All Forum Posts by: Mark Vejnar

I use excel for income statements, balance sheets, and any financial modeling. Our plan is on a basic spreadsheet. It's pretty straightforward to determine whether or not an activity/opportunity impedes the plan or contributes to it. 

@Jiana Bickham unfortunately I don't. Google is probably your best bet.  

You could also check with county offices in downtown Riverside. As for federal - I think HUD is the program my friend uses.

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/housing/mfh/progdesc/alcp

Could you house hack? Keeping one bedroom for your use and renting out the rest if only for the first year? It means roommates but wouldn't that work?

Wages haven't fared much better than home prices. Wages adjusted for inflation haven't increased in over 40 years. Purchasing power has eroded considerably.

Neat, clean, and maintained is all that matters. It will be a rare encounter to find someone who even notices what you're driving. Focus on helping other people achieve their objectives and they'll be excited to see you no matter how you show up.

Check out the inland empire and the high desert. Also all those retirement communities between you and Palm Springs. There's a lot happening in riverside county.

Leland Barrow has it dead to rights. Real estate is all about location. When you buy real estate you're investing in a community and its contribution to the local, national and international economy. Understanding its economic importance helps identify opportunities in your chosen location. I've found the planning office is a great resource. Where is the city investing in infrastructure? What zoning changes are in the works? What is the 50 year plan and how is that impacting decisions in city government today? You get inside city hall and you get all the benefits of insider trading without any of the criminal charges.

One of the services many residential appraisal offices will provide is comparable rental lists for investors. It's usually a list of everything similar to the subject within a 1 mile radius - unless you specify otherwise. It's a pretty decent summary of market rents.

Having a step wise plan is invaluable. It gives you a frame from which to work. I'm an analyst and a dreamer. My wife is a planner and a do-er. My dreams intimidate her only slightly less than her planning intimidates me, but she's a physician and great at her job. We have a mountain of student loan debt and have faced some challenges that would have crippled us without my vision and her ability to plan. Now we consistently work a step wise plan towards our shared vision and the plan has had a tremendous impact on our lives. As Joseph Catalano observes, some things can't be planned, but having a goal and understanding the steps to achieving that goal are fundamental to a successful career. I wish I had met and married my wife 20 years ago - well wait that's creepy she's 30 so I'll say 10 years ago and stay off Catalano's radar ;)

Thank you Joshua Dorkin for all your hard work.