As we’re guiding our real estate sailing ship through the choppy economic seas of the past few years, we’ve learned the wisdom of having a lookout watching the horizon for threats and opportunities. We also like to compare notes with other sailors – especially those whose lookout platforms are higher up than ours. They can […]
When it comes to icons in real estate, there are flashy household names known by most of the TV watching, non-real estate investing public. Then there are the icons of industry, who are anonymous in public, but well known and respected among the people who really do the business of real estate. Since the mainstream
11/14/10: Where’s the Deal? A Candid Conversation with a Real Estate Legend Read More »
“Live Where You Want to Live, but Invest Where the Numbers Make Sense” – Robert Helms Not everyone lives in prime real estate investment areas. So if you decide to “live where you want to live but invest where the numbers make sense”, then travel is going to be a regular part of your life
11/7/10: Travel Tips for Real Estate Road Warriors Read More »
Sometimes real estate is hard. You want a rent check, but get a reality check instead. However, the best lessons often come from studying problems, so next time, you can avoid them – or least solve them faster. So once a year at Halloween, we set aside an episode to look back over the year
10/31/10: Halloween Horror Stories – Getting the Lessons When Things Go Wrong Read More »
When an economy burns down, the landscape is charred and the financial food chain is disrupted. Viable businesses starve for funding, while investors hunger for return. The normal eco-system has broken down and sources of capital and investment opportunities aren’t where they’re supposed to be. Everything is in disarray and the ensuing uncertainty breeds fear.
When your real estate investments are properly managed, money flows in each month like clock work. But when the monthly flow is accompanied by pain, it could be a sign of Property Management Stupidity or PMS. When PMS sets in, it can severely cramp cash flow and may be accompanied by heavy bleeding. Investors suffering
10/17/10: Avoiding PMS – The Single Most Important Element for Healthy Cash Flow Read More »
With millions of property owners in financial distress, getting foreclosure help is a top priority. But it’s a much bigger topic than simply how to stop foreclosure. And with the controversy over alleged paperwork improprieties, the whole topic has gotten even more complicated. What’s a distressed borrower to do? As we’ve discussed on several previous
“Go West, Young Man!” has given way to “Go Global, People!” Back in the fledgling days of the American experience, young opportunity seekers often left the comfort and competition of the mature eastern states to seek their fortune in the emerging markets of the wild, wild West. Real estate was a big part of the
Every day, jobs, money, people and business are going global. Some come to the U.S. and some leave. Some go both ways. Maybe you’ve fantasized about cross-border transactions, in which case you may need to seek professional help. Because we’re us, we get to meet all kinds of bright, experienced and interesting people. It counter
Real estate investing is art, science, vocation and lifestyle all wrapped up in one. It has its own language, community and culture. Who you surround yourself with will determine the attitudes, habits, beliefs and skills you will develop. With so much money to be made, many aspiring investors are willing to pay large sums to