Podcast: Oil and Gas for Real Estate Investors

Posted by on December 10, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

It’s not a big jump from real estate … to other real assets.

We started getting into real assets like gold, agriculture, and oil after the ’08 financial crash.

That’s because after the crash, we started studying economics … and we had two big, important realizations …

  1. We needed to structure our investment portfolios so they weren’t vulnerable to the shifting trends of Wall Street. Enter real assets.
  2. We found out the dollar, gold, and oil are all intrinsically connected, and we realized oil could be a stable alternate investment.

Plus … we also started looking more closely at where we could find tax benefits. Turns out all of those paths led us back to oil and gas.

Far from collapsing, oil and gas exploration and drilling continue to offer investment opportunities to those who look in the right places.

So in our latest show, we speak with a guest who offers an overview of why oil and gas investing could be a good option for you.

Learn something new! Investigate gas and oil in this episode … and see whether it might be the right alternate investment for you.

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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Social Security, Inflation and Real Estate …

Posted by on December 5, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

If you’re relatively young, Social Security is probably just an abstract concept and another bite out of your paycheck.

But before you tune out,  consider that the U.S. Social Security program creates both problems and opportunities for real estate investors of ALL ages … including YOU.

Big picture …

Social Security and Medicare make up about 42% of federal program expenditures.  They’re a BIG chunk of Uncle Sam’s spending.

According to this Congressional Research Service report on Medicare and this Social Security Administration Trustees’ Report … both are headed towards insolvency in the not-too-distant future.

That’s bad.

Worse … both are “pay as you go” programs.  That’s not our description.  That’s exactly the way the U.S. government describes them.

The programs don’t really have any money.

The only “assets” these programs have are YOUR taxes … and IOUs from Uncle Sam.  The CRS report explains it on page 5.

Of course, IOUs from Uncle Sam are also backed by taxes … and the Federal Reserve’s printing press (which means inflation).

According to recommendations by the SSA Trustees in their report, the answers are … wait for it …

… raise payroll taxes and reduce benefit payments.  

Shocker.

You probably know payroll taxes are paid by working people (your tenants) and their employers.

Higher payroll tax obviously means less take-home pay to live on … including paying their rent to YOU.  So you may want to pay attention to the direction of payroll taxes.

But what about benefit reduction?  How does that matter to real estate investors?

There’s the obvious impact on tenants who rely heavily on Social Security, disability benefits or Medicare to help them with their routine living expenses.

Reduction in subsidies means those tenants have less money to pay rent … and less flexibility to absorb increases to rent or other costs of living.

But there’s a less obvious angle to consider … one we pay close attention to … and that’s the Fed’s printing press.

We trust at this stage of your financial awareness, you’ve heard of John Maynard Keynes, the father of the “Keynesian economics” you hear about.

Here’s a long, but powerful statement made by Keynes in his book The Economic Consequences of the Peace …

“Lenin is said to have declared that the best way to destroy the capitalist system was to debauch the currency. By a continuing process of inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens.  By this method they not only confiscate, but they confiscate arbitrarily; and, while the process impoverishes many, it actually enriches some. The sight of this arbitrary rearrangement of riches strikes not only at security but [also] at confidence in the equity of the existing distribution of wealth.

Those to whom the system brings windfalls, beyond their deserts and even beyond their expectations or desires, become ‘profiteers,’ who are the object of the hatred of the bourgeoisie, whom the inflationism has impoverished, not less than of the proletariat.  As the inflation proceeds and the real value of the currency fluctuates wildly from month to month, all permanent relations between debtors and creditors, which form the ultimate foundation of capitalism, become so utterly disordered as to be almost meaningless; and the process of wealth-getting degenerates into a gamble and a lottery.

Lenin was certainly right. There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose.”

There’s SO much we could say about that quote … but read it and re-read it a few times.   You’ll view the news in a whole different light.

For now, let’s get back to Social Security, inflation … and YOUR real estate investing …

As you can guess, cutting benefits overtly is not a politically popular solution.

