Don't Be A Square!

It’s no secret that times have changed.   Manners, cassettes, and Michael Jackson have been replaced by terrorists, Twitter, & Justin Bieber.   Some view our current society as a step forward from the olden days of simpler times, while others think we are continuing to lose the values that made America the great country that it is.  Wherever you stand, there is no denying that our world is changing, and so must our mindset if we are going to succeed in this new economy.

Before becoming a licensed Realtor, I spent my professional career as a land developer in the Central Oregon region.  I entered the market in the final year of chaotic profits & furious appreciation.   My associates were driving Lamborghinis & wearing diamond Rolex’s…. things were good, reeeeally good.  However, as we all know, things quickly turned for the worse and I found myself in the center of the worse real estate crash in U.S. history.

During the past couple years, I have been trying to find opportunities for development, but nothing has “penciled out” (land values and construction costs did not align and allow for profit with market prices of homes, multi-family units, or commercial spaces).

It is my opinion that the days of lucrative profits in the land development industry are gone.  There will always be profits to be made in this industry, but not the margin of return that developers have experienced historically.  Yes, there will still be the occasional deal that combines luck and timing with a significant profits, but they will be MUCH harder to come by and will require a lot of work, research, and CREATIVITY.

Which is why I write this article today; to share my thoughts on “creative development”.  Profits in this new economy are going to come from thinking outside of the box and differentiating yourself from the competition.   The industry does have its barriers to entry, but I feel like creativity allows ANYBODY to make money in real estate.

Don’t have the equity to purchase a home?  Why not try fixing up mobile homes?  The mobile home market has not attracted significant competition, because profits are slimmer in these relatively cheap assets.  However, mobile home manufacturers often create contracts with buyers that allow them to upgrade after a certain number of years.  When they get these mobile homes returned, they often get rid of them for pennies on the dollar.  Create a relationship with one of these manufacturers in your area, and talk with a mobile home park owner about them paying for the costs of relocating your renovated home.  Park owners will often work with you in an effort to revitalize their communities and replace old rundown homes with newer units.

Or how about this idea for a commercial space profit center; purchase an old abandoned warehouse (the bigger the better!) and fill it with old shipping containers!   You can purchase these containers for cheap, and retrofit the interiors with hip, urban-industrial finishes.  Then rent the spaces out and use excess warehouse space for community kitchen, lounge, restrooms, etc.  Perhaps even throwing in amenities like a small gym, lobby-area for guests, and/or showers & locker-rooms… anything that will attract entrepreneurs to your space.

There are several ideas like this out there right now; the trick is coming up with your own “out of the box” idea or figuring out how to make one of these ideas economically feasible in your own community. 

So, instead of just thinking about purchasing a home, apartment complex, commercial building or land for a real estate investment, get creative and discover new ways to make money in real estate!  If you don’t, it’s likely you won’t succeed as these new economic times continue to unfold!  

Would love to hear some clever ideas from the readers out there!  Leave a comment…. Don’t be a square!

Best,

Matt