Billionaire Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg has chosen Memphis as one of five cities whose Mayor's he is supporting through an initiative at his Bloomberg Charities.  The Grant is designed to assist Mayors who are in the first 18 months of their terms and are in unique positions to not only tackle problems but also have a willingness to work together to share what is working and what is not.

Memphis, Tennessee  - Chandler Reports, the leading provider of real estate data, research and consulting information in the West Tennessee area, released the final numbers for real estate transactions in the Memphis area for February 2011.  After leading the Memphis greater metropolitan area for home sales in 2010, Memphis Invest has started 2011 strong leading both January and February in home sales.

It is funny sometimes to get the reactions of investors when they hear me talk about diversification in Memphis real estate because they are not used to hearing those terms come from real estate investing companies.  Maybe from professional stock brokers or stodgy old men in black suits discussing the economy in terms most of us would never use.  But in truth, diversification in your real estate portfolio is very important and can often mitigate the over all risk you take as an investor.

Having talked to hundreds of investors each year at Memphis Invest, I have stopped being surprised by the different reasons investors list for purchasing investment property.  Often times, the criteria that investors use to determine a"good deal" are as varied as the colors in a box of crayons.  As a seasoned investor, I can tell you with authority, that if I had to choose one measure for an investment deal it would be its cash on cash return. 

"Don't Throw out the Bicycle for the Bumps in the Road"!

I love expressions like this.  They speak to the real emotions that real estate investors face everyday and carry that folksy remedy that our parents used as an approach to tough situations.

Today, real estate investors are facing more and more tough situations and some are tougher than others.  The obstacles we face as real estate investors, especially Memphis investors wanting to buy discount properties in Memphis with leverage, seem to come out of nowhere right when we get to the finish line.  We often have that feeling that the road gets a little bumpier just as things appear to be going smoother.  The bumps are getting a little bumpier too!