Neither is raising taxes.

Yet according to the people in charge of these programs, that’s EXACTLY what needs to happen.

And it is happening … but “in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose.”

That is … cutting benefits and raising taxes are both cleverly hidden inside how Uncle Sam and the Fed handle inflation.

When most people think of “inflation,” they think of Uncle Sam’s official gauge of inflation … the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

It’s well known that the Fed has a stated goal of 2% per year inflation … every year … year in and year out.

That doesn’t sound like much. And whether it’s good or bad depends on which side of the coin you’re on.

If you own real assets, you get richer in nominal terms.

If you use long-term debt, like mortgages, you get richer in real terms.

That’s too big a concept for today, but one EVERY real estate investor should know like their name.  In fact, it’s a big part of what Robert Kiyosaki will be talking about at our next Investor Summit at Sea™.

But just because you own properties doesn’t mean you’re home free (punny, we we know) because …

… for folks who don’t have assets (like your tenants) … inflation means it costs more to live.  To see it in dollar terms, use Uncle Sam’s inflation calculator.

Based on the CPI, a tenant in October 2018 would need $1,542 to purchase items that cost only $1,000 in October 1998.

That’s means they need more than a 50% increase in take-home pay over 20 years … just to keep the SAME standard of living.

Similarly, for programs like Social Security … with  built in cost of living adjustments (COLAs) … a $1000 benefit in 1998 now costs Uncle Sam $1542.

No wonder the debt is swelling.

Of course, it didn’t take Uncle Sam long to figure out keeping the CPI lower than real-world rate of inflation, would effectively cut benefits without political fallout.

In other words, as Peter Schiff often points out, the CPI probably UNDER-reports the ACTUAL rate of inflation … which means the reality is even harder for the working class than the CPI indicates.

So it’s important for investors of all types to get the best measure of real-world inflation possible.  And the CPI is arguably not it.

That’s why many investors turn to Shadow Stats or the Chapwood Index.

The Chapwood Index is handy for real estate investors because it breaks inflation down by city.  That’s important because unlike stocks, bonds, and commodities … real estate is a LOCAL investment.

Here’s where it all comes together …

Even though Uncle Sam is motivated to keep inflation LOW for CPI purposes, they have no choice but to print gobs of dollars to fund the huge and growing debt and deficit.

Meanwhile …

Income producing, leveraged real estate is arguably (and by far) the safest, most powerful hedge against long-term inflation.

But again, rental property investors must stay alert to the pressure inflation puts on their tenants.

Remember … just because nominal GDP is growing, it doesn’t mean your tenants are getting more purchasing power.

So be careful to select markets, product types, and tenant demographics that fit well into what’s happening in the big picture.

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.

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Oil and Gas for Real Estate Investors

Posted by on December 3, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

Energy is the key input for all economic activity. And as populations and economies grow worldwide, there’s an increasing demand for energy.

So listen in as we chat with an experienced oil man and discuss the nitty-gritty of investing in oil and gas for profits and tax breaks.

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

  • Your well-oiled host, Robert Helms
  • His slightly creaky co-host, Russell Gray
  • Oil and gas businessman, Bob Burr

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How we got into oil and gas

We’re often asked how we transitioned from real estate to other real assets.

We started studying economics after the ’08 financial crisis. We were looking to see what we could have done … to better survive the crash.

We realized we needed to be more careful about structuring our portfolios so they weren’t vulnerable to the ups and downs of Wall Street.

We also realized the dollar, gold, and oil were all interconnected.

And, we looked at the tax benefits, and realized the tax path leads to oil.

Our guest today is basically the Godfather of Gas and Oil. Bob Burr started out in the gas and oil industry working on rigs as a young man in Louisiana.

“It was my life’s mission to find out the other end of the business,” Bob says.

Well, he’s made it … Bob now has several cumulative decades on the money-making side of the oil and gas industry.

And he’s still at it … technological innovations and new oil discoveries have made the U.S. one of the top places in the world for oil extraction.

