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Germans are Very Serious People

September 10, 2017

I mean this in a good way, but yes Germans are VERY serious people. I think they take just about everything serious: cars, highways, transportation, food, soccer, and most definitely their beer. More on the last two later.

The reason I am commenting on this is because I am on holiday in several cities in Germany. My wife and I are currently in Wiesbaden. The AirBnB that we got was close to everything and had everything that we needed for our stay. We will be here about a week, then go to Stuttgart for a day, Hohenschwangau (where Disney got its inspiration for a castle) for a day and then on to Munich for 5 days to see a soccer game and visit Oktoberfest.

Lets get back to seriousness. Did I mention that the Germans are very serious people? Transportation is incredible. You can take a bus across the city or just a mile or two. You can take a train or subway across the city also for a slightly higher price, but get there a bunch quicker. The trains go city to city and even cross countries. I am sure that you have heard of the ICE or Inter City Express or sometimes they call it the bullet train. Incredible way to get from city to city. I will let you know how it goes as we should be taking one of the ICE trains in a few days.

All the information how to take the buses, trains, etc are all online. They make all this very easy. I sure wish we had some trains that went city to city regularly, cheap and on time. Did I forget to mention that the city buses run about every 10 to 15 minutes?? WOW.

We rented a car for the first two days because we had not  fully realized the above. We turned it in quick because the price of gas, diesel in our case was about 1.25Euro per liter or about 5.Euro per gallon or about  $6.00 per gallon. Another WOW. Now don’t get me wrong, the gas mileage was super at about 60+ miles per gallon. I still could not get past the $6.00 per gallon when we are paying just about $2.00 per gallon in the states. Don’t you kinda wish that we had some of those diesels here in the states. I am sure that the oil companies would not let that happen though.

The United States has a great interstate highway system, no doubt about that. But I have to say that Germany is just a shade above. Curves are wide to take fast, the hills are gentle up and down and potholes just do not exist. At first I will admit that I was a little scared to get up to about 130k/hr or about 80 mph. Now just think, I was in a dinky Kia, the cheapest rental car I could find, the super compact. After a while, I cruised at 130 even breaking 150 for a few minutes here and there. I think when we get to Munich I will have to rent a Mercedes or Porsche for a day or two. Read about that later.

I could bore you with all kinds of information that I looked up about the highways and how great they are, but I am not. I am going to tell you that these Germans are very serious people. When they focus their attention on something, they learn it, study it, make it a part of their culture and are known for it. Who has heard of the Autobahn?? Everyone has heard of the Autobahn, because they focus on their roads and make it a priority.

Is real estate going to be a big part of your life? Do you want to be the person that people call when they have a question about real estate? What are you doing right now to learn more about rent rates in your area? How about cap rates for large multi families, do you know what they are right now for B or C class properties? These are just a few questions that you need to know how to answer.

I am just saying that when you choose to do something, take it seriously. Learn everything that you can about it. Learn, Learn and then learn some more. I am not saying that I know everything or that I have seen everything, but I am always reading another book to learn just a little more. I recently read a book about the federal reserve and its formation. Currently I am reading, “The Age of Turbulence” by Alan Greenspan, former Chair of the Federal Reserve. I need to know more about interest rates and how they are going to affect my business in the future so I am reading more about how they are affected. I have heard that Grant Cardone’s book, “Be Obsessed or Be Average” is one that I have to read.

Remember that Doing Little Things will get you to where you want to go. Well, I should say that doing the little things over and over and on a regular basis will get you there. I get calls from people all the time. Some of the calls I get are referrals. Usually I know that I am not going to buy the house before I even go to the house. I can tell just from the conversation that we just had on the phone. When I am on my way to see that house I have to keep telling myself that I am there to help the seller in whatever way that I can. I already know that I am not going to buy the house because they want too much.

Sometimes a referral to a realtor is what is going to happen, maybe a referral to a landlord friend is ahead. I just know that I have to keep doing what I am doing over and over. Talk to people and help them with their real estate issues.

When I go talk with someone I want them to know that I am a real estate investor. I can help them in many ways, not just buying their house. Days, Months or years later they may want to refer someone to me. Hopefully I treated them very well and with so much respect that they want to show me respect and the honor of referring a friend to me. This is how you play the long game. All the marketing and networking is great. This will get you business now and for the months to come, but serving others will keep you in the game for a lifetime.

Before I get too serious and try to start sounding too deep, let me say once again that the Germans are very serious people. Be serious about your real estate career also. Whether you own your own home or a 1000 units take it serious and keep moving forward with your knowledge. Hang around others who are at your level or who have done more than you. Read some books. Next month sometime I will start to give a recommended reading list to new and seasoned investors.

I should have another blog post coming out in a few days since it seems like the whole town goes to bed about 10pm. With the time change I am staying up really late and getting up really late too. By the time I get used to the time, it will be time to go back.  I can say that Germany is fun, exciting, and everything is super expensive. We saw a lady at the grocery store buying a few things. She had 3 eggs and a few other things. I saw the price, 1.20Euros FOR 3 EGGS, OMG. I should be back by the 20^th of September, but until then, PROST!!