Thoughts on real estate

By Alexander Bermudez  How many times have you heard the statement, “ If only I had bought property, back when it was so cheap”? Even the most successful real estate investors have been known to mutter these words from time to time. Suffice to say, the best time to buy has always been in the past...

By Alexander Bermudez Now that we have discovered the miracle of compounding property values, it may be a good time to discuss the inherent shortfalls of real estate.   Remember all investments harbor risk, in the case of real estate; the lack of liquidity is its Achilles Heel.   Liquidity is a t...

By Alexander Bermudez In this increasingly material world we live in, many people find themselves living beyond their means, and the prospect of investing takes a back seat to consumption. Ironically wealth is so coveted by our society, many people, not disciplined enough to invest, take the easy...

What is the one thing you are most concerned about regarding the current real estate market? Anonymous Dear Anonymous, The problems we face in Real Estate today, were spurred out of a global, low yield environment, due to the lowering of interest rates by the Fed and other central Banks around th...

If you are a real estate investor, what kind of cap rate do you look for? Anonymous   Dear Anonymous, "Capitalization Rates" much like "Gross Rent Multipliers" are useful as a preliminary measure of any given building's ability to create cash-flow, relative to other available properties. Differen...

We have seen how raising oil prices have affected the auto industry, how do you foresee the high prices of oil affecting the real estate industry? Anonymous Dear Anonymous, No other city in the world has embraced the automobile as enthusiastically as Los Angeles and its satellite communities. The...

  How Can I Start Flipping houses? Anonymous   Dear Anonymous, I strongly believe in adding value to real estate, through rehabilitation and redevelopment. This simple idea has been the foundation of my investment strategy over the past several years. However it is important to note, our firm foc...

I am writing an article on the dangers of trying to time the real estate market or the pros and cons of a first time homebuyer buying a home now. Anonymous   Dear Anonymous, Buying at the absolute bottom in the Stock Market, a highly liquid, publicly quoted, market is difficult, to say the least....

There are a lot of hassles to owning rental property: late rent checks, maintenance expenses, insurance, vandalism, etc. Is it better to own REITs instead? There are six REITs that pay MONTHLY dividends, for consistent income, and have the same total return on investment as apartment buildings. A...

In balance, do most of the people that you deal with feel like the US Commercial Real Estate Market is a) softening to the point that better value opportunities are available, or b) has a long way to go before any real value opportunities are out there - therefore today's value opportunities will...