Bob’s decades of experience have led him through ups and downs, mistakes and discoveries, and he has come out wiser on the other end. He met us on the Summit at Sea™ … and now he’s here to share his knowledge with YOU.

The tax benefits of oil investing

So … why oil and gas?

“The tax shelter is just tremendous,” Bob says. Oil and gas investing is the only business today where you can put in a dollar and write off 70 to 80 percent of that, whether you win, lose, or come to a draw.

There are risks inherent to investing in the industry, but the federal government makes it much more approachable by subsidizing heavy tax breaks.

“Every time you drill a well, you’re gambling,” Bob says. But since oil drives the economy, Uncle Sam is willing to place some bets.

Bob does a lot of due diligence before he even starts digging to make sure a potential well has a high chance to be profitable for him and his partners.

First, he explores the land and picks out a bunch of prospective sites.

Then, he sends those prospects to a third-party geological team and says, “Kill it.” Really. If the geological team comes back and says no go, Bob moves on.

After the geological team gives the A-OK, Bob does yet another evaluation. His sons do a due diligence inspection to examine specific site issues.

“We’ll have some bad ones regardless, but I’m doing everything to avoid that,”  Bob says.

Oil and gas exploration is a numbers game, but Bob is shaving the odds in his favor. He’s eliminating 90 percent of the bad options … before the drilling starts.

Oil and gas investing is an industry that requires high responsivity to partners.

Because it is a high-risk industry, Bob makes sure he is being attentive to his investment partners’ needs.

“We need to shut up and listen and let them present the facts,” Bob says. If there’s ever a point where he disagrees, he consults with specialists and experts first.

Bob has been in the business a long time. “I would be lying if I never did anything wrong,” he says. “I had to climb the mountain and fall back down, climb the mountain and fall back down.”

But now, “You can’t play any tricks on me,” he declares.

Who gets a cut?

How does oil and gas investing work for everyone involved?

First, there are the land owners. In usual oil and gas terms, the land owner owns the surface and minerals. The oil extractor … that’s Bob … gives the owner a bonus for each acre used, plus royalties … a percentage of the total proceeds.

“You have to look at the economics,” he says, in reference to the royalty rate.

If an oil person is pulling in millions of dollars, the reserve rate … what they take home to investors and their own business … will be less, perhaps closer to 50 percent. For a smaller pull, it’ll probably be closer to 80 percent.

“You have to play every hand differently,” Bob says. There are a lot of variables that affect each situation.

Now, what about the investors?

Becoming a partner to Bob or another oil person requires taking on a lot of risk. But regardless of the outcome, investors still get tax benefits.

Bob says he does turn-key deals on each well, and he takes on the responsibility of figuring out completion costs and risk.

If he runs into problems, he doesn’t go back to his investors to ask for more money, he says … but if there is a chance to drill deeper and get much higher profits, he will sometimes give investors an opportunity to put more money in and play the game.

As for the profits? “I’ve never had one problem having a market for oil at a premium price,” he says.

Bob recently got about $70/barrel for West Texas crude, but he says he can make money at as low as $25/barrel … so there’s a lot of flexibility. Twenty-five is still a good, solid return, he says.

The oil industry is all about developing relationships … after all, we only got to know Bob through the great relationships we form each year at the Summit at Sea™.

“I’m a team with my partners, and I’m the captain of the team,” Bob says. “And I want to score.”

Think you want to learn more about oil and gas investing? You can start your research with Bob’s custom report. And of course, you can meet Bob and other experienced investors 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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Bitcoin, gold, oil, stocks, real estate, and popcorn …

Posted by on November 28, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

It’s hard to watch the financial news these days and not get the feeling the fragility in the financial system we’ve been concerned about … is starting to show.

We grew up in California and learned as kids how to react to an earthquake …

Get away from glass and hide under the shelter of a desk or doorway … because stuff was probably going to start falling.

Fragile things shatter in an earthquake.  They can’t handle the pressure.  The key to safety is to get to the sturdiest parts of the structure until the shaking subsides.

