Category: Jewels of Wisdom Newsletter

Whom I Seek to Invest With

I am ALWAYS looking for strong operators with whom I can invest money.

• We Bring the Deal & Capital – You Bring the Construction, Leasing, Management, Reporting. We both bring capital. This is more of a joint venture.
• We Bring the Capital – You bring the deal and run the whole thing. Here I am more of a passive investor-writing a check only.

Here’s what I look for when writing a check into a partnership:

1. Track Record – Have they successfully run a few deals full cycle?
2. Responsive – If I cannot get a timely text message reply-even on a weekend-I’m not going to write a check. I don’t bother my partners unnecessarily-but I DO expect them to be responsive in the event of emergency while running our deals.
3. Tax Advantage – I only invest in real estate deals that offer 1 to 1 depreciation for me, the check writer. This means if I write a $300,000 check, I receive a year one tax write off of $300,000. This is much easier to accomplish now that Bonus Depreciation has been restored.
4. Returns – My return requirements depend on WHEN distributions begin
   1. 1st Quarter of Ownership – If returns begin immediately, I aim for 8% annually in regular distributions on my invested capital. This 8% must come from the cash flow of the deal and NOT capital invested. This means the deal is supporting the distributions-NOT debt. This requires a stronger deal and disciplined operator who is more averse to risk. Upon sale, the total return should exceed 12% annually.
   2. Year 2 or Year 3 – When distributions begin in Year 2 or Year 3, I aim for 20% returns or more. The entire economy, market, and world order can change in a 2-3 year period, and I want to be rewarded for that risk if things go well.
5. Property Characteristics – The last thing on my list is the property itself. It must check out, but is has the lowest priority in my decision making framework in whether to invest.

If you operate commercial real estate deals like this, we should connect. Our smallest check size is $250,000 and we often invest up to $1M or more into joint venture deals.

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Here’s What We Buy

1. Industrial & Commercial Property, 10K sq. ft. – 250K sq. ft.
2. Farmland, 40 Acres or More Tillable & Producing Crops
3. Well located Retail Development Sites
4. Residential MFR & SFR
5. Located anywhere in the U.S.

Recent Portfolio Exit Volume

• 2021 $54,615,000
• 2022 $54,547,000
• 2023 $57,489,000
• 2024 $52,164,000
• 2025 YTD $30,896,000

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Industrial IQ Bootcamp with Saul Z

My friend & business partner, Saul Z, is hosting another Industrial IQ Bootcamp in California on Sept 13-14. I went to this event in Chicago and can vouch for the quality & value of attending. I have no affiliation with this event and am receiving no commission if you decide to go. Saul is a solid operator and this event is also solid. If you are at all interested in Small Bay Industrial investing, or perhaps becoming a great operator to whom I’d write checks, this is the event to attend.

 

2 Exits Coming Soon

Earnest Money is officially hard (non-refundable) on 2 retail strip centers we are working on closing. The price of both is just over $20,000,000. Both are stabilized-meaning the rents are at market & each center is in good condition.

I’d love to buy another retail center (or two) with below market rents OR some vacancy to fill. This is how we make our profit. Buy a property needing repairs and/or lease up, execute, then resell or refinance to pay off investors & reap a profit. Have a deal like this you can sell me??

Here’s What We Buy

1. Industrial & Commercial Property, 10K sq. ft. – 250K sq. ft.
2. Farmland, 40 Acres or More Tillable & Producing Crops
3. Well located Retail Development Sites
4. Residential MFR & SFR
5. Located anywhere in the U.S.

Recent Portfolio Exit Volume

• 2021 $54,615,000
• 2022 $54,547,000
• 2023 $57,489,000
• 2024 $52,164,000
• 2025 YTD $30,896,000

Whom I’d Partner With

I am looking for one more partner capable of making deals 100% remotely. From our office in Chicago, you make offers, sign deals, and managing small construction projects at a distance. We provide leads, capital, and underwriting/decision making guidance throughout the process of every deal. Average per deal profit is around $55K and you’d receive 20%. Your goal is to build a pipeline that does 2-3 per month.

Please don’t reply if you “might like this” or “this sounds interesting” no offense, but if that’s your first thought-you will not be successful in this roll. Obsessive & intelligent execution is required to succeed with Diamond Equity. Also helpful is a large library of books read on psychology, investing, negotiation, and/or business biographies, and the skill set of presenting & deal making using Zoom, email, docu-sign, & the telephone.

