My Mom & Real Estate

Real Estate investments begins with one property at a time. Often, when you hear people talk about real estate investing they are talking big numbers. You hear about the millions to be made in the market, especially now when everyone is buying. You hear stories about the people who own 50 or more single family homes or bought a package of 10 investment properties. You hear about the people who syndicate large apartment deals or buy a smaller apartment complex of their own. What gets lost in the hype is that the vast majority of these investors began with just one property.

My Mom story, like many successful real estate investors, begins with one small property in Texas. It took her a while to buy or invest in property. My understanding she made lots of offers before one was accepted, and walked away from a few deals for a variety of reasons, most of which had more to do with fear than with the numbers. Finally, one of her mentors looked her in the eye and said, “buy this property or I will buy it myself.” So Mom bought the property that no one else would buy.

My Mom once said, “Every successful investor has a story.” Well truth is most Investors are just like you, and me: scared of making a wrong choice, but are determined to change their finanical situation. Another thing my Mom would say, “find a mentor you can trust;” following their advice, makes that first purchase easier and more successful.”

Her first rental investment property down in Houston was a diamond in the rough. Once cut and polished, she captured $36,000 in equity and a cash flow after all costs of $429.00 month – this from a house that no one wanted to buy! I remember her mentor telling her, “Someone lives in every house on this street and someone will live here too. The question is, will you be the one who profits from it?”

The next house came shortly after with an equity capture of $21,000 and $324.00 month cash flow after all expenses. The third house represents an equity capture of $27,000 and $290 month in cash flow. All of these properties have an ROI of 43% per year or more.

A picture is forming, right? For most of us, it is not one big deal that takes us from a J-O-B to retirement. It is taking the first step and following the correct road map that leads you to the retirement of your dreams. 

Question: What are you working towards?

Leave a comment below…

SurveuStud: In the App Store

The “Print” 👀

Ladies. I know you see it. I KNOW you’ve noticed. You know what time is it.

Just like men have their “Sundress Season” excitement, we have our “Sweatpants Season.”

To me, this is not only the most wonderful time of the year (wink), but it is also common knowledge. ‘Tis the season right? Please don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. I know people usually call this “Sweatpants Season”, but I think it’s important to point out what color is prevalent among these here photos we see! For years, men have anticipated the summertime, where a flowing sundress accentuates every part of a woman’s body. So why can’t we notice and appreciation when a man’s body is being accentuated?

I was told by a man that it was wrong for us women to even be looking at the print of a man in gray sweatpants. His argument is that women do not like to be objectified or glared at by the choice of clothing they choose to wear. While I don’t entirely disagree with what he’s saying, I do see his point. I’ve heard women complain about men staring at their bodies, and it’s usually because they have their own insecurities that they are working on with it. I know women who love wearing sundresses because they love the attention they receive. I think men are no different. Some men hate that they are judged by the print of clothing they choose to wear for comfort. Some men love that they have a good print in their sweatpants. They know it can attract a woman in a way that verbal sexual advances can’t.

I find it interesting that some men tend to be completely insecure about what women think of them in sweatpants. These same men either bash women if they don’t have the perfect figure, or they can’t understand why women have their own body insecurities. When I asked a male about this he explained it in a way that I guess I can kind of understand. Women can work on their bodies and change its shape overtime. The print is something that can’t be changed with exercise and a good diet. Of course there are cosmetic enhancements that can be made to any body, but for the most part, men don’t believe in getting it done, and if it has been done, they are not vocal about it.

It’s easy to say you don’t objectify one sex or the other, but I think it is something we all do. Let’s not take life so seriously! Enjoy the beauty of one another’s bodies. Compliment each other! Enjoy the season, whichever it may be!

Question: Ladies, how many thirst traps have you seen in sweatpants at the gym?

I, too, have been a victim of the salacious images of men in sweatpants.

Leave a comment below…

SurveyStud: In the ApAp Store

High-Heels and Pain

“… After one hour, six minutes and 48 seconds heels start to hurt”

You can’t handle feet for a living without encountering some of the unfortunate side effects of wearing high heels — like foot pain, corns, and calluses. We (SurveyStud) surveyed 503 women about their high-heel habits, and the results are:

• 72% of women wear high-heeled shoes (39% wear heels daily, while 33% wear them less often)

• 59% report toe pain as a result of wearing uncomfortable shoes; 54% report pain in the ball of the foot

• 58% of women purchased new high-heeled shoes in the last year

• Women who wear high heels daily tend to be younger and are more likely to wear uncomfortable shoes

• Younger women are more likely to experience blisters and pain in the arches of their feet than older women. Older women are more likely to experience corns, calluses, and bunions

Why women wear high heels:

• 82%  for fashion or style
• 73%  to complete professional attire
• 54%  to look sexier and more attractive
• 48%  to enhance their legs
• 39%  to appear taller

Even after pressing these facts to our surveyed population 71% said they will continue to wear 👠.