Of course, when it’s clear and bright … the windows are the most fun.  You can bask in the sunshine of hope and opportunity.

But when the foundation is shaking, it’s time to find shelter … FAST.

You’ve probably noticed stock prices slipping.  Even the fabled FAANGs (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) are ALL now in bear markets.

So what?  After all, we’re real estate investors.  What do we care about stocks?

We don’t.  At least not directly.  But all these markets are like gauges on our financial dashboard … and when they start flashing red, it’s wise to investigate.

This is a newsletter, not a seminar, but let’s see what we can reason together in the next few minutes about what’s shaking in the financial world … and where it might be headed.

The first place to look is the most important financial market there is … bonds.

Of course, real estate investors should watch the bond market for clues about the direction of interest rates.

But while interest rates are interesting … credit markets are what REALLY matter.

That’s because credit markets both create and price the currency which fuels everything else. 

Credit markets are like the big reactor core in the Star Wars Debt Death Star.  They’re both the fuel source and the weak spot at the same time.

To take the metaphor a conspiratorial step further … credit markets are also the source of the Emperor’s power.

And as Peter Schiff persistently points out … when the original Debt Star blew up in 2008, the Emperor wasted no time in building a bigger, deadlier version.

The obvious implication is the next explosion could be a LOT bigger.

Now in a plain vanilla stock market dip, some (usually innocuous) event spooks highly-leveraged paper traders.  They sprint to the exits … and stock prices fall.

But then they calm down and the next day they’re back out there snapping up bargains.  This “buy-the-dip” strategy has been the name of the game for several years.

But the longer-term downtrend suggests something is different this time.  Perhaps worries the Debt Star is running out of power?

The Bitcoin crowd has been chanting “buy the dip” also … but here too, it seems the Farce is strong … and the downtrend has more gravitational pull than past dips.

Clearly, nervous stock investors aren’t piling into Bitcoin for safety.

Of course, the usual safe space for snowflake stock investors to hide is bonds.

But if gobs of money were pouring into bonds … interest rates would be falling.

While rates have certainly moderated the last few weeks from their upward trend, it’s hardly a serious decline.

So … nothing happening now has us disagreeing with our recent conversation with David Stockman on the direction of rates.

And we certainly would NOT be using short-term debt on tight-cap properties hoping to re-fi to lower rates in a year or two!  If that’s your plan … be careful.

Then there’s oil.  You’ve probably heard the price has fallen.  We’re guessing your tenants like it at the pump.  Businesses too.

Obviously, energy costs … just like interest and taxes … RAISE the costs of operating a business, a household, and an economy.

President Trump’s a business guy.  So to no surprise he prefers ALL three lower … so more profit gets to the bottom line.

But oil … like gold … is MUCH more than just a commodity. 

Both have significant connections to the future of the U.S. dollar … and all three are powerful tools in geo-politics.

Just last year, we pointed out China’s noteworthy moves with both oil and gold.

And just because things are moving slowly, doesn’t mean they aren’t moving.

All that to say … we’ve been paying close attention to this for several years … and it seems to us things are picking up speed.

We keep them on our radar … and yours … for TWO reasons …

First … major financial events often seem to show up suddenly and shock the world … but they usually had a long and obvious (in hindsight) build up.

We’ve learned to look further out so we have more time to re-position.  After all, the blessing and curse of real estate is it moves slowly.

So real estate investors are wise to pay attention to early warning indicators … and then rearrange portfolios to both mitigate risk and capture opportunities.

Second … when economic and financial earthquakes first tremble … it’s smart to seek shelter under sturdy structures.

For that reason, we think it’s likely to see MORE money moving into real estate in search of stability (and tax breaks).

But just because real estate is stable doesn’t mean YOUR portfolio is.

As we learned in 2008, bad portfolio structure crumbles when hit with tremors from a Debt Star explosion.

However, when those market forces clean out weak portfolios, there are bargains galore … for those who are ready, willing, and able to take advantage.