Some of our most successful partners were in the real estate business before, on their own. They came with a background in flipping houses (ok experience), flipping contracts (better experience), and pretty much running a business they assumed was a lot like Diamond Equity prior to joining. Now that they’re here, I’m guessing they’d tell you we do things a whole lot differently than most folks in the game. Dare I say, “better”?  Or maybe “more profitably” better defines the difference. Plus we have fun.

The location for this would be in one of our 3 offices: Atlanta, Chicago, or Philadelphia, however, we might consider a fully remote situation. If this latter seems interesting to you, please know you’d only be interesting to us if you show up here-in Chicago-as needed on your dime. Far better results have been achieved by the folks on our team who simply relocate to the region.

To clarify success-the goal for your income from Diamond Equity should be $250,000-$500,000 per year, in your pocket. Several on the team have already hit that range this year-and there are another 5 months left in the year. You will work long & hard to make this happen and you will deserve the rewards you receive. This is the partner whom I am inviting to reply to this email.

Here’s What We Buy

1. Farmland, 40 Acres or More Tillable & Producing Crops
2. Well located Retail Development Sites
3. Industrial & Commercial Property, 10K sq. ft. – 250K sq. ft.
4. Residential MFR & SFR
5. Located anywhere in the U.S.

Recent Portfolio Exit Volume

• 2021 $54,615,000
• 2022 $54,547,000
• 2023 $57,489,000
• 2024 $52,164,000
• 2025 YTD $30,267,000

3 Steps to Volume Deal Making

1. Do 2 Deals Per Week
2. Make 6 Offers Per Week
3. Get 9 Counter Offers Per Week
   1. Review at least 50 deals per week
   2. Invest at least 40 hours in money making activity

These are the actions I’ve built my career on. Here’s how they work:

1. Do 2 Deals Per Week –If you make 2 deals in a single week, nothing else on the list really matters that week
2. Make 6 Offers Per Week – Consistently make 6 new offers each week. THIS IS THE MONEY MAKING ACTIVITY in volume deal making. This is also where most “wanna-be” investors fail. They tell themselves, “they won’t accept my offer anyway” and then DON’T make the offer. Do not fall into this trap-ALWAYS MAKE THE OFFER YOU’RE WILLING TO PERFORM ON.
3. Get 9 Counter Offers Per Week – Many make offers, but never follow up. If you’re offer is not accepted, follow up and find out what gets the deal done. Proactively following up often is a signal to the seller/broker that you are responsive & still interested-and an indicator of how responsive you’ll be during the contract cycle while closing your deal.
   1. Review at least 50 deals per week – If you haven’t made 2 deals or 6 offers in a week, nor gotten 9 counter offers on previous deals, you should have reviewed a minimum of 50 deals which you considered for an offer, but passed for some reason.
   2. Invest at least 40 hours in money making activity – Volume Deal Making REQUIRES effective investment of a significant amount of TIME. The actions above take most people 50+ hours per week-once you factor in the physical visiting of several properties each week.

No Interest in Doing a Volume of Deals?

No problem, just reduce those numbers. Maybe divide them by 2 or 3 and then do them consistently week after week. After a few weeks you will have deal flow-keep it up consistently-especially the MAKING OFFERS piece, and you will enjoy continuous deal flow for as long as you keep up the effort.

Diamond Equity does a High Volume (127 closed YTD, $26,362,997 total) of a Wide Variety of Deals. 

We buy, renovate, develop, & operate a wide variety of real estate throughout the U.S. There are more than 30 direct partners on the Diamond Equity team and about a dozen more JV operator partners running our deals. We are well funded and looking to buy more.

Here’s a few asset classes we consider:

• High Volume Residential SFR & MFR (259 last year)
• Industrial Single or Multi Tenant (5,000 sq. – 200K sq. ft+)
• Retail Strip or Shopping Center (10K sq. ft – 200K sq. ft+)
• Infill Commercial Development Sites (1/2 acre+, well located)
• Farmland (40 acres+)

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Tax Incentives: The Hidden Lever in Development

Most investors focus on buy price and rehab costs, but the real pros know to dig into local tax incentive programs. In Chicago, for example, developers who secure a 7B designation or build in a TIF district can see their property tax bills slashed for years. That’s not just a line item on a spreadsheet—it’s the difference between a project that cash flows and one that sits idle.

