Custom Real Estate Blog

"Do the Numbers Work?" When an investor looks at a property to determine if it's a good deal, they are really applying some of their own formulas to rate each home.  That's the easiest way to make a very complicated process EASY.  So read along to learn how to create your own formulas for buying a great rental property. Your Formula Starts With You What is your goal?  This isn't meant to be a tough question, but like most people that are considering real estate as an investment vehicle, you want to build a larger retirement nest egg.  That's a fine place to start, but let's make it an official goal by deciding on some specifics.  How much revenue do you want to make in a given time period?  To keep things moving, let's say that you want to make 100k every 5 years. Acquisition Formula Every home has a "sale value" and a "rental value".  If a home is for sale for 100k and rents for 500 dollars per month, that's...

It's NOT easy finding a good builder.  Some are too big to do budget custom builds, others too small to depend on.  Out of 30 builders I called in March, only one stood out.  While most retail builders  never even returned my call, he was willing to meet me for coffee. The hardest part of sizing someone up is figuring out who the man is behind "the job title".  I think we have all presented the best version of ourselves in job interviews, dating or high school reunions.  So the first step in any good "size-up" is to ask lots of questions, many levels deep, to get to the real stuff.    The year is 1989, and TW and his wife are babysitting the children of a young couple who just moved into their new home.  Funny enough, in college he had studied child development, so he often offers to watch his clients' kids so their parents can have a night out to celebrate their new home.  These people must have really loved TW, because th...

Have you ever DREAMED of building a Custom Home but assumed it would require a large down payment? A Home Designed to Fit You & Your Budget...  Build Your Dream Home NOW! Finally regular buyers can get a truly custom home because of low down payment, one-time close construction loans!  Find that perfect piece of land in the perfect location, design your Custom Perfect home and then wrap it all into one easy loan product! For far too long, buyers with only 3-5% to put down have had to settle for pre-existing floor plans or homes.  Why compromise on the place where you spend so much of your life?  NOW you can design your new home exactly the way you want it... YOUR Style & Design with all the floor plan, layout, features and amenities that fit How You Do Life ! Your Own Custom Perfect Spaces! What will you put in YOUR Custom Home? Master retreats, kitchens straight out of Pinterest or HGTV! Guest houses for an aging parent . ...

If your parents are in their “golden years”, chances are they will need help maintaining their independence someday soon.  So let’s take a few minutes and explore all their options so you can collaborate with them to figure out what is the best fit. We will summarize each option based on your loved one’s physical and mental abilities as well as the estimated monthly cost for each type of facility. INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITIES Courtesy of Discovery Village at Twin Creeks (Allen) Physical/Mental Abilities High, minimal lifestyle support required. Overview Independent living communities are a great place for active, healthy seniors who no longer want the responsibility of taking care of their own house.  If normal physical activities are no problem for your parents, then they will enjoy the company of other seniors through various social activities. The living arrangements are typically multi-story buildings similar to apartment complexes with elevators ...

On Netflix, there is a movie with Kurt Russell as Santa Claus.  So I watched it (with the kids of course), but it had a slightly different twist on how Santa is able to get to ALL the kids of the world in one night.  “The Christmas Chronicles” movie used a time machine gimmick to slowww time down to get the presents delivered.  And THAT got me thinking… How can we slow down and enjoy this season? Option 1:  Study the Department of Motor Vehicles, libraries and school detention to find out how they have mastered the art of making time drag on and on. Option 2:  Tap into Einstein's theory of relativity to change how we perceive time and simplify our focus on the best parts of this Christmas. Ahaaa! Courtesy of LiveScience.com, the theory of relativity.... " The theory is deceptively simple. First, there is no "absolute" frame of reference. Every time you measure an object's velocity, or its momentum, or how it experiences time, it's alwa...

Where Do Family Holiday Memories Happen? Written by Gloria Vester This time of year we tend to reminisce about all the great holidays we have spent with our families.  Time washes our memories with it's healing powers as we tend to remember more of the good times than the unpleasant ones.  Which  favorite holiday memories first come to mind?     I remember the big family dinners, especially the day before preparation.  All the women in the kitchen, each assigned tasks based on their strengths.  Some cleaning the silver and washing the crystal, others making the hor d'oeuvres - pimento cheese stuffed celery, chips and dips, vegetable trays.  Sill others preparing the main course and side dishes for the next day.  The laughter and conversations, catching up on what has been going on in each family group during the past year.  And of course there was wine and cocktails.   Then on the day of the big meal, the wo...

Every Thanksgiving, I have my routine.  As the heavenly smells start coming from the kitchen, it's only natural for me to sneak in and grab a quick bite of whatever tasty dish my wife is cooking up.  She doesn't mind, and even kinda encourages it.  A little sip here, a bite there and she makes me feel like I've contributed in some way to the process.  But growing up, My Mom didn't allow this type of collaboration (which is probably why I enjoy it so much now).  She would say, "When it's Finished!" That's what I heard, over and again.  What helped her cause was that my childhood home only had an 80 to 90 square foot kitchen , so it's not like I could make my way in there without being noticed.  If only it was slightly larger, maybe towards the middle of the floor plan and not locked away in the corner of the house.  THEN I would have been more welcome, and what chef wouldn't like a little bit of company as they experiment on different flavors ...