Ironically, consumers are tapping home equity like it’s 2007.  We’re guessing holiday shopping will be solid.  But it won’t make those borrowers wealthier.

Savvy investors are grabbing equity too … and using it both to purchase strong cash flows … and to hold in reserve.

It’s always good to have some cash if market tides turn.

YOUR mission is to be among the aware and prepared … and NOT among the unaware and unprepared.  It could be a good time to increase liquidity.

Are we saying another crash is coming?  No.  But we can’t say it’s not.

Right now, there are tremors.

So while you’re thinking about your goals for next year … including how to invest your educational time and money …

… we encourage you to make getting better educated, better connected, and better structured a top priority … so IF things turn quickly …

… YOU can sit safely inside your reinforced portfolio chomping on popcorn and watching the fireworks.

And if the fireworks turn out to be a dud … you’re really no worse off for being 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.

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Podcast: Preparing for the Future of Interest Rates and the Dollar

Posted by on November 26, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

As you know, interest rates have been trending upwards … and they show no sign of stopping.

Interest rates directly affect your real estate investment business … they determine how much you are charged when you borrow money for new investments.

We’ve been spending a lot of time digging deeper into what rising rates mean for our audience of investors.

That’s why, in our latest show, we’re talking to two very different experts who are uniquely qualified to comment on interest rates, the U.S. dollar, and the Federal Reserve.

You’ll hear commentary and opinions from …

  • James Grant, an economic expert and author of eight books on the U.S. financial system, who was named by Ron Paul as his likely candidate for Chairman of the Federal Reserve
  • Nomi Prins, a former Wall Street analyst, journalist, and six-time author who was a member of Senator Bernie Sanders’ panel of advisors on Federal Reserve reform

These folks offer diverse perspectives on the economy … so you can get informed about how changes in the economy impact YOU and your real estate holdings.

Get educated. Listen in now!

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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Preparing for the Future of Interest Rates and the Dollar

Posted by on November 26, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

We’re concerned about interest rates … and you should be too.

Consistently rising interest rates affect your ability to borrow money for investments.

In this episode of The Real Estate Guys™ show, we dig into how the Federal Reserve and central banks affect interest rates. We talk about the future of the dollar. And we discuss how rising interest rates affect YOU.

We met with two knowledgeable experts in the economics field. You’ll hear from:

  • Your interested host, Robert Helms
  • His uninteresting co-host, Russell Gray
  • James Grant, economic expert and author of eight books on the U.S. financial system
  • Nomi Prins, former Wall Street analyst, journalist, and six-time author

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James Grant on interest rates and securities

James Grant was named by Ron Paul as his likely candidate for Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Over the years, he has been a voice of reason … he calls himself “a ‘yes, but’ guy in a ‘gee whiz’ world.”

We got right into the subject of interest … interest rates.

Are rates going up? “Rates tend to trend over the long term,” James says.

They’ve been on the down-swing since the 1980s, but they may be on the up-swing again … and although rates are currently rising, James emphasizes we’ll have to wait and see whether the trend continues.

James says investors should look to the bond market for clues.

A 10-year treasury bond delivered a yield of 1.37 percent in 2016 … the lowest yield since the year 1311, according to a study by the Bank of England.

In the early 80s, a 30-year security would’ve netted you a 14 percent yield. That’s a big difference.

Today, almost every security is priced next to nothing when investors account for taxes and inflation, James says.

Who manipulates interest rates? The Federal Reserve.

“It’s an act of malpractice that the Fed and central banks worldwide are manipulating these rates,” he says.

And real estate cap rates are driven by interest rates.

To James, this means we now live in a world of great danger. “We live in a kind of hall of mirrors,” he says.

On forecasting the future and investing in gold

James notes forecasts are for people who think they know what’s going to happen … when the reality is, no one actually knows.

“We can’t know the future, but we can know how it’s being handicapped in the present,” James says.

He finds it helpful to remind himself of how our descendants will think of us.

