The other day I saw one of those so called “cutsey” commercials where the narrator talked about the dread of the “Monday morning blues” and 5 more days till the weekend. 

I hate those commercials as it always seemed to me that some ad agency is implying that the majority of the American people hate their jobs. 

To me that is such a sad state of affairs, to spend a good part of your life doing something you hate. I always spoke to my kids when they were young about what were their interests and  what do they really have a passion for. And then the conversation would be, how and what they needed to do to be able to do to end up doing what they love. Hopefully most Americans at the very least like their jobs. 

I sincerely hope you like what you do, as well as like the people you work with. After all a good part of your life is spent working so you might as well enjoy it.

But if you are one of those 5/7ths people, who live for the weekend, and yearn for something better, something you enjoy and can start doing part time, real estate investing may be for you. 

There is no business quite like real estate investing. Yo
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"It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something." - Franklin D Roosevelt

If you measure your key metrics you can manage the performance of your business, AND you can see problems well in advance of when they might show up in revenue or profit figures.

Each and every business has key performance metrics [Key Performance Indicators (KPI's)], some of which are common to other businesses, some are industry-specific, and some companies create their own KPI's.

These sort of things are our bread and butter, when working with small businesses tax pro.

Do you need help?

Financial metrics are often common to all businesses. Some examples include:<
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 John Wires and James Gregg chat with Dave Green from Accurate Title in Episode 004 of the MAREI PartnerCast. Covering a ton of issues that Real Estate Investors: Title, Liens, Foreclosure Sales, Tax, Sales, Title Insurance, Virtual Closings, Online Earnest Money and More. Did you enjoy our PartnerCast? Be sure to give us a like and to make sure you don't miss a future PartnerCast, subscribe to our Channel.

 John Wires and James Gregg chat with Kevin Woltkamp with Oasis Construction and Design in Episode 3 of the MAREI PartnerCast. What's happening in the contractor world right now and a look at the contractor's perspective when it comes to working with real estate investors plus some great tips on best practices for working with your contractor and developing a scope of work. Did you enjoy our PartnerCast? Be sure to give us a like and to make sure you don't miss a future PartnerCast, subscribe to our Channel.

If you’ve tried to buy a house during this time, you may be surprised at how quickly viable homes are being snatched up. Despite the pandemic, housing demand continues to rise. Some experts indicate it is 25% above pre-pandemic levels.

Homes are selling at higher prices in part due to new listings being down by an average of approximately 27.1% from a year ago, as Zillow reported. The following chart shows the decreased percentage of listings for key cities in each state. With more buyers than sellers, this low inventory has obviously maintained an optimal seller’s market.

While the quantity of stock is lower than last year, there are different predictions for how the second half of 2020 will pan out as well as the beginning of 2021. For buyers, there may still be heavy competition for a home, but the upside is the low mortgage r
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"A man should always consider how much he has more than he wants." -Joseph Addison 

The financial picture for the various states in our nation is a mishmash of various revenue sources (and expenses). 

Unlike, say, the federal government, the states cannot print money. So, they are forced to go hunting for it. And they get it from a few primary sources: sales tax (based on purchases/consumption), income tax (individual and business taxes based on income), property tax and "other" taxes like the tax on fishing licenses, driver's licenses and a lot of other smaller items.  

And the most volatile -- and COVID-affected -- of these sources is ye olde income tax. Sales tax has obviously tak
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In Parts 1 and 2, we explained that loaning your own money could be a licensed or regulated activity. We also explained that loaning other people’s money for a fee is always a licensed activity. The other risk I see is when investors are doing these loans without the proper protections. Here is a good checklist to follow.

1. Confirm the licensing issues for the kinds of loans you or your pocket lenders are making.
2. Be competent at valuating the property and do so yourself. Do not rely on the borrower’s numbers. Learn loan-to-value!
3. Always use a well-prepared promissory note (loan document). I see many that are not sufficient. You should have one drafted by an attorney, not a title company.
4. Always secure the loan with a trust deed (mortgage). ALWAYS!
5. Always run the loan through a title company or attorney’s office that confirms the recording of the trust deed in the appropriate position! The biggest fraud in real e
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In Part 1 we defined various types of loans and mortgages, which you should read if you haven’t. Be clear that making a closed-end, first position loan for the purchase of real estate is a licensed activity. This is where a lot of investors are taking a big risk.

This is because many investors are loaning funds without understanding the licensing issues. And many others are getting friends and family to loan them money. This can put your Uncle Joe or Aunt May at risk as well. While there may be arguments or exemptions that permit making these loans, there are arguments that it requires a mortgage originators license! The Division has broad authority over these kinds of loans!

Just because there are arguments in your favor, does not mean you will be successful if you—or your lenders—are investigated by the Division. If they deem that you have engaged in mortgage loan origination, the fines can be very steep. Before you engage in making or getting these loans from others, you should truly understand the rules and risks, and how to structure these loans correctly. That is beyond a blog post. You should consult an attorney.

In the above examples, I have assumed that the lender earning the interest is loaning his own money. There is a big difference if you are loaning other people’s money in which you make a fee or spread. What you’re doing now is “connecti
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"Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts. It's what you do with what you have left." - Hubert Humphrey

As difficult as it might be right now, let's project forward to next year.

Let's cross our fingers and believe that we all get through this donkey of a year that is 2020.

Maybe you have a business that clung to life, and you're headed towards recovery in 2021. You took the PPP, or perhaps the EIDL (or both). Or perhaps you had to take unemployment for a period of time, but are slowly (but surely) getting back on your feet. The economic stimulus checks helped.

But then ... taxes are due.

Uh oh.

W
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It feels to me that we're all in need of some good news.

I have some great news for the young (ish) and the old (ish), but before I get there, I'd like to encourage EVERY person who is reading this:

Keep your head in the game.

Yes -- we can so easily get caught up in seemingly nefarious schemes on every side. Whether you are Team ReOpen or Team StayLockedDown ... there are data points and new stories plentifully available to bolster your case.

But what are you doing about what YOU can control?

That's the game right now.

Many people receive these emails that I send out. But of all of them, in point of fact, there might be only a small handful that have actual power to enact change by influencing minds or implementing action.<
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