My Long Way to USC

To become a student at USC is something I have planned many years ago.  After I graduated from High School in Israel, I had to make the decision whether to start attending college in America or to join the military in Israel.  After receiving advice from family and friends, I decided to join the military - which postponed my goal of attending college in America by three years.  However, I do not regret my decision.  I believe that the army actually prepared me for college.  This is because the military taught me time management skills, how to become independent, as well as many other great things.

Several weeks after I finished my three-year long service in the military, I took a flight to Los Angeles.  One of the first things I did after I arrived, was to visit the USC campus and to talk with the admissions office.  After having a discussion with an admission officer, I understood that my best chance of getting in to USC was to first attend community college and then to apply as a transfer student.  I was a little disappointed but my desire to study at USC was so strong, that I was willing to do almost anything to become a student at USC.

After doing some research, I found out that Santa Monica College is one of the best community colleges in the nation with the highest acceptance rate to USC.  This made me go there in person and talk to their admissions office as well.  Quickly it became clear, that as an international student, I would need to go through a process to become even a student at Santa Monica College.  Some part of this process was that I had to obtain a student visa - otherwise I could not attend college in America.  Only this process took me several months.  Once I received my visa, I returned to Santa Monica College.  Now, I was asked to attend an Intensive English Program.  Having no other choice, I agreed and took the four-month program.  Finally, after the English program, I was allowed to take college classes.  After two and a half years at Santa Monica College, I finally applied to USC, as well as to other universities.

I received numerous acceptance letters and was still waiting to hear back from USC.  One day, I received a package from USC - and this was the time where I knew that the long wait was over.  That moment when I read the "Congratulations!" on the letter was certainly one of the happiest moments I had in my life.

Growing a Farmer - Second Reflection

Growing a Farmer by Kurt Timmermeister is quite an interesting book.  I usually do not get to read too many books, but I enjoyed to read Timmermeister’s story – the personal story on how he became a farmer.  I was mesmerized to read how Timmermeister fulfilled his dream and decided to do in life what he had passion for, which made me look at life in a different perspective.  Even though Timmermeister knew that it will be a big change in life in order for him to follow his passion, he was still determined to reach his goal.  When I read the first half of the book it was obvious to see that Timmermeister made a life change due to his passion.  However, while reading into the second half of the book it made me understand that in addition to his passion, he also had in mind to become a successful businessman.  This was quite confusing to me as I do not perceive farmers as business people.

When reading a book, it is important to me to learn something from it.  I was glad to read and learn about things which I have not heard or read before – and therefore I learned.  For example, what rational grazing is and why it is being used by farmers.  I also enjoyed to read the raw milk chapter as there are things about milk which I did not know before.  For instance, Timmermeister mentioned that after a cow is milked, the milk must be chilled to below forty degrees within two hours.

Commercial Real Estate Investments:

The Challenging Process of Purchasing, Remodeling, and Leasing a Commercial Building

Many people strive to fulfill the American Dream. One way of satisfying the American Dream is to purchase and invest in real estate. Although the recent economic crisis has forced many people away from the field of real estate, many ambitious risk takers have chosen to pursue real estate because they strive for the kind of success available through real estate investments. Indeed, commercial real estate is an attractive field that requires determination, expertise, and the ability to follow proper steps, but it can often reward investors with large profits. By making smart business and investment decisions, a knowledgeable and experienced investor is able to make a large profit by taking advantage of the low property prices available resulting from an economic crisis. Successful and wealthy people often realize that real estate is the way to go. "...[R]eal estate is one of the best ways - maybe the best way - for everyday people to build wealth" (Alcorn).

Three Main Steps: Purchase of a Building, Building Remodel, and Occupying the Building

An investor should spend numerous hours looking for the right building to invest in and purchase, consult with various vendors and professionals during the remodel of a building to succeed in attracting a large clientele, and choose a well-known broker or agent to advertise and market the vacancies of the new remodeled building. Purchasing the building is one of the most difficult parts of a commercial real estate transaction because the right location plays a significant role in the success of a building. Remodeling the building is also a difficult task, and is often the phase when outside expertise is needed. Remodeling usually takes the most amount of time of the three phases because there are various aspects that go into a remodel. Lastly, and often the simpler part of the three phases, is searching for and finding tenants to lease out the newly remodeled units. Undoubtedly, the commercial real estate field can be a difficult field, but the investment brings the kind of large profits that more than exceed the risk.

