All Forum Posts by: Pat Lowry

A couple things stood out to me. 1.) Romney was able to define himself effectively (versus what the media has been saying for the last 3 months) which might have gotten him back in the game. 2.) He related everything back to jobs which is key. 3.) He very effectively made a case that he would work with Dems and has history of doing so (as mentioned above). 4.) His use of the Constitution behind him was very effective/powerful in describing his view of free market/limited government and drew sharp contrast with the President's view without having to accuse him of not following Constitution. This to me was his best line in the debate.

The Pres is not used to being challenged and he did not help himself with by looking down, agitated, etc. These things can be fixed and the next debate will likely be better for the President. Reminded me a little of Bush v. Kerry in first debate. 1-0 Romney.

Good advice Dale. Also, a good book to have in the library is Invest in Debt by Jim Napier. Old school, easy to read and very good.

Thank you Dion. That's great information. I am working with brokers but wanted to get started in compiling my own list.

Good point Bill and thanks for the spam warning. Yes, I think Rusty has a friend name Ed Butowsky (a well known investor who also has famous investor partners, B.O. Problem and Pat McGroin). Sorry, I just couldn't resist the bathroom humor.

For the most part, I am seeing opportunities that involve SFH, either owner occupied or investment property with tenant. In most cases, note holder is RE group that buys/fixes/sells to investor or owner occupant and is raising cash for othe projects. Only interested in performing notes with decent payment history.

I am currently looking at various opportunities to invest in notes. As a newbie, I don't have a standard due diligence list to send as part of providing offers. Here is what I would think to ask for:

Copy of note and deed of trust document
Verification of payment history
Copy of HUD statement for original purchase
Statement verifying types and amount of improvements/rehabs completed
Copy of latest real estate tax bill
Copy of hazard insurance policy
Verification of title insurance

I am assuming it will be up to me to pay for the BPO appraisal. I'm am sure I missed a lot but would appreciate any thoughts/suggestions.

My prediction for 2013 is more of the same unless some unforeseen event occurs (war, financial meltdown in Europe, etc.). The stock market will likely continue its highly volatile and sideways movement driven by fear of world events. Defensive dividend stocks will likely continue going up as there is not many other places for folks to invest. People will always want/need to smoke, drink, get healthcare and go to MCDs as well as own multiple Apple products. By the way, Apple has almost 20% of its market cap sitting in cash $120 billion or so, so I don't think they will be in trouble soon. Fear sometimes creates good investment opportunities.

As a business owner, I feel we need less regulation and tax in the future before growth/hiring will occur. Lots of uncertainty right now. Very simple concept. IMHO

Sorry for confusion. I was trying to illustrate that some companies do well regardless of external financial crisis, panic, European debt issues, etc. Many times public stock prices go way lower than underlying business value, which is a good time to buy IMHO. The cigarette companies tend to retain their value over time, so buying on these dips can be a good strategy.

Yes. I have a funny story to tell about this vice businesses. I was once helping someone purchase a liquor store and check cashing business. We went in for a visit on a day the market happened to be tanking and the place was packed! The owner said aside from the normal holiday traffic, the highest volume days were during major stock market declines. I guess people like to drown their sorrows during such times. Maybe it's best to buy these stocks when the market tanks.

OK I'll chime in on this topic. I too feel I am over weighted in stocks and that the market overall has done poorly over the last decade (hence my interest in alternative investments). That being said, one can do well by investing in certain companies that are easy to understand, dividend payors, are market leaders and consistently grow earnings. These tend to be boring companies that don't get alot of hype. My favorites are the cigarette companies. You can always count on cigarettes and booze to be in high demand. I have a non-IRA account focused on these types of stocks.

Loc,
Thanks. That was a very concise explanation. By the way I saw your video. Very imformative. Would like to chat sometime.