All
Members
Companies
Blog
Forums
Podcast
Webinars
    User Log in  /  Sign up
  • Forums
    Newest Posts Trending Discussions Followed Forums Real Estate News & Current Events General Landlording & Rental Properties Buying & Selling Real Estate Deal Analysis See All
  • Education

    Read

    BiggerPockets Blog BPInsights: Expert Analysis Coronavirus Content & Resources Guides Glossary Reviews Member Blogs

    Watch

    Webinars Video Library Financial Independence Blueprint Intro to Real Estate: Rentals

    Listen

    BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast BiggerPockets Money Podcast BiggerPockets Business Podcast Real Estate Rookie Podcast Daily Podcast (Audio Blog)

    Topics

    Business Operations Finance Finding Deals Property Management Property Types Strategy
  • Network

    Recommended Vendors

    Real Estate Agents Mortgage Lenders Companies Hard Money Lenders Contractors Investment Companies

    Search

    Members Events Jobs
  • Tools

    Calculators

    Rental Property Fix and Flip BRRRR Rehab Estimator
    Wholesaling Mortgage Payment 70% Rule Airbnb

    Services

    BPInsights: Property Insights Tenant Screening Property Management Lease Agreement Packages

    New Feature

    BPInsights (beta)

    Quickly analyze a property address or ZIP Code to compare your rent in your neighborhood.

    Analyze a property
  • Find Deals
    Real Estate Listings Find Foreclosures External Link Ads, Jobs, and Other
  • Bookstore

    Real Estate Books

    Profit Like The Pros Bidding to Buy See all books

    Featured Book

    BiggerPockets Wealth Magazine book cover
    BiggerPockets Wealth Magazine

    Written by financial journalists and data scientists, get 60+ pages of newsworthy content, expert-driven advice, and data-backed research written in a clear way to help you navigate your tough investment decisions in an ever-changing financial climate! Subscribe today and get the Oct/Nov issue delivered to your door!

    Get the Magazine
  • Pricing
Log In Sign up
User
Quick search links
Podcast Hard Money Lenders Books New York
BlogArrowPersonal DevelopmentArrowWhat Our Nation’s Founders Can Teach Us About Real Estate Investing
Personal Development

What Our Nation’s Founders Can Teach Us About Real Estate Investing

John Fedro
Expertise: Personal Development, Real Estate Investing Basics, Business Management, Mobile Homes, Real Estate News & Commentary, Landlording & Rental Properties, Mortgages & Creative Financing, Real Estate Marketing
224 Articles Written
memorial-day

Everyone is entitled to their own feelings and unique opinions about what direction the United States may be going and where it should be headed. However, before the United States was ever conceived, it was only an idea based on certain principles and ideals. These principles certainly must have been important to these men at the time.

Want more articles like this?

Create an account today to get BiggerPocket's best blog articles delivered to your inbox

Sign up for free

Below we look at just a few of the principles the founding fathers believed in and how these principles relate to us as real estate investors.

Written Documents Are Essential

There is a reason the Constitution and Bill of Rights are written and recorded for all to see. These papers and signatures show proof of a “meeting of the minds” between all parties involved. Verbal agreements are flimsy and can be easily misinterpreted. As an active real estate investor, you want to make sure all your agreements, addendums, changes in these agreements, etc. are written down, signed, dated, and possibly notarized. As a general business rule, always aim to make sure your agreements are in writing and in easy-to-understand language.

property-management-contract

Private Property Rights Are a Basis of Our Country

The Founders were influenced by Adam Smith and were firm believers in private property rights. As active real estate investors, you are engaging in a tradition that is hundreds of years old. Owning land is good.

The Most Valuable Real Estate is Between Your Ears

James Madison said, “As a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights.” Researchers believe James Madison was referring to when, even if a person owned nothing, he still owned his rights, which is the most valuable property of all.

Related: 4 Influential Business Books Every Entrepreneur Should Be Reading

Question: If you lost all your real estate holdings as a real estate investor, where would you be? Answer: You would be back where you first began your real estate investing career. However, the invaluable firsthand experience building your business cannot be taken away from you.

We’re All Created Equal

This is one of the first principles mentioned by our nation’s founders — the right that people are equal. While we are all born with unique attributes, skills, and privileges (or lack thereof) in life, we all have the same number of minutes in every day. What you choose to do with this time may determine your future happiness and financial stability.

Pro Tip: Outsource what is possible after you have first learned the needed skills involved with investing. On average, you will find brainstorming new ideas, overseeing weekly operations, and making offers to sellers/buyers may be the best use of your time.

owner-financing

Related: 5 Simple Keys to Success I’ve Learned from 10,000 Hours of Investing

The Future Is Coming Whether You Prepare For It Or Not

The founding fathers were men fighting for a cause. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Americans have given their lives to preserve the freedom and beliefs of the American people and way of life. These heroes understood the outcome of tomorrow is a direct result of the actions taken today. As an active real estate investor, you are choosing to commit to the frustrations, anxiety, and successes caused by this business on a daily basis. You are doing this today in preparation for a better tomorrow for yourself and your family. Everyday take action towards your goals.

