Good day bloggers!
Well, everyone has a blog. Even me. But, I am going to shift my blogging to a bit more passion driven, than shape driven. I have now discovered my passion, and that passion is wine.
Starting at 5 years old, I remember vividly writing a menu for my family- a simple meal, hamburguesas. To you English speakers, hamburgers. I framed how many tomatoes, lettuce, and condiments we needed to have, etc.
At 12, I tried to invent my own cookie recipe. Didn't work. But, not long after that, I was making pizza from scratch, then on to Mexican food, having high school friends over for dinner. I would not forget my spaghetti dinners by my lonesome self, while everyone else was at the high school football game. I made espresso, and even imbibed on a small glass of hearty burgundy...(I would never do the hearty burgundy thing again). These thoughts of food weren't necessarily cultivated as a child, so I opted for a business degree, complimented by Spanish. I abhorred the frozen, then unfrozen tomatoes, the hot dish, and their forms of chili. When I say their, I mean a small lunchlady land of bumpkins in Decorah, Iowa.
Come Sophomore year in college, I was buckled down with school, work, choirs, and a family. But I would still invite people over for a feast of my own making, sometimes 8 or more people, in the span of a 500 square foot apartment. This tradition continued three years afterward, in couple, single, and divorced forms.
So what has changed? I must say, the day that I thought that Nathanson Creek or Yellow Tail was good, is long gone. We all have those stories of drinking bad wine. My days of drinking cooking sherry at the end of the meal are gone. But, if it wasn't for 9/11, I would have never had Spaghetti dinners with a good friend of mine from New York, or sipped (YES, SIPPED) Tequila from Cabo Wabo, with my best friend Phil.
Wine taste has changed. I am so much more educated and in tune with my palate. I can remember tastes and flavors much better. My style of cooking has refocused itself to cast iron and European country style of cooking, like stews and soups, rather than elaborate or somewhat involved procedures. I have started using fresh vegetables and wine, with very little use of cooked veggies. I guess my style is a mix of rustic Colorado and country french cooking.
So, wine. Wine is not a Panacea, according to the ATF. It is a social lubricant, an open invitation, and a taste of humanity, as I have stated for the Burgundy School of Business and for the Royal Agricultural College. It is history, flavor, and terroir.
Pick of the week: Portugal or Austria. These wines are lesser known, but have a quality about them that many people in the US do not understand. Austrian wines are excellent with your heartier winter fare, while portuguese wines are a great sub for anything Spanish or even Argentine.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Back on the beat!
Good Day, Bloggers!
So much has happened in six months- various companies have gone bankrupt, layoffs have ensued, unemployment lines have done nothing but gotten longer! What is the silver lining?
In my three years in real estate, I have taken my licks- moreso in the panic driven self-employment scheme, and seeking comfort in corporate America and a steady paycheck. But, I must divert away from comfort only and seek opportunity. Lo and behold, it has come in small pieces to me.
I am currently working about 4 real estate deals. One is an old friend...lesson: NETWORKING. She and I have been friends since middle-high school-ish. She is not a first timer, but has a few plans in the works to get a post-grad degree, and I think she trusts me. We have scoured Cap Hill and Highlands for a hip, young place, and we are ready to drop an offer on a cool place near Colfax and Emerson.
Looking at the inventory in 80218, 80206, 80203, 80202, and all of the zip codes that include Potter Highlands and Highlands Square, there aren't massive homes for sale. They are slightly below listing prices, and if they are foreclosures, they require a decent amount of work.
The second deal that I am working is from a CRAIGSLIST posting! I was asked to put a property at 1534 High Street on CL to get a buyer. I had a couple of great hits, and one young lady took me up on looking. In scouring the same area, there were some really good deals to be had, with little work needed. This one is a little harder to nail down. When I showed her the Highlands condo at 3145 Tejon, she fell in love with the neighborhood. The good news: Homes are on the market longer, and the inventory is up. Better news: Prices are pretty good. They might get better, they may get worse. Real estate is an investment just like the stock market. I recommended some good lenders to her, and here she is, contacting them.
