As the headline implies, this is the third column in a series about real estate investing. I started with single-family homes, moved to duplexes and four-plexes, and now I’m on to small apartment complexes (residential real estate with 5-12 units). These come with advantages and disadvantages; they have a better price-to-income ratio than the smaller … Read more
Whenever I discuss the tax benefits of investing in real estate, I start with this disclaimer: I am not a tax professional and I am not giving advice here. My goal is to provide ideas for you to discuss with your tax professional. If you’re looking for a long-term investment, real estate is a great … Read more
You may have noticed that we finally have some new businesses in town. The old Masonite property north of town, developed by Ross Liberty, has attracted a landscaping supply company, Rhys Vineyards, and a potential hotel, restaurant, and gas station. The landscape business is especially noteworthy because the owner is from Ukiah. Years ago, he … Read more
A few years back, I wrote some columns on real estate investing. Since then, I’ve been asked about the tax benefits and other upsides of owning income properties, so here’s a bit more information. If you are a business owner interested in owning your own office building, a property manager who wants to own your … Read more
Last week, I shared information about hard-money loans, which are loans that often work when conventional loans won’t. This week, I’ll talk about buying and selling notes secured by real estate, a close cousin to real estate-backed, hard-money loans. If you sold a property and carried the financing, you are now the proud owner … Read more
Each week I ask for recommendations for column topics, and this week I received an excellent suggestion from Realty World agent and Ukiah’s rookie agent of the year Tanya Gilmore, who wants to help people of her generation think ahead and make wise investments. She rightly pointed out that many people are waiting until their … Read more
Whether you’re investing in real estate, the stock market, mutual funds or loans backed by real estate, you want your money working for you, maximizing your overall financial health. If you’re an investor, at the very least your goal is to find an investment with a rate of return higher than the bank would pay … Read more
Believe it or not, when you turn on the tap at home, water doesn’t just magically appear. It depends on a well somewhere, whether it’s a well on your property, a private water district, or at a municipal site. Almost all the water we use comes from wells. For this article, I’m going to talk … Read more