ELLIE'S FORBES MAGAZINE ARTICLES

Best Practices To Keep In Mind When Investing In A Real Estate Syndication
July 8, 2022
A "syndication" refers to a group of investors who pool their resources together in order to invest in real estate. Usually, syndications are led by a sponsor, who is responsible for finding the deals, organizing the funding and transactions, holding the liability (signing on the loan) and managing the investment after it has been made.........
What To Keep In Mind Before Investing In Real Estate To Combat Inflation
May 27, 2022
While inflation might have been present in the background of American society for a number of years, all of the sudden, it seems to have sprung to the forefront. With inflation rates hitting a 40-year high and gasoline and home prices soaring, people are seeing the impact of inflation almost everywhere in their lives........
Shiny Object Syndrome: Best Practices When Diversifying Your Portfolio
Mar 11, 2022
Diversification is a word that tends to stir up a lot of strong opinions. Some people believe it is the be-all-end-all strategy for investing success, and others believe it is a fool’s errand and anyone who tries is destined to fail.......

The New Tax Bill And How It Could Impact Real Estate
Dec 29, 2021
The “Build Back Better” plan initially proposed up to $3.5 trillion in spending. This figure has since been scaled back to $1.75 trillion. The new bill cut out a lot of items. However, many items such as universal free pre-k for 3- and 4-year-olds still remain, as does $555 billion in spending on climate initiatives, in addition to many other items for infrastructure, education, immigration, etc.....

13 Real Estate Investment Trends To Watch As Work From Home Continues
Nov 17, 2021
Even as businesses navigate returning to the office in earnest, the demand for flexible work arrangements isn’t dying down. For real estate investors, the time for considering whether to make changes to better accommodate how people are currently living and working is long gone. It’s now time to take action if investors want to keep up in this new environment.....

How Real Estate Investors Can Use Artificial Intelligence
Oct 4, 2021
How do you determine whether one multifamily deal is better than another? Let me start by saying that a deal is only as good as the assumptions you’re making as an investor, and assumptions are not guaranteed to materialize. As a real estate investor, operator and syndicator through my company Blue Lake Capital, a significant part of our analysis when considering properties to invest.....

The Top Three Benefits Of Establishing A Family Office
Aug 31, 2021
Family offices have been around for a while, but in recent years, I’ve seen rapid growth in their development. A family office is a private company that handles investments and wealth management for ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families. Generally, that means people or families with $100 million in investable assets.....

How To Use An Anti-Financial Plan For Early Retirement
Jul 26, 2021
When I first heard the term “anti-financial plan,” I was somewhat surprised, as most experts use the term “financial plan” when discussing finances and retirement. But the more I looked into what an anti-financial plan was, the more intrigued I became.....

How To Build A Family Office
June 29, 2021
Over the past several decades, there has been substantial growth in family offices. Throughout my career as a real estate syndicator, operator and investor, I’ve seen firsthand how family offices work and invest. They handle wealth and investment management for wealthy families or individuals, generally in amounts of $100 million and higher in investable assets....

What It Takes To Become A Full-Time Passive Real Estate Investor
June 1st, 2021
There are many advantages to working for an employer, from healthcare benefits and pensions to paid holidays, vacations and a secure paycheck. However, for many individuals, there are downsides as well, and the biggest one is not having total control over your own future...

Taxable Income And Capital Gains: Strategies For Lowering Taxes
May 11th, 2021
According to the U.S. Census, there are ten thousand Baby Boomers entering retirement age each day and by 2030 all Baby Boomers will be 65 and older. In preparing for leaving the workforce, many are considering selling their real estate assets to help fund their retirement...

The State Of The Multifamily Real Estate Market Today
April 19th, 2021
Now that the government has passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan and millions of people are getting vaccinated, there is finally some light at the end of what has been a very dark pandemic tunnel. Unemployment has dropped to 6%, down from a whopping 14.8%, job creation continues to rise and the GDP is recovering — all signs of a stabilizing economy....

Three Lessons From Owning And Operating Multifamily Properties During A Pandemic
January 26th, 2021
While watching the pandemic turn the nation’s economy upside down and pushing unemployment numbers into double digits (though now the rate is around 7%), multifamily sponsors and investors feared the worst for their properties...

What Your Reaction To The Pandemic Reveals About Your Real Estate Investing Style
December 29th, 2020
The worldwide pandemic continues to create serious problems with the economy, impacting almost every type of business imaginable. That certainly includes real estate investing, as it has forced owners, operators and investors to pause and re-assess their approach to how they invest...

Two Ways To Overcome The Challenge Of Financing Investment Real Estate During The Pandemic
December 8th, 2020
A lot of attention has been placed on the impact that the pandemic has had on the multifamily market, from occupancy rates to rent collections to different ways that owners and operators can mitigate the pandemic’s impact on their properties. However, before any of those issues....