On our recent REI Diamonds Show podcast episode with Ben Salzberg and Bill Kanatas (listen to the full story), we broke down how they navigated Chicago’s high property taxes by locking in these incentives. The result? Their projects not only penciled out—they outperformed expectations. If you’re not exploring what’s available in your target market, you’re leaving money on the table.

Local Regulations: The Double-Edged Sword

Of course, for every incentive, there’s a hurdle. Zoning boards, permitting delays, and shifting local ordinances can stall a deal for months. I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that building trust with municipalities is just as important as building the project itself. Community engagement early in the entitlement process can mean the difference between a green light and a dead stop.

The BEST Development Advice I’ve received: before you buy, talk to people who’ve built in that town. Ideally, the Mayor, the code enforcement inspector and the city planner.

Find out what the real process looks like, not just what’s on paper. A property that looks like a steal might end up stealing from you!

Podcast Spotlight: Self Storage & the Power of Local Knowledge

For a deeper dive, check out my conversation with Ben & Bill on navigating the maze of regulations and incentives in self storage development. Their experience in Chicago is a masterclass in how to turn local challenges into competitive advantages. Listen to the episode now.

In this business, the edge goes to those who do their homework. Tax incentives and local rules aren’t just paperwork—they’re levers for profit, or pitfalls for the unwary. Stay sharp, ask the right questions, and always look for the angle others miss.

Let’s close a few deals together!!

We Bought a Farm this Week

Diamond Equity Investment is a MARKET MAKER. This is our role in the U.S. real estate market. In the same way that Citadel provides liquidity to the stock market, Diamond Equity provides liquidity to the real estate market.

While we buy quite a few houses (250+ per year), we often are presented odd & unique properties from sellers looking for liquidity- a quick cash sale. We’ve bought warehouses, land, even mobile homes with & without land. Provided sellers a quick exit strategy. It’s our job.

Many of our JV operating partners are highly asset class focused. One asset type, such as self storage, with an entire business built around optimizing those assets. Bring them a storage facility, in an area they like, and at fair pricing, then, and ONLY then, are the a buyer.

Contrast that with Diamond Equity. Bring us ANY property in ANY market and we will quote the price we are willing to pay. To be honest, there are a few properties which may have too little value or too many problems (think “old battery factory” where lead leaked into the ground for decades) which we would take a pass. However, even my partners are shocked at the wide variety of property we own, or have owned, and are willing to continue buying.

The farm we currently own is another example of an odd asset we chose to buy in order to provide the seller a quick exit strategy. I’d appreciate the opportunity to consider ANY unique properties you might come across-I ask only that you are the seller (or direct to seller, if a broker).

Here’s a few asset classes we consider:

• High Volume Residential SFR & MFR (259 last year)
• Industrial Single or Multi Tenant (5,000 sq. – 200K sq. ft+)
• Retail Strip or Shopping Center (20K sq. ft – 200K sq. ft+)
• Infill Commercial Development Sites (1/2 acre+, well located)
• Farmland (40 acres+)

“Everybody ’round me Rich, or Will Be”

Jay Z says this in “Nickels & Dimes”- a song about charity -vs- giving opportunity and also about going from broke (“scratchin’ for every nickel & dime”) to rich. I can relate to that. When I was broke, this line was like a divine message from God, a shift in my spirit- to not just get myself out of poverty, but find a way to help MANY others do the same. (Lyrics  / Song on YouTube)

Creating an opportunity larger than myself is how Diamond Equity went from just me flipping houses to more than 30 Deal Makers doing residential & commercial deals throughout the U.S. Now, I’ll talk about how we do the same with brokers.

First, YOU have to Bring the VALUE!!

In real estate investing,  REAL DEALS are like water in the desert. Hard to find & more valuable than rubies & gold. Imagine, needing a drink of water while stranded in the desert-you’d probably give ANYTHING for even a few ounces. A REAL DEAL is equally as valuable.

When I was broke, I declared, “NO ONE WOULD FIND & MAKE MORE DEALS THAN DIAMOND EQUITY.” We would be THE SOURCE for Fix & Flip deals-and we proceeded to do more than 1,800 since then. We are currently working on 183 at the moment, not including our commercial & industrial deals where JV partners are running point.

