All Forum Posts by: Lukas Zupan

@Ronan Donnelly Fair enough haha! How long have you been an investor?

@Shannon Wright What a powerful story and thank you for sharing with me and those on this thread. What transitioned you from all that....THAT to being on BP?

@Brent Paul Great to hear! I'm very fond of cash flow myself :D

@Luke Saglimbeni 100% agree, and many people's lives would change if they just kept what you said in mind - that everything is subjective to your own personal life and context... Thanks for the book rec ;) It's definitely a good one.

@Timothy W. Haha I laughed because my SO is Cuban and her family has Brazilian history/context. ;) I think I'd be happy in Sunny Florida too, I certainly enjoyed the weather in Miami last February! After reading about your comment on meditation I just realize we have a lot of similar interests haha.

I also love your vision for your human trafficking safe haven. It's such a powerful vision and something also close to my heart. I have a lot of empathy for those who are abducted in part because they are their to satisfy the demand created by consumer porn. Absolutely vile industry and certainly a noble cause to champion the protection and empowerment of those people.

@Dagan Flowers No way! Do you live here in Oklahoma? Several friends of mine invest specifically in Norman :)

@

@Kyle Kentala Wow! That's crazy insane. Detroit is kinda market of its own anyway haha...

That regret is exactly why I am on my way to mastering private money. Are you still actively investing now??

@Craig Jeppesen Woot! Investor in Idaho! (i have family in ID) What has your investing journey looked like since then? Do you still own that rental?

@Greg Moore That's what you do man! Learn lessons and get wiser. Thank you for sharing the wisdom you've learned for everyone on this thread. I really appreciate it. What types of deals do you invest in today?

@Joshua Mellor Interesting...if I may ask because I'm curious, what first led you to pause your investing and then now made you decide to start again?

What impact have those rentals had on your life since you bought them?

@Nicole Heasley Beitenman Aww I really appreciate your encouraging ways. Thank you for that, very thoughtful. I'm just trying my best to choose to learn from other people! So many fantastic people with experiences to learn from and listen too!

@Bob Prisco Thank you for taking the time to comment on this thread and share your incite. Are you still actively investing? (Merry Christmas to you too!)

@Jess White Thanks for interacting with this thread. I'm super curious based on where you live because your market and your state, in general, is just so different from many places in the US...what do you invest in/how do you do it?

@Joe Splitrock Thanks for getting back to me! I can see where you are coming from based on your perspective and experiences...

What other things have you noticed about this market?

@Mairim Aguayo Awww! Congrats on your child at the time :D As far as your journey, fret not about being too late...It's never too late to start and I can say that you are doing an amazing thing by even being on this website! There is a lot to learn here, but certainly SO MANY strategies and opinions, etc that sometimes BiggerPockets can be a bit overwhelming to someone starting out.

My biggest suggestions are to just keep networking and learning from people. I would look for local meetups and REIA (real estate investor association). Most are free and some have a small "door fee" but are generally worth going to just to be open to learning. Most investors and "successful" people just want to help you grow. Some meetings bring in "experts" that sell courses, which can be worth it but are not generally necessary so early in your journey.

Don't get discouraged if everything seems new and overwhelming, you will learn *a lot* of information. If you've never been immersed in this environment much before there are a lot of things you will learn and hear about money and finance that just go against what you've likely been taught before.

Outside of networking locally I would also suggest that you learn to LOVE READING. Reading books is one of the most simple things you can do to connect "directly" to a "mentor" (the author) that is much further along and an expert at their field. If you haven't read Rich Dad Poor Dad yet, which is kind of the standard first suggestion for a real estate investor I would read that. it's just a good introduction. Go to unloxinvestors.com for a resource page on how to get any book for free.

A huge part of your journey will be just educating yourself. There are many ways to "safely" get no-money-down deals and most of it has to do with you knowing enough to buy your property right in the first place. If you have specific questions or if you'd like I'd be more than happy to share what I know about how you could finance your first property acquisition through direct messaging.