How New Executive Orders Will Affect Multifamily Property Owners
September 15, 2020
In August 2020, President Trump issued four executive orders after Congress, and the White House couldn't come to terms with an unemployment relief package to follow the CARES Act that expired at the end of July. Until that time, unemployed Americans were receiving an additional $600 per...

Predictions On How The Pandemic Will Continue To Impact Real Estate
July 21,2020
Back in early April, a few months after the World Health Organization listed the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic “a public health emergency of international concern,” I predicted in a Forbes article I wrote that there would be a serious downturn in the economy...

Is Buying Out-of-State Real Estate Worth It?
June 29,2020
Before answering that important question, it’s best to gain an understanding of why some investors avoid out-of-state investments while others embrace the concept. Investing in real estate, particularly multifamily properties, that is close to home has many advantages...

Biggest Risks When Investing In A Syndication And How to Avoid Them
June 8, 2020
Many investors are now putting their money into real estate, especially multifamily properties. There are a number of good reasons to do this. Prices for multifamily properties have skyrocketed over the past several years, and because of their limited availability and the fact that downsizing retired baby boomers are keeping vacancy rates low, prices will continue to rise...

Seven Proven Tactics To Maximize Rent Collections During A Crisis
May 18, 2020
COVID-19 has taught me a great deal about real estate investing. Though I was part of the real estate scene back in 2008, nothing had prepared me for the current crisis. Like many investors, I too was concerned about collecting rents from my tenants...

How To Create Generational Wealth With Apartment Syndication
April 27, 2020
There’s a famous Chinese proverb that says, “Wealth never survives three generations.” America has its own version, which says, “Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.” But while 70% of wealthy families will end up losing their wealth by the second generation and 90% will lose it by the third, there are ways to avoid that from happening...

How An Economic Crisis Can Impact Real Estate Investing
April 6, 2020
The top story on all news feeds over the past several weeks has been about the coronavirus. While the concern about the virus is deepening, it is impacting the economy in many different ways. For example, I personally pulled all of my money out of the stock market before the first crash...

Is Everyone Really Making Money In Real Estate Right Now?
March 16, 2020
When you look at the prices of multifamily properties, you’ll find that they’ve skyrocketed over the past several years. In fact, there are often bidding wars that drive up the prices due to a limited availability of properties along with the desire for new investors to jump on the multifamily bandwagon. Will the good times ever end?...

Why And How To Raise Capital Before You Have A Deal
February 24, 2020
While finding the right deal in the right market is critical to achieving success as a syndicator, the ability to raise capital is equally, if not more, important. I've found that having capital from investors in place before you have a deal in hand is the best way to ensure success...

What the Market is Telling Us About The Upcoming Recession
January 15, 2020
Will there be a recession anytime soon? Many economists say yes, and many investors assume that there will be a recession in the coming year. In fact, an August survey of 226 top economists showed that 38% believed it would hit sometime in 2020, and 34% felt it would happen in 2021. While nobody can accurately predict exactly when it will begin, it’s definitely on the horizon...

The Misconception About Starting Small Before 'Graduating' To Large Multifamily Properties
December 30, 2019
I’ve met many investors who believe that the smart way to enter the multifamily market is to start small and then “graduate” to buying larger multifamily properties. From my experience, that is a misconception that should be addressed because it prevents those investors from enjoying the many benefits associated with larger multifamily assets...

Angel Investing Versus Real Estate Investing: Which Strategy Would Win?
November 22, 2019
I’m often asked what my preference is when comparing angel investing to real estate investing, since I participate in both investment avenues. I invest in multifamily properties across the U.S., and I like to diversify and invest in local and foreign technology startups...

Why Do Investors Keep Overpaying On Properties, Even At This Stage Of the Cycle?
October 4, 2019
I recently met with an acquaintance who owns thousands of doors across the United States. As we were chatting, he told me that he recently sold a property at $3 million above what they thought they would get for the property. Yes, $3 million. I couldn’t imagine who would overpay so much, especially in a mature market...

How $100,000 Can Buy You 100 Apartments
September 3, 2019
When most people think of owning multifamily properties, they believe that the cost would be prohibitive. After all, you can find solid apartment building in many markets, such as Texas, Florida and Georgia for $70,000–$150,000 per unit. So how could it be possible to own 100 apartments for just $100,000?...

Investment Showdown: Stocks Versus Multifamily Properties
August 7, 2019
There is no question that many people have built their wealth over time using multifamily real estate investments. Likewise, many people have amassed significant amounts of money by investing in the stock market. So in a strategic showdown, which investment takes the prize — multifamily real estate investments or the stock market?...

Why Assuming The Worst Is Best When Investing In Real Estate
July 24, 2019
Let’s start by saying that I am an optimist by nature. I see the glass three-quarters full, not half, and I am passionate about real estate and its role in growing my wealth. That being said, I often speak with investors about their real estate investments, and often hear how optimistic they are about the multifamily real estate market and how they don’t see any reason to doubt that the prosperity and price appreciation will continue...