SurveyStud: https://appsto.re/us/Ddj18.i

Women & Online Dating Stats: SurveyStud

– If you are a woman, you have 15 minutes to make a first impression on a man

– 43% of women have Googled someone on the internet before a first date

– 53% of women find a great smile the most attractive feature

– 80% of men date women that are at least 5 years younger than them

– 76% of women date men that are at least 5 years older than them

– 52% of women feel they are too busy to meet other singles

– 60% of women and 64% of men don’t talk about politics on a first date

– 88% of women find money to be very important in a relationship

– 17% chance of liking a date set up by a friend

– 48% of breakups in online relationships occur thru email

SurveyStud: https://appsto.re/us/Ddj18.i

African American Women Demographic: SurveyStud

African American women are the head of 29% of all African American households which is more than twice the rate for ‘all women’ at 13%. These are households defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as having a female head and no spouse present.

Only 33% of African American women who gave birth were married which is almost the opposite for ‘all women’ at 64%.

These additional responsibilities may also explain why African American women are slightly over-represented in the workforce compared to all women and even higher than African American men (67%).

Even though African American women are over-represented in the workforce they still have a higher unemployment rate than ‘all women’, 6% to 10% respectively. All of these factors help explain the higher poverty rate for African American women (29%) than ‘all women’ at 17%.

African American women ages 16 to 64 had a higher participation rate in the labor force (71%) compared to ‘all females’ (69%.) Labor force participation refers to the percent of women who were either working or looking for work. Women not in the labor force include those who may be full time students, disabled, and others who are not looking or gave up looking for employment for other reasons.

36% of African American women who worked full time all year in 2015 had median earnings of $33,780 compared to $38,097 for ‘all women.’– ages 16 to 64 years old, 25% had no earnings in 2015 which was higher than the 26% with no earnings of ‘all females’ in the same age group. Also a larger percentage of African American women 16 to 64 were unemployed than for ‘all females’ (9.6% compared to 5.8%) and were living below the poverty level (29%) than ‘all females’ (17%).

Compared to ‘all women’ in the United States African American women who worked were less likely to work in occupations that may be considered white collar and were much more likely to hold service jobs. Only 64% of working African American women held white collar jobs compared to 72% of ‘all women.’ For the purpose of the above table white collar occupations include but are not limited to jobs in management, business, computers, office, legal, education, etc.

Source: Contact for information

SurveyStud: https://appsto.re/us/Ddj18.i

Single Mother Stats: SurveyStud

Once largely limited to poor women and minorities, single motherhood is now becoming the new “social-norm.”

This prevalence is due in part to the growing trend of children born outside marriage — a societal trend that was virtually unheard of decades ago.

About 4 of 10 or 40% of children were born to unwed mothers. Nearly two-thirds are born to mothers under the age of 30.2

Of all single-parent families in the U.S., single mothers make up the majority.

According to U.S. Census Bureau, out of 12 million single parent families in 2015, more than 80% were headed by single mothers.

Today 1 in 4 or 25% of children under the age of 18 — a total of about 17.4 million — are being raised without a father and nearly half (45%) live below the poverty line.

For those living with father, about 21% live in poverty. In contrast, among children living with both parents, 13% are counted as poor.

STATISTICS OF SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES * (2015)

– 84% Single Mom Family
– 16% Single Dad Family

DEMOGRAPHICS

– Around 49% of single mothers have never married

– 51% are either divorced, separated or widowed. Half have one child, 30% have two.

– About two thirds are White, one third Black, one quarter Hispanic. One third have a college degree, while one sixth have not completed high school.

EMPLOYMENT

two thirds of single mothers are working outside the home, a slightly greater share than the share of married mothers who are also working outside the home.

However, only half are employed full-time all year long, a quarter (23.2%) are jobless the entire year. Among those who were laid off or looking for work, less than a quarter (22.4%) received unemployment benefits.

If a single mother is able to work, her earning power still lags significantly compared with men’s, about 78¢ to a $1 for the same job — leaving a wage gap of 23 cents on the dollar.

The wage disparities are even greater for women of color — African-American women earn only 64¢, while Hispanic and Latinas fare worse, being paid just 56¢ on the dollar.

INCOME

Single mothers earn income that place them well below married mothers in the income ladder. The gap between the two groups is significantly large.

The median income for families led by a single mother in 2015 was about $26,000, one third (⅓) the median for married couple families ($84,000.) Nearly half with an annual income of less than $25,000.

Source: Contact us for information

SurveyStud: https://appsto.re/us/Ddj18.i

10 Surprising Statistics on Women in the Workplace: SurveyStud

Take a moment to read through these ten eye-opening stats to see where women really are in the working world and get some inspiration to see where changes need to be made and where advancements can be lauded for this generation and the next.

