Timing is Everything...

Now that the business is almost back on solid footing, I feel like I can start playing offense, instead of playing defense.  Playing defense isn't much fun, and I've been doing it for 2 years, now.

Now that things are moving forward, I have two basic goals in the business.

1.  To buy some real estate

2.  To diversify the business holdings

For all sorts of reasons, the diversification is a good idea.  If nothing else, these past 2 years have shown me that having all your eggs in one basket is great when the basket is doing well.  When it's not, you don't have any eggs left.

As for real estate, I'm a bit bummed.  There was a piece of property that I absolutely am in love with.  The location is good.  It's a huge office building and a huge warehouse that used to be a motor sports dealership.

The dealership went out of business years ago.  However, when I'd inquire about buying, it was obvious that the owners were in pretty deep and were holding out trying to get a price that would get them healthy again.  They were asking about $2 million for a property I would have thought might be worth $1.

Now, it's RE-owned, and the whole shebang is going for about $900,000.  Worth every penny, if you ask me.  The offices are expensive.  In fact, it's really meant to be home to two companies.  It's got 4 conference rooms and tons of really good looking, impressive space. 

Of course, I can't buy.  I don't have the money for a down payment and it'll be at least a year of digging out, maybe two, before I'm no longer in a hole. 

Granted, the same forces that probably conspired to make this thing RE-owned in the first place are what decimated my business.  The economy has sucked for everybody.  Still, this one would have been nice.

I just signed a two year lease, too.  So, who knows.  I can try to line up my ducks and see if the place is still available two years from now.  In the mean time, all I can do is remind myself that a lot of nice commercial property is coming on line. 

It sure would be nice if I could get back into the position I was in way back in mid-2009.  Life was good back then.  In the mean time, I'm just doing what I can to not act shell-shocked by the ride I've been on (and am still going through.)