One thing I wish I knew early on is how powerful relationships are in this business.

A 3–5 gallon tank heater is cheap, tough, and works every timeThe small tanks:✔ Use very little power✔ Plug into standard 120v or small 240v✔ Cost $150–$250✔ Are easy to replace✔ Heat water fast✔ Require no fancy wiring✔ Don’t care about flow rate swingsEven though they keep water hot all day, the total kWh usage is tiny because the water mass is so small.For sporadic sink usage, the cost difference on your electric bill is negligible.5.

They are a large company that has buying power and a network of contractors realtors and others to do the work. the owner, Zach also here on BiggerPockets and has a stellar reputation for customer serviceFor cons - people will view some companies in a negative light because of this, but the reality is the individual who is thinking negatively is typically inexperienced and doesn't understand the businessbut....this is a reality as someone who has been in this space for almost 30 years.Contractors realtors, and others one day could be an A player and do great work.

If you’ve been in real estate for a while, you’ve probably heard people talk about Real Estate Professional Status (REPS)— but most investors still don’t fully understand what it means or how powerful it can be.Here’s the simple version:If you qualify for REPS, the IRS allows you to treat your rental income and losses as active instead of passive.That means depreciation, cost segregation, and other real estate losses can actually offset your other income — even W-2 income.For full-time investors or spouses who manage their properties, that can mean tens of thousands of dollars in tax savings every single year.To qualify, you need to:- Must materially participate in their rental activities.- Spend over 750 hours a year in real estate activities.- And more than half of your total working time must be in real estate.It’s not for everyone — and you have to document it properly — but for serious investors, it’s one of the most valuable tax tools out there.Most people think wealth in real estate comes from appreciation and cash flow…But the biggest gains often come from how you use the tax code.Curious — have you or your spouse ever tried to qualify for Real Estate Professional Status?

A property’s context is more powerful than the property itself.

The power imbalance just isn't there.

This only becomes powerful when you hyper localize it like Jaycee said.

Because every winter there are storms and we lose power for a couple days and the pipes can freeze. 

Fix it with a simple system: pick one clear target for the next 90 days, block two power hours on your calendar weekly for only high‑leverage tasks analyzing deals, making offers, building your team, and hold yourself accountable with a quick weekly review what moved the needle, what didn’t, what’s next.

For those unfamiliar, Claude Code is Anthropic's command-line tool for agentic coding - it's definitely more of a power-user interface compared to the standard AI chats.