1. Women comprise 46% of the total U.S. labor force. With almost half of the workforce being women, female employees aren’t exactly a rarity. For most women today, getting a job is an expected part of life. This is a big change from past decades. In 1900, fewer than 20% of women participated in the labor market while today the number is around 75% and growing.

2. Women make only 77.5 cents for every dollar that men earn. This figure comes from data on the 2010 census. Despite this gap, many economists feel that the gap between pay for men and women is due to different personal choices men and women make about personal fulfillment, child rearing and hours at work. Whichever you choose to believe, the reality is that the gap is slowly but surely closing as women become increasingly educated and dual income families become the norm, but this isn’t much consolation to those who feel discriminated against today.

3. The more education a woman has, the greater the disparity in her wages. This certainly doesn’t mean women should shy away from professional positions, but they should be aware that they may have to battle harder for equal pay. Women in professional specialty occupations were found to earn just 72.7% of what men in the same position earned, and women in upper level executive, administrative and managerial occupations earned even less at 72.3%. If you compare this against the average of 77.5%, the numbers speak for themselves, and this graphic from the New York Times makes it even easier to see.

4. Women may work longer to receive the promotions that provide access to higher pay. One example provided by the National Center for Education Statistics shows that women often have to work three years longer in a teaching position to be promoted to a principal than their male counterparts. Some studies suggest that this is because women and men adapt different strategies when it comes to management and pursuing promotions, yet other studies connect it less to work and more to gender-based biases.

5. Women business owners employ 35% more people than all the Fortune 500 companies combined. If you’re like most people, you don’t picture a woman when you think about a business owner. Yet there are about 9.1 million women-owned businesses in the U.S., a number that comprises nearly 40% of all businesses. The idea that women don’t make good managers just doesn’t hold up when you look at these kinds of numbers, with women managing a large number of employees and making healthy profits while doing so.

6. Women account for 46% of the labor force, but 59% of workers making less than $8 an hour. What does it mean? It means that many women are taking on jobs that pay well under a living wage. With nearly 16% of U.S. households having women who are divorced, widowed or never married as the sole providers, this leaves many women at a distinct disadvantage and struggling to make ends meet as they dominate jobs in low paying fields.

7. Only 53% of employers provide at least some replacement pay during periods of maternity leave. Despite the fact that the arrival of a child means extra bills and expenses, many employers don’t provide women with any benefits if they to leave work temporarily to have a child. While there is no law requiring companies to offer paid maternity leave, considering it is an issue that primarily affects women, it’s certainly a blow to their income potential and ability to care for their families and themselves.

8. Four in ten businesses worldwide have no women in senior management. This shouldn’t be a surprise given the way many countries feel about women in the workplace. Here in the United States, however, women still feel the stress of trying to break into upper management, with 93% of the 439 senior women executives surveyed by Korn/Ferry International in 1992 feeling that a glass ceiling for women still existed. Yet new studies report that women outnumber men as managers in fields like human resources, health administration and education–perhaps stemming from reports that many businesses have seen a direct financial impact from hiring women.

9. Women earned less than men in 99% of all occupations. In virtually every field that women choose to enter, they can expect to earn less over their lifetime than their male counterparts. This means that over 47 years of full-time work, this gap amounts to an estimated loss in wages for women of $700,000 for high school graduates, $1.2 million for college grads, and $2 million for professional school grads–a staggering amount.

10. Minority women fare the worst when it comes to equal pay. African-American women earn 64 cents to every dollar earned by white men and Hispanic women just 52 cents per dollar. Whether it’s attitudes about race or gender that are at play, it’s clear that something needs to be done to level the playing field.

SurveyStud: https://appsto.re/us/Ddj18.i

Breast Cancer Stats 2016: SurveyStud

In 2016, an estimated 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 61,000 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.

1 in 8 or 12% of U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.

About 2,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in men in 2016. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000.

Breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. began decreasing in the year 2000, after increasing for the previous two decades. They dropped by 7% from 2002 to 2003 alone. One theory is that this decrease was partially due to the reduced use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by women after the results of a large study called the Women’s Health Initiative were published in 2002. These results suggested a connection between HRT and increased breast cancer risk.

About 40,450 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2016 from breast cancer, though death rates have been decreasing since 1989. Women under 50 have experienced larger decreases. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment advances, earlier detection through screening, and increased awareness.

For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.

Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. In 2016, it’s estimated that just under 30% of newly diagnosed cancers in women will be breast cancers.

In women under 45, breast cancer is more common in African-American women than white women. Overall, African-American women are more likely to die of breast cancer. For Asian, Hispanic, and Native-American women, the risk of developing and dying from breast cancer is lower.

In 2016, there are more than 2.8 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. This includes women currently being treated and women who have finished treatment.