Deal #3: Investor. We submitted an offer on a home well below list price- bank owned, near Federal and Mississippi. We were on the low end of 12 offers. Someone is buying real estate. I am going to show more property today, hopfully find something. He wants something he can fix. The kicker- I have seen the boulevard of broken dreams and foreclosures. Great stories of horror in walking into wrecked homes, which only an investor would like. You see: Opportunity requires some backbreaking work. The listing at 3503 Tennyson only needs about 10-20K put into to make it a great rental, or first home. FYI: The price has been dropped ANOTHER 14K since I showed it last week. The bank is going to entertain any REASONABLE OFFER! Buy! Buy! Buy!
Deal #4/4.5: Deals that are going to take a little time. My brother. Ben, buy a house. I don't care if I have to rent a bedroom from you. Now is such a great time. Another lady: soon to be divorcee, wants to buy a place to replace the place her not-so-nice ex was going to sell. This one will be creative because (DARTH VADER MUSIC): Self employment. There is a way to get the deal done. Just a matter of time.
On to pressing matters: 1400 block of Franklin was posted as a home that was being renovated. It was vacant and terribly downtrodden for a very long time. Investor came in, rehabbed it and now, listing 4 units for: 299,900. I believe it was purchased for $750,000. ROI: roughly 62.5%. I would say this area is great. Buy one here now.
See previous posts on 1400 Franklin. You will be amazed as to what they have done.
More tomorrow! Happy New Year!
Edward A Martin
Showcase Properties Unlimited
303-875-4450
So much has happened in six months- various companies have gone bankrupt, layoffs have ensued, unemployment lines have done nothing but gotten longer! What is the silver lining?
In my three years in real estate, I have taken my licks- moreso in the panic driven self-employment scheme, and seeking comfort in corporate America and a steady paycheck. But, I must divert away from comfort only and seek opportunity. Lo and behold, it has come in small pieces to me.
I am currently working about 4 real estate deals. One is an old friend...lesson: NETWORKING. She and I have been friends since middle-high school-ish. She is not a first timer, but has a few plans in the works to get a post-grad degree, and I think she trusts me. We have scoured Cap Hill and Highlands for a hip, young place, and we are ready to drop an offer on a cool place near Colfax and Emerson.
Looking at the inventory in 80218, 80206, 80203, 80202, and all of the zip codes that include Potter Highlands and Highlands Square, there aren't massive homes for sale. They are slightly below listing prices, and if they are foreclosures, they require a decent amount of work.
The second deal that I am working is from a CRAIGSLIST posting! I was asked to put a property at 1534 High Street on CL to get a buyer. I had a couple of great hits, and one young lady took me up on looking. In scouring the same area, there were some really good deals to be had, with little work needed. This one is a little harder to nail down. When I showed her the Highlands condo at 3145 Tejon, she fell in love with the neighborhood. The good news: Homes are on the market longer, and the inventory is up. Better news: Prices are pretty good. They might get better, they may get worse. Real estate is an investment just like the stock market. I recommended some good lenders to her, and here she is, contacting them.
Deal #3: Investor. We submitted an offer on a home well below list price- bank owned, near Federal and Mississippi. We were on the low end of 12 offers. Someone is buying real estate. I am going to show more property today, hopfully find something. He wants something he can fix. The kicker- I have seen the boulevard of broken dreams and foreclosures. Great stories of horror in walking into wrecked homes, which only an investor would like. You see: Opportunity requires some backbreaking work. The listing at 3503 Tennyson only needs about 10-20K put into to make it a great rental, or first home. FYI: The price has been dropped ANOTHER 14K since I showed it last week. The bank is going to entertain any REASONABLE OFFER! Buy! Buy! Buy!
Deal #4/4.5: Deals that are going to take a little time. My brother. Ben, buy a house. I don't care if I have to rent a bedroom from you. Now is such a great time. Another lady: soon to be divorcee, wants to buy a place to replace the place her not-so-nice ex was going to sell. This one will be creative because (DARTH VADER MUSIC): Self employment. There is a way to get the deal done. Just a matter of time.
On to pressing matters: 1400 block of Franklin was posted as a home that was being renovated. It was vacant and terribly downtrodden for a very long time. Investor came in, rehabbed it and now, listing 4 units for: 299,900. I believe it was purchased for $750,000. ROI: roughly 62.5%. I would say this area is great. Buy one here now.
See previous posts on 1400 Franklin. You will be amazed as to what they have done.
More tomorrow! Happy New Year!
Edward A Martin
Showcase Properties Unlimited
303-875-4450
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