I had the great fortune to have lunch with an old friend the other day. During the course of the lunch, I asked her about her Grandmother, a bright feisty woman now in her mid eighties. I was thrilled to hear that her Grandmother was in grand health and enjoying her retirement. "Grandma Sandy" as everyone still calls her today was one of the great inspirations of my life time. Born in the roaring 20's Grandma Sandy spent the majority of her teen years surviving the Great Depression, it was then that she learned the value of a dollar would go up and down but that property would always weather the hard times.
As a young married woman Grandma Sandy had seized opportunity and purchased the house next door when the owner, an air force widow, decided she needed to live closer to family. Grandma Sandy rented the property for years and used the profit to tuck away college money for all of her five children.
In 1973, Grandma Sandy seized opportunity again and invested in another rental property, the price was right and she saw clearly the value in making an investment at the right moment. Grandma Sandy made purchases during all of the major recessions in the second half of the last century. She was never aware at the time that it was a recession. She once said that she waited until the price was something that felt right to her. Over her life Grandma Sandy amassed a small real estate empire. She will proudly tell you that none of her children, grandchildren or great grandchildren ever started life out with a college loan to pay off, all because she had the foresight to buy the house next door.