REAL DEALS are special, NOT a risky, thin margin flip, a listed handyman special that requires appreciation to make a profit, or a house “that works as a rental.”

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” -Jesus

You’d do anything to get THAT FIELD under contract and go to closing.  THAT is a REAL DEAL.

BE the SOURCE of the DEAL & YOU BRING the Value!!

Whether you are an agent, broker, or even an investor who hasn’t yet accumulated the wealth & momentum you expected when you got into the business, I can assure you that if you can BE the SOURCE of the DEAL (even better MANY deals!!) then bring those deals to other operators (like Diamond Equity), you can earn those big paydays that attracted us to get into the real estate business.

If you are already a consistent source of deals, but haven’t gotten you’re fair share yet, maybe these examples will help you structure your next deal for a bigger win on the backside.

How Residential Brokers Earn 25% Profit Share of a Deal

Residential REAL DEALS:

• Needs a Rehab, NOT suitable for an Owner Occupied Buyer
• Seller needs a Fast Closing (7-14 days)
• Can Buy well-below retail
• You’re Direct to Seller, or have inside information helping make the deal

Here’s How a Recent Deal Went: 

1. A broker made a direct introduction to a seller with a rough property and also needed a quick closing. The property was not listed and the seller did NOT want to list it. 
2. We bought the property & closed quickly, the completed repairs
3. Upon closing, the net profit was $38,000 on a $190,000 sale price.
4. The referring broker received $9,500 without any risk in the event we lost money on the deal. This deal took 90 days from start to finish. Broker simply made a warm intro.

How a Commercial Brokers Earn $300,000+ Profit Share on a $5M Deal

Commercial Brokers who have the potential to profit share on a deal are most-likely experienced in the asset class. They know the approx. price the deal should sell for and they know the market rent the property will produce. They also probably have construction contacts to assist with CapEx. Most importantly, they have a deal!

Commercial REAL DEALS:

• Below Market Rents. Ideally many month to month leases
• 30% vacancy or more.
• 100% occupancy where rents are half of market
• Selling willing to allow the buyer a fair shot at profit on the deal (Some sellers want to “win” and beat the other side so bad that they cannot make the deal work.  This is NOT a REAL DEAL)

If a deal like this were brought to me today and the broker was willing to assist in the deal for a profit share, here’s what that looks like:

• Broker double-ends their listing commission up front. Or, if seller is NOT willing to sign a listing agreement, receives a commission from my account.
• Broker KNOWS they can hit a certain NOI which is higher than my assumed NOI. If this higher NOI is hit, there will be a higher tier incentive profit share percentage than if they assist in hitting my assumed (safe) NOI expectation
• Broker profit share will be paid upon the exit of the deal and will be the listing side of the sale once the deal is stabilized.

For example, if a broker brought me a deal with details listed below, I’d hope they earn $297K for helping to run the deal. No capital at risk, no loans to sign. Just stellar execution during the stabilizing of the deal. Details:

• $2.5M purchase will pay the broker $125,000
• $5M sale price pays the broker either $100,000 or $200,000 commission, depending on the source of the buyer (coop commission -vs- double end)
• $1.8M Net profit (capex, carry, commissions $700K) at 4% profit share is $72,000. Plus the broker may have earned additional commissions for leasing, where applicable.
• $297,000 total proceeds to broker (assumes coop on exit)
• $397,000 total proceeds to broker (assumes lucky double end on exit)

Right now, my favorite asset class is small bay industrial or buildings which might have potential for conversions. If you have something like this, please email details.

Creating huge opportunities has been helpful throughout my career to build profitable, enjoyable, & sustainable partnerships. Looking forward to building many more!!

How to Succeed in Real Estate for a Decade Straight

I’ve been in real estate since 2006, but only for the past 10 years or so has Diamond Equity experienced consistent growth, year over year. I personally learned how to keep the momentum going by studying other successful people who kept businesses running over a long period of time. John Rockefeller is one of my favorites.

John quit school at age 16 to support his family because he was tired of being poor. Here are his words:

“As our successes began to come, I seldom put my head upon the pillow at night without speaking a few words to myself in this wise:

Now a little success, soon you will fall down, soon you will be overthrown. Because you have got a start, you think you are quite a merchant; look out, or you will lose your head—go steady.

