Riverfront Fort Wayne

@NewsLambert @nickgerli1 I would be surprised if it included labor costs as well, but I've been surprised before. $78 a square foot is absolutely unfathomable for hard cost, no matter what your bulk pricing is, it's still double that.

My understanding is that “sticks and bricks” costs refer to the hard construction costs of a house—both the physical materials and the direct on-site labor required to build it—essentially what you can literally see and touch on the job site (as opposed to land, financing, or overhead).

PulteGroup’s construction costs are down a little year-over-year—are they expect a little more relief this year “In the fourth quarter, our sticks and bricks [costs] were $78 a square foot, so slightly less than what they've been for the past year. And as we said in our prepared remarks, they'll be down, flat, down slightly next year." -PulteGroup CEO Ryan Marshall said on their January 29, 2026 earnings call

@elonmusk You good man? Call me.

Whoever said “money can’t buy happiness” really knew what they were talking about 😔

Getting paid on my 29th exit this week since I started April 2021 That’s 29 properties I’ve bought, added value and sold or refinanced. Not including any wholesales or straight rental purchases I have 2 deals I’m working on that’ll put me over 30📈

@dig_deeper1 That is insanely cheap, we are upwards of 50k to 75k. There are also ADA requirements, parking and lighting requirements, etc. Easily adds 100K to the build price. That's why you have to push for zoning amendment- I am building 3 attached duplexes, not a 6plex!

A new fourplex the county requires you to install a sprinkler system. That’s an extra $25,000 to your construction bill They didn’t require that 10 years ago.

@jonathanoosting My town celebrated that "Google was coming!" They gave them tax abatements, allowed them to build in wetlands, and give them direct access to thousands of gallons of water a day that will now be pulled from our supply and dumped into a stream.. for 14 jobs, most are janitorial.

It's a data center

@txmadbuilder @txmadbuilder Any update on these? How did they turn out? Can I pick your brain on the final financials? We are designing our first project right now!

Excited to pour concrete on the contractor garages Monday Spent all afternoon confirming the specs Our first commercial investment- 6- 24’ x 40’ units

@HowardRoark90 @zillow I'm not sure how you don't understand what happened. They had an estimate of value, which was then influenced by a higher listing price and rose. Once it didn't sell and you dropped the price, they realized it must not be worth that much and also lowered their Zestimate.

what gives?? @zillow “Zestimate” magically dropped $12K overnight 😖 Re-listed one of our SF rentals again on Friday, but dropped the list price down from $350K to $334K to drum up more interest Zestimate was $347K on Friday, but down to $335K today… What BS is this!?

@Heston83 @ChrisRamsey60 Me too, partner. Let's do it

@ChrisRamsey60 I want to build a shit ton of these

You’re bearish on office but, realize people need a small office. You’re bullish on industrial but, realize most people don’t want 100k sqft with a 10 year lease commitment. Contractor garages are a no brainer and we are still in the early stages.

@ChrisRamsey60 What does your site look like? Are you sitting on several acres or are you more urban?

Coming soon…

@Jeffdeehan @BluprintBlondie Do you mind if I pick your brain while we put together our initial plan for something similar?

@BluprintBlondie I’m building stuff like this ground up right now.

Is anyone interested in self-storage? Have you considered converting it into multi-use lease space? My friend, a developer, used us for plans on this multi-use lease space. This 4-unit building includes a full bathroom, kitchenette, and enclosed front office. All units have ample parking. A floorplan snippet is available for review. Very simple. Tenants include a dog groomer, window tinting, custom woodworking, and landscaping. This cost-effective build can generate significant cash flow. Is this a solution for the self-storage oversupply?

@girdley Great advice! Thank you!

5 out of the ordinary small business hacks: — 1. Never hire one sales rep Sales reps thrive on competition, so hire two, even if you only plan to keep one. You’ll get better performance from both, and you get better data about who’s truly effective. __ 2. Good employees know other good employees This is well known, but how do you incentivize them to keep referring people? A friend paid $250 every quarter the referee stayed in the job. — 3. Hire smart college kids (while still in school) Partner with local colleges on senior design projects using your products or processes. One manufacturer is developing new software in this manner at basically zero cost. You get discounted engineering work, and students get real-world experience. — 4. Write letters by hand Letters are back. Old-school tactics still work. Response rates move from <1% to 20%+. My favorite twist on this: send letters by FedEx. Everybody opens FedEx packages. — 5. Cash-in-hand health insurance Dealing with health insurance sucks. One friend gives employees $350/month cash instead of traditional health insurance. No admin headaches, premium fluctuations, or upset employees blaming you for network changes. Some use it for insurance, others pocket the difference if they're covered through a spouse. So far, everybody’s happy. — That’s it. If you want to be part of these conversations, consider joining Scalepath. It’s a great community for business owners.

