Landlords and Property Managers come in all shapes and sizes and we sometimes overlook great opportunities in commercial real estate because of the complexities.  A good relationship with a commercial property manager can help overcome those issues. With the current down market in commercial real estate you can find great opportunities to buy and hold. This should remain good for the buyers who have a good business and management plan in place. We are seeing a trend with current commercial property owners being forced to the sell their properties for much less than replacement cost values due to high vacancy and under preforming property income. One of the largest trends that investors will face in the future of commercial estate is the shift to our next generation of consumers and customers with their philosophy to live, work and play without the long commutes. The development of mix use commercial projects that include Multi-family and Condos, Hotel, office and retail should do well in the future of Georgia and Metro Atlanta.

The five areas of commercial are all shaping up with very different futures and I would list them from the projected best to the less preforming for Metro Atlanta and the Georgia Market. Read More→

I am often asked by women at events I speak at whether or not I think a woman can make a go of the real estate investing business on their own. My personal answer to this question is always a resounding-YES!

Actually, women have a distinct advantage over men in the real estate investing business. Sorry guys, it’s the truth! You see women are generally much more comfortable working with other women. That’s a given. So this makes the whole process go a lot more smoothly. And Men really like working with Women because it kind of levels the playing field. Women are seen as easier to work with. So Women end up doing really well in the real estate investing business even if they are working on their own.

Men are more comfortable working with a female investor for a lot of reasons. The first and most important is that there is no ego or testosterone coming into play in the negotiation process so generally a man and a woman working together are going to come up with a win-win solution much more quickly and easily than a man working with a man. It’s not like one of the guys “has to win”. Read More→

When a real estate investor or his attorney is filing for a Limited Liability Company (or any other business entity) with the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, it is pertinent to make sure that he or she acquires a federal Employer Information Number (EIN) from the IRS as well. Federal law requires federal taxpayer identification for income and employment taxation purposes. Furthermore, banks generally require an EIN to open any business account. For these and other reasons, business owners will benefit by applying for their EINs as early as possible in their business entity formation process.

Applying for an EIN can be a relatively simple process, but complications may arise where foreign persons or entities hold ownership interests in a company seeking an EIN. For example, IRS Form SS-4 requires applicants to name a “responsible party.” The responsible party can be held liable for any failure by the business to withhold and pay over income tax withholding or social security taxes. In the case that a business entity that is not publicly traded or registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the responsible party may be an individual, or if the owner of the entity being applied for is another disregarded entity for tax purposes, the responsible party can be this parent entity itself. Read More→