Block Funds Principal Rallys with the National Association of Realtors

This May, I had the privilege of attending the Mid-Year Meetings for the National Association of Realtors (NAR) to advocate for current legislative issues that impact more than 1,000,000 Realtors across the country. With the upcoming election and critical tax reform approaching in the Fall, 2012 is an especially important year for Realtor advocacy. To highlight the importance of the issues at hand, the Realtors organized the Rally to Protect the American Dream at the National Monument that included 13,500 members in person and more than 14,000 members participating online. Several Senators and Congressional Representatives attended the rally to show their support for many of the issues below. After the rally, Realtors from each state went to the hill to meet directly with their respective Senators and Congressional Representatives. 

Finding the Right Broker: Knowledge is Power

The evolution of Block Real Estate Services (BRES) is a natural progression for a family committed to success through real estate.  Most people know that Ken, Steve and Mike develop and invest in the real estate market.  Many investors including yours truly has had the experience of investing with the Blocks and receiving a regular monthly dividend.  What many people fail to realize is the incredible pool of real estate talent available at BRES.

Commercial Real Estate Funds: The Alternative Investment

Many investors do not have the experience, time or knowledge to invest directly in commercial real estate and have no desire to quit their day job to solely focus on their CRE portfolio. If this is the case for you, a real estate fund may be the solution. Most well managed funds provide the investor with a portfolio of properties that match the investment objectives of the fund and, at the same time, relieve the investor of the day-to-day activities that come with investing in commercial real estate. Not all commercial real estate funds are created equal and investors need to make sure the fund objectives meet their personal risk tolerance, time frame and return expectations before the investment decision is made. Learn more about the benefits and risks of commercial real estate investments and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS).

Recession-Proof Recipe for Growth

In 2006, Block Maintenance Solutions (BMS) began as a simple LLC that was comprised of Building Maintenance Technicians and Engineers in total about 16 employees.  The company remained unchanged until 2009. At that point, BMS began to grow. Over the next three years we grew to over 40 employees, and a full spectrum of building services that include:

 

• Construction / build-out
• HVAC service / installation
• Electrical service
• Plumbing
• Locksmith and security
• Project Management
• Inspections
• General Contracting

The revenues are up from approximately $600K in 2009 to a projected $3.6M for 2012. Anyone that has not spent the last 10 years in a comma, knows that the last three years have been some of the roughest economical times. How did we grow? We followed a simple recipe:

Is CRE Prepared for Senior Housing Boom?

Commercial real estate took a deep dive in 2008, and many sectors found their projects incomplete and with lack of capital to continue. However, as Baby Boomers begin to retire, these medical and retirement focused markets are seeing an opportunity in catering to America’s aging population. Investors are beginning to identify a wise choice in putting their money into assisted-living rental properties, which are tied to health care rather than personal housing choices.