Being a REALTOR® and investing in real estate goes hand in hand. When you’re looking at properties every day, and when you get to know the real estate market and where it’s headed, it’s hard to pass up a good deal on a home or piece of property. These good deals have led to me owning various rental properties over the years. After leasing office space for Pinnacle Realty when we first opened, it wasn’t long before I decided that purchasing my first commercial property was the best route to go. I’d already had success with real estate investments, this seemed like just an extension of those investments.
Our offices are currently located at The Point, where Gratiot and Midland Road meet. If you are familiar with the area, you might recognize that location as the old Saginaw ISD building. If you are having trouble bringing an image of the building to mind, think of A frames, The Point has three A frames along the front of the building. It’s uniqueness is what drew me to it. Once I looked at the property, I couldn’t stop thinking about what a great location it was for a building of commerce. There was so much space to hold different businesses inside.
The building was bought, and I was my own first tenant, leasing space to Pinnacle Realty for our offices. Over the years since buying the building, we’ve leased office space to various companies, but I knew I wanted it to be more about commerce and not just office space. And now The Point is becoming the bustling building of commerce that I envisioned. You can come in and get your hair done at Hair Therapy, have a great cup of coffee at Sips 476, get a roofing quote from Upright Construction, and now get donuts and sandwiches at the recently opened Miles Market Bakery and Deli. We also house a photography studio, an online consignment shop, and we are still home to office space for a few businesses. All with room to add more commerce options for the area.
Real estate investing can be a great additional income stream. It does take knowledge of the current real estate market, market trends, and the benefits of buying residential properties versus the benefits of buying commercial properties and which is the right fit for what you’re trying to accomplish. The great part is, you don’t have to have that knowledge yourself, that is why you hire a knowledgeable REALTOR®. It is beneficial when investing in real estate to have a good network of professionals to call when you need a contractor, property manager, electrician, lawn care, etc. I have that knowledge as well. With almost 15 years in real estate, I have a database of people I can put you in touch with when you need to have work done on one of your investment properties. Remember, I’m real estate investor myself.
If you have been considering real estate investing (or maybe after reading this you’re now considering it), let’s set up a time to meet over coffee (I know where you can get a great cup) and discuss the pros and cons. We can talk realistic numbers of what costs would be to get started, and see if maybe this is the right path for you. If it is, then we can move right on to the next steps to getting you started. If it isn’t, you haven’t lost anything, and you’ve had a great cup of coffee.
