by on January 17, 2012 4 Comments

3 Factors Real Estate Investors Can Use In Evaluating Their Portfolio

Every week I speak to some pretty smart cookies. They’ve invested in several properties in their hometown. The thing is, I spend somewhere around 40% of my time tellin’ investors they’re doin’ just fine, don’t change a thing. Or maybe change a few things and you’re flyin’ high. They’re usually surprised, but happy.

There are three basic factors to consider when deciding to sell/trade or keep a local income property.

1. The true quality of it’s location.

2. The true quality of it’s construction.

3. The current age of the property.

Location quality [Read more...]

Filed Under: 1031 Exchanges, Purposeful Planning, San Diego Property Owners
by on January 3, 2012 Leave a Comment

It’s a New Year – Coming Attractions For Real Estate Investors

I apologize for the sparse posting lately. The holiday season and it’s predictably fun logistics have made it somewhat, um, challenging for me and the other contributors. However, since the calendar says that lame excuse has come ‘n gone, the regularly scheduled programs will now resume. Thanks for your patience, and Happy New Year to all of you.

Now for some real estate investment info to dazzle ya. :)

Charles Perkins is workin’ on some killer posts, some of which were by my request. ‘Course, I’ve learned to keep my topic suggestions with him as narrowly defined as possible. He tends to research the livin’ crud out of it, which makes me feel guilty sometimes. This is especially true the last month of the year — which, unfortunately is merely the precursor to ‘tax season’. For CPAs, tax season is that ugly stretch of roughly 105 days, when they sleep at least 3-5 hours a day, no matter what. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 1031 Exchanges, 401(k)'s & IRA's, Depreciation
by on December 19, 2011 5 Comments

Get Your Real Estate investment Equities Outa San Diego – Here’s Why

This is a San Diego county duplex. It’s for sale, asking about $470,000. The units consist of a 2 bedroom 1 bath, and a 1 bedroom 1 bath. It was built 65 years ago. The rents are $1,375 and $1,050, which are about right, give or take. I’m intimately familiar with the neighborhood, as I’ve lived and officed in and around it since 1979. I’ve jogged by this property countless times. My kids went to the school district. My boy played winter ball at the nearby Little League field. In fact, he hit his first ever homer there. It hit the scoreboard in right centerfield.

The landscaping is pretty cool, isn’t it? It’s not the norm in San Diego as many might think, but it’s not rare either. Makes for pretty good curb appeal, that’s for sure. Anywho, let’s get started.

A note here, for those readers who might think, even a little bit, that I picked this duplex for it’s crummy location etc. Not hardly, as I’d easily apply the BawldGuy Mom Rule to this property without the slightest hesitation. I know this area like the back of my hand, having lived in or nearby the neighborhood since 1967 when I was 16. What’s the BawldGuy Mom Rule for Heaven’s sake?

BawldGuy Mom Rule: Brown and Brown Investment Properties policy is that no client shall be advised to invest in real estate in which I wouldn’t put my 80 year old mom to live alone. Period, over ‘n out, no exceptions. Hence the name of the rule.

The numbers tell the story  [Read more...]

Filed Under: 1031 Exchanges, Real Estate Investing, San Diego Property Owners
by on December 1, 2011 Leave a Comment

Knowing What the Answer Should Look Like Is Important

This week I was reminded once again how easy it is to fall into the trap of relying solely on technology and software to come up with the right answer. I’m not terribly old but I do remember having to do long division and multiplication by hand. When I first started in accounting I used multiple ledgers of varying column widths to track accounts and prepare financial statements instead of computers.

Today, it is easy to place too much trust in the tools we have at our disposal. I say this because it is far easier than many might realize to miskey and assume that our software will properly calculate, store and report on the information we put in.

What does this have to do with anything you say? Well, I find that many times people don’t realize a mistake has been made because they don’t have a clue of what the expected outcome should look like. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 1031 Exchanges, IRS Tagged With:
by on November 1, 2011 Leave a Comment

Understanding Multiple Real Estate Investment Strategies Does Make A Difference

This will be short and sweet for a couple reasons. First, tonight’s post is over at BiggerPockets Blog. If you’re not acquainted with it I give my full and energetic endorsement to it. I’ve been writing there for a couple years, or at least in a few weeks. It’s the best membership site for real estate investors in the country.

Anywho, I wrote about an ongoing case study over there this morning. It’s about combining several strategies dynamically to improve your end game results, which is spelled — Retirement Income.

BawldGuy Heads Up: Tomorrow (Wednesday) I’ll be out of touch with the world completely. Gettin’ some dental work done, and they wanna knock me out to do it. Works for me. :)

I’ll be available for calls beginning at noon Thursday. ‘Course by then I’ll be Jonesin’ for a fix. You can help me with that by callin’ me at 619 889-7100. Or you can, if you prefer, send me a note using the Contact BawldGuy button up top. Have a good one.

Filed Under: 1031 Exchanges, Capital Growth, Cash Flow, Depreciation, IRS, Retirement Income
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