Brian Wojcik
Realty Matters: Rethinking Community Development
While Washington continues to address the crisis of people unable to pay rent, they have not addressed the issue of rental property owners who are unable to pay mortgages, which can create another “domino effect” of evictions and loss. The rental providers, therefore, suddenly find themselves thrown under the bus ...
Realty Matters: Influencers in Real Estate
Trends are not easy to predict in any industry. To understand industry trends, you must first understand who influences trends and why trends change. Is it simply fashionable? Has a new technology usurped an existing popular system? Maybe a rising ethos toppled an old stereotype? Looking at existing trends to ...
Realty Matters: Designing Your Business
Evaluation of a real estate opportunity comes in two forms: Use in search of a Site, or Site in search of a Use In other words, a business produces something and needs a suitable location; conversely, a location is available for a suitable business. A parallel approach and methodology can ...
Realty Matters: Risk Management
When talking to prospective clients for my property management business, I always say, “rental property management is really about Risk Management.” I often tell the story of a client, who had previously decided to self-manage. Although he always tried to do the right thing, a small, innocent error led to ...
In the Ring of Investment Protection
How hard can it be?” a prospective client for my former property management business asked. “Well, it really depends on…” I started. Before I completed my sentence, he couldn’t help himself from throwing another jab, trying to get me on the ropes. “Depends on what?” he interjected. He was setting ...
Rental housing providers have all experienced (or will eventually) the unfortunate predicament of having to evict a renter. Those unfortunate events are complex and costly, with $48 billion in losses filed annually by independent investor housing providers according to IRS data. While it ultimately comes down to a business decision ...
How many times have you heard about the latest technology or new company “disrupting” an industry? The real estate industry hasn’t seen any significantly disruptive innovation; the edges of existing processes have evolved, a bit. Did We-Work “disrupt” leasing? Nope. They simply added some Silicon Valley sizzle to an existing ...
The psychology of word association is fascinating and powerful. In the following sentences, fill in the blank with the first word that comes to your mind: ________ is where the heart is. Habitat for _____________. Most likely you chose Home and Humanity. What feelings do those terms conjure for you? ...
Double Down & Play to Win: A Call for Rental Housing Innovation
"If you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re on the menu.” In his opening remarks at Think Realty’s Baltimore Expo this past June, Maryland State Delegate Marvin Holmes, a landlord and property manager himself, encouraged landlords to get involved and speak out for their cause. This sentiment is ...
Playing the “Blame Game” Heralds Trouble for Rental Owners
As landlords, we are unknowingly conducting our business in a Perfect Storm. By dictionary definition, this occurs when a rare combination of circumstances aggravates a situation drastically. There are several rare combinations of circumstances leading to unfavorable - and significant - change for landlords. The storm is already brewing and ...
Landlord-Rallying Effort in Maryland Gives Hope
Are there any questions for the panel? Next up is Brian Wojcik. Is Brian here?” asked the vice chair of the committee of delegates. It was a long and drawn-out meeting in an overcrowded room, on an unusually warm winter day. The air conditioning seemed limited in its capacity to ...
The Landlording World Is Flat. Or Is it?
Stubborn misconceptions about landlords and property managers have led to some disastrous legislation. It’s time to make your voice heard. Despite Aristotle’s evidence (circa 330 B.C.) that the Earth is round, its shape nevertheless was hotly debated for centuries thereafter. Even today, “flat Earth societies” still exist, based on a belief ...
