S.E.C. Real Estate Observer

In my opinion, depositing all of your money into a bank is tantamount to burying it. In fact, it may sometimes make more sense to bury it in your backyard — especially when you factor in the risks, inflation, and opportunity loss of the depreciating cash locked up in CDs or other long-term and low-interest investments. Let’s just take a minute so that I can explain what I have just said.

As you know, the last four years have featured plenty of glum economic news. Unless you’ve invested in the Bakken region of North Dakota. You see, while the national economy has been stagnant, the Bakken oil boom has been progressing at a breathtaking speed.

Opportunity is only possible when we identify something within a property, problem, or situation that others cannot see. How do we do that? There are many ways to solve a problem and locate the opportunity without knowing how to do it ourselves. We do that by collaborating with others.

What will our economy look like in one to three years? Will our large national banks all be government-owned or will Wall Street figure out a way to sell stock to the public, which will bail out our government and return the banks to private ownership? Will the unemployment rate be 5% or 50%? Will our loans be forgiven? Perhaps the government will take over the non-performing loan portfolios and become the landlord of the millions who cannot afford housing. Will GM be 100% employee, union or government-owned? Or will all the plants be taken over by foreign manufacturers? I find it remarkable that between the date I began writing this article and today, this question has already been answered! I don’t believe that anybody knows where our businesses, or the economy for that matter, will be six months or thirty-six months from now. Frankly, I find it bothersome to speculate.

It is my right to be uncommon—if I can. I seek opportunity—not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence, the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia.

For many, many (perhaps too many) months, we watched the presidential campaign unfold into an election that will secure its place in the history books. In perspective, my appointment as President of the Society of Exchange Counselors seems totally unremarkable. However, this year we will be swimming in uncharted waters. The economic climate and multifaceted challenges that our industry will face during this year of unrest may elude even the savviest of financial forecast analysts. Any great explorer will tell us that the unmarked territory has the greatest potential to harvest tremendous yields.

Astute investors are those who see the trend before others know what to look for…and astute investors know now is the time to begin thinking about Montana as a place to invest! Just look at this recent article: http://www.bozemanchronicle.com/articles/2005/01/17/news/02strong.txt Bozeman was recently in the bidding along with 573 other Micro economies vying for the title […]

Buy virtually anything at a “20% to 80% discount”??? Looking for a creative idea for a business client? Try this techno-twist on an old formula: Through a new and innovative software technology developed called: “Market Maker,” your business can now use its services or products as a median to purchase other services and products they […]