Good morning to the joy of a New Month;
PROFESSIONALISM
Preparation with Promising Outcomes
Our business is based in people selling, buying, and investing – wherever there is need for financing. We demand of ourselves, to work hard and be straight forward. You are the priority.
Headlines continue crashing back and forth across the globe. Yet underlying facts and meaningful outcomes are often quite different. To this end and purpose, I strive to discover what might have a financial impact upon your life, your investments, and building of wealth.
Key: Reading past the headlines in their desire to confuse and misdirect. To this, we apply the same discipled approach each day, to build a strong foundation not easily moved by emotionalisms. In this vein, I an ever thankful for another year of writing, reading, researching and learning about your financial goals. Let’s talk.
If you are ready, Call Today. I look forward to our first discussion, and ongoing conversations – even your friends waiting to Buy or Refinance. Let’s talk the pricing benefits of early preparation. It is key.
You can expect us to work towards identifying strengths and weakness of the proposed transaction, the property, the project, the borrowers. Goal: Maximize potentials and overcoming possible trouble.
This is an added benefit to our real estate finance speciality. A consultive approach to our service, building successful strategies and easy-to-follow trajectories, showing forth the whole picture – more than most do.
The range of our conversation:
-
- Myths vs. Market Realities
-
- The Build
-
- Clarifying Investment Plans
-
- Why Each Person / Plan is Unique
-
- The Need for Advice, believing in success.
Goal: Turning the complex, into your personal success.
Michael Ryan & Associates stands with you. Let’s talk: What better time to setup a 1/2 hour initial chat? Let’s make it easy. Go to: michael-ryan.com. Set a time best for you – with no obligations. I look forward to our conversation.
Your ‘Asset Optimization Specialist’
MARKET NEWS
General Market: Last look at 2025, based on actual Numbers, not headlines: S&P + 15 %, Nasdaq + 20 %, Dow + 13 %. GDP 2025 + 3.2 %, Inflation 3 % to 2.7 %, Trade deficit from -120 B / month to -30 B / month. Employment from 4 % to 4.4 %. Gasoline prices from $ 3.00 to $ 2.80 per gallon. Home loan rates from 6.9 % to 6.2 %. Border crossings from 200 K per month to 20 K per month, legally.
Employment: Published and tracked numbers may not be adding up. A fun statistic is since 1948 the average unemployment rate is 4.7%. The challenge currently is not being able to accurately post actual job firings and those leaving a position, and where they go. With this, is the shift in the public vs private sector job loss and growth.
Employment: H1-B visa new applications continue to fill the numerical limits of 85 K per year. Fiscal year 2025, is expected to have about 115 K approved (in line with the last 5 years). Renewals are approximatly 300 K. (Low of 200 K in 2010, gradually increasing to 425K in 2022, then dropped to 400K in 2024). The total US employed workforce approximates 160M. My take: H1-B conversation is political and not material to the USA workforce. And, too much stress for our friends who are Visa holders. The uncertainty and foolish limitations are unnecessary. Yet, Congress and Senate have chosen to do Nothing, for decades.
Residential Lending: Surprise for high income earner (think bonus / RSU driven) even a new job / recent job change? We have lenders doing this every day up to 5 M loan amount.
Also owner / or spec: Large loans for construction to permanent housing, over 3 M, with a one time close, and will do construction for spec. The world is changing. So call today.
Housing – Purchase Mortgage Applications: Currently strong at levels not seen in 3 years. Each time the home loan interest rates touch on 6 %, activity increases a good amount
Inflation: True inflation numbers out this past week indicate inflation is trending sub 2 % and CPI very close to 1%. Though they track 10,000 points, their read can be volatile. Rates should be good for Spring Buyers.
The Good, the Bad, And the Ugly
The Good: Poverty. Some simple stats. Since 1980, poverty has fallen by more than 27 percentage points. This was a byproduct of tax cuts, government benefits, and overall economic growth.
The Bad: Construction Costs. From a recent interview with Ivy Zelman. Labor inflation – zero. Impact fees – San Francisco 15 %, Houston 5 %, to note Houston costs are up 50 % since Co-Vid. “Lot costs” continue increasing showing no backing back down.
And, the Ugly: Perspective on US Debt. Most is purchased by Americans. The annual debt burden – about 2 T – is offset with the US adding 5 T annually to the value / wealth of the USA. This can be sustained, yet is not the best way to proceed. The Ugly is the consistent pick a data-point and go on about it ad nauseam, without the needed data to provide perspective or balance.
