Brian Patton's Blog

In today’s economic climate, small business owners and real estate investors are struggling to access the credit they need.

Since 1998, credit unions have been constrained by a cap that limits the amount of small business loans they can make to 12.25% of total assets. This limitation has restricted credit unions in providing loans to their customers.  However, the fight to ease this restriction is gaining momentum nationwide. Two bills, H.R. 3380 and S. 2919, currently before Congress are garnering bipartisan support.

As we near the midpoint of 2010, foreclosures continue to serve as a major drag on residential real estate in Georgia, keeping the market from breaking out of the doldrums.
These doldrums were reflected in the most recent home price report from the National Association of Realtors, which showed that the median sale price for existing single-family homes in Atlanta dropped 10 percent between January 2009 and 2010—from $116,300 to $105,100. This was the biggest drop among the 20 major metropolitan areas surveyed by NAR.

Have you ever wondered where the term “cash cow” comes from? Not surprisingly, it ties directly back to a dairy cow.
A dairy farmer takes pride in his best cow, which can produce as many as 10 gallons of milk every day. Milking the cash from the cow requires very little work from the farmer: All he has to provide is some good grass for grazing, a few food supplements and a little TLC and the cow will give the farmer milk (or cash) day after day, week after week, for years.

Low interest rates and falling property values, not to mention lots of available space, make now a great time for businesses that want to purchase commercial real estate or build new facilities. Unfortunately, many companies have a hard time coming up with the 20-25 percent down payment that’s typically required.

Zoning is the body of law that encompasses the rights and privileges granted by a local jurisdiction for the legally allowed use of the property.   Many problem s can be created and many problems can be solved with zoning.
As a former zoning administrator for 12 years in two different jurisdictions near Atlanta, Georgia, I’ve seen the benefits and the damages zoning laws can produce.  As a believer in reduced government control, I view zoning as a “necessary evil.”   As a landlord, you will probably come around to this view as well.  

The Florida panhandle is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the U.S. for metro Atlantans. If you love the sugar-white sands of these beaches and have dreamed of one day owning a condo there, now could be your opportunity of a lifetime.

Ask Paul Doster why he's starting a restaurant in this economy and he'll tell you he's just a plain ole' optimist.   It's because of his focus at providing a good product at reasonable prices that he's turned to opening a new store on Highway 9 in Milton, called " ‘Cue."

 

With the stock market volatility making many sick to their stomach, investment real estate continues to hold steady.  Real assets, as opposed to paper assets, are more stable in volatile markets for several reasons.   Liquidity, scarcity, and tax benefits are three major factors that create a stable real estate market.

 

The recent housing downturn has spawned some definitive action by the U.S. Congress in the form of a wide sweeping new housing law.   It appears that the law effectively addresses some short term and long term problems of the housing market.