I want my last thoughts here to be an encouragement to you. This is a big community of mostly like-minded people that you've plugged into, but out there in the world you are already a rarity. You want to learn and grow and not just accept your lot in life. Better yet, you've already taken action! Just stay curious and asking questions - I look forward to seeing your successes!

@Jaron Walling Erm...cough cough. I'm glad you are aware of it. Most people think it's a great deal :P (actually I take it back most people know something's off...they just take it anyway and don't think for themselves. Soooo....what is your investor journey like now?

@Corey Hawkinson Haha, @Wesley Kyle Schmidt I was thinking the same thing. (btw I'm replying to my "page 4" responses so I'm not sure if the gray duck (goose) rant has already happened but I'm still curious to hear Corey's take on it.

@Guy Foret Thanks for sharing for the benefit of people enjoying this thread, including the details of your life I'm sure are very personal to you. It's completely understandable that your marital situation would have impacted you and your investing, I'm just happy to see you take your lessons in stride and learn and grow from that place to where you are now. I can already tell you are setting yourself up to be very successful and I know you can hit your goals. Of course being aware and careful not to over-leverage, you may have an advantage with your W2 as far as getting financing. Bankers like that better than people who are like "no no, trust me...I know it looks like I make nothing on paper but I really do!!" Banking is something I haven't yet mastered, but I'm learning what I can asap! Money is already a made-up thing - and I plan to borrow as much as possible ;) (being savvy about it of course)

Great job on your recent acquisition. 

@Meir Greenblatt @Michael P. Yes thank you for that video ;) Also Michael I really appreicate you interacting with this thread and encouraging others from a point of your successes.

@Steven Lowe That does indeed sound like something I'd never want to repeat either. How has it impacted what you are doing today?

@Account Closed Another great nugget for the readers of this thread to take to heart, as many of my experienced investor friends are also preparing for what comes next by having cash on hand! Are you actively buying right now?

@Margie Kohlhaas I'm so happy to hear you acknowledge the success you had despite what Dave and them might say... I personally believe if you are savvy about it you could not only always be leveraged but always grow the amount of debt you have - because as I'm sure you've learned that debt paid for by assets is not true "debt" in an accounting sense. Anyway haha I won't go rant about my pet peeves regarding Ramsey-type advice :P and 401k myths but...

I am really curious what you are up to now, are you still actively investing? You guys do it so different in Cali vs a midwestern rental market like mine here in OKC.

@John Jones I appreciate you not only posting on this thread but that this is your first post on BP! :D I'm honored. Thanks for sharing your story too, are you just now getting into the REI scene?

@Andrey Y. at this point I assume you have a super personal connection to divorce?

Been a crazy couple of days for me but I have some time today to finally reply to you all! :D

@Karl B. That is such a cool story brother! I can completely understand wanting to have a more predictable income, and controlling better where that comes from haha. I remember when I first learned about real estate...it was probably from a kinda scammy traveling guru thing. (but I knew nothing about it so I wasn't aware enough to be suspicious.)

Residential is what I've learned and certainly what I'm most masterful at as far as finding deals and selling, however commercial and multi-family is what I'm working on right now because I think buying those myself better fits my long-term goals. Congratulations on your recent property acquisition. We get a lot of California money here in Oklahoma too. More stable and higher cashflow rental market. How long do you anticipate buying property? Always?

@Michaela G. I'm glad you are plenty aware of your own vision and know that you are plenty settled. Besides, the life you live right now and plan to in 3 years is only an un-achievable dream to some people. I think too many just want "1000 houses!" or "a million dollars!" without really thinking about what it will take to make them happy. Blessings!

@Frank Chin This is one of the coolest recollections I've read so far, thank you for sharing! It's very satisfying to me that you were aware enough about the previous market cycle that you were able to relatively "predict", but more accurately just be ready for this one. How does the story continue? When prices plummetted did you dump the cash into cheap property?

@Ammanuel S. Haha, me too, though even younger! I knew there was a reason we were moving from Vegas to Oklahoma, but completely oblivious to everything! How did you become an investor that's now here on BP?

