Real estate investing is a team sport I will never forget the last week of December in 2021. That week was a massive departure from the norm for me. It started on Sabbath morning when I awoke to back pain. You see, I hurt my back in the gym the week before Thanksgiving. I was doing an exercise called pendulum squats when I felt something move in my back….
Structuring deals Learning how to creatively structure deals is something that has been essential for my and Ashley’s success in real estate investing. The main reason for that fact is that we didn’t have access to funds when we started. So, we had to figure out how to buy houses with very little cash and without going to a bank. And that skill has allowed us to make some…
Getting into the business I often get asked a question around this time of the year. I’m not sure why it normally happens as the new year approaches, but maybe it has to do with people evaluating the previous 12 months and setting goals for the year to come. The questions is in reference to real estate investing, and it usually goes like this: “What do I…
Trailer differences I’ve had a lot of calls this week about mobile homes. Mostly, the conversations centered around the differences between trailers and stick-built homes in rehabs. So, I’d like to highlight a few of the major differences you need to be aware of should you decide to purchase a mobile home. To me, mobile homes are very interesting. I used to watch this show called “How It’s…
Face to face Monday morning was super busy for me. You see, we had a closing where we were purchasing a double wide on it’s on land, and I needed to prepare closing docs, get a cashier’s check for that closing and also attend to my normal Monday morning commitments. Due to labor shortages, my bank’s local branch had its lobby closed. As such, I had to…
Writ of possession I meet with a tired landlord recently at a property where they’d just finished the eviction process. And this person said multiple times during our meeting that they never wanted to be a landlord ever again. The reason for this was the tenants owed the landlord quit a bit of money. Months prior to the eviction, one of the tenants had moved out. Because of…
Friends, family and business I was talking to a landlord recently who had been put through the wringer by her tenants. You see, she had bought a freshly remodeled, four bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, 2,000-square-foot home and paid retail price for it. Now, this landlord was not a hedge fund, and she was not a high roller looking to put lazy money to work. She was just…
Another statistic Have you heard it said that 8 out 10 small businesses fail within the first 18 months? I have, and I just thought it was true. As a matter of fact, I went looking for it the other day and was kind of surprised as to what I found. I found that statistic was stated in a Forbes article from 2013. But they gave no data…
To be, or not be free and clear I come from the Dave Ramsey school of thought when it comes to managing finances. I don’t like personal debt, and I prefer to pay cash for things. As a matter of fact, Ashley and I have never had a car payment during our marriage. We no longer have any student loan debt, and we only use our personal credit cards…
Find your pace Last week, we talked about my experience with the swim portion of the Lake Lanier Island Sprint Triathlon, which I recently participated in. We left off at the very end of the swim when I was finally able to make it past the crowd and start swimming normally. As I stood up and started to run out of the water, Ashley cheered me on. I…