A woman’s risk of breast cancer nearly doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Less than 15% of women who get breast cancer have a family member diagnosed with it.

About 5-10% of breast cancers can be linked to gene mutations (abnormal changes) inherited from one’s mother or father. Mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common. On average, women with a BRCA1 mutation have a 55-65% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. For women with a BRCA2 mutation, the risk is 45%. Breast cancer that is positive for the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations tends to develop more often in younger women. An increased ovarian cancer risk is also associated with these genetic mutations. In men, BRCA2 mutations are associated with a lifetime breast cancer risk of about 6.8%; BRCA1 mutations are a less frequent cause of breast cancer in men.

About 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic mutations that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.

The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender (being a woman) and age (growing older).

Source: BreastCancer.org

SurveyStud: https://appsto.re/us/Ddj18.i

Single Mom-Family Stats: SurveyStud

Who are single moms today? These single mom statistics might surprise you:

There are 10 million single mother-lead families in the United States (Census). 3x the number in 1960.

– 25% of families are headed by single moms. (Pew).

– 40% of babies born in the United States are born to single mothers. (Pew)
 
Millennial single mom statistics

– 57% of babies born to millennials were out of wedlock. (John’s Hopkins)

– 64% of millennial moms reported at least one birth out of wedlock. (John’s Hopkins)

More educated millennials are having babies outside of marriage. Of millennial moms who have babies outside of marriage:

– 67% have some college education, and 32% have four or more years of higher education. (John’s Hopkins)

Older single mom statistics

– 48% jump in births to unmarried women age 35-39 (CDC)

– 29% jump in births to unmarried moms aged 40-44 (CDC)

While the rate of babies born to single mothers has declined slightly, there is a notable rise in babies born to single moms by choice – women who tend to be older, more educated, higher income. (CDC)

Single moms’ education and income:

– 58% of single moms have attended college or have at least a bachelor’s degree (Pew)
Of millennial moms who have babies outside of marriage

– 67% have some college education, and 32% have four or more years of higher education. (John’s Hopkins)

– 32% earn $40,000+ (Census)

– 10% earn $80,000+ (Census)

Single moms are overwhelmingly doing it all alone:

– 51% of custodial parents have child support agreements (informal or formal), but only 41% received all child support owed. (Census)

– Of fathers who live apart from their children, only 22% of dads see their kids more than once per week. (Pew)

What is driving single mom trends?

There are 1.2 million divorces in the United States each year. (Census)

Traditional nuclear families with two married heterosexual parents are now the minority of U.S.

The rise of single motherhood is the largest influence on this trend — followed by gay families, multigenerational families and . (Pew)

– 46% millennials and 44% GenXers say “Marriage is becoming obsolete.” (Pew)

Working vs Non-Working Mom: SurveyStud

Key Mom Stats:

2 billion in the World (82.5 million in the U.S.)

First-time Moms: Average age of new moms is 25, vs. 21 in 1970

Kids: Modern moms average 2 kids (1950s: 3.5 kids; 1700s: 7-10 kids)

4.3 babies are born each second

Working Moms

72% of moms with children over 1 year old work (about the same as childless women) , vs. 39% in 1976

55% of moms with a child under 1 year old work, vs. 31% in 1976

Moms with a full-time job spend 13 hours working at the office or at home on family chores

Baby Chores

Diaper Changes: 7,300 by baby’s 2nd birthday

Diaper Changing Speed: Moms take 2 minutes, 5 seconds (adds up to 3 40-hour work weeks each year!) , vs. 1 minute, 36 seconds for dads

Giving Attention: Preschooler requires mom’s attention once every 4 minutes or 210 times / day

Taking Care: Preschooler moms spend 2.7 hrs / day on primary childcare, vs. 1.2 hours for dads

Household Chores

Chores: Women average 2.2 hrs / day, vs. 1.3 hrs / day for men

Laundry: 88% is done by moms, totaling 330 loads of laundry & 5,300 articles of clothing each year

Least Favorite Chore: Vacuuming the stairs
Bathroom Multi-Tasking for Moms: Reading is the most common activity, followed by talking on the phone, meditating, watching TV, drinking coffee, eating and balancing the checkbook

Misc Mommy & Baby Facts

Most popular birth month: July

Most popular birth day: Tuesday

Most popular birthday: October 5

30 Pounds: Average weight gain during pregnancy

Baby Gender Gap: 105 boys born for every 100 girls

First Year Baby Costs: $7,000 of baby items before 1st birthday

Cost of Raising a Child: Middle-income families spend $242,070 to raise a kid to 18 (not incl. college!)

Most Popular Names of 21st Century

Baby Girls: Emily, Madison, Hannah

Baby Boys: Jacob, Michael, Joshua

Research suggests that moms who give birth later in life, live longer

Source: Statistica

SurveyStud: https://appsto.re/us/Ddj18.i