Positive vs. Negative Leverage: Arbitrage, Walmart, and Sir Isaac Newton
Posted on 27. Oct, 2010 by Perry in Brokerage, Resources
You’ve made it to CRE Financial Analysis 201! Congratulations, Sir Walter Capital would be proud… not too proud… not even proud enough to pat your back… but proud enough not to crush you where you stand. There is still much to learn and cover, much to make Walter proud.
In fact, there’s no better way to make Walter proud than to flash through a page of his book:
Sir Walter Capital was a man of few faults, no faults if you’re counting, and his investment record reflects that. During his investment career, he lost money once – to himself, and both he and his betting counterpart came out on top. Long term planning, diligence and meticulous analysis keep his winning legacy expanding: he’s had a hand in every major discovery since dinosaurs; and he’s capitalized… where do you think the Wal in Walmart comes from? (more…)
Becoming a Dreamer: An Ode to Stephen Hawking
Posted on 21. Oct, 2010 by Brandon in General
Photo Credit: pashasha
To say Stephen Hawking had me at hello is an understatement. I know I’m not the first nerd-at-heart to jump his bandwagon, but there’s a reason A Brief History of Time sold more than ten million copies – and it’s not his mathematical genius.
It’s his imagination.
Don’t get me wrong, Stephen Hawking is a mathematical genius, but it takes more than that to estrange him from everyone. When writing a brief history, his editor warned him that for every equation included in his book, the readership would be cut in half. Imagine the imagination it requires to condense the most complex astrophysics and mathematical theory into something simple, enjoyable (yes enjoyable!), and comprehensible for ten million readers. He used only one equation. (more…)
Debt Service Coverage Ratio: A 1 Minute Lesson, A Lifetime of Knowledge
Posted on 18. Oct, 2010 by Perry in Resources
Keeping up with our current trend of quoting gentlemen smarter than the average twelve-year-old, and in accordance with our policy of self-promotion (REsheets is the shiznit), we’ve developed an electrifying resource sure to provide you the client, you the future client, or you… are you lost?, with the skills necessary to better yourself as a companion and a leader… what were we talking about? Oh right, quotes:
The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do. – Thomas Jefferson
Ah… scratch everything, here we go: (more…)
The 5 Most Important Things Ever Said by Donald Trump (hint: sarcasm)
Posted on 12. Oct, 2010 by Brandon in General
Photo Credit: drewbic
Most of what Donald Trump says has been said before, only better. He’s easily one of the most influential figures in present-day Commercial Real Estate, so hey, maybe there’s a lesson here: if you know what works, work it.
Out of respect for a man Forbes pegs at 2.4 billion (a number Donald considers grossly undervalued), let’s run down to the local SuperCuts, ask for a really awfully bad haircut, and while we’re awaiting immense success, review the five rules of Trump (and who said it better): (more…)
Cash on Cash: Interns, Orange Mocha, and Riddles
Posted on 07. Oct, 2010 by Perry in Resources
We’ve all been there: a fresh faced intern running coffee, replacing #56 ink cartridges (or #57? Argh), making sure the perfectionist, power hungry boss’s pencils are perfectly sharp (Today’s a big day!). True story: a former boss of mine needed 20+ No. 2 pencils freshly sharpened every morning. My suggestion was mechanical pencils; my punishment was loosely tied to heretics.
And if that’s bad, screw up his Venti Orange Mocha Frappuccino – a drink with a majority of incomprehensible words. My strong points are not menial tasks.
But interning has its place, right? Busy work in exchange for experience and knowledge… sponging the attributes of a boss who has already galloped the gauntlet. What an invaluable resource… that is, until you’re told questions are forbidden and Google has all the answers. (more…)
There’s Music in Absence and the Perfect Salesman
Posted on 05. Oct, 2010 by Brandon in Brokerage, General
Photo Credit: .neha.
I recently heard Pink on the radio, not exactly my pop-rock preference, however, she did something I rather enjoyed. In her song “sober” she says, I don’t wanna be the girl that has to fill the silence… and the song ends for a measure, only to resume as normal.
It was a silly point, but it worked.
It reinforced her lyrics and you’re literally stricken by the absence of sound, adding perspective to the sound’s reemergence. There’s a great musical quality in that particular withholding, and I was forced to appreciate the presence of the music thereafter (whether I liked it or not).
There’s my perfect salesman. (more…)