These intimate conversations with myself, I am sure, had a great influence on my life. I was afraid I could not stand my prosperity, and tried to teach myself not to get puffed up with any foolish notions.”

“Go to Sleep on a Win, Wake up with a Loss”

As real estate investors & even brokers we have a problem: We make a lot of money when deals close and are prone to “pop champagne” or celebrate the bigt win. The danger after any big closing is feeling like you won, and then forgetting to get back to work with the same humility, intelligence, & hustle it took to create that win. I did this myself and it took years to dig out again.

One of my favorite “vitamins” to avoid sleeping on a win is constantly reading or listening to stories of people who sustained their business over a long period of time. David Senra’s podcast, Founders, is a great “cliff notes” method of getting a full book’s worth of humility, intelligence, & hustle in 45-60 mins. It’s worth checking out. Often.

Well, it’s time for me to get on the road to check out this deal!! I’ll see some of the folks reading this there.

In the spirit of NOT Sleeping on a Win, let’s all agree to do at least a deal or two this week. Sound like a plan??

Why do Some Partnerships Fail?

In the mid 1980’s, when I was a kid growing up, my dad had an electrical contracting business. He also collected a few rentals. All of this was done between 4 partners. For a little while, things were good. We moved to a bigger house in a better school system. Christmas one year was overflowing for us 4 siblings. In the early to mid 1990’s the business failed, the rental houses were gone and times got tough.

Observing my dad’s actions & thoughts through the next 20 years allowed me to form an effective approach & mindset around partnerships. I’ve developed 3 rules which I bring to every partnership and in return, ask my partners to bring the same:

1. Produce MORE than Your Share – My goal is to bring more to the table than my partner is bringing. And when she does the same, we are always both satisfied, or maybe even a little bit in each other’s debt. It is almost a healthy & fun competition where the partnership gets better over time as a result.
2. Know & Grow Your Value to the Partnership – When I came to real estate broke & nearly bankrupt, I noticed that people would take my calls if I had a deal on the table to discuss. If I just called with ideas-asking about their buy box-trying to schedule a lunch to simply waste their time-the calls stopped answering. The lesson? DAN BRESLIN Would be THE BIGGEST SOURCE of profitable real estate deals in the world. This was the VALUE I recognized and still operate on today.
3. Good Partnerships Create Aligned Interests. When you & your partners interests are aligned, everyone feels properly incentivized to bring their best effort & generate the highest results. At Diamond Equity there is no “commission cap” because everyone in a Deal Making Role is paid a percentage. Doesn’t matter whether the deal nets a profit of $20,000 – $200,000 – or even $500,000 or more. The percentages remain the same.

Often, I see new investors form partnerships without understanding these rules going in. Two inexperienced people partner to go figure out the business. Often, one of those partners pours much more into the business than the other and eventually they go their separate ways.

Here’s how you setup your partnership to win:

1. Know the Value that you bring to the table
2. Define the Value that you expect your partner(s) to bring to the table
3. Align the profit share according to those values each is bringing

Once this is setup, everyone then does their best to outperform their original value. Assuming you’ve chosen a good business idea and the market agrees, this effort & value compounds over time to produce that income you set out for in the beginning.

This is how we operate here at Diamond Equity. We are all striving to deliver more than anyone is expecting. We’ve been blessed as a result – now operating since 2006 & now have more than 25 Acquisition Managers throughout the country buying & selling houses, commercial & industrial property, & land.

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The Type of Business We Buy

We are interested in buying a business with $2-$5 million in net profit per year. The ideal business already has a management team and sales team/sales system in place. Most importantly, this business would be able to grow with additional high quality lead generation-which is our value-add. If you know of a business like this which might be available for sale, please email me the details.

How to NOT Lose Money in a Buyer’s Market

Flipping houses is a strong business model in a Buyer’s Market. The real estate market is slow moving. If prices decline, it is usually driven by lower prices on dated houses & investor product. Renovated houses are a desirable product that will hold it’s value long enough for you to exit – and capture your profit.

In a Buyer’s Market, there are always owner occupant buyers looking for a place to call home. Consider, if you were the retail, owner occupant buyer, would you rather:

• Buy a tastefully designed, fully renovated house? 
• Or Buy something dated which you have to renovate over time? (these dated houses have recently (2020-2024) sold for prices equivalent to ARV minus repairs. This trend is reversing now-with dated product beginning to see more discounting in price. These houses are less desirable and in higher supply).

