Posts by Justin Ford

“Time changes everything except something within us which is always surprised by change.” – Thomas Hardy One of the few constants in real estate is change. Look at any half-dozen “hot” neighborhoods today, and chances are half of them were ghost towns or problem areas 10 or 20 years ago. But it’s not only the…

“God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.” There are three habits that most successful real estate investors practice – habits that just about anyone can develop: 1. Diligence. They…

“Meticulous planning will enable everything a man does to appear spontaneous.” – Mark Caine Every year, Michael Masterson encourages ETR readers to use the first two weeks of January to lay out their goals for the next 12 months. This year, I’m hoping at least some of your goals will have something to do with…

“Fear is a real killer. I try to trudge through the jungle with as little fear as possible.” – William Shockley Last Thursday, I discussed the recent media frenzy about real estate market corrections – the bubble-and-bust phenomenon. I showed examples of headlines claiming that any correction would be mild … or severe … or…

“Be fearful when others are greedy … and greedy when others are fearful.” – Warren Buffett In the last few years, you’d come across dozens of articles about the real estate boom. Today, they’re about bubble and bust. Here’s a smattering from the last week: “The Boom Is Over, but Don’t Expect Big Drops in…

Recently, real estate prices in California reached such ridiculous heights that only 14 percent of the state’s population could afford a median-priced home. In Northern California, only 7 percent could. When the median is out of reach of the middle class, you’ve got a bubble. So what’s a lender to do when the market peaks…

Ankle-high interest rates and low lending standards made everyone a property owner who cared to be one over the last few years. At the same time, all that loose money drove prices to the moon. Home prices nationwide rose nearly 50 percent in the last five years – about twice the long-term average. The hottest…

It was the best of times to buy real estate. It was the worst of times. First, the worst … In Oakland Park, Florida … not far from where I live … you can buy a 35-unit apartment building for $4.5 million. For that price – if you bought this property with 100% cash –…

As a financial editor, I learned to look at stocks like a business. The numbers have to make sense. The price you’re paying has to have some reasonable relationship to the company you’re buying – its sales and earnings. That’s why, before the crash of 2000, I recommended that investors get out of the Nasdaq…

Are you living – and investing – in a bubble neighborhood? Here are the telltale signs … 1. Most people in your neighborhood couldn’t afford to buy their homes today. 2. You haven’t done anything to your house (in fact, it could use a paint job and a new roof), but its still doubled in…

ETR reader Steve M. recently wrote in to ask the following 2-part question: “I finished your Main  Street Millionaire real estate program last year, recently purchased the IRA  program, and have gained some great information to put to use. “I have two questions. First, could you send me a copy of your real estate assessment…