How To Know When The Rent ISN’T Too Darn High

The challenge facing the owners of rental properties was underscored by a man named Jimmy McMillan, who once ran for governor of New York on the-rent-is-too-(darn)-high platform. In fact, that was what he dubbed his party: The Rent Is Too (Darn) High. (Footnote: He was later evicted from his rent-controlled apartment in New York City [...]

The Local Watering Hole: Neighborhood Anchor or Lodestone?

At their best, neighborhood bars serve as the social hubs of their neighborhoods -- vibrant places that draw people in and draw them together. At their worst, they are nuisances, producing excessive noise, littering, vandalism, etc. The question, then, is this: What are the pros and cons of investing in real estate near such places? [...]

Multiple Ways to Add Value to a Multi-Family Building

  As I wrote in my 2007 book Purchase, Rehab and Reposition Commercial Investment Property, repositioning multifamily apartment buildings has long been my passion, and has proven to be a pathway to profitability. It’s hard work, as investments go, but it has always been worthwhile. Most of the success our company has seen comes from [...]

Starbucks & Stadia: Reading the Neighborhood of Your Investments

In the ultimate case of something old and something new, stadia (which date back to the 13th Century BC) and Starbucks (a coffee company dating back to 1971) can be indicators of neighborhoods that offer abundant opportunity for those looking to reposition real estate. There are more obvious signs to take into account, to be [...]

How to Avoid Getting Lost on the Paper Trail

As with home-buying, the closing of any commercial real estate transaction brings with it an inch-thick pile of paper, even in this digital age. Pen in hand, we all must wade in and find our way out the other side. I’m here to tell you that it can be done, that you can keep your [...]

By |2020-11-16T20:20:17+00:00December 5th, 2017|Categories: Blog|Tags: , , , , |

Due Diligence in Real Estate, Part 2

Whether you’re new to purchasing, rehabbing and repositioning real estate as an investment opportunity, or you’re a more seasoned investor (in real estate or elsewhere) you need to answer one big question before you make your next purchase: Where’s the money coming from? The answer? Either you have 100-percent equity to invest or you are [...]

By |2021-09-22T19:58:47+00:00October 31st, 2017|Categories: Blog|Tags: , , , , |

A Primer to Repositioning Single Family Homes

Even though I’ve built my career on rehabbing and repositioning large, multi-family apartment complexes, I’ve always remained fond of single-family homes. After all, there is plenty of opportunity for renovating and reselling single-family homes--to the point that there are many articles, TV shows, websites, and magazines that have covered the topic. And renovating (and then [...]

All About Equity, Part 2: Sources of Equity

In the previous installment, I discussed the importance of equity, as well as a few time-tested, tried methods for attaining it. But to be honest, the process of attaining equity can be a diverse one; depending on your individual personality, your route to investment equity may look a lot different than mine. Further, I’m also [...]

By |2017-09-06T17:50:14+00:00September 5th, 2017|Categories: Blog|Tags: , , , , |

Why Mid-tier Properties Are the Future

During the second quarter of 2016, the homeownership rate in America fell to 62.9%—the lowest it’s been since 1965. The reasons for this decline include a mix of factors, including the lingering effects of the 2008 financial crisis, strict lending regulations, and expensive real estate costs in major cities. Other experts also cite things like [...]

Renovate Instead of Rebuild: Why Investors Should Rehab Existing Properties

If you look at big metropolitan areas, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, or Houston, it seems that high-rise apartment buildings are being built nonstop. These sleek glass and steel structures appear as if they’ve been lifted out of a postmodernist masterpiece. But despite the incredible appeal of these skyscrapers to renters and real estate investors, [...]