Step 1: Purchase of a Building

An investor’s expertise and knowledge is tremendously impactful when it comes to assessing and acquiring the right building to invest in. Often, one must truly educate themselves as to the finances that are involved in the purchase of a building. Although some investors purchase buildings strictly with cash, it is the norm to get a loan in order to finance the purchase of a building. Once a loan is able to be secured, an investor will search to acquire a building that, after completion, will render large profits. Commonly, the process of finding the right building can take years because of the numerous factors involved. Some key factors investors take into account is location, population surrounding the building, demographics of citizens who reside next to the building, and the age of the building (Seth). When financing and location is secure, the investor can move forward with the purchase of a building, which involves going into escrow. In escrow, money is exchanged for the deed; however, the process is a bit more difficult than a simple transaction. During escrow, an investor completes the due diligence on the property they are interested in acquiring. Once due diligence is complete and money is deposited into escrow, an escrow agent completes the transaction, and the investor becomes the new owner of the property.

Step 2: Building Remodel

The purchaser’s insight and talent is usually discovered during the remodeling of the building, because remodeling can be the most difficult task that requires endless hours of consultations, labor and expertise. Many investors find the remodeling of the building to be the most laborious, but also the most rewarding. Investors have to consult with numerous vendors, including architects, financers, plumbers and construction workers, when it comes to a remodel. In addition, investors either need to be or should consult with an expert in the remodeling phase. If a mistake is made in the beginning phases, and needs to be fixed when the remodel is complete, the repair might render the investment unprofitable. Thus, experts need to be following the remodel on a step-by-step basis to make sure that all necessary and required protocols are taken and adhered to. A new investor usually consults with an expert remodeler when completing his first few projects, but typically understands the process and is able to remodel future buildings without an expert by his side. The remodeling phase can take anywhere between three months to well over a year. However, if done diligently and professionally, the right remodel to an old building can bring new life not only to the building, but also to the surrounding area. "Renovating exteriors is an especially attractive remodeling option for landlords. For example, a new facade to part of a building’s exterior entices previous customers to return and revisit the store on a regular basis" (Bridget & Richardson). Once the remodeling is complete, an investor moves forward to the next step, which is marketing the building and finding tenants for the newly remodeled space.

Step 3: Occupying the Building

Finally, after acquiring and remodeling, the success of an investment truly lies on how much of the space the landlord can lease out to tenants for maximum profits. In order to make the investment profitable and successful, the investor has to find a talented and professional broker who can properly market the property. Accurate and aggressive marketing is essential to the success of finding respectable tenants. A good broker has knowledge of the area where the building is located and is also acquainted with the surrounding real estate market. Moreover, the investor must also calculate the price per square footage for which the property will lease. Like all other goods in the market, an attractive price often brings forward numerous tenants interested in the space. An intelligent investor is always looking at market trends and the necessities of the surrounding neighborhood. As long as a landlord offers what is needed in the area at a reasonable price, then there is no reason they should be unsuccessful. However, it is also important to understand that negotiations of leases is a part of the leasing process.  Negotiations will take place not only about the rent, but also about the length of the lease, types of lease, improvements to the space, permitted uses and the ability to sublease or assign the lease (Findlaw). Overall, the investor should truly motivate his broker in order to lease as much space out as possible, through various negotiations, at the highest price possible to maximize potential profits. 

Key Takeaway Points

In time of economic crisis and upheaval, not many people are able to make a huge profit by taking advantage of the economic situation. However, certain knowledgeable and experienced investors are able to turn the negative impacts of an economic crisis into a positive large monetary return by purchasing, remodeling, and leasing out commercial real estate. For example, Rick Caruso, owner and developer of the Grove Mall, as well as numerous other commercial properties has built an empire solely from real estate. By working diligently and skilfully, Caruso was able to grow massive wealth from commercial real estate. By purchasing the right building, making the right remodeling decisions, all while spending minimally, and leasing out to strong prospective tenants, an investor who decides to take a smart risk in real estate, can reap large rewards.

Works Cited

Alcorn, Ray. "How to Get Started in Commercial Real Estate." How to Get Started in Commercial Real Estate. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2016.

Findlaw. "Negotiating a Lease for Commercial Real Estate - FindLaw." Findlaw. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2016.

Grams, Bridget, and Mark Richardson. "Retail Remodel." Retail Remodel. N.p., Sept. 2013. Web. 08 Feb. 2016.

Seth, Shobhit. "The Most Important Factors For Investing In Real Estate | Investopedia." Investopedia. N.p., 06 Nov. 2014. Web. 07 Feb. 2016.

