StripMallGuy

Some of the best local businesses in America are operated by immigrant families. The unsung heroes? Their children. They show up at landlord meetings to translate starting in their early teens. They help their parents build websites, create a social media presence, and work out vendor disputes. Their parents wanted nothing more than for them to grow up with more opportunity than they had, and those kids often balance pressure of doing well in school and going to college with helping their parents out as much as possible. I’ve been lucky to meet many of you over the years. You’re becoming business leaders, doctors and lawyers. Your parents sacrificed a lot for you to succeed, but you sacrificed a lot for them as well. You may not think anyone notices all you do in the background. But many do. You’re taking your families to new heights, and inspiring the rest of us in the process. Here’s to you ❤️

There should be a rule where you're not allowed to complain that you can’t find deals unless you’re personally cold-calling.

Super slow-mo. That’s how to best describe the pace of new leases, renewals, purchases, sales, financing, etc in commercial real estate. Nobody’s in a hurry to do anything. Things are getting done, but there’s caution and hesitancy all over the place.

Old message: “Buy a house by 30” New message: “Buy an income-producing investment property by 30” Would love to see this happen. There’s a huge lack of knowledge about real estate investing options, so a home becomes the only default, unfort.

The real estate community is abuzz as related to potential tax policy changes re: 1031 exchange. Many folks want it eliminated, and there are few things the real estate world is more united about. My bottom line take: most people will stop selling, transaction volume will slow to a halt, and prices will go way up.

I don’t think enough brokers are familiar with what Capital Markets Brokers do, or that they even exist. There are not very many of them in the industry, relatively speaking, and it’s a niche within a niche. You’re mostly representing very large institutions and usually helping them buy and sell large properties. Different set of skills and very different training.

There are great things about growing up in a community that encourages success and setting high career expectations for yourself. But there’s another side to it that’s not talked about much, and should be. For those that don’t live up to all those expectations, then what? I personally know of several instances where folks in their 30s and 40s, people who have done well by many standards, are dealing with severe mental health issues because they feel they failed themselves and the people around them. Often this is all happening in secret, but often not. Sorry to be a bit graphic, but this is a really important message: There were so many teen suicides on the train tracks in Palo Alto, CA (home of some of the most competitive high schools in America), that Caltrain recently decided to stop announcing them. Many of my peers are on social media to share our career journeys, and in hopes our experiences help others looking to follow our paths. But it’s also important to convey that success in life isn’t defined by wealth or career. It’s up to you how you define success. Not your peers, family, or the community around you. Success can be finding a hobby you love, a job that pays the bills, and a great marriage. Success can be traveling in your 20s and getting by on the money you saved from that high school job. Success can be a job you love that doesn’t pay much, but gives you flexibility to do other things. The point is, it’s up to you. It has nothing to do with what you hear it means, or what someone tells you it means. We need to teach our kids early on that school isn’t everything. Yes, give them the tools to succeed, encourage them, but don’t cause them to define how they see themselves based on their grades. Parents pushing their kids to become millionaires need to look in the mirror. Are you doing it for them, or because it’s what you want for them? The definition of success is as unique as we are as individuals. There is no one-size-fits-all. Feeding people a narrative of what success should look like to them does no good. In fact, it’s dangerous. Give them a stable home, encourage them, be there for them, let them define success as they choose, and watch them blossom like you never imagined, in ways you never expected. Those artificial expectations are far beyond dangerous.

For Sale/For Lease by Owner folks: I respect your determination, and that you’re making a statement. However, I’ve been on both sides, and the reality is that you’re leaving a lot of money on the table. You’re often saving 5% to lose 15%, or more.

When I was a 22-year-old broker, a senior agent in the office spent a lot of time showing me the ropes and cheering me on. Twenty years later she made $106k representing our fund on a purchase 🙏