@Cassi Justiz Thanks for telling me about your story, I enjoyed learning that about you. Ultimately I'm super glad it had an impact on you because otherwise you might not be the super-star investor you are today! Where do you anticipate your journey taking you now?

@Dagan Flowers I love this topic too! (I love learning from peoples firsthand experience and about them too) Thank you for participating, I'm super glad you started investing because you are definitely working towards a more secure retirement. :) Keep buying assets brother and you will be free long before you "retire"! Do you have any goals for the future?

@Jay Hinrichs Very inciteful, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. And yes I totally agree, it's likely we will see new "highs" for values. And haha I laughed when you mentioned your disclaimer that your dev isn't the easiest in the world...do people tell you or think that it is? I have a tendency to believe nothing is really easy or hard...more accurately familar vs unfamilar. I agree banks seem to be more conservative - I think the easiest I've seen is refi-ing on already bough-right and cash-flowing properties. (which is why I love being an investor and I love private money...freeeee moneeeey)

What other things have you noticed about this market?

(also to your comment towards Andrey, I think it's awesome you choose to live your experiences earlier, and appreciate just how much better everyone lives now compared to in previous years...I'm looking forward to the ever-changing present and future)

@Scott Anderson That is super cool! Frank a few replies before you was able to do the same thing. What are you up to these days?

@Luke Saglimbeni I can easily see that - having a degree is so credible to so many people... just having that has given you an edge I'm sure with a lot of people. I don't think I'll ever be one of those people...(having a degree) I dropped out of college haha...

What is a goal you want to accomplish with real estate investing? Have you already achieved it?

@Brent Paul OOOOOH Brent you learned a super valuable lesson the hard way, and it's super cool you didn't let it beat you down. (don't be emotional about investing) 

Are you buying rentals and investing still today?

@Roy N. Haha Roy you got me laughing right off the bat on your post. Firstly because I also think this is an interesting thread so far too, how it's developed...what people are like etc...

Next got me laughing with your "haircut" comment haha. I also think it's cool of you to quit the traveling around to spend time with your new family at the time (congrats) I hope real estate has been freeing finanically for you. Keep at it brother! And thank you for interacting with this interesting threat ;)

@Whitney Hutten I think anyone reading this thread should benefit from the wisdom of something you mentioned...which is the amazing power of cashflow. Very happy you choose to learn your hard lessons so that you could be better prepared and I'm glad that has paid off for you. Hopefully you know this, but you can also buy property with your HSA and Retirement accounts to increase them tax-free.

What are your plans for the future?

@Timothy W. Super cool story Tim. You are such a cool person for taking that moment with the street bum and deciding to have a different outcome. Most people never understand that they choose their own fate always through their actions...

8k for 500/mo is also definitely crushing it haha. I'm not surprised those Israeli investors wanted a piece of something remotely close to those numbers. Most properties in Israel get around a 2% annual return, some even less. Stay prepared and making smart moves man! Do you have any dreams you want to accomplish through your exploits?

@Billy Smith Boom! Probably a good time to buy. Are you still active today?

@Shawn Frick Are you still investing?

@John Sharpe Woah....it's fascinating to me how you put that... "you could hear a pin drop" Definitely sounds eery. Ultimately I couldn't agree with you more about your concluding statement, being secure and smart with your investments.

How did you go from that story to being an active investor?

@Andrey Y. YES! YES! AND MORE YES! Everyone reading this thread should take a moment to savour what you just wrote because I couldn't agree more. Even entrepreneurs, which most of us are in "the game" so that we can be free to live life often forget or neglect that part of themselves. Being an investor making more money than a typical 9-5er but not being able to live is *still* being a slave in my mind. This is why I appreciate books like "the 4-hour workweek" and the like, which take a step back to say "hey! Remember why you want to be financially free and don't forget to enjoy that."

Thank you for interacting with this thread, I appreciate you! :)

@Nick Gann I'm guessing the quote is just using what you said, but the mention is when someone is directly replying back to you...?

