I think it was midnight at that time. We were all still awake, my siblings and I and the sitting room was as lively as it'd be in daytime. An interesting perspective had occured to me and I was sharing it with my elder brother, Gabriel, who was lying on the sofa, face up and reading or scrolling his smartphone.
“Nothing solidifies and insured wealth better than real estate.” I had said.
The fleeting look that had appeared on Gabriel's face meant he disagreed with me and he appeared to be thinking, like he always did. Then he said:
“Businesses are a surer way to insure wealth, far better than real estate.”
Puzzlement sealed my lips for a few moments before I spoke.
“Why is that?”
This question might have carried half the inquisitiveness that was floating around in my mind at the time.
“First off, business grow money faster than real estate because they thrive more. Mind you that real estate can be forfeited by the owner to the government if they so decide and the compensation paid is often not enough. Not so with business, they typically compound wealth every year and if the owners handle it well, the business never closes.”
My head was angled to one side as I got lost in deep thought.
“The point for me is that real estate is better for preserving wealth, not necessarily growing it. Just making sure it stays and doesn't float away with the wind.”
“Mind you that regional hostilities can make one lose his real estate properties.”
I nodded at this as this had particularly happened in my country.
“Then you buy in places that are guaranteed not to experience unrests. Well… th fact is that my heart is more restful if I knew my wealth was more in landed properties than in a business, though the latter is a better money-multiplier.” I think he nodded and the argument falted for the moment.
I had often turned this thought over and over in my head at midnights. I felt businesses could easily fail. But real estate was yours after you bought till even after you're gone. And it'd be appreciating in value rather than depreciating.
When I talked this matter over with my younger brother who's a law undergraduate and my father, a lawyer, they agreed the policies of certain countries might not be that favourable to real estate investors and one had to do diligent research.
I'm still hoping to do this when I make my first $100m, yeah, I know, your eyes just popped out…it quite too high an amount, but I might be making it in 20, 30, 40 years from now. If my ambitiousness still leaves you dazed then forget it. I'm going into real estate before I begin investments in other sectors, like agric, tech, healthcare and others.
Thanks for reading.