http://www.burrardstreetblog.com Taking A Closer Look At Business, Real Estate and Life, In Vancouver & Around The World Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:04:28 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Phil is an investment expert who was speaking about how individuals can invest to make great returns. I really enjoyed his presentation because he reiterated a lot of ideas I am familiar with and have preached to family and friends who generally choose not to believe me. The basic ideas:  Money managers make over ... http://www.burrardstreetblog.com/2008/03/10/phil-town/ In both business and social environments I have always been one to avoid compliments and flattery. I think my thought pattern went something like this: "If they look nice they know they look nice, so why tell them? I'll just look like every other suckup." Of course what I have always failed ... http://www.burrardstreetblog.com/2008/03/06/a-lesson-in-flattery/ Here are some quotes I thought I'd share from the speakers I saw today: "It’s not a black thing, it’s not a white thing, it’s a green thing" -Christopher Gardner "For $25,000 I'll listen to him tell all the Ni$%^ he wanted. I was laughing all the way to the bank" -Christopher Gardner "When the ... http://www.burrardstreetblog.com/2008/03/05/great-quotes-to-live-by/ Today I attended a Power Within speaking event at GM Place and so far have been very impressed by what I have seen (It is the intermission right now, so I decided to take the time to write down all my thoughts on the speakers before they float away). To ... http://www.burrardstreetblog.com/2008/03/05/the-power-within/ If you live in Greater Vancouver I don't need to describe the rapid increases in housing prices seen over the past 5 years. All that one really needs to know is that: Homeowners not planning to sell in the near future have seen the property taxes follow the increase in their property's ... http://www.burrardstreetblog.com/2008/02/23/an-interesting-solution-to-unsustainable-housing-prices-and-rental-rates-part-1/ Sorry about the lack of updates, things have been busy and I just haven't had the time to write anything of sufficient quality to be worth my wonderful reader's time. I'm currently reading an excellent book by Peter Legge whom I recently saw speak at The Vancouver Club. The book is ... http://www.burrardstreetblog.com/2008/02/19/a-lesson-in-communication-simplicity/ Today's entry is the first of a series on the different aspects of an apartment that give it the "wow" factor we're all seeking. We start the series with a look at something that seems to be slowly disappearing below 30 stories in the downtown core, and that is a breathtaking ... http://www.burrardstreetblog.com/2008/01/21/why-its-better-on-top-whats-in-a-view/ I apologize for the lack of updates the last few days. As many of you know I'm on the market for a new place downtown to call home, and well it has become very time consuming. The good news is all the hours spent shopping have become inspiration for a ... http://www.burrardstreetblog.com/2008/01/20/an-update/ “It's tangible, it's solid, it's beautiful. It's artistic, from my standpoint, and I just love real estate.” -Donald Trump There is no doubt that some of the wealthiest people on earth made their money through real estate. Building wealth through real estate can give you financial freedom and more time to enjoy ... http://www.burrardstreetblog.com/2008/01/14/creating-wealth-through-real-estate-part-one-an-introduction-to-some-important-terms/ Like most people I never realized how important my credit score was until I started in this business. A credit score of 700+ (considered good to excellent in the lender's eyes) will help you secure the lowest interest rate possible. A lower score will not prevent you from buying a ... http://www.burrardstreetblog.com/2008/01/13/your-credit-this-article-could-save-you-100000s-on-your-next-mortgage-and-your-car-payments-too/