@Joe Splitrock I appreciate you so much for taking the time to articulate such a detailed and thoughtful interaction to this thread. I definitely agree with what you're saying, especially the catalyst for the crash which was indeed built on bad loans. Complete ****. The reckless lending practices that were going on were fueled by greed.

If you are interested, there is a movie called "the big short" which does a pretty good job of going into this topic specifically. Essentially it was these "MSB's" and "CDO's" that ultimately triggered the default rates that we saw tank the market in 08. A huge factor were the vast amounts of adjustable rate mortgages, which were just one of the kinds of ****** loans that made it possible for "anyone that breathes" to get a mortgage. (as you mentioned) Anyway, the majority of those adjustable rates kicked in in 07 and the market wobbled and superficially stood up until 08 when it became a more widely acknowledged event.

One such "marker" that indicates a similar vibe for this current time - those same types of **** loans are already around again, and we are starting to see even more and more pop up again. Why? Because the market is so good, we have record unemployment etc! The "10 year cycle" may be a bit of an overplayed tune, and of course I agree that it is not a hard rule (as we've seen) but it's origin is in the reality of observing trends.

There are already ungodly amounts of "no-doc", "stated income", "ARM" loans etc being issued again. Why? Because almost immediately after the crash and US taxpayers ultimately bailed wall street out, (again) those very same people started doing the same thing that triggered the last crash - they created more "CDO's" again. They called it something else, yes, but it's the same product. Many if not most of the same markers that set us up for 08 are already in place tenfold again. If anything we have even more potential triggers, or at the very least, contributers to the "impending" correction. National GDP vs Debt ratio, -interest rates, astronomical consumer debt etc... 

Granted I use the term "impending" lightly, which could be 2020, or maybe not for years... "relatively close" for those keeping eyes peeled would have been more accurate. 

@Mike Dymski put it well earlier today by saying:

"I don't have a crystal ball; so, I invest throughout the cycle. I just pivot my strategy to what the market bears."

This is a very prudent way to look at it. There are markers and trends to watch that can loosely "predict", sure. Is it likely? No. Was it predicted before? Yes, in '08. I myself would certainly not say I could predict the exact timing... I'm only here to prepare myself. Be prepared. Ultimately in some ways perhaps the market has never recovered... it's kinda like a 1031 exchange haha. The consequences of government follies are merely being delayed and delayed again and again... You said it so well yourself Joe when you were talking about how hard it would be to predict. I personally am not going to try my luck at that haha. I think it's so very cool that you've been investing since 2004, you have a different perspective than others do - personal experience.

I'm often content to leave politics out of conversations simply because of how polarizing it is, but Trump has certainly (bias) been a major cause of the "good times" vibes we've got going on right now.

I suppose I could only conclude my reply by saying that my hope is to go gung ho buying assets haha! (soooooon)

Again I just want to express how much I appreciate you bringing your thoughts to this thread! 

Btw...should I gather that you are a Yankees fan? Or was that just an example? :P

@Michael Ealy Yeeeeess!!!

I love this:

"It was one of the best times of my investing career.

I was buying when everyone were selling."

That is my attitude, and my goal. I was 8 years old when this last happened, I can't wait to aggressively gobble up deals when this happens on my watch now!

Also, being out of Oklahoma here in the heart of the midwest I can also relate to my market being "late to the party". Like...all national "parties" ;)

When I look back at my time after the next correction I want to be able to quote my new friend Michael by saying, "I am not worried at all because I bought my properties RIGHT."

Thanks for the words of wisdom brother. We should make some money together sometime ;)

@Michaela G. Thank you so much for participating in this thread with me :D I've enjoyed your wise tidbits.

@Ryan Luby First off...congrats on your marriage! Thanks for going into the details, of which I'm sure there are many more. It was fun to learn about your investing journey. I can say that working under and partnering up with an investor ahead of you is smart for sure. I also love how you seemed to just take the "lay off" in stride. You were definitely ready to move on and capable of doing it. I can tell you are curious and respectful and you pay attention and ask questions etc...all great ingredients of successful entrepreneur. You got this! So cool that BP has made such a huge impact on your life. 

