Think-Realty-Magazine-January-February-2017

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RESOURCES

MARK FERGUSON Invest Four More 970-371-6333 mark@investfourmore.com

DEB TOMARO Host of REAL Real Estate Today Radio Program; Broker Associate, RE/MAX Acclaimed Properties 812-345-4404 debtomaro@hotmail.com TOM HUME Real Estate Agent / Investor, Windermere Professional Partners 253-318-1005 tom@thehomegroup.com

MARK AINLEY Property Manager, GC Realty 630-781-6744 cliff@gcrealtyinc.com

7 and protecting your asset,” she says. “I’ve seen too many landlords err on one side or the other.” But good service doesn’t end there, in her opinion. She believes you should treat your vendors professionally, not attempt to get special treatment from them and pay them immediately. Treat them well, she argues, and when you need their ser- vices, they’ll be there for you. As a result, she’s able to offer even better customer service to her tenants because the vendors she works with are eager to service her properties and do excellent work. STAY EDUCATED If you want to treat your real estate investments like a business, you need to know what’s going on in the industry. Read news articles about real estate every day, get connected to a real estate investors association, attend confer- ences and network with other investors

and industry experts. And then realize that you can’t know everything there is to know about the industry, and find people who can help you stay on top of what you need to know. For example, most investors are not able to keep up on all of the tax laws concerning real estate investing. That’s something best left to a certified public accountant who specializes in real estate. Investors who try to do this on their own often miss out on deductions or make mistakes when it comes to depreciation. Successful investors make every ef- fort to stay on top of trends and what’s going on in the industry and then leave the rest to experts, including accoun- tants, attorneys and property managers. Hobbyists might make an effort to educate themselves at first but never go beyond that. They’re the ones who are the last to recognize a market shift, and they usually pay for it. •

JUAN DIAZ Full-time investor pecuniary3@gmail.com 510-867-3040

BRIAN DAVIS Director of Education & Co-founder, SparkRental brian@sparkrental.com 410-499-9026

In 1976, Habitat for Humanity was founded on one principle: that everyone, everywhere deserves a simple, decent place to live. Since then, through the generosity of our supporters and the hard work of our homeowners, Habitat for Humanity has been able to provide more than 1.75 million people around the world with safe, decent, affordable shelter. Become a part of this life-changing ministry and help us eliminate poverty housing from the world.

Teresa Bitler is a regular freelance contributor to Think Realty Magazine. Contact her at teresa@teresabitler.com

66 | think realty magazine january :: february 2017

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