And he says, “Successful investing is about having everyone agree with you … later.” Investors must imagine plausible outcomes before the market catches up.

We asked him his thoughts on gold investing. “Gold is interesting because it’s where people flee,” James says. “But it’s really an investment, not a flight asset.”

Gold is a way to step outside of orthodox institution investments. “Gold is simply money to me. It’s a cash balance. It’s something the central bankers can’t debase.”

To hear more from James Grant … and keep your eye on interest rates … check out Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, an independent journal covering financial markets.

Nomi Prins on the Federal Reserve and the world market

Journalist Nomi Prins was a member of Senator Bernie Sanders’ panel of advisors on Federal Reserve reform. She’s coming at this from a different angle than James Grant … but both guests are incredibly informed, with lots of great things to say.

In 2007, Nomi wrote that there could be a problem if financial institutions and the government continued the credit derivative system and high leverage.

No one wanted to hear it. But then ’08 happened.

Nomi says that over the last 10 years, “The Fed has subsidized a lot of credit problems that existed before the ’08 crisis by creating electronic money.”

That has raised the level of artificial leverage.

And THAT means the next market collapse will come from an even higher height than in ’08, she says.

Even worse, many central banks around the world created electric money and dropped rates when the Fed did. Nomi examined this situation in her book Collusion.

“We’re in a very precarious situation going forward,” she says.

Quantitative easing … the introduction of new money onto the market … causes inflation and collapses markets, starting with emerging markets.

In order to retain capital, central banks in these countries have to raise rates and increase the value of their currency. That’s what’s happening now.

This, in turn, lowers the value of foreign currencies relative to the value of the dollar. So, any debt these countries have has to be paid back or renewed at a higher rate.

Apparently, however, the U.S. is back to quantitative tightening now, says Nomi.

The Fed’s statements and its actions and reports tell different stories.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell SAYS current quantitative tightening is official. That means the government will continue to sell … but not re-invest … assets.

But in reality, the Fed is selling much more slowly than they’ve said they will.

The reason? “They know that if they sell too much too fast, rates will increase too fast, and the value of assets will go down too fast,” Nomi says. “They want to be in a holding pattern.”

More on quantitative easing, coming crisis

Nomi wants people to know there is NO correlation between GDP growth and quantitative easing. However, there is a very high correlation between quantitative easing and the stock market.

She thinks the next financial crisis will look like a bunch of smaller crises that add up to big gaps in liquidity and credit availability.

Nomi says she sees a few things happening around the world … bond defaults are creeping up in emerging markets, and certain countries are starting to have major credit problems.

“I think all of that will come to bear on the Fed.” And because of that, Nomi says, “I think their language will start to move toward growth slowing.”

Think two rate raises over the next year, instead of the forecasted four.

She predicts extreme appreciation is not going to happen. Rates will stay low, although they might continue to rise a bit relative to the Fed.

What about real estate? “Commercial real estate may have more leverage, so rate hikes will have more impact.”

Instead, Nomi recommends “any area where rent can overcompensate for an increase in cost.”

She says there are currently opportunities in emerging markets where there’s still room for upward growth in prices.

Mexico City, for example, is a place where prices are low, the government has a strong growth strategy, and there is opportunity in the near team.

Lessons learned

Debt doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Interest rates have a HUGE impact on whether your investments will be successful.

You don’t need to understand ALL the mechanics … but you should have a basic understanding of WHAT will affect interest rates and WHERE they’re headed.

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: Working with Real Estate Agents Who Understand Investment Property

Posted by on November 23, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

The world is full of real estate agents … millions of them.

But only a tiny fraction of these agents are truly dedicated to servicing the unique needs of real estate investors. And boy, are your needs unique!

How do you find an agent that works for you … and with you?

The Godfather of Real Estate is here to help!

In this episode, Bob Helms draws on his multi-decade career as both an investor and a broker … so you can learn from his experience.

The right partnership between investor and agent means mutual success. The wrong partnership makes everyone’s jobs more difficult.

