Reminder: Lunch with Steve is coming up... Don’t come just to listen. Come with something. A question. A situation. Something you’ve been trying to figure out. That’s where the value is. Join live here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CDDmzHBpk/ Who’s showing up live?

What would you rather have? a) 20 single family homes b) 20 unit apartment building c) 20 pad mobile home park d) 20 self storage units e) other As a bonus, tell us why you prefer that?

I am a real estate investor fairly new to the Knoxville region. I have learned that when someone says a lot is flat that it means you don’t have to hire an engineer to design your foundation. I’m coming up with a new term “Knoxville flat”

God told us to rest. Not suggested it. Not recommended it. Commanded it. So what does it say… when we choose not to? Is your schedule too full… or is your trust too small?

I don’t go on rants very often. But this one has been building. Lately, I’ve had multiple conversations with contractors and subcontractors who are getting burned. Not just a little. They’re doing the work, finishing the job, and then not getting paid. Or getting paid months later. Or worse, being told after the fact, “I’ll pay you when the property sells.” That’s not just bad business. That’s wrong. What bothers me most is this: This isn’t accidental. There are investors being taught that this is a strategy. “Fund your deals using your contractors.” Let that sink in. Most contractors cannot afford to fund your deal. They have families. They have payroll. They have real expenses. This is how they make their living. The real issue is not just money, it's honesty. If you don’t have the money, say that upfront before the job starts, Not after the work is done. I understand starting with nothing. When I started, I didn’t have money either, But I told my contractors the truth. Here’s what I can afford. Here’s what I can’t. Here’s the situation. And then we worked it out together in a way that made sense for them. That’s integrity. What I’m seeing now is different. People are hiring contractors knowing they don’t have the ability to pay. Hoping the deal works out. Hoping the property sells. Hoping they figure it out later. That’s not hope. That’s shifting risk onto someone else. And that someone did not sign up for that. This hurts real people. When contractors don’t get paid: They fall behind They struggle to pay their crews Some go out of business All because someone else wanted to get ahead. There is a right way to do this. We’ve had the same policy for decades. When the work is done, they get paid. Period. We cut checks every Friday for invoices in hand. Our contractors know this: If they do the work, they will get paid. That’s how you build something that lasts. Not by cutting corners.