As a student and entrepreneur one highly values information. We purchase books, attend conferences, and search the internet all in hopes of acquiring information that can help us get closer to our vast goals. After I graduated with a BBA in Real Estate I worked at Citifinancial Mortgage Corporation as a loan officer. As soon as the whistle blew I darted out of the building and went to a We Buy Ugly Houses Franchise on Abrams in Arlington or made pit stops at mortgage broker shops. These guys were out there practicing deals day in and out full time hell or high water, swim or drown. The more I hung around the more they would open up to me and tell me how their businesses operated. Eventually I opened my own residential real estate investment, and mortgage company.
While visiting San Antonio we had the privilege of meeting two ambitious real estate forerunners Mr. Ed Cross and Mr. Charles "Marty" Wender. These men both are real estate experts and successful in their own right. They both were charitable with their time and knowledge. People purchase books by authors like Warren Buffett, Donald Trump, R. Donahue Peebles, etc., because it is highly unlikely that one would ever get a up close and personal with them long enough for them to impart their wisdom.
Cross & Wender experienced awful economic downturns yet managed to forge ahead. Mr. Cross continued to purchase properties even when the market spit out double digit interest rates, Mr. Cross ate them with a smile as they captured hefty chunks of cashflow. Mr. Wender stated that his partner lost the funding to one of his projects during the crash of Savings & Loans, and 80's Oil Bust. The media posted his picture in the newspaper and bluntly said he would not see his dream come to fruition. Most people would have thrown the towel in. Not Marty Wender, he's not most people. He worked hard and obtained new financing. It takes all of a few seconds to mention the most stressful times of your life. However when you endure stress day in and out it feels like an eternity.
From 2004-2007 it seems as though everyone wanted to practice real estate. Today some people are so devastated of what transpired and their losses they will never try their hands at real estate again. Mr. Cross & Mr. Wender have remained focused, and consistent in their approaches having both outlasted three economic downturns. I am all the more resilient having spent time with them and share some of their most agonizing and triumphant times of their lives.
Oh by the way! Be on the lookout as I share the details of the properties visited in San Antonio!
In the words of my favorite politicianPublish Post
Onwards & Upward
http://www.westoverhills-sa.com/developer.htm
http://www.cross-co.com/
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