OK, that picture was taken just before puck drop at the Leafs game last night.
And it was the last time we were smiling all night.
We stayed until the score hit 6-0 in the third and then got up and made our way home.
That was sad, that was a complete debacle.
Heck, when it comes to the Leafs I may not be smiling again for a long-long-long-long time.
If you’re reading this and you’re not a Leafs fan then just count your lucky stars because that game last night was the most depressing playoff sporting showcase you’ll ever see…and we saw it live and in-person! Ah!!
What a horror show.
OK, moving on….
Let’s discuss other horror shows we’ve endured, LOL!
We’ll stay on theme!
Here’s a partial list of real estate horror shows we’ve survived over the years:
None of those are actually that bad.
We have others, LOL!
And, in the moment, any sort of issue is horrible to deal with for sure.
But upon further analysis things get super interesting…
Nick took the time a while ago to calculate how many hours we have spent dealing with property issues compared to the cash flow and equity we’ve gained from those properties.
And it turns out that each phone call we had to deal with or issue we had to handle was worth thousands of dollars an hour to us.
So if we spent one hour dealing with something on a property…that hour was worth thousands of dollars in income and/or equity to us at the end of the year.
Nick has this line where he says…
Whoever deals with the most sh$t wins.
And it’s true.
For our lives anyway.
Now that we have held properties for 25 years or so we are reaping the rewards.
The financial security that a paid off property or two can provide with the equity and the amount of free cash flow is really something else.
Today, we’re fortunate to be able to travel often.
We get to visit our relatives around the world every year.
We get to explore new cities, escape the snow, or go on ski vacations, take trips with friends, go on a cruise with clients, attend conferences that interest us around the world…and we get to do it with our families.
And the formula has been simple:
Step #1 Buy a good property in a good area. Step #2 Respect the tenants and their requests. Respond quickly. Step #3. Keep the property clean, safe and functional.
That’s it.
Shocking, no?
That’s the whole formula.
And this simple formula works for others too.
Check out this feedback that just came in this week,
“…So with everything we learned from you guys and other things we learned from books and so on, we forged ahead and dared to delve into real estate investing. We didn’t even tell our friends and families because we didn’t want to hear all the negativity. Well needless to say it has been the best thing we have ever done in our lives! I want to thank you guys for your help getting us going. We now own several rental homes…”
How cool is that?
They retired early. They’re living life on their terms.
Is real estate a pain? Yeah, sometimes.
Does it take work? Absolutely.
Are there problems to deal with? For sure.
Is it worth it? Ah, yes.
There are just way too many negative people out there who will keep you from your financial goals.
If you want to jump on the next Introductory Class we’re doing you can register for it right here.
And the best part about diving into real estate investing?
It forces you to learn about money, central banking, interest rates and more.
That’s when things get really fun.
With that knowledge you can unleash a financial firestorm of greatness that will change your life forever.
More on that another day.
Enjoy the Spring weather, everyone!!
Tom & Nick
p.s. I will be retiring my Leafs jersey for yet another season shortly. We’ll wait until it’s official this Friday or Sunday but it’s feeling inevitable…those Leafs, they get me every year!!
