Why I'm getting into real estate investing, Part II

(Part I, by the way, is because I need a much better way to take care of my family...)

In case I haven't mentioned it, I work for a non-profit. My job is to write proposals and get money from individuals, foundations and corporations. Today we got a letter from a donor in response to a proposal I sent last month. It basically said "Thanks for the proposal. We'll consider it at our board meeting next month. If we need anything from you, we'll let you know." (I've gotten a few responses like that when I asked girls for dates. Usually went nowhere.)

My boss handed me the letter and asked me whether we needed to write a response. "I want your opinion," he said.

Now, I don't know if my boss is a genius, but I do know that he has a masterful grasp of the non-profit fundraising industry, and he has a gift for remembering numbers, facts, dates and names. There's no doubt he knew exactly what he wanted to do with this letter. So, I knew it must be a trick question.

I scrutinized the four-line letter for a little while, and then took it back to his office.

"No response necessary," I said. "They'll tell us if they need anything."

He looked at me. He sighed.

"No," he said. "You always thank people for thanking you."

Somehow, I knew he was going to say that. But I just couldn't get around the physical impossibility of the implications of this practice. Theoretically, two organizations could thank each other rotten. The horsemen of the Apocalypse could be strafing the world with fire and pestilence, and Organization X would be thanking Foundation Y for thinking of them in these "trying times."

Yes, I see how it makes sense. We want to be on their radar screens at all times, and to let them know we're not taking advantage of them. We want to do the same thing in real estate investment. But still, at least with REI you know, or can be reasonably sure, that eventually you'll see a significant payday for all of your hyper-correspondence.