Perspective:
This month, an important data-point. In 2025 the Federal government employment dropped 9%. Most of these people will transition into the private sector. Thereby moving people from a position of economic redistribution to economic creation. This will bode well for the private sector.
Further, over the past 10 years, England and Germany have experienced zero GDP growth per capita while the US has increased 20 %.
More good news: Credit card delinquencies are running below the long-term average tracking back to 1990, excluding Co-Vid.
Success:
Homeownership still ranks as one of the top wealth building tools in America. In this, we can help. We offer a complete set of tools to help you decide what is best for you and your future.
Here again, the lending market is continuing to increase offerings, some noted earlier. The wealth effect as exemplified in the stock markets, gold, etc. has money looking for work. Real estate secured financing is a favorite vehicle. We get the results of this money, seeking placement and having companies continue to expand offerings. Great times for those in need of capital.
Call today. We are here to help.
Secret of Leverage:
Is there a nice benefit of homeownership vs renting, with long-term benefits providing a pleasant surprise? Yes. The advantage is the special benefits of leverage. Let’s talk. Call now.
As you look ahead to your tomorrow.
Let’s review today’s options and realistic opportunities.
Readiness, Planning and Preparation
I rarely change this section. Yes, I do repeat it, for each month someone new shows interest in real estate – buying, refinancing, or in a tax-deferred exchange. Is this your month? We simplify the complexities of investing into straight forward solutions, by good council.
Our goal: Finding the best path to success and discuss the discipline to stay the course. It begins when you make the first call. I am ready. Let’s talk today.
Our strategies: Straight forward, logical, and built on sound reasoning. A doctorate in finance is not a prerequisite.
Should one invest in stocks, bonds, real estate, business, insurance, etc.? Each person has a different view, a different comfort level and sense of risk vs reward. Such is the heart of the market place and key to one’s “planning and preparation”.
To this, we offer clients our expertise and experience, to complement their perspective. Our goal: Bring meaningful options designed to enhance one’s desires with market realities. Call today. Let’s set a time.
Why Call Mike?
What We Do – What We Offer – Why We Are Here
We believe in real estate as a good measure of long term success. While we do NOT ignore other types of investments, I love the more stable approach of buying and investing. We scrutinize for safety and prioritize options most feasible for you. We are always ready to help. It is how we built so many trusting relationships – growing wealth and securing the future.
Small Business: We love small business and provide a full array of financing tools.
Residential / Commercial: We offer strong lenders with a complete package of lending options.
Retirement Strategies: Like myself, as we mature, real estate becomes more personal. If you agree, let’s talk. Together, we can help find answers and solutions to questions about tomorrow. We can start today. We can address a range of questions, from working at home, to a multitude of retirement options. Our efforts are to bring clarity to important real estate planning issues.
Purchase Options for Investment Properties: We finance over most of the entire Nation. Little known loans requiring very limited documentation – NO income tax returns. The loans are based upon the properties cash flow. Curious? Call. Investing out of the area is not rocket science. Yet you do need to have some knowledge. Let us fill in the blanks for you to succeed and prosper!
Consider the Following:
Real Estate Centric solutions: Buy Now, buy as much as you can.
Why? Let’s talk, as to why this makes sense, starting with the top 3 questions:
1) Appreciation and why Properties continue to appreciate each year? It is a supply / demand imbalance. This increase tends to rise faster than money we can save. Good news: I have decades of SFR data for every county in the USA.
2) What about the HIGH interest rates? In one aspect, this benefits today’s buyers, as it takes out speculative pricing and keeps much of the competition on the sidelines, waiting.
3) What happens if rates drop in the near future? As interest rates drop many Buyers sitting on the sidelines enter the market. This drives rates of appreciation higher, bringing more multiple offers, and over-bidding of price. With buying sooner you can still benefit from lower future rates, plus gain the potential benefits of lower loan-to-value percentages.
If these ideas sound good, let’s start talking today.
Making your future brighter today & tomorrow.
What We Do: Our role is to explain and bring clarity to time-tested strategies able to keep your money working for you. One worthy and profitable of your efforts and valuable time.
Our Efforts: To be insightful and practical. Working with you, to find answers, matched with carefully planned timing. Priority: Being straight forward, with no short cuts.
We are the professional team who stands with you.
Ready, with feet on the ground, and forward looking !!
Thank you and a special blessing as we look forward to a most Joyous Year.
