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show, we do some serious crash-talking with some of our smartest investor friends.

Crash-talking, you say? What’s that?

As you know, we’re currently in the longest economic recovery … EVER. And as any smart investor knows, an upward trajectory can’t last forever.

We were lucky enough to pick the brains of Jim Rogers and Peter Schiff when we attended Freedom Fest this summer … and now YOU can listen in on our conversations with some of the best financial minds out there.

Along with their thoughts on the possibility of an upcoming financial crisis, Jim and Peter both touch on serious happenings in the financial world … covering everything from tariffs and trade wars to technology and trees.

Maybe these ideas seem distant from your current real estate investing holdings … but as we know, the larger economic world has a HUGE impact on Main Street investors.

At the end of the day, SMART investors have to understand the systems and events at work in the wider economic sea … so they can make sure they won’t hit rough waters when the storm comes.

Prepare NOW. Listen in to see how you can transform pressing economic issues into investing opportunity.

More From The Real Estate Guys™…

The Real Estate Guys™ radio show and podcast provides real estate investing news, education, training, and resources to help real estate investors succeed.

Love the show?  Tell the world!  When you promote the show, you help us attract more great guests for your listening pleasure!

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Nine lessons from Lehman Brothers …

Posted by on September 19, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

This past September 15th marked the 10th anniversary of the collapse of the iconic Wall Street investment bank, Lehman Brothers … after 158 years in business.

While there were several notable events which heralded the arrival of the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression of 1929 …

… Lehman’s failure can arguably be considered the “shot heard around the world”.

As recounted in David Stockman’s epic tome, The Great Deformation, the guys in charge of the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury at the time, Ben Bernanke and Hank Paulson, proclaimed …

… “the financial system had been stricken by a deadly ‘contagion’ that had come out of nowhere and threatened a chain reaction of financial failures that would end in cataclysm.”

Apparently, Bernanke and Paulson weren’t followers of Robert Kiyosaki or Peter Schiff.

Because both Kiyosaki and Schiff appeared on national television warning people … that in spite of all the rosy economic reports, there was BIG time trouble brewing.

In fact, in this now infamous interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN, Kiyosaki specifically warned about a Lehman Brothers collapse.

And in this contentious TV appearance, Peter Schiff was mocked by well-known economist, Art Laffer, for his passionate concerns about the dangerous proliferation of sub-prime mortgages.

Of course, Kiyosaki and Schiff both turned out to be right.  But as you may have noticed, they’re not on financial TV too often any more.

We’re guessing it’s because their viewpoints don’t fit the Wall Street “sunshine” narrative.

That’s why we make it a habit to get together with these guys … and others … who aren’t singing from the Wall Street hymnal.

Meanwhile, it’s hard to believe Lehman collapsed 10 years ago.

There are Millennials now well into their business and investing careers who were just in high school back then … and have no real recollection of what happened or why.

So just as Americans commemorate the anniversaries of tragic events such as Pearl Harbor and 9/11 to honor heroes, mourn victims, and remember important lessons …

… perhaps the anniversary of the fall of Lehman is a good time to consider what can and should be learned from economic policy gone bad.

“Those who fail to remember history are doomed to repeat it.” 
– George Santayana

We’re certainly NOT mourning the loss of Lehman.  Extinction is a healthy part of the cleansing process when cancerous enterprises infect a financial system.

And there’s probably an argument to be made that Goldman Sachs, AIG, and other foolish actors should have been allowed to fail too.

After all, when you look at how and why they got into trouble, to bail them out is essentially absolving them of the consequences of their reckless behavior.

Worse, it creates moral hazard … enticing Wall Street gamblers to continue to take big chances with their clients’ savings …

… knowing they keep all the upside but can push the downside to Main Street, both directly and indirectly through government bailout.

And as many real estate investors discovered the hard way, Wall Street’s gambling addiction absolutely impacts our Main Street investing.

Real estate didn’t cause the Great Financial Crisis … it was a victim of it.

Of course, the crisis also created fabulous opportunities for the aware and prepared.  There’s ALWAYS a bright side for the aware and prepared.

Investors like Kiyosaki and his real estate guy, Ken McElroy, made fortunes buying up bargains in the wake of the crash.

