To those who have chosen to visit this site and also read my blog, thank you. I am excited that a new customized site is about to appear in the next few weeks. I was hoping that it would be ready before I attend the ICG advanced seminar on march 1st, but like home construction you don't always finish when you want. I have a new web master who is a blogging and social networking crazy gut. He also understands Google's algorithms well. I also needed a platform to expand into commercial real estate. I am getting a CCIM designation this year, and I will be selling starting in April office condos, retail condos, mini-storage facilities, apartment buildings, and a group will be marketing 100 hotel sites with me throughout the United States. I have also been purchasing both commercial and residential real estate this year. I am closing next week on a class c strip center, both a retail condo and a residential condo in East Village in Norman, and a single family home in Mustang. With two partners we plan to buy a commercial office building in Louisiana for GO Zone benefits. After my residential experience in Baton Rouge with the purchases of two homes, I would NEVER buy there again, except I have found some areas where commercial is flying, and I can deal with Commercial realtors I can trust unlike my BR residential experience. This is a great time to be buying investment real estate although it requires more due diligence than in the last two years. I do plan to blog 10 to 20 times per month on the new site to share my experiences and insights. Please look for it in about two weeks at this same address.   

I look forward to seeing the ICG family this weekend. We are coming with some terrific deals, guaranteed rent, builder model home lease backs, and preconstruction. We have two new subdivisions that we are holding back on until the next meeting that are in Edmond and Deer Creek. We are also going to wait on our new commercial opportunities until next month. We have new homes starting at $125,000 with interest rate buy downs and 3 months guaranteed rent to start. We have sixteen condos leased in the East Village in Norman, and ready for sale as well as a great deal on the town homes in Phase One. Oklahoma should still be in your portfolio now more than ever. The U.S. Bureau of Housing Affairs released statistics that only three states last year did not have dips in the average price of a home and Oklahoma was one of them. Realty Trac not only showed Oklahoma down 15.4% in foreclosed property last year, they also showed that january 2008 was down 17.87% from January 2007. You can buy distressed property in areas like Florida and it may look like a good deal, but many states have not reached bottom yet and your values could still plunge. Government statistics are showing that in order to reach a decent affordability index many areas like Florida and Arizona need another 30% to 40% drops. Oklahoma is still slightly undervalued for its economic condition. Buy sage, buy predictable, buy cash flow, buy for the long term, buy Oklahoma.

It that time of year again, the first ICG Advanced Seminar. Every year has brought a different market condition to consider. This year seems to be about not only the mortgage and credit crisis but also where is the bottom? Markets like Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Colorado, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan are continuing to increase in numbers of foreclosures and depreciation. States and Cities where this is occurring have more than just properties going back to the lender, they have lost revenues in Taxes that support roads, fire, police, and basic services. Oklahoma is a different story. In 2004 ICG choose Oklahoma as a good investment environment and a safe haven for 1031 exchanges out of nevada and Arizona. In the three years and over 400 sales we have had, only one investor had a subprime problem which was out of florida, and two investors had business reversals. Everyone else still owns their properties with no one selling. With the meltdown of last year to this, isn't it remarkable that Oklahoma is still performing like 2005? We actually went down 15.4% in 2007 repos compared to 2006. In January 2008 our repos were down 17.81% from the previous January. Oklahoma as a state went up 4.97% in 2007 and our suburbs did even better. Edmond and Deer Creek set four records for volume, unit sales, average price, and median price sales. Mustang was next in line, and Oklahoma City had it's 4th best year ever. Now more than ever, Oklahoma City is the place to be. We are coming to the ICG meeting with great prices, guaranteed rents, and terrific values. We hope to see you there.

After being in Florida I have come to two conclusions. I like the weather and the ocean in Florida. In real estate, unless I was working foreclosures and short sales, it is great to be an Oklahoma Realtor. I was in another CCIM commercial real estate class in the Fort Myers, Cape Coral area. The good news is that I stayed on Sanibel island on the beach. The bad news is that this area has a 4 year supply of single family homes, and with the new condos coming on the market, a six year supply of condos. A realtor from Miami said that her market should hit a ten year supply this year. Cape Coral was selling off at a 40% drop in one year. However, Florida is not a complete disaster. I spent a day in Palm Beach and the Donald Trumps of the world have a great life. The most important part of the stay was the education. I have finished three CCIM classes and I have one more in April, then I take the final in october. Since I have been involved with ICG starting in 2004, it has been important to me to be able to make better deals for my investors, and to know the minute details of investment real estate. I want to keep getting better and better for you. I am also aggressively buying real estate this year. I currently have a strip center, a retail condo, a single family home, and a residential condo in East Village under contract closing at the end of the month. With two partners I have found a commercial GO Zone area that is hot in Louisiana. After the Baton Rouge Realtor over saturated that market my taste for residential in the GO Zone wanned. I will share my commercial experience after it is done. I am working with a CCIM Commercial Realtor who knows the GO Zone and has integrity. I have lots to share with investors and I have some great deals coming to the march 1st ICG meeting. We have 14 East Village units leased that are not sold, and we are going to offer fully furnished units at no extra cost that are not leased. We have found that furnished units can increase the rents a minimum of $100 a month. FYI, the Sanibel Inn was a gem. It is reasonable, on the ocean, and Ellington's Restaurant has great jazz. We saw David "Fathead" Newman there who was at one time Ray Charles' band leader. Sometimes Dave Brubeck who lives on the island comes in to jam. Hope to see you in SF!