@Kristopher Kyzar I don't even know you xD but I'm SO PROUD OF YOU for taking action man! I started my RE investment career with joint ventures too - and it's a great learning experience. I don't regret that at all, I loved it. Just keep doing what you are doing brother, and buy assets. You got this! What, may I ask...brought you to BP?

@Wesley Whitehead Super glad you decided to take action! Reading is awesome... and podcasts and such. But I've noticed not much comes of just reading. Keep going brother, financial freedom is around the corner for you if you keep it up!

@Mike Dymski I always love to see people who take responsibility for their lives so strongly. (which is kinda sad it's not completely redundant) But kudos regardless. You are definitely one of my favorite people I've interacted with on BP so far ;) I'm glad you just invest as the cycle progresses, pivoting and changing accordingly. Great job and I appreciate you for interacting with this thread.

@Alvin Uy Boom! 'nough said, It's cool you are aware enough to realize what doesn't fit your goals.

Also great strategy with your investing and localized focus. I often tell people who ask me what is more risky vs not that the risk comes from how familiar you are with what you are investing in. To me, stock trading would be a massive no-go. Too risky, nigh gambling. Why? Because I'm really unfamiliar haha. You get the point ;) Thanks for sharing good sir! What are your goals?

@Luke Saglimbeni Thank you so much for sharing with me. I'm here to learn about my fellow investor community too :) Has your accounting degree been valuable to you?

@Nick Gann That is such a cool vision!!! (and it sounds like you are well on your way) I'm sure you get a ton of book recommendations but for you and your wife it almost sounds like "The E-Myth" is one that could change your life. You can download it for free (and something like 100M other books) from pdfdrive.com 

Just keep buying assets!

@Michaela G. Sounds like you need private money! Unlimited funds right there - just gotta start now. No more regrets for the next down market because Michaela is gobbling up all da property! :P

@Tony Antonelli Your hesitation to get into RE is completely understandable. After what you went through? It must have been so conflicting your family passing and at the same time that meant you were stuck with this problem property you didn't necessarily want... I'd be hesitant to! Wow. Kudos for getting through that and to the other side. You got nipped in the *** pretty good, but I hope you are now learning the ways RE can unlock your freedom. Are you enjoying being an investor?

@Karl B. Wow CRAZY times for sure! What got you into real estate from selling thousands of cards??

@Wesley Whitehead FACTS! How did you end up an investor on BP??

@Ryan Luby 2nd grade bro... points at myself. I was COMPLETELY oblivious haha... I knew we were moving for some reason but other than that... I was just a happily ignorant kid. What brought you here?

@Alvin Uy I appreciate this look into your life. What you described seems like it would have been so stressful!! I'm glad you made it and are here on BP to tell the tale. It's also interesting how you describe the OOS stuff, and how your experience shaped your mindset toward them. (I'm from a state that gets a lot of OOS capital because of the stable rental market.) I think when I first was learning about REI spent about 10k haha. I feel that! Would you do anything different?

@Lee Bell It's so cool that you saw the rising appreciation rates and knew something was off... Also, I've heard the "it will be different" thought around the next correction for sure... Idk, maybe has to do with so much consumer debt. :P Thank you Lee for sharing, is there anything you regret?

@Mike Dymski you hit it right on the money! I think the panic and stress and fear in the news etc may have had more of an impact on OKC's economy than the collapsing "rubble" around the country. Almost like a weird, localized correction. (and unnecessary) When it happens again I'll be ready! How did you decide what market conditions you would expand your portfolio under?

@John Teachout I'm so excited for your financial freedom journey man! So cool to hear that you did those things and became $$ stable. (btw I don't know how hogs are in Michigan, but here every Oklahoma county is considered "infested" so we get free reign all year to go hog-huntin'!) You made such a great choice to go full-time into real estate. I'm sure you'll find that that means dedicating a relatively "short" time to ensure your time is never attached to hourly work if you don't want it to be. I don't even know you, but I'm proud of you haha! :D Do you regret anything?