It’s usually the smart money that cleans up messes made by dumb money.

But we’re not here for a post-mortem on the 2008 financial crisis.  We’ve covered that extensively and you can find those episodes and blog posts in our archives.

Today is all about facing the future empowered with important lessons from the past …

Lesson #1:  Listen to all points of view with an open mind. 

Be mindful of normalcy bias, confirmation bias, echo chambers, and of course, sales agenda.

When the downside is left out of the discussion, you’ll end up with potentially disastrous blind spots.

But if all you see is doom and gloom, you don’t act.  And that’s bad too.

Lesson #2:  Study and think for yourself. 

Your financial future is too important to rely solely upon the Cliff’s notes and conclusions of financial pundits.

There are plenty of understandable investments, including our obvious favorite … real estate.  There’s no reason to abdicate the responsibility of understanding to others.

Sure, you can delegate the work of investing to others.  But not the understanding.

YOUR financial education is important, whether you get your hands dirty with the deals or not.  So make financial education a priority.

Lesson #3:  It’s never as good as it seems … and it’s never as bad as it seems.

It’s easy to get lazy in a boom … and paralyzed in a bust …  so keep looking for opportunities and keep your money working … in both economic sunshine and rain.

Lesson #4:  Take what the market gives you.

The market’s bigger than you are, so you can’t make demands.  It’s going to do what it’s going to do.  And it will change.

So when the world changes, you’ll need to adapt.

Resist the temptation to doggedly adhere to a now less effective strategy simply by taking on excessive risk … or reducing your return on investment targets.

There are almost always alternative opportunities you can move to.

Sure, it takes time and effort to learn new niches.  But so does recovering from a bad deal, or earning back lost opportunity from putting your portfolio in sleep mode until your preferred niche comes back to life.

Lesson #5:  Cash reserves aren’t idle. 

They’re actively providing insurance coverage for a liquidity crisis.  That’s worth something.  Think of the lost opportunity cost as an insurance premium.

So no matter how hot your niche is, be cautious of being over-invested.  If you think having cash reserves is expensive, try being illiquid when credit markets seize up.

Besides, it’s no fun staring at a market full of bargains, but without any purchasing power left.  You never know when the market’s going to have a BIG sale.

(That’s another reason why we LOVE syndication.  When YOU don’t have the resources to capitalize on bargains, you can always find investors who do.)

Lesson #6:  The economy and the financial system are NOT the same thing.

There’s a big difference between economic indicators … and the strength and stability of the financial system.

Study BOTH for clues about opportunities and risks.  In the boom leading up to the financial crisis, the economy was HOT.  But the financial system was frail.

Sound familiar?  It should.  History may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.

Lesson #7:  Defense wins championships. 

The old sports adage very much applies to investing.

Billionaire stock investor Warren Buffet says Rule #1 is, “Don’t lose money” and rule #2 is, “Remember Rule #1”.

Billionaire real estate investor Sam Zell says a secret to his success is his skill at understanding the DOWN side.

Remember, there’s ALWAYS a downside.  Ignoring it doesn’t make it go away.  And if you don’t see it, it just means you’re not seeing the while picture.  Get experienced eyes on the deal to help you.

Lesson #8:  You can’t make a profit on property you don’t own. 

If you fail to buy property because of fear … or you lose a property because of greed … you’re not going to grow your portfolio or achieve your financial goals.

So yes, look at the downside.  But then look for ways to mitigate it.

When you’re done, weigh the upside against the downside … compare it to other opportunities concurrently available … and if it looks good, do it.

Over-thinking can be just as bad as not thinking.

Lesson #9:  Never over-expose your portfolio to any one deal … no matter how good it looks.

Firewall sections of your portfolio through entity structuring, selective and restrictive use of personal guarantees, and syndication.

As you can see, there are MANY lessons to gleaned from reflecting on financial history … and listening to smart people with diverse perspectives, experiences and expertise.

Until next time … good investing!

More From The Real Estate Guys™…

The Real Estate Guys™ radio show and podcast provides real estate investing news, education, training, and resources to help real estate investors succeed.

Love the show?  Tell the world!  When you promote the show, you help us attract more great guests for your listening pleasure!

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