Hi David - good read, thanks for sharing. I have a 22 year career in real estate - most of that in Austin. I've found for me as sort of a self made person if you can say that - I had 0 family support so that's why I say that. But anyways, it is about personal growth and knowing what skills and values you bring to the world. That's an ongoing journey for sure but isn't it about enjoying our days, and those add up to a fulfilling week, months, and year which add up to a fulfilling life. I've found that if I put those big rocks in the jar first, then my life is much more full. I say all of this b/c although real estate is fairly slow moving and steady (compared to other investments), it is a market, and it does change. And real estate deals can sometimes be very profitable and sometimes not so profitable, so it helps me to do the deeper work and come from values based decisions and enjoy life.
All of that being said, RE has been my mosaic. And as I've grown as a person, my ability to make better real estate deals for myself and my family have grown too. One example of that in my life is that I no longer do any construction. I do all new construction projects and I do modular. I use what I'm good at - market selection/prediction, product type, maximize design & costs/sf, and team development. The latter has been one I've worked on for a lifetime - it's been a hard one for me...for some, it's the easy part but it wasn't for me.
Using the above formulas, my projects are easier and more profitable than ever. One other thing - I think it's a Warren Buffet idea but my basic philosophy about playing the real estate game is - when people are buying, I'm selling and when the market is selling (off), I'm buying.
Thanks again for sharing your story, it's great to be sharing the journey.
