I was reflecting back on my real estate career.

As I was doing so someone asked me a rather deep question

The question was, assuming you could control time travel, which button would push a) rewind b) pause.

Good question.

RayRay,

If I went back in time my only regret is I did not keep buying aggressively in the early years.

AND more education, SOONER! Seminars, books, and tapes made me wealthy AFTER I started listening to gurus.

When I first started I picked up 3 rentals - one per kid to cash out for college money- plus a personal home over 5 years. I thought I was big stuff. Then I met some people who owned more than 4 properties so over the next SEVERAL years I pushed it to 15 over about 10 years in the business. We were raising babies, my job was growing.

I thought I was the hottest thing in town with 15 count 15 properties!

Then a landlord that I respected and kind of considered him my second dad said if he could go back he would buy every single property he can get his hands on. He didn't have a big business but he had a good solid profitable business. He had worked in banking. Combine that with landlord experience and it made for some great credibility.

So I started getting super creative and buying everything I could get my hands on. I paid just a little more than with the hard-core investors were paying but I got the property and they didn't. You can't do anything with the properties you don't own.

I saw that my job what is in jeopardy due to new management so we got crazy for two years buying 14 properties a year. The city and a nonprofit became my biggest competitors for buying. They were paying full price and snatched up approximately 100 properties in that same two year. There was not much available on the market.

We grew to about 80 properties and a realtor said why don't you just shoot for 100. That kind of stuck in my mind and before I knew it we were crossing 100.And it gets easier and easier and easier.

If I were to start over with my knowledge I would skip houses and buy a 200 unit apt complex because they sell based on income not bank appraisal , BUT I did not know that at the time, and apt rents are now high.

There was less BS flying around in the 60's.

A Mans word was his bond.

Real Men went to work, loved their Wives, Children

and got along (respectfully) with their Neighbors.

I wouldn’t hit either button. Life is better by the choices I’ve made today. I’ve surrounded myself with successful people.

Iron sharpens iron.

I have more rentals then some investors and less rentals then others but am good with that. I still buy if it’s a deal.

Loved the 80s but my life style back then wouldn’t be alive today.

If I could go back in time I would have bought more sooner as well.

I had an opportunity to buy 5 duplexes about 2 streets over from my first ones many years ago. I passed. I should have bought them, but I was nervous.

Rewind. In 1985 I was super physically fit with a strong body, no aches and pains every day.

I could ride my different horses with my kids and I loved that part of my life. We were always going on trail rides and picnics.

Now the kids have lives of their own as do the Grand kids. I see them but not often enough but I understand that.

Now, my mind says "Yes, go do it." But my body says, "What, wait, stop. Are you crazy to think you can do that."

I have absolutely made mistakes along life's path. For the most part, I a ma better person because of them. Would it be nice to avoid them? Yes, but how has these mistakes shaped me along the way?

Thoughtful question! I think that I'd say pause during my children's growing up years. We laughed so hard every night over their stories at dinner. But we spent far too many hours on yard work/house cleaning/paperwork.

And my biggest regret is, that before we knew better, we made them work long hours rehabbing a trashed rental during a summer school break (yes, we paid them, but they were not happy with us). I now know that we should have hired a lot of the work out and gotten the place ready to roll in short order, saving everyone's summer. We might have been able to recover some of the damages beyond the security deposit by going to small claims, but even if not, we'd have had a happier family.