Over 10 years ago, my wife and I bought a place in a condo complex on the Intracoastal Waterway of the Carolina Coast. We were fortunate to buy the property at a bargain price since it was a foreclosure that was a victim of the real estate crash in the 2008-2009 period. I enjoy the view the property offers us especially the sight of boats heading south in the Fall and Winter and north in the Spring. Sometimes, we see sail boats heading past our condo and more than once I have day dreamed wondering what place they are heading. I have never been sailing though I did have two uncles who were proud veterans of the U.S. Navy.
I find myself thinking of sailors and sailboats in these days as the world around me faces a pandemic and challenges I have never seen before. Specifically, I thinking of a saying that someone familiar with sailing told me years ago and it is this:
You cannot control the wind, but you can adjust your sails
These are days when all of us are adjusting not our sails, but adjusting our lives. We are learning how to work from home and stay at home… how to cook more at home and eat at a restaurant less… and how valuable a job that people like store clerks do with simply seeing that shelves are stocked with toilet paper.
I encourage you as note investors and real estate investors to pause in these days and consider where you are. What changes do you need to make in your personal finances and spending? What changes do you need to make in your business plan either by necessity or because of the opportunity? In these days when you are spending some time at home and less time out, reflect on your life and business. Talk to and listen to others.
Best wishes in your real estate pursuits. – RLW