Real Estate Investors Association of Greater Cincinnati

Indulge me in a fable, and see if it jibes with your current, or perhaps past, experience as a developing real estate entrepreneur:

You’re standing on a sidewalk with your nose an inch away from a brick. It’s a good brick. You’ve studied it for a while, and you’ve come to the conclusion that it’s reddish, rough, and surrounded on all four sides by parts of other bricks. You’ve looked at it long enough to decide that it’s a pretty great brick.

Someone walks by and asks, what are you doing? Looking at this brick, you reply.

Are you sure it’s a brick you’re looking at? the stranger queries. You might want to take a step back, because there’s more to see here than you think.

So, you take a step back, and you realize that he’s right: the brick you’ve been so obsessed with is just one of many. In fact, from your new perspective, you notice out of the corner of your eye that there’s also something else--a ho
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We live in an age where there’s literally information and training everywhere. From Zoom to podcasts to TikTok to YouTube to FaceBook, you can’t turn around without being exposed to the latest and greatest "wow factor" strategy or "new wisdom".

With all that success advice right at our fingertips, why is it that according to Inc. Magazine, more than 85% of people today don’t like what they do for a living? How can it be that the majority of Americans wake up every Monday morning dreading going to their place of business?

One clue is in the nature of the message that much of the modern-day success literature promotes:

• "You should be outworking everyone around you"
• "You can manifest anything you want"
• “You have all the power to control everything"
• “Being rich and unhappy is better than being broke and unhappy”
• “The purpose of a business is to be profitable”

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If you don’t think that real estate investing is a relationship business, you haven’t been paying attention. 

It’s your connections with other investors that bring you the local knowledge, the referrals to the right professionals, the money, the partnerships, and the deals that let you prosper now, and for years to come.   

But these relationships don’t ‘just happen’ for most people. You have to be intentional about building and maintaining them, just like you’re intentional (I hope) about building a rental portfolio, or a buyer’s list, or a marketing plan.   

Cincinnati REIA exists, in large part, to provide a platform for you to find and interact with like-minded folks who can encourage and help you be successful, but you have to do your part, too. Here are some tips for the 95% of us who aren’t just natural ‘connectors’:  

1. Be intentional about your professional development. There’s no job you can have or business you can be
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          Way back in the mid-90s, I went to a workshop taught by the great Pete Fortunato.

          Several times during this event, he mentioned deals he’d negotiated or financed with the help of what he called “financial friends”.

          At the time, I had two thoughts about this: first, “Why does a guy who’s been in real estate for 30 years and is probably richer than Croesus need other people’s money to do deals?”.

          And second, “That’s great for him—he has decades of experience, so I bet he both knows a lot of people and is able to impress them with all the deals he’s done. I wonder how long it’ll be before some of these ‘financial friends’ find me?”

          As time has passed, and experience and observation has filled in the blanks, I’ve discovered the answers to both questions. Read More...

Think back for a minute—what was your first thought the first time you saw one of those handwritten signs at the highway entrance? You know, the one that says, “Handyman Special Must Sale [sic] $87,000 555-5555”? Or the first time you saw a bandit sign that said, “I Buy Houses Close in 7 Days”?

Unless you happened to have encountered one of these messages for the first time after you’d already started studying real estate, your reaction was probably a mixture of:

• Suspicion (“Is this for real? Who tries to buy houses by putting a sign on a telephone pole?”)
• Confusion (“Handyman’s special WHAT? What are they trying to sale [sic] me, exactly?”)
• Mistrust (“How can they possibly buy a house in 7 days when it took my bank 45 to close?”)
• Cur
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In the world of real estate investing, finding the right financing option can be the key to success. One of the most effective loan products that has gained significant attention in recent years is the Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) loan. DSCR loans are especially popular among real estate investors due to their flexibility and streamlined approval process. These loans are tailored for investors seeking to maximize their portfolios without relying on personal income or traditional credit scores. Here’s why real estate investors should consider DSCR loans as a financing solution.

What is a DSCR Loan?

A DSCR loan is a type of financing where the lender evaluates the borrower’s ability to repay the loan based on the income generated by the property itself, rather than the borrower’s personal income or credit score. The debt service coverage ratio is a financial metric that compares the property’s net operating income (NOI) to the total debt obligations, typically the mortgage principal and interest, taxe
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real estate in a self-directed IRA (SDIRA) is the number one strategy of smart investors who choose their own investments to build retirement income. You can do this, too, if you use a self-directed retirement plan. You’ll become part of a growing class of individuals who control their retirement funds and invest in alternative assets to build wealth and diversify your portfolio.

4 Ways real estate in a Self-Directed IRA Earns Income

Building tax-sheltered retirement income with real estate in a self-directed IRA opens a considerable number of doors for investors. While the most common asset is an actual piece of property, there are a myriad of other holdings the average individual might not know about.

Investors who are familiar with the ins and outs of any strategy can put their knowledge to work and invest in those assets in an SDIRA to grow wealth for retirement in a few ways.

Property Appreciation

Typically, the val
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Back when I first joined my REIA, there was an experienced investor named Ralph who always wore these buttons that said YAFTAX.  After perhaps 6 months, I finally worked up the courage to ask him what that meant, and he said, “sound it out”.

After a few tries, I got it: You have to ask.

His point was, don’t walk around being confused by my button. Ask me. Don’t walk around being confused by real estate. Ask someone.

So fast forward (mumble mumble) years to yesterday, when I had a really interesting conversation with a really new investor that FINALLY made clear to me the full meaning Ralph was trying to convey.

This new investor mentioned that at some of our 'deal' meetings, she'd listen in, write down any terms she didn't understand, and google them.

The example she gave was, "I didn't initially know what it meant when people said, 'I have a
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A feasibility study is a critical step in real estate investment, offering a detailed analysis of a property’s potential. It helps investors make informed decisions, mitigate risks, and align projects with market conditions, financial goals, and regulatory requirements. Including an architect in this process enhances the study’s accuracy and value by providing expert insights into design, functionality, and compliance.

Key Benefits of a Feasibility Study

1. Risk Mitigation
   A feasibility study identifies challenges such as zoning restrictions, environmental concerns, or construction costs. With an architect involved, these challenges are addressed proactively, ensuring that risks are minimized before development begins. Architects analyze the practicality of design solutions and anticipate structural or site-related complications.
2. Financial Viability
   The study evaluates costs, potential revenues, and ROI. An architect contributes by estimating design and construction expenses based
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Advanta IRA is one of the nation’s leading self-directed account administrators. We often encounter questions from people who want to know about self-directed investing. Below are 15 of the most frequently asked questions about how a self-directed IRA (SDIRA) works with alternative investments, including types of accounts, a list of common assets, and how to fund a new account.

Using alternative investments to build retirement wealth is a smart strategy in today’s economy—especially when combined with an erratic stock market. Alternative investments often have a low correlation with stock market performance and have the potential to produce positive returns even when the stock market is down and when inflation is high. This is why the SDIRA is becoming more popular with savvy retirement savers like you. 

Top 15 Frequently Asked Questions about a SDIRA

1. What is an SDIRA?
   Self-directed IRAs (SDIRAs) and solo 401(k)s work like their conventional counterparts with two powerful exceptions: 

• Self-directed plans allow alternative investments th
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