Expert Article Draft

The Benefits of Commercial Real Estate Investments:

The Challenging Process of Purchasing, Remodeling, and Leasing a Commercial Building

Many people strive to fulfill the American Dream.  One way of satisfying the American Dream is to purchase and invest in real estate.  Although the recent economic crisis has forced many people away from the field of real estate, many ambitious risk takers have chosen to pursue real estate because they strive for the kind of success available through real estate investments.  Indeed, commercial real estate is an attractive field that requires determination, expertise, and the ability to follow proper steps, but it can often reward investors with large profits.  By making smart business and investment decisions, a knowledgeable and experienced investor is able to make a large profit by taking advantage of the low property prices available resulting from an economic crisis.  An investor should spend numerous hours looking for the right building to invest in and purchase, consult with various vendors and professionals during the remodel of a building to succeed in attracting a large clientele, and choose a well-known broker or agent to advertise and market the vacancies of the new remodeled building.  Purchasing the building is one of the most difficult parts of a commercial real estate transaction because the right location plays a significant role in the success of a building.  Remodeling the building is also a difficult task, and is often the phase when outside expertise is needed.  Remodeling usually takes the most amount of time of the three phases because there are various aspects that go into a remodel.  Lastly, and often the simpler part of the three phases, is searching for and finding tenants to lease out the newly remodeled units.  Undoubtedly, the commercial real estate field can be a difficult field, but the investment brings the kind of large profits that more than exceed the risk.  

An investor’s expertise and knowledge is tremendously impactful when it comes to assessing and acquiring the right building to invest in.  Often, one must truly educate themselves as to the finances that are involved in the purchase of a building.  Although some investors purchase buildings strictly with cash, it is the norm to get a loan in order to finance the purchase of a building.  Once a loan is able to be secured, an investor will search to acquire a building that, after completion, will render large profits.  Commonly, the process of finding the right building can take years because of the numerous factors involved.  Some key factors investors take into account is location, population surrounding the building, demographics of citizens who reside next to the building, and the age of the building.  When financing and location is secure, the investor can move forward with the purchase of a building, which involves going into escrow.  In escrow, money is exchanged for the deed; however, the process is a bit more difficult than a simple transaction.  During escrow, an investor completes the due diligence on the property they are interested in acquiring.  Once due diligence is complete and money is deposited into escrow, an escrow agent completes the transaction, and the investor becomes the new owner of the property.

The purchaser’s insight and talent is usually discovered during the remodeling of the building, because remodeling can be the most difficult task that requires endless hours of consultations, labor and expertise.  Many investors find the remodeling of the building to be the most laborious, but also the most rewarding.  Investors have to consult with numerous vendors, including architects, financers, plumbers and construction workers, when it comes to a remodel. In addition, investors either need to be or should consult with an expert in the remodeling phase. If a mistake is made in the beginning phases, and needs to be fixed when the remodel is complete, the repair might render the investment unprofitable.  Thus, experts need to be following the remodel on a step-by-step basis to make sure that all necessary and required protocols are taken and adhered to.  A new investor usually consults with an expert remodeler when completing his first few projects, but typically understands the process and is able to remodel future buildings without an expert by his side.  The remodeling phase can take anywhere between 3 months to well over a year.  However, if done diligently and professionally, the right remodel to an old building can bring new life not only to the building, but also to the surrounding area.  Once the remodeling is complete, an investor moves forward to the next step, which is marketing the building and finding tenants for the newly remodeled space.

Finally, after acquiring and remodeling, the success of an investment truly lies on how much of the space the landlord can lease out to tenants for maximum profits.  In order to make the investment profitable and successful, the investor has to find a talented and professional broker who can properly market the property.  Accurate and aggressive marketing is essential to the success of finding respectable tenants.  A good broker has knowledge of the area where the building is located and is also acquainted with the surrounding real estate market.  Moreover, the investor must also calculate the price per square footage for which the property will lease.  Like all other goods in the market, an attractive price often brings forward numerous tenants interested in the space.  An intelligent investor is always looking at market trends and the necessities of the surrounding neighborhood.  As long as a landlord offers what is needed in the area at a reasonable price, then there is no reason they should be unsuccessful.  The investor should truly motivate his broker in order to lease as much space out as possible, at the highest price possible to maximize potential profits.

In time of economic crisis and upheaval, not many people are able to make a huge profit by taking advantage of the economic situation.  However, certain knowledgeable and experienced investors are able to turn the negative impacts of an economic crisis into a positive large monetary return by purchasing, remodeling and leasing out commercial real estate.  By purchasing the right building, making the right remodeling decisions, all while spending minimally, and leasing out to strong prospective tenants, an investor who decides to take a smart risk in real estate, can reap large rewards.