@FinPhilosopher Can I still buy one if I don't have a brain?

Easily a top 10 moment in life when your Brain Press arrives!

@mitchpater @ChrisRamsey60 Have to started this development? Want to brainstorm ideas? We are starting to plan our first development too

Planning my first contractor garage development. 12x14’ doors 1500-1800 sq ft Plumbed for bathroom Power? @ChrisRamsey60 what an I missing !?

You can’t plant a redwood in a desert. Your growth depends on the soil you choose—relationships, mentors, mindset.

@itsryanlarue @TrickyMickMinin I recently paid $6,700 for a 8/12 roof that was like 23 SQ including detached garage. The guys did it in 4 hours on a Saturday morning. Licensed crew. Our permits are $65 and take 15 minutes to walk out with. It's insane how many unnecessary hurdles are placed in your way.

@TrickyMickMinin It all falls on geographic area, size, type and materials used. Our roofs in California are nearly double for the exact same roof as in Arizona. Labor is more, materials are more, and the process costs more with city involvement. Go to the Midwest, it gets cut in half

It’s a race to the bottom in roofing right now. For the last 30-60 days, cheapest bids are what wins. From homeowners, builders, and commercial property owners; it’s almost solely about price. We just submit a bid for a roof in Utah for $43k new construction. We cut our margins a bit knowing we were up against several others and also trying to win this particular builder. They accepted a bid (cheapest guy of course) for $25k. For perspective, that will barely cover materials on this type of job, but leaves no room for labor cost or margin. Times are changing quick in this business. We will have to adjust strategy as this progresses further

@FreightBrkrGuy @realestatedude0 This was the worst part to me, it digs deep

@realestatedude0 “How do you know this is a realtor-owned flip?”

Fastest way to lose money on a flip. Terrible

@johnxbuilds I've been considering creating a YouTube channel to document some new development projects, rental portfolio management, and house flips. Have watched his content for years and was going to follow his informal model. Seemed like a great guy. Thanks for sharing, Mark! RIP man.

RIP TO MARK One of the main guys that got me into real estate. He was always right even when i thought he was wrong and stuck in his ways. If you ever wanted full transparency on real estate, his youtube channel & ig are a goldmine. HUGE loss to the community. 🐐

@mattbaran About to build that 800 sq ft. 2BR/2BA for $145/sf on a $1,500 lot.

@InvestFortWayne I’d like to see yours. Maybe I should move.

After Marilyn’s post I thought I’d do some quick-lot math in West Oakland (again) to make myself sad. Inputs (per door) • Dirt: ~$100k (let’s call that “creative” SB-684 prices). • Soft: ~$50k (I comp my own architecture). • Hard: I play GC → $400 / sf. ⸻ Rental play • 2 BR / 800 sf build = $320k • Add land + soft: +$150k • Total basis: $470k •Leverage: 70% of $320k = $224k @ 6% i/o • Rent: $2,000/mo → $1,400/mo NOI (after 30% op-ex/vacancy) • Annual NOI: $16,800 Result: ≈ 3.6% cap | ≈ 3.5% cash-on-cash (on $246k equity) Not exactly mailbox money. ⸻ For-sale play • 3 BR / 2.5 BA / 1,600 sf = $640k hard • 80% construction loan @ 6% (sure, let’s be optimistic) • Carry + broker/close ≈ $85k • Add land + soft: +$150k • All-in cost: ~$975k • Exit price: $900k Result. Net: -$75k. Ouch. ⸻ 🤔 Guess I’ll head back to the studio and sketch something cheaper.

@SenMikeLee There are a lot of ways to help people afford a home. The unavailability of federal land is not a root cause of out of control pricing. Please focus on things that actually will make a difference

I want to be COMPLETELY clear: My bill exempts ALL parks, monuments, wilderness areas, etc., from the federal land sale. We exempt 15 categories of land, including land where people have valid existing rights. And even then, it's less than ONE PERCENT of federal land. This is to help American families afford a home. Read the language for yourself, & don't fall for the scams (& some honest mistakes) pushed by some.