In conclusion, smile and remember you live in a country where investing in real estate for passive income is possible. Little is holding you back except yourself. Throughout history, the decisions and actions made — and not made — have led to you reading this exact article here today. Go out and create your own history with the same passion and drive our nation’s visionaries wielded.

Did we miss any ideas from our founding fathers that can be related to real estate investing?

Please comment below!

By John Fedro
Investing since 2002, John started in real estate accidentally with a four-bedroom mobile home inside of a pre-existing mobile home park. Over the next 11 months, John added 10 more mobile homes to his cash-flowing portfolio. Since these early years, John has gone on to help 150+ sellers and buyers sell their unwanted mobile homes and obtain a safe and affordable manufactured home of their own. Years later, John keeps to what has been successful—buying, fixing, renting, and reselling affordable housing known as mobile homes. John shares his stories, experiences, lessons, and insights of other successful mobile home investors he helps on his blog and YouTube channel and has written over 300 articles concerning mobile homes and mobile home investing for the BiggerPockets Blog. He has also been a featured podcast guest on BiggerPockets and other prominent real estate podcasts, authored a highly-rated book aimed at increasing the happiness/satisfaction of average real estate investors, and spoken to national and international audiences concerning the opportunities and practicality of successfully investing in mobile homes.
Read more
2 Replies
    Jeffrey Allen Real Estate Investor from Southern, Indiana
    Replied over 4 years ago
    Good Article. My thought – emphasize the importance of good alliances. The Second Continental Congress knew they needed the help of France and/or Spain to be able to defeat the British military. If you’re going to tackle the Goliath that is the real estate market, find good accountants, lawyers, mentors, agents, whoever you need to win the battle. We don’t diminish Independence Day because the Colonial leaders had foreign help; get the job done right instead of trying to do everything yourself.

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel
    Ashley E. Investor from Henderson, Colorado
    Replied over 4 years ago
    I love this advice. I got burned on a deal for a rental property by someone who promised a price drop but decided that ‘oops, since we didn’t put it in writing, I changed my mind.’ The deal ended up not working out because after that I did not trust him with anything else, but had I continued with the sale it was not terms that were verbally agreed to. I get everything in writing now. I would love to be able to trust in words alone but in this business, you want to make stone solid sure that everyone is on the same page, with the same expectations. Leave as little room for misinterpretation or confusion as possible great post!

    Report Abuse

    Why are you reporting this?

    Additional Comments (optional)

    Cancel
Rotate Log in or sign up to comment

Related Blog Posts

Personal Development Jan 06, 2021

Why Some People Will Never Succeed (& Others Always Will)

By Steve Rozenberg

It’s a common error, but one that’s easy to correct. Look forward, rather than back, to set yourself up for success in business and in life.

Read more →

Personal Development Dec 18, 2020

Analysis Paralysis Is Costing You More Than You Think

By Marcus Maloney

Did you achieve everything you wanted to this year? If not, this one significant factor faced by newbies and pros alike may be to blame.

Read more →

Personal Development Dec 11, 2020

The No. 1 Thing You Can Do To Improve Everything in Your Life (Bonus: It’s Ridiculously Easy!)

By Andrew Syrios

The one thing we can all do to improve our skills is the one thing we seem to almost intentionally deprive ourselves of.

Read more →

Personal Development Dec 07, 2020

12 Gifts for Real Estate Investors (That Don’t Suck)

By G. Brian Davis

Ditch boring gift ideas, and try something a little more personalized this holiday season—something befitting the real estate investor you’re shopping for.

Read more →
Log in Sign up

Log in

Forgot password?

If you signed up for BiggerPockets via Facebook, you can log in with just one click!

Log in with Facebook

Or
btn_google_dark_normal_ios Created with Sketch. Continue with Google

Let's get started

We just need a few details to get you set up and ready to go!

Use your real name

Use at least 8 characters. Using a phrase of random words (like: paper Dog team blue) is secure and easy to remember.

By signing up, you indicate that you agree to the BiggerPockets Terms & Conditions.

Or
btn_google_dark_normal_ios Created with Sketch. Continue with Google

Why create an account?

Receive a free digital download of The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing.

Connect with 1,000,000+ real estate investors!

Find local real estate meetups and events in your area.

Start analyzing real estate properties, we do the math for you.

It's free!

Explore

  • Membership
  • Community
  • Education
  • Marketplace
  • Tools
  • FilePlace
  • REI Resources
  • Perks
  • Glossary
  • Reviews
  • iOS App
  • Android App

Company

  • About Us
  • Press
  • Advertising
  • Careers
  • Stats
  • Contact Us

Important

  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Terms of Use
  • Rules
  • Privacy
  • FAQ

Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
© 2004-2021 BiggerPockets, LLC. All Rights Reserved.