Posts by Justin Ford

“Life is not meant to be easy, my child; but take courage – it can be delightful.” – George Bernard Shaw “Business is easy,” according to Sam Zell. “If you’ve got a low downside and a big upside, you do it. If you’ve got a big downside and a small upside, you run away.” That…

“Money is like manure; it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around encouraging young things to grow.” – Thornton Wilder I just wrote a check to a doctor friend of mine for $54,073. Thankfully, it wasn’t for a medical procedure. I was returning his $30,000 investment and distributing a $24,073 profit to him –…

“Everything flows and nothing abides, everything gives way and nothing stays fixed.” – Heraclitus Fourteen months ago, I bought a four-plex for $265,000. Yesterday, I sold it for a $111,237 profit. Why do I tell you this? Because I live in one of the worst real estate markets in the country. I’m in Southeast Florida.…

“If by fire of sooty coal th’ empiric alchymist Can turn, or holds it possible to turn, Metals of drossiest ore to perfect gold.” – John Milton When you buy a property “all cash,” it doesn’t have to be all your cash. In fact, none of it has to be. In the most general sense,…

“Never underestimate the value of cold cash.” – Gregory Nunn As a real estate investor, there will come a time when you will be in a position to buy properties with all cash. You may have profits from selling a long-term hold or a short-term flip. You may build up equity and get credit lines.…

“Buy land. They ain’t making any more of the stuff.” – Will Rogers One of the great things about rental property of any kind – apartments, office, industrial, or retail – is that, after you’ve built up your portfolio, there comes a point where you have thousands of dollars pouring into your mailbox each month.…

 “If you’d know the power of money, go and borrow some.” – Benjamin Franklin The two most important elements to a successful real estate investment are buying right and financing right. In that order. I’ve talked about buying right in these pages many times. Let me talk about borrowing right. The best way to borrow…

“The darkest hour is that before the dawn.” – Euripides Like it or not, we are entering a time when a growing number of properties will be unloaded at bargain-basement prices and a handful of investors will make a fortune. Let me explain… The last time real estate died was in the late ’80s. The…

“Brother, can you spare a dime?” – Yip Harburg I probably left over $1 million on the table during my first years as a real estate investor. I remember the four-unit I could have gotten for $160,000 that sold for $300,000. The duplex a block from the heart of downtown, not yet listed on the…