After I texted Sha that day, he responded quickly. Apparently, he assumed the reason we didn’t talk for so long was due to my phone being off. I dunno where he got that idea, but I guess I was wrong about any animosity we had. Shit. You know, I’m very good at observing people and reading into looks and mannerisms. But for some reason, I still suck at predictions. Oh well.
Yesterday Sha and his wife Sonya wanted to pick me up to go eat. Usually I would say no, but it was a great opportunity to gauge how he’s doing in real estate. So he picked me up at property Alpha in his new vehicle: a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer. He purchased it after giving his Ford Contour to his sister, and it cost him only $2000 off Craigslist. So now he has a 2004 Jeep Liberty, a 1998 Ford F-250, a 2000 Dodge Intrepid, and now the Chevy Trailblazer. When I asked why he needed the Chevy, he said it was primarily for family trips. Then he put his hand on Sonya’s stomach and said, “Yeah, it’s also for us for when we start our family.” Hmmm.
We went to a high-end Chinese restaurant that served mediocre food while catching up on what we’ve been up to. I told him that I’ve been working my ass off trying to pay back taxes and property repairs. It’s my way of making him believe that I’m not doing well in real estate. For some reason, it’s very important to my ego that he believes I’m failing. Anyway, Sha seems to be doing… good. He said his handymen are much more stable now, and most of his properties are fully rented out. He works part time for two security companies and that’s about it. Sha and his wife going on a trip to Canada for 10 days next week, followed by trip to Cancun. We then walked around while Sonya got her eyebrows… tweezed or something by some Indian lady. After spotting Marla a couple times, the mall felt crowded and we got out of there. On the way back home, we stopped by to pick up rent from one of his tenants and then he dropped me back home.
From what I can tell, Sha is comfortable with the money he’s currently making combined with Sonya’s income from her job. He probably still gets money from the pre-foreclosed properties that he’s not paying mortgages on, while the banks continue to drag their feet on foreclosing them. His money goes to paying his handymen, expensive trips, his wife’s expensive tastes, and what will soon be a baby on the way. He also remains in the process of finishing that barbershop and setting up the salon in the back. With all that going on, I don’t see him buying any more properties. This is my time now. This is my opportunity to play catch up and retire in 2015. With the personal responsibilities Sha has alone, I should be able to beat him. I’ll be retired with no kids, no wife, one vehicle, and a lot of time to do whatever I want. And even then I still plan to buy more and more properties. I don’t think I’ll ever stop.
I’m pretty sure I won’t have to do monthly updates about Sha and our competition. He’s set where he is, so everything about the competition rests with me. I should surpass his net worth once I purchase Foxtrot or Gamma, but I should pass his yearly income (NOI) by the end of 2015. That would be awesome. Competition aside, I like to see him be successful. I’ve always liked Sha, but we have different beliefs when it comes to doing business. If he succeeds by doing it his way, then he gets his kudos from me. But I’m betting that my style of business will have me make more money in the long run and build wealth much faster. The “competitions” between he and I and my family and I are really facades. The truth is that if everyone succeeds, it’s all good. But if I can beat everyone, then it simply extends the smile on my face just a little more.
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