The other day, I was preparing to check my email when a headline on Yahoo!’s homepage caught my eye: Tough Times for Blockbuster. As a fan of Blockbuster’s, I felt compelled to learn why so many of its beloved stores (between 810 and 960!) were closing. As it turns out, several of its stores were becoming unprofitable money pits, no doubt due partly to the success of online rental goliath Netflix and newcomer Red Box—the rental box company taking the nation by storm.
Needless to say, Blockbuster has had to implement several changes necessary to stay competitive in this ever-changing market. Like Netflix, Blockbuster has launched an online, mail-service component. Blockbuster has even started distributing rental box dispensers much like Red Box. The question remains: is this too little too late for the former movie rental giant?
What does this have to do with real estate?
The Blockbuster Saga illustrates how important it is for real estate professionals and investors alike to stay on top of current trends and innovations in the real estate realm.
So, why does the IRS Section 1031 like-kind tax-deferred exchange exist in the first place? After all, doesn’t the government relish every taxable opportunity? While the government is certainly not adverse to taxation, they also use the tax code as a tool, encouraging or discouraging certain acts they deem beneficial or detrimental to the economy. As it turns out, the private sector is pretty darn good at providing housing to society (a lot better than the government). As such, Uncle Sam provides various benefits to real property owners (mortgage interest deductions, real estate investment expense deductions, ability to depreciate, etc.).
I purchased my first investment property in Victorville, CA. It was an REO that looked ok on the outside but I had no idea what I was going to find inside. When I opened the door to take a look inside I couldn’t believe anyone could live in such conditions. The place looked and smelled like a garbage dump. I am not kidding, it literally looked like one. Roaches would cascade down doors I opened them up. I think they were upset that I disturbed their sleep, lol. The previous owners pets no doubt had full range of the house, but especially in this one particular front bedroom. The smell of urine was so bad you needed a gas mask. Even though the property was in need of many repairs it was still a great investment.
Let’s face it, money does not disappear, it changes hands. So where is it? There is so much money sitting on the sidelines or in investments making little or negative returns. Many of these individuals would love to have a double digit return backed by real estate. 
Investing in real estate is just that—INVESTING. Risk comes with the territory. The key to successful real estate investing lies in the analysis and due diligence of a potential income property. When done prudently and methodically, the investor’s risk is not only greatly mitigated, but he or she should have clear line of sight as to the property’s return potential. Sounds relatively straightforward, right? Well, this task becomes much harder when the seller tries to make a monetary gain by feeding on the inexperienced investor’s lack of knowledge or inadequate due diligence. Luckily, we’re all savvy investors at BiggerPockets.com and we know how to spot these seller exaggerations and fallacies. Let’s examine some of the common ones.
I was at an investor’s meeting not too long ago talking with a young, idealistic, newbie investor who brushed off one of my real estate suggestions and told me he was looking for passive income. He wanted -in short order- to work only 4 hours per week. Ahh, yes, the fabled four-hour workweek, I’ve heard of it so many times yet I’ve never actually known anybody who had one, not anybody making any money at least. I think it must be next to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Joshua Dorkin
An Investment Alternative To Consider
by Tom Koziol | July 31, 2009Today I have put on my insurance agent hat and will talk about what I believe to be a good place to invest not only your retirement but spare cash. You can even be retired and get one heck of a deal with this product.
I am talking about the good ole annuity that has had its reputation tarnished but is on its way back to being the star it should be. Because annuities come in a variety of flavors, ie, fixed, single premium immediate income, variable, etc, I’ll stick only to the virtues of fixed and single premium annuities.