by Osman Parvez
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Ever since Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, I’ve been intrigued with Ben Stein. Not only was he a speech writer to Presidents Nixon and Ford, he’s a prolific author of books and essays. He’s a pretty funny entertainer to boot. Although few were able to best his knowledge and win his money on his game show, many have gained wisdom from his advice. In his column “How Not To Ruin Your Life,” Stein regularly offers straight up, no nonsense advice that often counters day to day headlines.

Today, he published a short essay on the facts of real estate investing. Worth a read, in my opinion. Here’s a blurb from Real Estate Realities:

Patience remains the watch word when buying real estate. Even if you buy at the peak, if you wait long enough, you will generally make out well. (Detroit and other cities undergoing serious economic dislocation may require especially extreme patience.) If you expect to turn it over quickly and consistently for a profit, you are taking a risk. On the other hand, the present real estate situation presents a rare and enviable long-term opportunity.

p.s. Although they say you should never apologize for not blogging enough, I still feel a little guilty for the lack of new posts. Sorry for the slow down. I’ll be picking up the pace this week.

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