Believe it or not, there’s an answer to this. Cecil Adams printed it in one of his books, which I don’t have anymore but its worth reading if you’re into obscure facts. It goes back to the time when only royalty and rich folk were allowed into the park, where they would go for a drive. Thats all I remember for now.
How about investing in garages? I see a lot ot garage sales lately.
I was trying to avoid revisiting the Woodchuck conundrum (thanks to Bill Gatten for this term). But now that you pose the question of “what would happen to the woodchuck if the woodchuck had wings”, I suppose I have no choice.
Approaching this question was problematical. Is the question “How much wood could a WINGED woodchuck chuck if a WINGED woodchuck could chuck wood?” Or is the question “Could a woodchuck chuck wood if a woodchuck had wings?” Or perhaps the question is “How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood and had wings?” Perhaps you could enlighten me as to which aspect of the woodchuck situation most interests you.
The last question presents special problems as to it’s analysis. As you undoubtedly know, a woodchuck is a rodent commonly inhabiting the northern and eastern parts of North America. You can’t miss a woodchuck when you see him. He’s short legged, has a heavy-set body, and is covered with grizzled brownish fur. And of course, he will be chucking.
However, if you saw a flying woodchuck, you’d have to be careful not to confuse this with a woodco c k. Woodco c ks also have short legs and brownish plummage. So the initial look is the same. The main distinction is a long bill.
Either way, if a woodchuck had wings my guess is that what you really saw is a woodco c k. Look for that bill. But in light of all this, perhaps the conundrum could be restated to “How much wood could a woodco c k chuck if a woodco c k could chuck wood?”
That’s the truth. No matter how many people KNOW about REI, and how many of them “fantisize” over being an investor, very few actually do the homework and play the game.
With cloning technology being what it is today, and gene manipulation research going as fast as it is, one just might see a rodent with wings.
Now I was thinking, JPiper as I read your post, A winged woodchuck, could probably chuck more wood, faster, because it would be improved.
Now if we could just get one to fly around and look for abandoned properties…
hmmm.
Dirk
I am trying to get started myself, and I do see a lot of apparent competition. I have always noticed more competition after starting any venture than while I was daydreaming about it. However, I imagine that like everything else, something else bright and shiny will appear, and many people will move on to something else.
The remainder of the old pros will probably be as well off if not better. What kind of market do you think will exist when people move on? Could there be a time when it will truly be an investor’s dream as people unload re to finance thier next shot at fame and fortune?
I hope I can be positioned properly to take advantage of it.
I haven’t compared texts of historical documents, but I think that the earliest re transaction I have read about is recorded in Genesis. That was probably not the first one, so re transactions have been going on a long time and will probably continue to occur.
May we all have the perseverence to make it through this anamolie and may our portfolios be enriched from its demise.
Can you say that three times real fast? Now for the flying woodchuck, do you suppose a fair fee would be less than the praise and kibble for a birddog?
It seems that you are quite concerned about competition, and are banking on the demise of RE investing to insure your success.
I wouldn’t count on RE becoming any less popular as an investment strategy…ever. There will always be a demand for housing, hence there will always be ways to make money investing in RE…no matter what the market conditions.
When I first got serious about RE, I was quite concerned about competition myself. In fact, my enthusiasm for the business created even more competition…getting several friends into the business.
The longer I am involved in REI, however, the more I realize that competition makes things easier, not harder. There is only so much that you can handle at a time, and when you can make money on the deals you don’t have time for, you’re doing really well. And that’s where other investors come in.
Concentrate on being really good at marketing, and attracting and locating deals and sellers. You will then be way ahead of the pack. This will put you in control, and you can kick your competition the deals you don’t have time for (or don’t want)…and get paid to do it. And vice versa. Win, win, win.
Good luck, Bill. I know how you feel, believe me. Even now, I still get the competitive itch once and a while, but I guess that’s good…it get’s me off my butt.