Archive for August, 2016

This article was not easy to write. In fact, it was one of the more challenging articles I’ve written in a while. Why? Because it deals with something that’s not easy for us to talk about: The reason why most people don’t take the action they know they should so that they can have the success they say they want to have.

The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. It’s an old-school, classic, tried-and-true principle: If you want to have success, you’ve got to work hard to make it happen.  And hard work means taking action.

Why do you think most people don’t take the action that needs to be taken?  I believe it comes down to two things: 1. Lack of Knowledge, or 2. Abundance of Fear.  Read More→

Did you ever wonder why some people are really wealthy and some people barely live paycheck to paycheck? Did you ever think “Why can’t I be wealthy like them?” What do the wealthy people know that I don’t? “How did they get rich? These are all valid questions, but I would say, the reason why you are or aren’t a wealthy person is entirely between your ears. So what exactly do I mean by that?

It’s simply this. Wealth is based on a state of mind, not on how much education you have, how many hours you work, or who you know. A wealthy mindset is created by believing in who you are, who you want to be and where you want to go. It is said that our thought processes control the person we are and the person we become, and this is so true. I know a lot of people, many of whom are real estate entrepreneurs, who have become extremely wealthy and yet came from backgrounds of poverty and little or no education.  Read More→

When we think of the Fourth of July we think about fireworks, grilling, and being with friends and family in celebration. I am a very big pyrotechnics fan, I always have a supply of fireworks for any occasion. If there is any excuse to launch a mortar or rockets, then I am very excited. Yes, I have gotten my share of injuries. I still have my eyes and fingers. The injuries healed. This is just like getting involved in real estate. You must know the risk and rewards when you buy and sell real property.

When I am picking out the right explosives to use in a celebration I have certain criteria. The mortars have to have color and reports. I also have rules in real estate. I have certain types of houses which I will buy and others I will pass on. I will pass on certain areas. I need to know what is the profit/reward ratio. The process I use has four simple rules. The first rule is to know what you are buying. Are you buying a house, commercial property, apartments, or storage units? How big? Get it inspected so you know what you are getting yourself into.  Read More→

Sage Advice From an Old Investor

Posted on August 1, 2016 by

After closing the doors of North Georgia REIA forever, we have been reminiscing about the best lessons we’ve shared with our group.

With this in mind, here’s some sage advice from an old investor.

How do I know whether a deal is good or not?  How do I know what I’m looking at?  And if I decide to take the deal down, how do I get it funded fast without going to a bank?

When Kim and I began our investing careers in 1995, we thought all houses were pretty much the same.  But over time and with experience, we’ve learned what types of houses make the best investments.  Read More→

This is an article I wrote a few years ago. Again I am hearing the rumblings of some of my students who believe they can buy 100 houses or more every year and it scares me to death. I believe what this article says is so important for every investor to know. That is why I decided to have this article republished.

Recently I was talking to several of my students who each said they wanted to buy 100 houses this year. These students had listened to one of the guru’s who had bought and sold over one hundred houses in one year and are now teaching people how to duplicate what they had done. I listened closely to these bright eyed inexperienced students tell me they wanted to do the same as the guru and it frightened me to death. Later over dinner, I mentioned what I had just heard to my wife. She encouraged me to tell my tale of woe about the years of agony we experienced because I got too big for my britches and against my wife’s better judgment I had tried to do the same thing myself.  Read More→

Atlanta, Georgia is one of the strongest real estate markets in the US and has favored Sellers rather than Buyers since spring of 2013. According to Realtor.com, the median list price in Atlanta has gone from just over $200,000 in 2014 to over $300,000 in 2016 and is currently leveling off. A $100,000 median price gain in two years is nothing short of fantastic. See Figure 1.

Figure 1

Figure 1

For the purposes of this article, we are talking about single family detached in these areas. See Figure 2. Read More→