Kyle Dreier - Mr. Critical

Another fun Wednesday night out. This time with David, a friend from our church community group, to do some camera geek talk. I could ramble on for hours about f-stops and ISO and … but I won’t bore you. Sitting in the Sportsman Grill was a good test for low-light photography.

Meet David … professional photographer in the making.

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David contemplating the menu and me shooting my water with no ice.

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I think next time I’ll get what David had.

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Wise choice David. Tortilla Soup.

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Still playing with his camera while his soup approaches room temperature.

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All I can think of is a line from Fletch. “You know that look.”

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That pretty much wrapped up our evening. Good food. Good company. Poor lighting. Always good shooting.

- Kyle Dreier

My two older boys are at an age where when I hear them call “Daddy!” from the bathroom it’s followed with “Come wipe my bottom!”

My middle child is barely 3 and has been making great strides in being more independent in the “going potty” category. For Amy and me it’s music to our ears when we hear him call from the bathroom.

Tonight he calls “Daddy!” from the bathroom and I jump from my room to shower him with praise and offer a hand in helping finish the presumed job. However, when I open the bathroom door I find him standing on a step-stool and declaring he pottied on the floor to which I responded “Where it is?” Without missing a beat he simply informs me “You’re standing in it.”

That’s a small glimpse of my reality these days. I’m sure I’ll miss “the good ole days” before I know it.
- Kyle Dreier

Yes, pretty much anything and everything that is in the house is vulnerable to being shot. It seems that everything I see these days is seen with the idea of “that would be neat to shoot.” Valentine’s Day provided a great visual feast for my eyes. (I also enjoyed the taste.)

So many people look to real estate as an investment. I am one of those. Any real estate I purchase I hope that when the day comes to sell I will sell it for more than I paid. That’s pretty much a no-brainer.

So, when do you really make money in real estate? I know … the first answer that comes to mind is “when you sell.” Sure, that’s when you receive your gains, but when do you really “make” that money. At closing? Think again.

The real money is made in real estate when you buy. Why? Think about how you buy. If you buy smart you’re going to buy in a market that is depressed or weak. Maybe you buy in a great market but manage to find someone who needs to sell. Maybe the seller is being relocated. Maybe the seller is in financial dire straights. Maybe the house needs a cosmetic makeover.

In any case you should buy in a market that has strong fundamentals. By this I mean a market that is on the growth cycle, a market that is low on inventory, a market that is in the path of progress. These types of markets all have great opportunities to purchase right … buy smart.

When you buy smart you are at an advantage over others when it’s time to sell. Your basis – what you purchased at – is lower and when you sell guess who makes more money? You. You made the money when you bought, you’re just collecting it now when you sell.

I’ve found this approach works with the home I live in. We bought right. Today our home, after 6 years, is worth 62% more than what we paid. This approach has also worked for preconstruction real estate I’ve purchased over the past three years. I purchased preconstruction condos as investment properties. Today, our equity position in these condos has produced a return on our cash investment of almost 500%.

I will say that I’ve also experienced purchasing at the wrong time. I’ve found myself in a position where I lost money on the purchase and am in a precarious situation with one particular property that if I sold today would lose money. That’s all based on how and when I purchased.

- Kyle Dreier

I find it interesting how my perspective on adoption has been broadened in the last few weeks. I knew in my head that giving up a child for adoption must be a very difficult decision for a parent. However, I’ve been so focused on receiving a child and providing a safe, loving home that I’ve really just blown right past the depth of that decision for a parent.

Amy and I recently made the decision to give Max and Daisy up for adoption. While Max and Daisy aren’t our children (they are our dogs), we do love them and want a loving, caring home for them. This isn’t the first time our dogs have opened our eyes to aspects of parenting. (I’ll save the “obedience” and “consistency” subject for a later post.)

I’ve found that interviewing potential owners/homes for Max and Daisy has given me a much greater appreciation for the process Amy and I are going through for adopting our girl from China. Honestly, it makes all the questions, all the paperwork, all the legal steps seem inadequate for qualifying for adoption. While Amy and I know we will provide a loving and caring home for our girl it’s a difficult idea to convey through a process that spans many months, many miles and different countries.

Just as I want Max and Daisy to have a safe and loving home to spend the rest of their lives, I now feel more – albeit probably only a fraction – of what a parent must feel when deciding to allow someone else to raise, love and care for their natural born child.

- Kyle Dreier

Here’s to another “Wednesday Night Out.” Yes, this is my night to just get out and do what every I please – within in reason, of course. On tonight’s agenda … fish-n-chips from McCreary’s in downtown Franklin.

Little did I know (and little did three unsuspecting gentlemen know) that I wouldn’t be dining alone tonight. McCreary’s is a small quaint place where you can’t help but rub elbows with people you don’t know. Thanks to the willingness of these three gents I was able to tag along on their table for four.

Even on a cold evening there was a wait.

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Getting started. Nothing stopping the feeding fest.

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Cheese fry, up close and personal, and a Canadian.
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“it is finished” – the book of John.

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Just getting started on this mammoth ham and cheese.

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My anticipated fish-n-chips.

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Yes, it is finished.

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My favorite beer. Hefe-Weizen. Finished.

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A nice dinner with three complete strangers. An encounter with yet another Canadian. Last week a Canadian in an Italian place – this week a Canadian in an Irish place. Seems like we should maybe be protected our northern borders. I’m kidding.
Now the question is “Where to next Wednesday night?”

- Kyle Dreier