When my wife and I bought our first home we were one year out of college, both had good jobs and had a down payment in the bank. We had narrowed down our options to a two- or three-bedroom house or townhome because I definitely wanted a garage. We knew what we wanted and thought we were in good…
Personal financial statements are your roadmap to guide you from where you are today, to where you want to be tomorrow. They also provide fixed points of reference from which you can measure your progress over time. It’s very difficult to achieve financial fitness and stability if you don’t have a baseline of where you…
Financial fitness and money management generally isn’t a fun topic for most of us–it can be boring, scary, and frustrating. In Fidelity’s recent study, 39% of millennials worry about finances and 25% don’t know who to trust. How do you know if you can afford to go to that music festival with your friends today…
You know you want to live in a safe place, but what else should you be looking for when evaluating a new neighborhood? If you’re in the market to buy a home or rent a home, location is crucial. Quality schools, low crime statistics, commute times, and even grocery stores are likely already on your…
Insane prices, zero inventory, multiple offers, and more: Soon-to-be homeowners, we feel your pain. When it comes to real estate, some markets are partying — or at least spending — like it’s 2005. A seller’s market is great if you’re ready to pull up stakes (although you’ll be on the receiving end if it requires…
You want to build wealth and achieve financial stability, but where do you start? Especially if you’re renting and paying a landlord 25% of your income, how do you get out of the Renter rat race to become an Owner and ultimately an Investor where you are the landlord and achieve Home$mart financial stability? How…
I call it the R.O.I. Journey to Financial Freedom. I’ve seen hundreds of people like my wife and I move from Renter >> Owner >> Investor to achieve financial freedom. My wife and I bought our first home in 1994 and moved from Renter to Owner. In 2005, we moved from Owner to Investor and…
When my wife and I bought our first investment property over 10 yrs ago, I regularly saw my friends holding back from investing in real estate. Whether they had little money or didn’t know where to start, the result was the same – they were not actively trying to grow their wealth. Most people I…
I never wanted to be a ‘renter’, but rather a homeowner and landlord. I graduated college in June 1993 and purchased my first home in January 1994. Since January 1994, I’ve always been a homeowner and landlord building wealth through owning real estate for the past 21 years. I always wanted a long-term relationship with…
It was January 2014 and my doctor scolded me for high cholesterol (250), being 20 pounds overweight, and threatened to put me on cholesterol medicine. I knew I needed to change my lifestyle habits. I cut back on red meat and sweets, got a personal trainer, started taking omega-3 daily, and began working out 3-4…
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