California Storm Threatens $725 Billion Worth of Damage On July 4, 2019, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit just north of Los Angeles, California. The next day, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the area. Now, scientists are predicting a massive California storm that could cause a building toppling earthquake and the collapse of the Whittier Narrows…
In his federal budget for fiscal year 2023 that he unveiled earlier this month, President Biden proposed a huge new tax increase on America’s wealthiest citizens. The administration labeled it the “billionaires’ tax” and promised it would finally bring fairness to our tax code by making the richest Americans pay at least 20% of their wealth gains annually to…
Cost segregation studies are a very effective way to generate savings when buying investment property. They should be considered by every real estate investor on every transaction. When optimized, they can increase cash flows, reduce tax liability, and uncover missed deductions. What is a Cost Segregation Study? A cost segregation study (CSS) is an engineering/accounting…
Houston, Texas is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the entire United States. With its continually developing industrial bases in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, and transportation, including being home to the headquarters of more than 25 Fortune 500 companies, the city attracts more than 100,000 new residents annually. What Makes Houston Different? What makes…
A recent column was headlined “Inflation, The Cruelest Tax.” Well, if inflation is the cruelest tax, then inflation’s impact on gasoline, combined with the nation’s highest tax, can only be characterized as “cruel and unusual punishment.” In addition to inflation and taxes, other government policies related to petroleum are counterproductive. These include regulatory burdens and…
More than 42 years ago, California voters overwhelmingly enacted Proposition 13 in response to out-of-control property taxes. Even with the passage of time, Prop. 13 remains very popular among citizens of all political stripes. Nonetheless, many politicians and bureaucrats hate Prop. 13 because it prevents them from taking unlimited cash from the taxpaying public. In…
This is not a surprise: there are many ways people profit from real estate. We’ve been illustrating some of them through glimpses into the lives of the people involved. We’ve seen how Hetty Green (article #105) invested not only in stocks and bonds, but also was a real estate lender of last resort, securing…
We are no longer in a “pandemic.” We are now in an “endemic.” What does that mean, you ask? Let me use a real estate analogy. During the pandemic, the virus was like uninvited house guests that won’t leave. But in an endemic, the virus bought the house down the street and moved in. Now you have unwanted neighbors…
For most Americans under the age of 50, inflation has never been much of an issue. Yes, prices rose a little every year but that was considered normal. Price increases of 1-2% a year for most goods and services were to be expected. People under the age of 50 were too young to fully experience…
Below is a letter AOA received from one of its long-time members, Rebecca Bambarger. Dear Dan and Staff: Thank you for helping me be the best landlord possible. Your organization helped me with the required legal notices, leases and training. Your webinars to educate us were superb, especially to help understand how to navigate COVID…