Jim Lord's (jimlordaz) Blog

I was 15 or 16 years old at the time moving our family sail boat from the San Francisco area to L.A. with my Dad. It was about a 3 hour trip from Redwood City, where our boat was in a marina to the Bay Area, we left around 3 a.m. when the tide was high enough for the keel of our 33 foot Yorktown ...

I have been in the real estate industry for 17 years and in construction for almost 30 years (wow, I feel old now). I currently own a company which has over 24 properties and is acquiring more each month. I have flipped more homes than I can honestly count and have owned enough rentals to make mo...

Did you know you can buy a house without any credit and without a lot of money?  There are several avenues to do this. Today we will just focus on one that I personally know very well. While I have used others many times in business, I purchased my personal home 14 years ago with a lease to purch...

Many, if not most, credit Thomas Edison with our modern electrical systems however none would be possible without Nikola Tesla. Tesla was an engineer who came to America with a dream continuing his work for the great Thomas Edison at Menlo Park. At the time, Edison was working on a design for wha...

In 1968, a Minnesota based company was trying to invent a new type of adhesive and did, although they initially believed it to be somewhat worthless. The inventor, a chemist by the name of Spencer Silver had invented a glue which was strong enough to hold light weight items together but weak enou...

  So today I thought I would explain how to help a buyer who did not qualify find a home and save your commission.  There are several avenues to do this. Today we will just focus on one that I personally know very well. While I have used others many times in business, I purchased my personal home...

More on the lease to purchase. How to set the purchase price? This can be complicated as the purchase may not take place for several years. The way I have personally done this, on a case by case basis, has been based on market inflation rates. I have in the past based my sale price on a 3% increa...

Let’s talk about reverse mortgage. I read on various forums all the time people making complaints regarding real estate schools and how they just prepare for the test. I explained to someone last week that if you pay attention in these classes, there are hidden treasures uncovered by very few, wa...

I do a budget FIRSTI have found that most clients look for a flip with the price of the flip in mind. I personally do not care about the price, I worry about my budget. My budget takes into account three things, the price of construction, hold time and interest on my money. I use an excel spreads...

TIME, Budget, PriceOften people misunderstand what the most important part of a flip is, I will tell you it is time. Nothing matters except turning the flip quickly. Actually every banker will tell you, get out of the deal and get your money working for you again.  Hold time will kill your deal f...