The Real Estate Financial Planner™ Blog

Welcome to the thrilling world of Real Estate Financial Planning! If you’re on the hunt for savvy investment strategies, transformative financial insights, and the ultimate guide to building wealth through real estate, you’ve just hit the jackpot. Whether you’re a seasoned investor or just dipping your toes into the vast ocean of real estate opportunities, our blog is your new go-to resource.

Why real estate, you ask? Simple. It’s one of the most powerful vehicles for generating long-term wealth and achieving financial freedom. And who doesn’t dream of that? But here’s the kicker: navigating this world can be as complex as it is rewarding. That’s where we come in. Our content is designed not only to enlighten you but also to inspire action and drive results.

Imagine unlocking the secrets to acquiring lucrative rental properties that pay for themselves and then some. Picture yourself living off passive income, where your investments work for you, not the other way around. It’s not just a dream; it’s a very achievable reality, and we’re here to show you how.

From deep dives into market analysis, investment strategies, and financial planning, to actionable tips on property management and scaling your portfolio, our blog covers it all. We believe in cutting through the noise to bring you straightforward, actionable advice that makes a difference.

But it’s not just about the “what” and the “how”; it’s also about the “who.” Meet James, a former real estate broker turned investment guru, who lives and breathes real estate. James has walked the walk, transforming his passion for real estate into a thriving portfolio of income-generating properties. Now, he’s here to share his wealth of knowledge, experiences, and insights with you.

Our mission is simple: to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need to make informed decisions, maximize your returns, and build a financial legacy through real estate. We’re here to guide you every step of the way, from your first investment property to your hundredth.

So, are you ready to embark on this exciting journey with us? Let’s dive in and explore the endless possibilities that real estate investing has to offer. Together, we’ll unlock the door to financial freedom and success. Welcome to the Real Estate Financial Planning blog, where your financial dreams are just a blog post away. Let the adventure begin!

The Real Estate Investor Group Trilogy

In 2003 my friend and business partner Paul and I began investing in real estate together in Northern Colorado.

I’m not certain how it started, but almost immediately other local real estate investors were interested in learning what we were doing. I was getting so many requests for coffee and lunch meetings where we’d have essentially the same conversation repeatedly that Paul and I decided we’d get together once a month at the public library instead of individual coffee and lunch meetings. As I recall it, the decision to get a group of real estate investors together was a practical solution to take back control over some of my time. I figured I could save time and share what we were doing in our investing business, what was working, and what wasn’t just one time each month instead of having the same conversation over and over.

We held meetings just about every month at the library for quite a while, but eventually, we changed to having meetings at various restaurants as we increased the frequency of the meetings from monthly to weekly. I first got my real estate license in 1998, but never really used it consistently to help local buyers and sellers. When I finally decided to start using my real estate license to help other people buy and sell houses, the real estate investor group we had formed quickly become my primary source of business. I guess it should not have surprised me; the majority of my friends and network were people I had met through real estate investing and most through the investor group meetings. Over the last 15 years, I learned a lot about what makes a good real estate investor meeting that attracts the right kind of real estate investors and what doesn’t work.

On a profound, life-changing cruise through the Panama Canal in 2018, I decided to write three books to help other real estate agents learn the why and how of working with real estate investors through a real estate investor group. It did not take long for me to realize that this information was equally valuable to lenders, accountants, insurance agents, financial advisers, real estate attorneys, title representatives and other real estate investors.

The trilogy I envisioned consisted of three books that covered:

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How to Make Money with a Real Estate Investor Group

At this point, we have talked about the different types of real estate investors you’re likely to find at your own real estate investor group meetings and why, I believe, you should start and run your own group. At times, we talked about how you can monetize working with real estate investors that come to your club, but mostly we discussed earning commission income. I believe that commission income is the largest source of income and the one I use primarily in my business to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, but there are other models and other … Read more

Seller Concessions

Seller Concessions are money granted by a Seller that a Buyer can use toward specific, contractually defined closing costs when purchasing real estate. Seller Concessions When Modeling Properties With The Real Estate Financial Planner™ Software When modeling Dynamic  Property in the Real Estate Financial Planner™ software you can choose to model Seller Concessions as either a percentage of the purchase price or as a fixed dollar amount. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you enter in a percentage of purchase price, it overrides the fixed dollar amount field. In most cases, you will model Seller Concessions as a percentage of the purchase price … Read more

Nomad on $10 Per Hour

The following is a guest blog post by Jassen Bowman. As the social and political debate rages on in the United State in regards to the minimum wage and the desire by many to see the minimum increased to $15 per hour, there is one statement that is repeated over and over again: It’s impossible to get ahead in this country on $10 per hour. Most people acknowledge that absolute minimum wage jobs are difficult to get ahead on, but it’s not impossible. The conversation tends to become an argument for those career paths for which $10 to $12 per … Read more

Your Real Estate Goals

Hey there! Setting goals in real estate investing is like drawing a treasure map. It guides you to your treasure: success and financial freedom. Let’s dive into how you can make the best map ever! Discover the Magic of Goal Setting First off, we’ve got something special for you. It’s called The World’s Best Real Estate Investing Goal Setting Class. It’s a free recording that’ll show you the power of setting the right goals. Imagine having a secret formula to make your dreams come true. That’s what this class offers, and I’ll paste the video below for you. Crush Your … Read more

Real Estate Investor Classes By Year

Real Estate Investing Seminars

In 2000, with an increasingly successful technology company creating large scale database-driven networks of websites, I called my father. I had some extra money and I was wondering what I should invest that money in. “Real estate has always been good to us,” he told me. Armed with that and a very small amount of money from our tech business, I began to study how to invest in real estate. I happened to stumble upon a local investor buying and selling properties creatively in the southern part of Colorado. I paid about $600 to learn what he was doing and … Read more

The Ultimate Guide to Buy-and-Hold Investing

Do you dream of financial independence? Early retirement? A comfortable college fund for your kids when they grow up? If you’re willing to be patient, you can build wealth with real estate through buy-and-hold investing. Keep reading to learn more about this strategy from the experts behind the Real Estate Financial Planner™. What Is Buy-and-Hold Investing? A buy-and-hold investor is in it for the long-term gains, not a short-term boost. Instead of acquiring property and trying to sell it for profit within a few years, buy-and-hold investors typically hold on to their investment properties for five to 10 years. While … Read more

How to Invest $100K – Detailed Financial Plans

Are you looking for information on how to invest $100K? If yes… then grab a cup of your favorite beverage and buckle up for the ride of your life. Below, I have laid out detailed “financial plans” for investing $100K in a savings account, CDs, bonds, stocks as well as an assortment of real estate strategies. And, if you’re thinking to yourself… well, I really have $110K… or, I have $10K… or any amount for that matter… you can, quite easily, just change the assumptions in the Scenarios below, rerun them in your own Real Estate Financial Planner™ account and … Read more

Ultimate Guide to Converting Your Owner-Occupant Property To A Rental

In this special 1 hour and 58 minute class recording James (with a little help from Brian) teaches you how to convert an owner-occupant property to a rental. This is the first time we’ve taught this particular class. It was taught on March 4, 2020 via webinar. Download Checklist As part of preparing for this class, I created a two page PDF checklist summarizing what was taught in the presentation. Download Checklist If you have suggestions for improving the checklist (things we missed, better order or formatting, etc), please do let me know via email or via comment below. 90 … Read more