Kenneth Fisher

To me it's a no-brainer. Anyone who has money and is looking for a good place to put it, should look very seriously at buying investment real estate. It is the least risky, most solid, long term wealth building investment vehicle. The key is in the way it is purchased.

Although speculation does factor into the value of real estate, wise, conservative, successful long term investors do not take it into consideration when they purchase. A few years ago, a lot of people were making a lot of money this way. Now, a lot of those same people are singing the blues because they gambled on the market continuing to increase. Obviously, it didn't

When I say real estate is where I'm putting my money, I'm referring to the fundamentally sound purchasing of investment real property. For a piece property to be a good investment, it has to be able to pay for itself. It must produce a positive cash flow. Otherwise, it's not an asset, it's a liability.

People who buy property right enjoy the benefits of leverage. Where else can you buy a $100,000 asset with as little as $10,000 (even less if creative financing is used)? Once the initial investment is made, rent should be able to cover the principle, interest, taxes, insurance, maintanence, and produce a positive cash flow. The tax benefits of individually owned investment real estate are another factor that makes this option favorable. (I'm not a tax advisor). A cash flow producing piece of real estate becomes further leverage when it is borrowed against to purchase another cash flow producing asset. Slight increases in rents over time can increase the cash flow coming in and the value of the propety, not to mention appreciation, which is icing on the cake.

As we are seeing now, and have seen many times in the past, the real estate market goes through cylces. However it is far less volitile than many other investment vehicles, such as the stock market. And if investors invest with the right criteria, their holdings are not directly affected by market cycles. So, if you're looking for the best place to put money, investment real estate is the place to be, especially in Wilmington, the heart of southeasterrn NC.

This Saturday in Wilmington, the Downtown Riverfront was treated to a great show. Do we have any fans of reggae music out there? If so, you would have liked to be here. The Red Stripe Roots Reggae festivel was presented by the Downtown Business Alliance and featured "Culture" as the headliner and 3 other bands. The event went from 3-11. A local restaurant "Jamaica's Comfort Zone" provided excellent food and Red Stripe was on the menu too. Wilmington is an awesome place to live, I must say, again.