Primary Resources

Welcome to Our Treasure Trove of Real Estate Wisdom

Greetings, fellow real estate enthusiasts! I’m James, and if you’re on a quest to deepen your understanding of real estate investing, you’ve struck gold. Below, you’ll find the entrance to our labyrinth of knowledge, a collection we fondly refer to as our Primary Resources. These aren’t just any articles; they are our most critical, most comprehensive, most insightful, and most valuable resources on real estate investing. Each piece is a cornerstone, laying the foundation for your journey towards mastery in the real estate realm.

Why are these resources so vital, you ask? They’re the culmination of years of experience, learning, and teaching in the real estate market. Whether you’re a beginner looking to make your first investment or a seasoned investor aiming to expand your portfolio, these resources are designed to guide you through the complexities of real estate investing with clarity and confidence.

As you embark on this exciting journey, remember that these Primary Resources are more than just articles; they are your toolkit for success in the real estate market. Dive in, absorb the knowledge, and let it guide you to your real estate goals. Happy investing!

Wait! Before You Make That Offer…

In this special, first-time-ever class, James shares the two-hour version of the stuff he wishes he could share with every client that is about to make an offer on a property. This class was taught on March 24, 2021. Premise of the Class If I could have the following two-hour conversation* with everyone right before they make an offer: that would be ideal. *Plus, the reference materials/classes. Here’s the library of real estate investor classes by year (for those that don’t know). Resale versus New Construction I am primarily referring to buying a resale property. New construction has its own … Read more

10 House Hacking Tips and Tricks for Real Estate Investors

Interesting in learning about house hacking? How about the top 10 tips (plus a couple bonus tips) on house hacking? Follow James in this special class recorded on March 4, 2021. House Hacking versus Nomad™ House hacking is different than Nomading™. They can overlap… you can house hack while you Nomad™ or Nomad™ while you’re house hacking, but they are distinctly different. House hacking has you rent out part of the property you’re living in. That could be buying a duplex, triplex or fourplex as an owner-occupant and renting out the other units. But it can also mean getting roommates. … Read more

Nomad™ – Ask Me Almost Anything

Let’s ask James the hardest questions yet about the Nomad™ real estate investing strategy in this special edition of Nomad™ – Ask Me Almost Anything. Recorded on February 24, 2021. What Is Nomad™? We started by covering what Nomad™ is: Questions Answered First, multi-part question: “I’m really excited to begin my nomad journey! I’m in a unique position. My non real estate day job income won’t allow me to realize the immediate tax benefits of investment properties (until I sell, of course).” “When I run the numbers to convert my NOCO townhome, the numbers look horrible. With a property manager … Read more

Pros and Cons of Every Real Estate Investing Strategy Compared

Are you considering investing in real estate? What strategy are you considering? How does that compare to all your other options? Let’s dive into the pros and cons of every real estate investing strategy… compared in this special one-time-only class taught by James on February 10, 2021. Before I share with you the outline of the class, I want to mention that I could have opted to do either a qualitative comparison or a quantitative comparison of each strategy. I ultimately chose to do a qualitative comparison for this class. Perhaps I’ll do a quantitative class in the future. Real … Read more

Go to College or Skip It to Invest in Real Estate

College or real estate investing? That’s a great question. What if you earn $30,000 more per year after you get your degree than the person who doesn’t go to college and you decide to invest the full $30,000 per year extra? We tackle the age-old question: Go to College or Skip It to Invest in Real Estate in this special class by James. This class was taught on January 13, 2021 via webinar. Tammy had sent over an article, Is This The End of College As We Know It, and James decided to do some math to see if the … Read more

Rental Property Tax Deductions

I’m not sure how a guy who doesn’t even do his own taxes ended up presenting an entire class on rental property tax deductions, but that’s exactly what happened. This class was taught on January 6, 2021 by James and IRS Enrolled Agent, Jassen Bowman via webinar. Here are the rental property tax deductions covered: Above the line versus below the line and a discussion of standard deduction versus itemizing your deductions The tax free sale of a primary residence including how this often confusing for new Nomads™, the 2 out of 5 year rule and more. House hacking and … Read more

The Ultimate Guide to Market Corrections

Watch the entire 1 hour 57 minute class that James taught on market corrections here: This class was taught on November 18, 2020 via webinar with Brian Williams. This class picks up where my class on Should I Wait for a Real Estate Dip to Invest in Real Estate? leaves off. In the “market dip” class, I talked about: The obvious idea that: if you buy at relative lows, you perform better Historically, recessions are not necessarily real estate market corrections Predicting the future: technical analysis versus fundamental analysis The smartest investors all say: timing the market is incredibly difficult, … 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

Phases of Financial Independence™

When modeling your investments for achieving financial independence, we look at your journey as having 4 distinct phases. Each phase has its own sub-phases as well. Each phase is named after the goal you are working toward achieving. So, you might say, I am working on Phase 1… which is working toward having achieved minimal financial independence. Or, I am in phase 3 working toward safe financial independence. Or, I am working toward leaving a legacy (phase 4). Phase 1: Minimal Financial Independence In Phase 1, Minimal Financial Independence, you are working toward having the absolute minimum you’d need to … Read more