A renovated home is a more desirable product EVEN IN A BUYER’S MARKET.

Here are 3 Keys to Avoiding Risk While Flipping in a Buyer’s Market:

1. Buy Fast – View properties & make offers quickly. Sellers & brokers can feel the lower activity in showings/offers, especially compared to 2021 & 2022. They’re willingness to accept the quickly presented, quickly closing offer is MUCH HIGHER than in years past. Closing quickly allows you to get your deal moving quicker, whenever possible. Don’t waste days in DD and simply waiting for closing because the contract says so. Time is the enemy in a Buyer’s Market for any Fix & Flip Investors.
2. Redevelop Fast – Plan your renovation while under contract. Execute that renovation as quickly as possible. It is always to goal, but those who can shave a few days, weeks, or even months off of construction time will win. In a Seller’s market, slow moving flippers often make MORE money as the market prices increase. In a Buyer’s Market, the risk is the opposite. Longer construction may mean selling below your expected exit.
3. Sell & Settle Fast – In a Buyer’s Market, prioritize SPEED of exit OVER maximizing every penny of profit. Pricing correctly is key here. A few years ago the formula for pricing was asking more than any sold sale-and getting it! In a Buyer’s Market it is often better to price right in line with the market, or, dare I say, even just a hair BELOW market. Better to sell in 30 days or less than have a 6 month marketing cycle with multiple price drops-all while your carrying costs are eating your profit.

To summarize, IT IS ALL ABOUT SPEED in a Buyers Market. GO FAST to avoid risk!!

Stocks -vs- Real Estate Investing

For most of my RE career, I’ve been a “Real Estate is the only way to wealth” kind of guy. 90% of my net worth is invested in real estate assets & partnerships. Great vehicle. However, more recently, I’m also intentionally developing my skill in investing in the stock market.

I’m currently listening to Buffett & Munger, Unscripted, a book of Charlie Munger & Warren Buffett’s discussions over the past 50 years which took place at their annual shareholder event. These discussions are organized by topic-and you can use this audiobook to condition your mind into a more disciplined investor -yes, in stocks, but also you can “translate” the thinking into real estate investing.

The Most Valuable Form of Compounding (it’s NOT interest…)

I was surprised to hear Charlie describe the compounding of knowledge as more important than the financial compounding of an investment. Sounds a bit like: “How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.” (Proverbs 16:16)

Charlie said, “Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up. Discharge your duties faithfully and well. Step by step you get ahead, but not necessarily in fast spurts. But you build discipline by preparing for fast spurts Slug it out one inch at a time, day by day, and at the end of the day – if you live long enough – most people get what they deserve.”

I’ve experienced this in my own life. All of these Jewels of Wisdom over time, discovered with great excitement along the way, have enabled the life I live today. This continuous improvement over time, or Kaizen, is the most important factor in long term wealth. A few books I recommend everyone on my team read can be found here.

Hold, Don’t Trade – Stocks & Real Estate

The stock market’s biggest challenge for individual investors? The sheer ease of buying and selling shares. We’ve all been there: seeing a stock dip and, in a moment of panic, hitting that “sell” button to stop the mental anguish of a “losing” position. Yet, history shows that holding for 5 to 10 years often nets those same sellers 2-3 times their initial investment.

Real Estate investing provides an automatic hedge to impulse selling because of the lengthy timeline to exit & receive your cash. List the property, wait for a buyer, go through inspections & mortgage approval, and maybe, 60-90 days later, you receive your cash. It is precisely this “forced hold” period & delayed gratification (getting the $) which has allowed me to hold properties 5 years or more-and realize the doubling or tripling of my money.

Only in the past 6 months have I personally been successful in the stock market by resisting the impulse to sell when I was down 10% or more. Now, these positions are back in the profit-some as much as 45%-in LESS THAN 6 MONTHS. The one thing I did right here is NOT SELL. Charlie calls this, “sit on your ass investing.”

Real estate naturally embodies this principle, making frequent or easy selling impractical. This eliminates a significant profit killer: selling too soon. It’s precisely why real estate remains my favorite investment and my largest long-term allocation. It always will be.