Real estate is a fickle beast. There are ebbs and flows, ups and downs, and...well, you catch my drift. Real estate investing is not like buying a car or a computer or a new refrigerator where you can point to a certain day on the calendar and know what something will cost on that day.  Real estate investing is all about trends and the key is to be able to recognize trends. Is it a buyer's market or a seller's market? Is it a market that's in transition from one to the other? If so, how rapidly is the market changing?  More importantly, is the information I am watching actually telling me something or is the trend a very subtle one meaning that even as it moves - in either direction - the timing is still good for buying real estate.

Do you like keeping up with the latest news, tips and tricks in the real estate investing world?  If you are like me, then you have a subscription to a newspaper, several magazine deliveries and email alerts on real estate news from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Memphis Daily News, Dallas Morning News, Memphis Business Journal, Ft. Worth Star Telegram...o.k., wait.  I get it, very few of you out there are as obsessive as me when it comes to news.  I fully admit to being a magazine hoarder.  I cannot go through an airport without picking up the latest copy of a magazine that I don't have a subscription to.  On a long flight I will pick up four!

I was lucky enough to be featured this week on a fantastic Podcast that debuted earlier this year from the founder of BiggerPockets.com, Josh Dorkin.  The show is co-hosted by Brandon Turner and they have done a phenomenal job of creating a fun and informative podcast that has rocketed to the #1 spot on iTunes for real estate podcasts.  Before this becomes one huge infomercial for their podcast and website, I wanted to share with you the podcast and let you listen for yourself.  I had a great time joining them and the interview gets into a lot of topics covering our business.

There were three categories for companies to be chosen as Small Business of the Year winners.  Memphis Invest has been nominated two years in a row for the 26-60 employee award and the second year is the charm!

The winners will be announced on Thursday night May 23rd at a special dinner, but today they published articles on all of the finalists.  This is our second year to be nominated, which is a tremendous honor.  To be considered one of the Top 5 companies in Memphis (we are in the 25-75 employee category) really speaks volumes not about us as owners, but about our people.  Easily, the best staff in the business.  If you want to see the article online at the Business Journal, I have included a link.