The Path of Progress

They say buy in the path of progress.

This is the George Bush Turnpike as viewed eastbound from the Firewheel Parkway overpass. It is due to open Spring of 2011 and will extend to Interstate 30. You can already take it westbound past I-35 and then south to I-30 and I-20.
This extension puts North Garland, Sachse, Rowlett and East Garland squarely in the path of progress. It can reasonably be concluded that long term property values will be positively impacted.

Someone in California seems to agree with me.



In-N-Out is coming to Garland! Not Plano, McKinney or Southlake but little ole Garland. It seems there are plans to expand into Texas in a big way but the decision to put the first one in the Firewheel Mall would seem to support my point.
I have a particular fondness for In-N-Out as a double-double once saved my life in Las Vegas.

This is a good time to make the distinction between investing and speculation.
Investing is buying based on current conservative fundamentals.
Any future upside is strictly a bonus.
Speculating is buying based on something else happening, like the Tollway being diverted through Melissa or Cowboy Stadium being built in Fair Park, both of which did not happen.
Another word for speculating is gambling.
I am not a fan of gambling in Real Estate.
The stakes are usually pretty high.


Although my primary focus here is residential investing I must point out that right now is likely a historic alignment of low property values and low interest rates.
The last time we had a big Real Estate bust in the 80s interest rates were really high.
If are even slightly interested in exploring the current market let me know and I'll run a quick search. Sellers are super motivated right now.