My grandparents left me three buildings in a trust when they passed. I was thirty years old at the time and had barely paid attention to all the things they told me about real estate. They kept talking about building net worth and dragged me out to empty apartments to clean and paint them between tenants. My job was to sweep clean, empty the trash, and reach…

In the ever-hectic race to increase the corporate bottom line, the mergers and acquisitions strategy for corporate growth has always looked like a bright shiny diamond. Once embraced, this strategy will allow you to keep growing profitably, and with luck, allow you to harvest operational efficiencies that can…

I have been working with investors for over 35 years. Often, it’s a small group of people who invest together, a Mom and a Dad and their kids, or business associates that invest together. A typical investment group may inherit some real estate or will have the income that generates enough cash to allow…

As we near the mid-point of 2023, the Portland apartment market has shifted dramatically from 2022 which was a record-breaking year. In the first half of 2023, with ever-increasing interest rates, the sales market has ground to a halt. Let’s lay some groundwork. Oregon’s total nonfarm payroll employment…

In my lifetime, the LIBOR rate adjustments were an accepted rate in many commercial lending documents. This is now coming to an end and banks are scuttling about adapting other indexes. The London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) was born out of a need for an interest rate to charge Iran for…

Every day, individuals and businesses are faced with legal issues that require the assistance of a competent attorney. Finding an attorney who can give you legal interpretations you can trust is crucial. You may even need to choose more than one attorney to help you manage your personal, business, or estate issues…

Every so often, business partners need to go their separate ways. Most of the time they do it voluntarily, but in unusual instances, for example, when there is no written agreement, an involuntary dissolution of the partnership needs to be put in place. This is called a “Partition.” This could be the dissolution of…

To Whom It May Concern, I’ve known Cliff Hockley for about 15 years, but in advance of that I’d heard of his CRE firm in the Portland area. We met via the Oregon/SW Washington CCIM Chapter. After getting to know Cliff, our family has sought out his advice as a Trusted Advisor. We’ve vetted a number of…

Many apartment investors are wondering what is currently happening with Apartment sales in The Portland Metro area. Patrick Barry with Barry & Associates, apartment appraisers and John Gillem with Costar, kindly allowed me to visit with them to share their information. Apartment sales are driven by…

If your desk is like mine, it might be a little cluttered. You probably have many ideas driving through your brain at Mach One and you are valiantly trying to hold onto those ideas and tasks, while the phone is ringing, and your team members are asking you questions. If you are not like me, your desk is…

Henry Ford, the father of Ford Motors, had a relentless focus on planning. He looked ahead and planned his innovations, to be most efficient at utilizing the limited resources he had available. This is the main concept I want to deliver in this article. Successfully operating your buildings is the goal for all…

The world’s climate is changing and so are the methods adapted to adjust to the changes. Real estate investors need to improve their due diligence when they purchase properties and be attuned to the local environmental and climate conditions as they make the decision to purchase a property. The fire…

In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending. (1) The primary factors driving us toward an economic contraction include…

Many years ago, our attorney advised us to implement a succession plan. His thoughts focused on managing the company in case I was unable to. As a business owner and an owner of investment real estate, I was not prioritizing the significance and urgency to set up the succession plan, so I ignored…

The way life usually happens when you are selling your property (or buying a new one) is you discover something is broken. Maybe the roof is leaking, or the chimney is falling apart, or the air conditioning has been serviced, but the vendor missed something, or the elevator has not been inspected. There is a…

George owned a three-plex in a quiet neighborhood. He had no trouble getting tenants to apply when there was a vacancy because he made a point of keeping his units clean and up to date. In his 30s and 40s, he had worked on the properties making repairs, so he was at his property on a regular basis. At this…

As a successful investor, you may have already given thought to hiring a property manager to take care of your investments. This article will give you some tips and tools that you can use to help make a successful decision. Property managers exist for the management of all investment real estate from homes…

Real estate investing is a common conversation topic for good reason as it can be very lucrative when done correctly. However, many investors have lost thousands or even millions of dollars on devastating mistakes that could have been avoided. Cliff Hockley, a property management and commercial…

It is a moderate day of 55 degrees. Your name is Pablo Smith, and you are the owner of the White Lily Apartments. Today is the day you have chosen to tour your twenty-unit apartment complex. You are relaxed and happy. The rent has been coming in on time. The tenants have been quiet. You vacant…

Gene owns the Yamhill Village Apartments, a quiet 50-unit apartment property location with a park across the street. He does not use a property management company. He lives out of town and has to depend on his on-site managers to keep him informed with a monthly report. Gene visits the property…