Bob shares how agents can become indispensable to their investor clients … and what YOU should keep in mind when shopping for and working with an investment property specialist.

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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Think like a big dog …

Posted by on November 21, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

Whether you’re an active real estate investor out there finding and managing deals in your own account …

… or you’re a passive investor looking to invest in someone else’s deals …

… or you’re a syndicator putting together deals on behalf of your passive investors …

… it can be smart to think like a big dog.

After all, major players have big research and due diligence budgets.  They hire big brains to study the market and make smart strategic decisions.

YOU can learn a LOT … just by watching what they’re doing.

Sometimes you can get in front of a big wave they’re about to create and ride it.

And sometimes you can front run them … buying what they want BEFORE they get there … selling to them at a premium when they arrive.

(We think there could be a particularly good opportunity to get in position to do this in the residential assisted living space right now.)

So even though you can’t play at their level, you can still get in the game by paying attention and being more nimble.

For example, this headline caught our attention …

Apollo is Targeting $1 Billion for U.S. Real Estate Fund –Bloomberg 11/20/18

“Apollo Global Management LLC has started talking to investors about its third U.S. real estate fund …”

Hmmmm … $ 1 billion is a chunk of change.  And apparently it’s not their first rodeo.

In fact, Apollo has been around since 1990 and has over $270 billion under management.

Not that we’re promoting or vouching for them.  We’re just saying it seems like they’re qualified to have an opinion about investing.

So back to the article …

“Investment will be in senior housing, hotels, retail”

A little deeper down we discover … in addition to these three … Apollo is also into industrial real estate and manufactured housing.

Of course, this doesn’t come as a big surprise to us or our long-time followers.

We’ve been paying attention to sub-niches in senior housing, hotels, retail,industrial and manufactured housing for quite some time.

But even though it’s affirming to have a big dog like Apollo see what we see … it’s not like we’re geniuses.

The clues in the news, trends, data, and our discussions with our boots-on-the-ground contributors make it easy to see the opportunities.

Of course, seeing the opportunity and knowing someone in the space … is just the beginning.

It’s also important to think about your personal investment philosophy … build great relationships with a solid team … and structure things to endure in both good times and bad.

Recently, the wild ride in the stock market is reminding 401k owners how fickle paper equity can be.

It’s no surprise smart fund managers are looking to real estate as a way to find high risk-adjusted returns … and stability in a volatile world.

Right now, we’re watching Wall Street investors race each other to the exits … leaving a flood of red in their wake.

And while history doesn’t necessarily repeat itself, it often rhymes.

Remember, after the dotcom bust at the turn of the century … frightened capital found a safe haven in real estate.  It just might be happening again.

For those already there, it could make for a fun ride.

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: Passive Income Investing – Equity versus Debt

Posted by on November 19, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

Smart real estate investors diversify their portfolios … in terms of risk, in terms of market and asset class, and in terms of investment method.

Maybe you want stable cashflow. Maybe you want passive growth. Maybe you’re looking for capital gains.

Whatever your investing goals, there are two main ways to make money in real estate … equity and debt.

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the world of debt investing, aka private lending.

With rising interest rates and real estate prices, private lending is becoming increasingly popular … and for investors, it can be a low-risk, predictable, passive investment opportunity.

Learn what one debt syndicator requires from investors … and hear why he thinks debt investing is a great, safe option for you, depending on your investment goals.

Dive into debt investing. 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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Working with Real Estate Agents Who Understand Investment Property

Posted by on November 18, 2018 · Leave a Comment 

The world is full of real estate agents and brokers eager to do a deal … but only a small handful of those agents are qualified to service your unique needs.

The best partnerships between agents and investors create mutual success. How do you find an agent that works FOR you and WITH you?

In this episode of The Real Estate Guys™ show, we chat with Bob Helms, the Godfather of Real Estate. His experience as both an investor and a broker spans decades … and he knows how valuable relationships between professionals are to successful deals.