@Brian Ploszay Brother this is exactly why I am making sure I am fully aware NOW because all the same markers and indicators that kinda foreshadowed the last "crash" are their again. They have been for a long time and are even more severe!

I just want to encourage you Brian because you can equip yourself with millions in private money, ready to deploy next time the dust is in the air and come out as one of those people that has seemingly "unlimited" money.

I love how you touched on the subprimes... "Bad mortgages were being written, because there was high demand to buy falsely rated securities." That is Exactly Right! I'm just glad I finally (and recently, phew) understand that. I'm glad you do too. :D Is there anything specifically that you regret or would do over?

@Nick Gann Happy to hear things have changed for you and it seems you are much more educated about the economic workings at play. I love watching entrepreneurs and investors take responsibility by being responsible! So cool. 

Do you feel like you want to be more heavily involved in real estate now that you know what you do?


@Whit B. Daaaaaang, you certainly had a bumpy road during that time. And is it awful I have heard of your Amaknak island xD. (my father lived in Alaska for a few years)

It's interesting how your journey more or less started with you being misinformed from the start...about college etc. (me too) It gave you a false pretense on which to build your life, not really fair but it sounds like you made it and are hear now on BP to tell me about it haha. What landed you in the REI circles?

@Andrey Y. Haha I love the raw honesty of the what your life was like at the time. Most people would want to maybe omit certain things, or phrase things in a euphemistic way but nope! You're just like "Here was my life at the time, I barely knew about bonds and was in med school buying a fancy car!" My story is pretty similar hehe, I was in something like 2nd grade and had waaaay more "ignorance" of the global market collapsing around me. What have you learned since then?

@Max T. You got it exactly right when you said "buying at a reasonable price". That is why they say you make money when you buy. It's at that point where you have the greatest control... If you can keep yourself somewhat protected for the next go-around you will have the opportunity to buy when everyone else runs! You got this! Are you ready for your first downturn?

@Ian Walsh What made you decide it was a good time to invest? Most people were running.


@Michaela G. I abosolutely love that you just sound like a super cool person for being bold and brave amidst the crazy, and "zagging". ;) I think people grossly underestimate the power of going the opposite direction of the crowd. Which clearly you've done and of course people are gonna thing you're nuts haha!

I definitely don't think you are nuts for moving away from the "bleh" Seattle weather. XD That didn't seem to take long. I was just in your current state a little while ago! (in Atlanta)

I really appreciate you taking the time to go into such detail about your life story since '08. :D Anything you'd go back and do over?


@Kristopher Kyzar I don't have much to reply other than it makes me happy to see how smart you are about realizing your key takeaways. Some people would freak out and some could even leave the game permanently because of the troubles they had. You weathered them instead and are here now. You are in the perfect position to capitalize on buying properties or being a private lender. Do you want to buy more property in the future?

@Luke Sanderson I'm sensing a theme of people just being right in the middle of the chaos, noticing people struggle and lose their jobs and houses etc right in front of them. But most don't know what happened at the time as wall street took a fall and pawned the consequences off to US taxpayers.

What got you into real estate and here on the BP community?

@Jay Hinrichs Thank you for taking the time to share some of your wisdom. From what I'm learning I would certainly agree that the ups and downs certainly seem perfectly natural. I think being aware, like you are now is the problem. (lack of awareness that is) That sounds like an especially brutal time for you. Glad you didn't just quit! Is there anything you'd go back and change?

I appreciate you all for deciding to spend some of your valuable time on sharing your 08 experiences with me! Y'all are strong people!

@Mark F. Haha, yep. One of the newer terms. "house-hacking" "whole-tailing" "BRRR" All dat jazz haha. So glad to hear you are back in real estate. I'm sure you'll find next time round that banks don't loan to risky people in down markets, but they will refi out to investors just fine. They still have to issue loans, and they love us.

@Medi Sarwary BOOM! Understandable given how extreme circumstances were...hopefully shaped you for the better? What brought you to BP? :)