Welcome to The Housing Ecologist Blog

Hello Everybody!



Welcome to my blog. I am the Housing Ecologist. My goal is that this blog can provide useful real estate related information to the readers. As we go forward I will be posting topics of interest pertaining to real estate. Some topics ideas are: buying vs renting, leasing vs renting, selling your house on your own or hiring a real estate agent. I will also be discussing current real estate news and how it can affect our decision to buy, sell or rent real estate.



I would like readers to post their comments to my posting and share their own experiences. It is my desire that this blog becomes a place were people can learn from each other in order to make better and more educated financial decisions when it comes to real estate. I have been a real estate investor for a few years now and I'm still learning, so I expect to benefit from readers' comments as well.





As I get started with this first post I want to give credit to Mr. Barney Zick for the name "Housing Ecologist." I attended one of his seminars on Real Estate Strategies and he made a comment that really stuck. He said that he didn't really like the title "slumlord" which many of us are saddled with. He preferred to be called a "housing ecologist". Although this was a simply a way to throw some humor into the lecture (which he was excellent at by the way) it can actually be very true.



I own several rental properties and in my talks with potential tenants they always bring up horror stories about their previous landlords. They tell me all the bad things about them and all the empty promises they made about repairs - obviously this is how they justify not paying rent since I'll call for references. However, this happens all the time. There are some great investors who can pick up bargain properties, fix them up an turn them into income producing properties. The problem is that they are great investors but lousy landlords. They do not take care of their properties, neglect their tenants, their houses get trashed and then they truly become slumlords.



On the other hand. I believe that if you take a distressed property, fix it up and make it a nice and SAFE place for a family, and properly maintain it you truly are a housing ecologist. Although you are in this for a profit you allow a family to rent a home that meets the standards you would set for your own residence.



It would be an honor if you decide to follow this blog and share your comments. I hope you enjoy this blog.



Thanks,



The Housing Ecologist