Thinking Outside the Box: 7 New Ways to Invest

Traditionally, real estate investment has been in each of the five main property types: retail, industrial, multifamily, office, and hospitality. Yet in the last decade or so, investors have been branching out into more specialized endeavors.

Farms

The world’s population is expected to increase to about 9 billion people by 2050, while the UN predicts a steady decline in the amount of arable land per capita from 0.218 to 0.181 hectares in that same time. In the Midwest, there has been a 128% rise in average farmland values over the last decade, shooting up from $1,270 an acre in 2003 to $2,900 in 2013 (by USDA estimates).

The Next Big Thing in Real Estate?

Up until now, investing in real estate has been seen as an option only for the wealthy. But things may change soon with the creation of startups for crowdfunded real estate purchases.

Crowdfunding involves a large group of people on the internet donating a certain amount of money to a project. For example, the website Kickstarter allows filmmakers, designers, and musicians to post a project idea, the funding required, and a deadline for the goal. If people like what they see, they can donate money and will generally in return receive something from the project creator, like a copy of the finished film, album, etc.

Merry Christmas From the Family

Courtesy of www.stockvault.net

The boxes are back underneath the basement stairway. Decorations tucked away for another year and the credit card bill is due. As I reflect over the years of my youth distant holiday seasons seemed so simple. As family scatters, expands, and unfortunately contracts, it gets a bit more complicated – or so it seems to me.

The Shoe Store’s Closed!

It is July and time for our annual escape/vacation to the north woods in my home state of Michigan. As penance for spending most of that time in the middle of trout streams I accompany my wife on a shopping trip to Gaylord, a large town about thirty minutes away. It is near the I-75 freeway and a commercial hub similar to the Janesville/Beloit market. All the big boxes are there along with a quaint downtown with small shops.

Years ago, when it was the trendy thing to do, Gaylord themed its downtown architecture to become an Alpine village. Seems a bit hokey these days, but in the scheme of things they actually pulled if off pretty well. They have a very successful festival, Alpenfest, and even convinced some of the national retailers to adopt the Alpine theme within their new store’s façade. It has been the Alpine Village for as long as I can remember.