The analogy of a blissful marriage and a good property
September 9, 2013
Tonight while flipping through the local TV channels in my hotel room somewhere in Taiwan, I came across a variety show with the hosts and guests sharing their views on ‘what makes a blissful woman’.
The blissful marriage
A local celebrity backed her argument with a thought-provoking remark,
“女人不是要嫁得到，是要嫁得好。” (What women really want is not to be able to get married, but to be married to a good husband.)
What a quote! It really speaks the mind of the modern woman.
How difficult is it to find a man and tie the knot? If you are not picky, you can basically marry anyone from anywhere at anytime.
However, what women really want is to spend their life with a ‘good’ husband — a man who is loving, caring, respectful, faithful, responsible and also a good provider. And you need that experience, wisdom and maturity to see that these qualities exist in a man.
It is only through the advice of a mentor, the mistakes of others, or the past lessons you learned that you finally understand that getting married doesn’t guarantee happiness hereafter; that falling in love and living with the person are two different things; that marriage and blissfulness are two separate matters.
If there is a probability formula of a blissful marriage, it may have one-third depending on the husband, another one-third resting with the wife, and the last one-third counting on compatibility and fate. Of course, picking the good versus the bad guy is a critical factor here.
The good property
While browsing the new titles in a bookstore today, I flipped through a book written by a successful property investor. The author has a similar advice for property buyers,
“投資買房不是要買得到，是要賺得到。” (Property investment is not just to buy over the property, but to be able to make a profit from it.)
How difficult is it to buy a private property? You can step into a sales gallery and book a unit in an hour’s time. You can leave a cheque with a property agent to ballot for a unit on behalf of you. You just put down a deposit and you can call the property your own. It is almost a no-brainer if you are happy with buying anything at any price in any market.
And when the market is good, everyone makes money from properties. How can you not be able to drift forward when you are riding the tide, with the wind and waves in your direction?
But do you really know what is a good location or a good project? Can you tell units with good facing, layout and fengshui from the bad ones? Do you know how to pick a good property that guarantees a handsome profit the moment you buy? Can your unit still fetch a good rent even when the rental market is soft? Do you see why a good property can generate positive income regardless of a bull or bear market?
Afterall, the success of property investors is not measured by how well they do when times are good, but how they perform when times are bad.
It is only through years’ of experience, the lessons of others, or the losses you made that one day you finally come to realize that buying a property doesn’t necessarily guarantee a profit at the end; that buying a property and investing in a profitable one are two separate things; that speculators and professional investors are two different species.
If there is a probability formula of finding a good deal, it may have one-third from the buyer’s insight, another one-third to do with the buyer’s discipline (hardwork, patience, persistence, etc.), and the last one-third counting on market conditions and opportunities.
And of course, buying the right property at the right time makes all the difference here.
