Happy New Year!

I suppose that all over the Internet, RE investors are writing posts about how they're going to kick 2008 in the teeth. Me? Nah. I'm not going to assault it. I'm going to subtly manipulate it like a Jewish mother until it finally just gives up and gives me what I want.

But first, let's reflect on the past year...

I entered the year as a witless, scared little boy who'd recently found himself married. We learned a lot in those first few months. Things like how to fit the combined crap of two very different people into one little condo. (Solution: get rid of my crap.)

I changed jobs because, for the most part, I was bored. I wasn't going anywhere there, and we all knew it. A new job opened up in a nicer part of the D.C. Metro Area, and I took it. As luck would have it, it's a much better, funner (yes, funner), more fulfilling job with far better possibilities. Sure, I've bitched about it in the past, but after a year more or less putzing around in my office, I see what a gift it can be. I've got some plans...

We started reading some books about REI in May or so. About the same time we started thinking about trying for a baby. As it turned out, it's easier to create a unique human being with a soul destined to live for eternity than it is to flip a house.

Joseph, (the baby) ended up teaching me more about how to be a man than all previous experience. We found out about him in June or July, and that's about the time I discovered these things called "real estate investment clubs," and "wholesaling," and "sub-2s." I could have easily forgotten about all the neat real estate stuff I was learning, but he had a way of keeping me focused.

I learned that there really are no get-rich-quick schemes--except for those people who come to REI meetings and pitch them. They end up going home with tens of thousands of dollars for "systems" that may or may not take into account current market conditions. They make a lot of promises, but if the "system" doesn't account for certain variables, good luck getting them on the phone...

I finally learned the value of back-breaking physical labor. For some reason, my moving business is more enjoyable than my cushy desk job.

But now, as 2008 looms, it's time to get back into it. And even though I take the glorious predictions of the snake oil salesmen with a grain of salt, there is some sense to their optimism: the market sucks, people are desperate, and "real estate is about to have a sale." We'll definitely be working to make some deals in 2008, but our goals aren't to become gurus or REI superstars. If you ever read a "system" by me, it'll probably say something along the lines of "Work hard, don't expect fast cash, and if you happen to make a deal, thank your lucky stars."

We'll be taking the slower approach--more advertising, more networking, and keeping our eyes open. We've been chasing the deals--this year, we're going to let them come to us.

In the meantime, we'll keep trying to unload this condo, I'll keep after that raise (which I expect is coming) and I'll keep bringing in the moving cash. (Rates are going up, by the way).

So, stay tuned, dear readers. I'm a little bit wiser, a lot less naive, and more motivated. We're down to our last dollar, the baby will be here in two months or less, and I don't have any more patience for b.s.--my own or anyone else's.

Happy New Year!