You’ll hear from:

  • Your play-maker host, Robert Helms
  • His playful co-host, Russell Gray
  • Bob Helms, the Godfather of Real Estate

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This is a relationship business

One of the most critical relationships you have as an investor is with your real estate professional.

Whether you’re working with an agent or a broker … and we’ll use the terms interchangeably … the partnership you have with the individual legally representing you in a deal is vital to your success.

We call Bob Helms the Godfather of Real Estate … and for good reason. Bob has spent decades actively brokering properties, teaching and managing agents, and investing in deals himself.

“This is a relationship business,” Bob says. And it’s absolutely true.

Your agent isn’t your enemy. The very best deals we’ve ever been involved in have been with real estate professionals who know their stuff.

When it comes to real estate brokerage, it’s about cooperation … not competition.

“It’s urgently important that you not practice business by trying to take advantage of the person on the other side of the transaction,” Bob says.

Both sides have to win

So many investors think they have to squeeze every last dime that they can out of a deal in order to call it a win. They think they have to get the upper hand to be the winner … which means the buyer or seller is the loser.

The best transactions are when a deal closes and everyone in the room gives each other a high five.

Those are the deals you want to do again. And real estate investment is a long-term game.

Unlike the typical homeowner … who moves every four to seven years to a different marketplace … investors do multiple transactions over time in the same market. And you do more business more often.

There’s a good chance you will do additional deals with these same people, so your attitude is important, Bob says.

If you’re the guy who is trying to exploit the other guy, no one will want to work with you again.

Remember, it’s about relationships. There IS a better way!

Working well with your agent

How do you work with an agent or broker to get the best deals at the right prices?

The first thing to keep in mind is loyalty.

You might think it’s a good idea to have several agents working for you in a single marketplace. But more often than not, this competition doesn’t work in your favor.

If an agent knows you have other agents working for you too, they are less likely to invest time in finding you the best deals.

On the other hand, if an agent knows you are invested in a long-term relationship with them, they’ll work hard to impress you and keep you around.

Exhibit loyalty to your agent, and they’ll be loyal to you.

Find the best agent you can, and set up a meeting. If they are at the top of their market, they probably already have a full portfolio of clients.

Show the agent you are worth their attention. Be able to articulate why you are qualified, why you are serious about making things happen, and how you can add value to their business.

Can’t get an appointment? Try taking the agent to lunch. Everybody has to eat!

You may have to start with a “C” agent and work your way up to an “A” agent … and that’s ok.

Even if your agent of choice isn’t ready to take you on, take advantage of their experience.

“Say, ‘I want to be your best client in five years. If you were me and starting over today, what would you do? What do you wish your current clients knew?’” Bob says.

Show you’re there for the long haul, and start building a relationship.

Why agents should work with investors

The majority of real estate agents sell houses to people who want to live in them. But the investment property niche can be very profitable.

So, if you are reading this from the perspective of a real estate agent, here are four big reasons to get involved with investors …

  1. Do more transactions. Investors purchase properties in the same market again and again.
  2. Get more referrals. Investors tend to work in multiple marketplaces. They rely on a network of agents to help them. You can pass clients to other agents and have clients passed on to you. That saves you money you would have spent tracking down new buyers and sellers.
  3. Earn bigger commissions. Investors graduate to bigger and bigger properties over time. That means bigger and bigger commissions for agents.
  4. Become an investor yourself. Be your own best client. Learn from the investors you work with. Make a living selling to other people and get success by buying yourself.

Keep brokering real estate deals, but invest your money into deals of your own.

Investors love working with agents who invest too. That means the agent knows the rules of the game, and will bring investors the deals they can’t do … but would do … themselves.

Most real estate agents don’t work with investors because they don’t know how.

Bob Helms’ new book Be in the Top 1%: A Real Estate Agent’s Guide to Getting Rich in the Investment Property Niche is a great resource for getting started.

The book is aimed at agents, but investors can benefit from its lessons too … because by working together, agents and investors can form long-term relationships destined for success.

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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